The time has come. Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, the immersive experience at Walt Disney World in Florida, opens on March 1. Ahead of that, GameSpot was afforded the opportunity to experience a full three-day/two-night stay aboard the Halcyon "starcruiser" at the center of the adventure and experience all it had to offer.
After doing a playtest preview last year, we couldn't help but wonder how the final product would differ. What had changed, what hadn't, and how did it all work together once immersed into the full story? The answers are a bit of a mixed bag.
There are parts of Galactic Strarcruiser that more than deliver on the promise of the experience. You will find yourself immersed in the universe of Star Wars, thrust into a story. But not everything is perfect and there are some issues. So while you try to decide if you should invest your money in this experience, take a look below at what works and what doesn't.
What works: Immersion
The whole point of Galactic Starcruiser is to live your own Star Wars adventure and, without a doubt, that is delivered during your stay. The level of immersion is up to you, though. There are multiple branching stories that let guests choose the kind of character they want to be and the type of tale they want to follow. You can be a smuggler, a resistance sympathizer, even a loyalist to the First Order. Of course, if none of that suits you, perhaps you'll follow a love story unfolding between two of the characters on the ship.
Then again, you can also do practically none of it. While there are a few ship-wide events--dinner both nights, a muster to kick off the cruise, and a grand finale on the final night--most of the other activities are based on your personal experience, and you don't actually have to attend any of them.
If you want to be involved in a plot, find a character to talk to. Otherwise, nobody is going to give you any problem if you want to just hang out in the bar drinking space cocktails or lounging in your room the whole time, though if that's your choice, it might be difficult to justify the price tag.
That said, your level of involvement is also going to play a role in just how tired you are when this is over. Let it be known that Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser is not a vacation. If you're looking for time away to rest up, go find a beach. There's so much happening on the ship that chances are you'll be constantly on the move and the moment you land back on Earth, you'll be exhausted.
What works: Characters
What's a story without characters filling it? The Galactic Starcruiser has a decent-sized cast of characters, and you'll have the chance to interact with them throughout your stay. From the ship's staff to First Order Interlopers, to even a galactic pop star named Gaya, who was one of the biggest highlights of the experience.
You'll be given missions and tasks by them, work with them to solve puzzles, and even socialize with them at various times. During my stay, I managed to conspire with a First Order officer, joke around with the ship's captain, and share a drink with Gaya in the Sublight Lounge bar. This all happened outside of the planned activities in the itinerary, while just wandering around the ship.
The actors portraying the characters are very dedicated to their roles and bringing guests into the story, making for a much more fun experience--especially First Order Lieutenant Croy, who is almost theatrical in how over-the-top he is while delivering his dialogue.
What doesn't: Activity lengths
While many of the activities are as good as they can get--especially the meals, complete with entertainment--others can feel like they go on far too long. Bridge training and lightsaber training, two of the marquee activities on the ship, could stand to be about 15 minutes shorter each. Neither of them are bad, but at the same time, they also don't necessarily justify the time they eat on the ship.
We previously playtested both of these experiences at an early preview of Galactic Starcruiser, and neither of them has really changed from that early state. Bridge training, for instance, blocks out 45 minutes on your schedule, and it makes use of every single second of it, even if you might be ready to move on after a half hour.
It's especially rougher on certain children, which leads us to...
What doesn't: Appeal to children of certain ages
First and foremost, this voyage was full of kids having a great time, decoding resistance messages, playing their own characters, and dashing toward Chewbacca whenever they saw him. Not all activities are well-suited for all children, though.
Lightsaber training, on the surface, seems like the most exciting activity of the experience. However, within 10 minutes of the lesson beginning, three different kids under 10 years old in my group had given up and walked to the back of the room. One took a nap, while two others played on their phones. Kids who looked to be over 10 fully embraced the experience, though.
It made me think about age and how that factors into what makes a Star Wars fan. When you're seven years old, Star Wars is the colorful and interesting character you see doing unbelievable acts. It's seeing Rey fight against evil or Baby Yoda eating frog eggs. It's not taking a swordplay class where you are simply blocking beams of light.
What works: Attention to detail
When it comes to an immersive experience, it has to be one you can really get lost in. Thankfully, the teams at Lucasfilm and Walt Disney Imagineering went above and beyond in designing the ship, making it feel as if you're staying in a luxury hotel that just so happens to be smack dab in the middle of a Star Wars story.
The ship feels expansive, even though it's only a few floors tall. The common areas feel alive with activity, whether it's other guests or characters bringing them to life. And interestingly, the ship as a whole is filled with Easter eggs--though they're not just sprinkled in for the sake of being a scavenger hunt for fans.
Everything you see on the ship has a storyline purpose. The floor of the atrium is emblazoned with a symbol that looks very similar to the signature mark of the Crimson Dawn crime syndicate, pointing to the group's time in control of the ship. Meanwhile, there are lightsaber burns on walls, which are linked to previous battles on the ship. And if you want to know more details, you can ask practically any of the ship's staff--or take a guided tour.
What doesn't: Masking rules
Less than a week before this press preview, Disney changed its making rules to allow anyone vaccinated to go maskless whenever they choose–except on park transportation, like the shuttle from the Halcyon to Galaxy's Edge. Meanwhile, those who aren't vaccinated were still to wear their masks. The issue at hand is that vaccination status is not being verified and roughly 90-95% of those participating in the preview event--along with most of the people in Galaxy's Edge--were unmasked. It was notably unsettling given the current positive test rate in the Orlando area. Up until February 18, Orange County--where Walt Disney World is located--was still averaging over 1,000 new cases each day.
Should another variant become dominant and lead to a rise in numbers, the company could revert to its masking policy again, but given that Galactic Starcruiser is a long indoor experience, it felt like a prevailing theme--including guests speaking with each other about whether COVID was brought onto the ship unknowingly.
What works: The food
When Galaxy's Edge debuted, the food was interesting. It was standard theme park fare with a twist that made it looks just strange enough that it could be from another galaxy. On the Galactic Starcruiser, the food has evolved far beyond that. The food tastes largely on a gourmet level, while everything you're served on the ship has a story behind it. Even the bread service appetizer during dinner is closely tied to the planet Mustafar, which fans will know as the home base for Darth Vader.
The way food works on the ship is that snacks are available 24 hours a day. Breakfast and lunch are served buffet-style with a number of small plate creations available for you to choose from, all of which are reminiscent enough of the food you eat but prepared in interesting new ways. Breakfast one morning included three different dishes with eggs, though the egg was prepared three different ways.
Come dinner, it's a grand affair in the Crown of Corelia dining room, where the final meal of the day is served in courses. It's a fixed menu (with substitutions available based on preference and allergies, as well as an option for children) that is served over a 90-minute dining time.
On night one, the meal was accompanied by a concert from the aforementioned Gaya, along with elements of the story built in. Night two focused more on the story than a performance, with Stormtroopers and the First Order interrupting the meal on their search for Chewbacca. In simplest terms, it's dinner and a show. It just so happens that the food is delicious (and included with your stay).
When it comes to alcoholic drinks, those are available throughout the day in the Siblight Lounge and the Crown or Corelia dining room at an extra charge, as are specialty non-alcoholic drinks. If you love themed cocktails, there are plenty. Additionally, things like coffee drinks (lattes, cappuccinos) are available for free throughout your stay on the ship.
What doesn't: Certain presentation elements
While so many of the story elements of the experience work really well, there are some presentation issues when it comes to the biggest moments of the cruise. During the ship-wide events that take place in the atrium, most of the action unfolds above everybody on a balcony. Unfortunately, that leads to some obstructed views. Imagine finally getting to the moment when Rey powers on that working lightsaber we've all been waiting for, only to realize where you're located in the atrium leaves you unable to see it happen. That's not fun for anyone.
It would be hard to have battles and things of that nature happen on the ground level with all of the passengers, but it would have been helpful if the balcony of the atrium had been designed in a way that you would see everything unfold, instead of select moments.
What works: Integration with Galaxy's Edge
When Galaxy's Edge first opened, Disney spoke endlessly about how the Play Disney Parks app would be an important part of the experience. Of course, as we all know, that didn't happen. However, Starcruiser makes ample use of this integration and the app will be an important tool in guiding you through the story.
If, for instance, you're working with the First Order, Lt. Croy will be able to give you missions within the app to carry out while visiting Galaxy's Edge. The results of those missions could tie into the story being told later on aboard the ship. The app also houses your full itinerary, a guide to who you've engaged with and how much they trust you, various maps, and more.
The only thing missing is some serious customization updates that the app desperately needs. Even something as simple as adding your own photo to your profile isn't possible, which seems odd.
What doesn't: The cost, potentially
The sticking point to all of this is going to be the cost. Chances are, Star Wars fans are going to want to experience this themselves. But at a cost of $5000 to $6000, depending on how many people are coming, it might be impossible.
For instance, a two-person party is going to pay $4809 for their stay aboard the ship, which works out to roughly $1200 per person per night. That's pretty pricey, even by Disney standards. Meanwhile, a four-person party will pay $6000, or $749 per person per night.
The bigger the group, the more reasonable the cost. Still, it's a pricey trip to Florida. By comparison, a four-day cruise on an actual Disney Cruise ship costs less for two people than a two-night star on Galactic Starcruiser. So it's going to ultimately come down to how much you can afford and how badly you want to experience this yourself.
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