Families who love both Disney World and Star Wars have been enjoying quite the intergalactic heyday lately. At Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, you can build your own lightsaber, pilot the Millennium Falcon, and even sip a glass of blue milk while giving Chewie a high five.
The Orlando theme park is currently in the process of doubling down on its immersive Star Wars offerings with the construction of a Star Wars-themed hotel. Slated to open in 2021, the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser is billed as a “two night, all-immersive adventure” where guests will become part of their very own Star Wars story.
Construction is well underway and, while nobody knows quite what the experience will be like just yet, it’s obvious this is so much more than just a place to rest your head after a long day at the parks. Disney has released a handful of facts and photos to give us an idea of what life aboard the starcruiser will be like, so here’s everything we know so far about the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser.
The Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Hotel
The hotel is being built adjacent to Hollywood Studios, not far from Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. It doesn’t look much like a starship from the outside because it doesn’t have to.
Other than the arrival terminal outside the hotel’s front entrance, you will never see the exterior of the hotel. Disney has compared the terminal to a small, private cruise terminal where guests will check-in curbside before blasting off to space. As such, the terminal is the only area (so far) that has received any type of Star Wars theming.
The Launch Pod
After the curbside check-in, you enter a launch pod that will simulate launching into space to meet up with the starship that you’ll call home for the next two nights. Along with an overhead window where you can watch your journey into space, the launch pod will most likely move and shake to simulate space travel.
Eventually, you will approach a starship and emerge from the launch pod into the ship’s main deck atrium. In true Disney fashion, even the starship has a backstory. Your adventure will take place aboard the Halcyon, a sophisticated starcruiser not unlike our cruise ships here on Earth.
It Will Be a Fully-Immersive Star Wars Experience
Once on the Halcyon, it will be all Star Wars, all the time. You can choose from a variety of onboard activities, including lightsaber training, touring the ship’s navigation and defense systems, and the chance to “sneak” into the ship’s hidden spaces — all of which may determine how your Star Wars story plays out.
It’s hard to know just how deep the story will go or how many possibilities there are in this “choose your own adventure” vacation, but renderings show guests interacting with Storm Troopers, Wookies, and other alien creatures while on the ship.
Guests Will Stay on the Galactic Starcruiser For Two Nights
Unlike other Disney hotels, once onboard the Galactic Starcruiser, guests will stay on the “ship” for the entirety of their stay (with one exception, which we’ll get into shortly). You won’t come and go and you won’t be visiting Magic Kingdom or meeting Mickey. You’ll check into and out of the hotel with another small group of space travelers. Disney has yet to release exactly how many rooms are inside the hotel, but from construction photos it looks much smaller than other Walt Disney World properties.
Your Stay Will Be More Like a Cruise Than a Traditional Hotel Stay
If this is starting to sound more like a cruise than your typical Disney vacation, that’s because it is. In addition to arriving and departing as a group and the selection of space training activities, you’ll enjoy onboard dining and a lounge where guests of all ages can partake of out-of-this-world concoctions (presumably with alcohol for those over 21).
There’s even a port of call excursion to the Black Spire Outpost on Batuu (aka Galaxy’s Edge in Disney’s Hollywood Studios). At some point during your stay, the Halcyon will “land” on Batuu and you’ll travel via transport ship to the Star Wars-themed land. According to Disney, “you’ll remain fully in-story” and “the story you began in the starcruiser will continue and evolve” while visiting Batuu (sorry, no running off for a quick ride on Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway).
Even the Rooms Resemble (Intergalactic) Cruise Ship Cabins
Disney recently shared photos of a fully furnished room and it looks remarkably similar to a cruise ship cabin. The rooms are designed to save space, with one large bed and two bunk beds. Disney has said the cabins sleep up to five, though, so it’s possible the other bed pulls down from the wall, similar to some other Disney hotel rooms.
Each room also has a private bathroom, storage space, personalized data screen, and small sitting area with awe-inspiring views of the expansive galaxy right outside your window. The rooms do appear small, but it sounds like you won’t be spending much time in there anyway.
The Cost Hasn’t Been Released…Yet
There’s been quite a bit of online speculation on what it’ll cost to stay aboard the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, but there’s been no official word from Disney just yet. It’s unknown whether the cost will be all-inclusive or if there will be different room types with varying price points, but it is likely the pricing will be closer to that of a Disney cruise than a regular theme park hotel stay.
Disney previously announced reservations would open in 2020, which would finally reveal the hotel’s pricing structure, but that was before the COVID pandemic hit and altered many of Disney’s current projects. For the time being, you can sign up for news and updates on the hotel’s website to be notified when reservations do become available.
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