For as long as Star Wars fans have remembered, they've dreamed of one day finding a way to be part of the intergalactic adventures of their favorite characters. Over the years, there have been attempts to make that a reality, from Star Tours at Disneyland and Disney World, to the various Star Wars virtual reality experiences. The closest we've come yet is the launch of Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, an immersive theme park land at Disney's theme parks in the United States. Even that, though, fell short of the mark. Now, Disney is ready to take an even bigger swing with Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, its immersive hotel experience.
GameSpot was lucky to be one of a few outlets invited to experience some aspects of Galactic Starcruiser at an early preview and we learned quite a bit. In fact, so much information was revealed that there simply wasn't room for it in our breakdown of the immersive experience.
Instead, this will tell you literally all there is to know about the new Star Wars attraction coming to the Walt Disney World resort, when it opens in March 2022. Take a look below at everything we've learned--and more about what we already knew.
What is the Galactic Starcruiser?
This is a tricky one to answer. It's easy to call it a hotel, but it's more than that. The attraction is attempting to mimic a luxury cruise through space. Set in the world of Star Wars between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker, Galactic Starcruiser is an immersive experience that takes place over multiple days and nights. What that means, is the "hotel" is designed to feel like you're aboard a spaceship flying through space and it's going to be filled with characters, including actors playing the roles of the crew and possibly other passengers on the ship, droids, and even the First Order and some familiar faces from the Star Wars franchise.
You, the guests, will get to interact with them and take part in an ongoing storyline.
How long is the cruise?
This is a two-day/two-night experience, but that might be a bit confusing, so here's how it breaks down. You will check in on the afternoon of the first day. You then have a full night, followed by a full day and another full night. You then check out on what is technically the third day.
The story
If you're going to be dropped in the middle of a Star Wars story, it had better be a good one. The ship you board is known as the Halcyon and it is one of the absolute finest vessels operated by the Chandrila Star Line. It also happens to be a ship with ties to the Resistance attempting to overthrow the First Order. How much you know about that is really up to you. From the very beginning, guests will find themselves dropped into the ship's story, as the First Order boards the vessel looking for rebel scum. Will you help them? Will you align yourself with the Resistance? That's your call.
The crew
While we don't know all of the Halcyon's crew just yet, some members that guests will be able to meet have been revealed. We'll dig into them over the next few slides.
Captain Riyola Keevan
Captain Keevan is a Pantoran that leads the ship and its crew. You'll have plenty of chances to interact with the character. Disney's official character breakdown reads, "Charismatic, respected and trustworthy, Captain Keevan will lead your voyage aboard the Halcyon starcruiser. She is a strong and decisive leader, endearing herself to both her crew and her passengers by being fair to all and cool under pressure--a skill she's learned from her… "adventurous" history. You'll likely find the captain on the ship's bridge--and you'd be wise to listen carefully and follow her instructions."
Lenka Mok
Lenka is the cruise director meaning she's in charge of onboard entertainment. And there's plenty of that to be had, from the various planned activities--which we'll talk about--to music performances and even downtime in the ship's bar. She also happens to have her own droid, which is likely to be following her around the ship. SK-62O, which looks like an upgraded R2 unit.
Sammie
Sammie is the ship's mechanic except he doesn't actually know anything about being a mechanic. That's because, in reality, Sammie is actually a resistance stowaway on the ship, essentially posing as a mechanic. If you want to work with the resistance, he's the guy to look for.
D3-O9
Another of the ship's droids, though you're unlikely to see this one in person. Instead, you'll hear its voice and see it appear on screens as it keeps the ship running.
First Order Lt. Harman Croy
It's hard to have a resistance without something for them to resist. Croy is flanked by Stormtroopers and doing the First Order's bidding aboard the Halcyon. He's there to get to the bottom of the ship's connection to the Resistance--and looking for a certain hairy Resistance figure he believes is onboard.
Familiar faces
While there's no telling how many established Star Wars characters will make themselves known on Galactic Starcruiser, Disney has confirmed Chewbacca, Kylo Ren, and Rey will all be part of the story told on the ship. That makes sense, given that they're also all part of the Galaxy's Edge land.
Your cabin
Let's talk about the hotel's rooms for a moment. Each can technically sleep five adults--two on the primary bed, two in the full-length twin bunks, and one on a bed that pulls out from the wall. While the bunk beds have thinner mattresses, they were specially designed for Galactic Starcruiser and are actually pretty comfortable. What's more, while the bunks may look child-sized, they are long enough for most adults to easily fit. So start arguing over who gets the top bunk now.
And if you want more room, there is a selection of suites that will sleep even more guests.
The food
There is so much about the dining program of Galactic Starcruiser that we just don't know. However, we were able to sample some of the items that will be available to guests and the dishes seem like the next evolution of the menus on Galaxy's Edge. Disney's chefs essentially play with flavors, colors, and textures to make things look and taste strange and otherworldly, even though they're made from regular ingredients.
Among the dishes sampled was a seafood ceviche that featured miniature squid as the protein, rather than fish or shrimp. There was also a bread that came with a side of Bantha blue milk butter (prepared in-house), a "bubble waffle" that is the chip's version of grilled cheese for younger guests, and even a salmon dish on bamboo rice that looked like it was still alive. That was made possible through the use of bonito flakes--flakes of smoked, fermented fish. Great care has been put into the dishes to make them visually appealing while leaving you wondering just what it is you're eating.
And just like a cruise, food is included with your stay. There will be snacks available daily, along with breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Breakfast and lunch will be served via a buffet of small plate dishes, while dinners are held in the formal dining room.
Games
There are the immersive elements of the experience, which we'll get to, but there's also the gaming. The two parts of the experience we were able to test out were bridge control and lightsaber training. Neither portion of the experience was finished, but both played out as essentially a series of minigames.
For the bridge portion, guests are shown how to run the shields, weapons, and other functions of the ship (though you won't be steering it). There are four stations to use, each of which feels like a high-end Atari game. Shiels is essentially like playing Breakout. While that's not necessarily a bad thing, you shouldn't go into the experience expecting a Star Wars: Squadrons level of gameplay.
Likewise, lightsaber training might not be as advanced as you'd like. You take turns with those in your party between using a training lightsaber and a shield to defect beams of light that appear at a variety of speeds. However, don't expect to be using the working lightsaber.
That working lightsaber
Yes, Disney has developed a replica lightsaber whose blade emits from and returns to the hilt. No, chances are you won't be touching it anytime soon. While lightsaber training does happen on the ship, Disney confirmed to GameSpot that that particular "working" lightsaber won't be involved. Instead, chances are you'll see Rey carrying it when she makes her appearance aboard the Halcyon.
Roleplaying
During the media preview, Disney made it clear that it wants guests to roleplay as much as possible. Galactic Starcruiser will be as immersive as you want it to be, even if that means ignoring most of what's going on while you knock back space cocktails in the bar.
That said, the hope is that you'll show up in costume, ready to play along--regardless of who you side with.
Costuming available
Don't have a costume? That's quite alright, as there will also be a selection of costumes available for sale. The team at Disney has created several full outfits, many based directly on costumes from the Star Wars movies--from a cloak worn by Queen Amidala to an outfit from the personal collection of Bail Organa. For kids, there's even a version of Captain Keevan's formalwear to buy.
Galaxy's Edge excursion
What's a cruise without an off-ship excursion? On Galactic Starcruiser, you'll have the chance to deboard the ship to visit the planet of Batuu, otherwise known as Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at Disney Hollywood Studios. Your entrance into Hollywood Studios is included in the price of your Starcruiser stay.
According to Disney, the events that unfold while you're at Galaxy's Edge will be felt on the ship. It remains to be seen how integrated the two will be. However, during the media preview, something that happens on the Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance attraction was mentioned in one ship character's dialogue.
Galaxy's Edge excursion
What's a cruise without an off-ship excursion? On Galactic Starcruiser, you'll have the chance to deboard the ship to visit the planet of Batuu, otherwise known as Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at Disney Hollywood Studios. Your entrance into Hollywood Studios is included in the price of your Starcruiser stay.
According to Disney, the events that unfold while you're at Galaxy's Edge will be felt on the ship. It remains to be seen how integrated the two will be. However, during the media preview, something that happens on the Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance attraction was mentioned in one ship character's dialogue.
The price
It should come as no surprise that this isn't exactly a cheap vacation. For one, you're not buying a single night at a hotel--every stay is two days/two nights. In the standard cabins the price breaks down as follows:
- 2 guests per cabin: $4,809\
- 3 guests per cabin (2 adults, 1 child): $5,299
- 4 guests per cabin (3 adults, 1 child): $5,999
You'll have to contact Disney if you're bringing more guests.
Grand opening
Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser opens March 1, 2022 at Walt Disney World resort. You can book your stay through Disney's website.
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