Bright suns, Gail! Visiting the planet of Batuu with a group of eight makes for a great travel party! Strength in numbers is always advised when in the company of stormtroopers, bounty hunters, and other questionable characters in the galaxy! The advice you're being given regarding reservations is partially correct. As a Jedi to his padawan, I will lead you in the way of the Force.
To enter any of the four Disney Parks, a Guest must have both a valid theme park ticket, as well as a
Disney Park Pass reservation. Based upon your question, it sounds like you already have this taken care of for
Disney's Hollywood Studios - home of
Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge!
Once you are in Disney's Hollywood Studios, you can visit Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge (or any other portion of the park) with no additional reservations necessary to visit! Where you do need an additional reservation is if you plan to experience the
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance attraction at Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. If you are a fan of Star Wars, or just fans of amazing theme park attractions, then I strongly advise you plan on seeing this attraction!
To experience Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance you need to secure a boarding group (reservation) via your
My Disney Experience app. Consider this a "virtual queue" to experience an attraction. Rather than waiting in a physical line, you will be assigned a boarding group, which will serve as your reservation for reporting to the attraction!
Guests can secure a boarding group at 7:00AM when on Disney property, or in the surrounding area of the Walt Disney World Resort. There is a second opportunity to secure a boarding group at 1:00PM. To secure a boarding group at the 1:00PM release, you must be present inside of Disney's Hollywood Studios!
Gail, your training is complete! May the Force be with you (and your travel party) during your visit to Batuu!
Hakuna Matata! Jonathan