This all started with a pandemic-era Star Wars obsession. I’d seen the movies like everyone else—but working from home during COVID turned my mornings into a Clone Wars ritual. One episode per day turned into reading comics and novels on my lunch breaks, watching every show on Disney+, this is how I conduct a midlife crisis/pandemic trauma response.
So when Ellena suggested we skip our usual beach vacation and go to Galaxy’s Edge instead, I thought she was joking. Nope. She planned the whole thing—via a TikTok travel agent, naturally—and I had only one request: “Can we bump the dates so we’re there on May the 4th?”
Blank stare. “Why would we do that?”
😏
The Quote That Made the Trip
We were supposed to fly out at 6 a.m. That was the plan. Instead, around 10 p.m. the night before, Ellena’s phone lit up with rebooking notifications. The flight was delayed and our connection was toast. She opened her laptop, sighed deeply, and decided I should “help.” She shook me awake from my NyQuil coma.
I blinked, opened the airline app, and handed her my phone like I was offering up a TV remote. That’s when she delivered the quote of the trip:
“I didn’t wake you up just so you could hand me your phone! Get your laptop!”
May the 4th at Galaxy’s Edge!
Star Wars Day at Galaxy’s Edge was nothing short of spiritual. We wore matching shirts—hers was BB-8 with Mickey ears, mine was R2-D2.
She loves matching. I do not. So of course, she packed us coordinated Star Wars shirts and trolled me with love.
We walked into Galaxy’s Edge through a tunnel, and… BAM. You’re not at Disney. You’re on Batuu. The Millennium Falcon was there, life-sized and majestic. I teared up. Ellena insists I cried. Same difference.
We rode Smugglers Run, built lightsabers at Savi’s Workshop, and I finally built my sweet, sweet, Chopper droid! I may have financially blacked out in the marketplace. I regret nothing.
Rise of the Resistance was the main event. It’s more immersive theater than ride. You’re in it, captured by the First Order, escaping with the Resistance, moving through different rooms with actors, effects, and full-on plotlines. It blew my mind.
By the end of the day, we were soaked in sweat and rain, running on charcuterie and cocktails. It was perfect.
Pandora: The Surprise MVP
Two days later, we hit Animal Kingdom, and I’ll be honest—I was a little “meh” on Avatar going in. But Pandora? Pandora blew us away. Floating mountains, glowing plants, alien vibes that felt real.
Flight of Passage made me want to rewatch the movies. It’s like riding a banshee in 3D IMAX strapped to a wind machine. I expected a screen and some motion; I got a mind-altering out-of-body flight. Absolute top-tier theme park experience. (Still haven’t rewatched the movies, but the impulse was there.)
We capped the night by hopping back to Galaxy’s Edge. Because of course we did.
EPCOT: Heat, Chaos, and Cosmic Rewind
Just when we thought we might be hitting our stride, EPCOT reminded us that Disney isn’t messing around. It was 88 degrees by 9:30 a.m., zero shade, and the sun was clearly trying to kill us. We were there for Cosmic Rewind, a Guardians of the Galaxy coaster.
I’m not a coaster person, and Ellena swore it wasn’t “that bad.” She lied, beautifully. I clamped my eyes shut halfway through and held on like my life depended on it. Still—worth it.
Afterward, I inhaled the best hotdog of my life in an air-conditioned food court and rode Living with the Land like it was a spiritual recovery session. Soarin’ was next, which we both appreciated for the gentle breeze and complete lack of G-forces.
Ellena Graduates (Again!)
After all the lightsabers, banshees, and intergalactic motion sickness, we got home just long enough to swap out suitcases before hitting the road again. Ellena was graduating with her master’s degree from the University of Arkansas. She wasn’t sure she wanted to walk, but I told her she had to. She juggled work, school, life—and still made it across the stage.
We drove to Bentonville (because everything in Fayetteville was booked solid), stayed in a room the size of a broom closet, and pulled it off. She walked. Her name was pronounced right. I saw her across the crowd and did the awkward wave. It was incredible.
The Aftermath
We came home to suitcases exploded across the apartment and zero motivation to do anything about it. Disney, airports, graduation, more driving—it was chaos. But the good kind. The kind you laugh about later when your feet stop hurting.
We didn’t get rest. We didn’t get tan. But we got lightsabers, memories, and one very well-earned diploma.
And that, friends, is what I call a vacation.