Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser a stellar trip
It would be wrong to say we’ve never seen anything like Walt Disney World’s new Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser. We have – but only on screen.
When the two-night immersive experience debuts next March, it will be the first time Star Wars fans get to do the type of things they’ve seen in movies or on TV.
“It’s like building the most epic Star Wars playset and then letting people loose inside of it who really want to be in Star Wars,” said Scott Trowbridge, Portfolio Creative Executive with Walt Disney Imagineering.
USA TODAY was given an intimate preview. Though construction is still very much underway and crew members are just beginning training, it’s already clear the Galactic Starcruiser will be unlike anything Star Wars fans have ever experienced.
Disney Imagineers are quick to point out, “It’s not a hotel.” It’s more like an immersive theater experience that builds throughout the journey.
“Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser is a first-of-its-kind vacation experience where guests get to live out a Star Wars story over two days and two nights, and you get to step into a galaxy far, far away and to take a place in the galaxy,” said Ann Morrow Johnson, executive producer and creative director at Walt Disney Imagineering.
Walking into the atrium of the Halcyon starcruiser feels like stepping into a scene from one of the franchise’s films.
Staring out the bridge’s windows, guests may even feel like they’re moving as simulated stars and planets drift away.
As its name implies, the starcruiser is essentially a leisure cruise ship traveling through the galaxy. The Halcyon is the crown jewel of the Chandrila Star Line with 100 cabins on board.
Guests are passengers, who receive a series of invitations that play decisive roles in the trajectory of both their individual experience and the collective story. A host of characters will accompany and engage with guests throughout their stay.
“Some of them we may know very well, and some we may be meeting for the first time,” Trowbridge said.
Characters that will be new to guests include Capt. Riyola Keevan, Cruise Director Lenka Mok, Sammie the Mechanic, First Order Lt. Harman Croy and droids SK-62O and D3-O9.
“Those characters that you meet in person might actually reach out to you later, asking like: ‘My stormtroopers say that there’s a Wookiee on board. I have not been able to substantiate this rumor. Can you substantiate it for me?’” said Anisha Deshmane, assistant producer with Walt Disney Imagineering. “Are you going to help the First Order? Are you going to sell out Chewbacca?”
Guests can switch sides at any point or sit back and see how things shake out.
“Because this is (over) multiple days, we’re able to actually let that unfold and let those choices matter,” said Sara
Thacher, senior R&D Imagineer at Walt Disney.
What is there to do?
Just as on a cruise, each guest gets an itinerary.
“Of course, because it’s Star Wars, you know not everything will go according to plan,” Johnson said.
What can be expected are “unique but familiar” meals in the Crown of Corellia Dining Room with earthly ingredients that look out of this world, such as bubble waffles that evoke the flavors of grilled cheese paired with tomato soup and salmon topped with bonito flakes that wave as if they’re alive.
Activities on board include lightsaber training, droid racing and bridge training, where guests learn how to protect the starcruiser should need arise.
There’s an excursion to Batuu, the planet on which Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge is set at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and Galactic Starcruiser were conceived at the same time and developed with each other in mind.
“In fact, if you go into Oga’s Cantina today, and if you’re adept at reading Aurebesh, on Day One, you would have seen the Chandrila Star Line was actually recruiting for a new mechanic,” Trowbridge said, with a nod to Sammie on the starcruiser.
Unlike regular park visitors, Galactic Starcruiser guests will have access to exclusive content via app-based datapads and assignments for special missions. What happens on those missions affects how the story plays out back on the starcruiser and the grand finale of the experience.
Can guests dress up?
Though guests are encouraged to wear regular clothes at Galaxy’s Edge, in line with park policy, they are invited to dress in their Star Wars best on board the Galactic Starcruiser.
“The whole purpose of this is that you’re coming to be yourself ... your truest Star Wars self,” Deshmane said.
“If that means you are in a sort of First Order officer look Night One and want to be in a more sort of scruffy underworld look Night Two or if you want to wear your Chandrila Star Line best, that is entirely up to you,” Johnson said.
How much does it cost?
A two-night experience on Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser starts at $4,809 for two people or $5,999 for four guests in a shared cabin.
That includes accommodations, all the interactive entertainment, meals aboard the starcruiser (though no specialty beverages or alcohol), a quickservice meal at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, admission to Hollywood Studios for the Galaxy’s Edge excursion, valet parking, an exclusive databand (Magicband) and the chance to be a character in a Star Wars story.