Review: Is the Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser worth the cost? Our full experience

We recently stayed at the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, and the most asked question we get about it is, “Is it worth the price?” Yes and no. That answer is complicated. Read on to get our full answer, thoughts, tips, and experience.

Disney invited us as part of a media event to take a full two-night “voyage” on the “Starcruiser ship.” I put those words in quotes because, obviously we weren’t really on a spaceship and we didn’t really go anywhere, but it really felt like we did. Although it was a media trip, we experienced everything regular guests will. Our party consisted of myself and my wife Jackie, both middle-age, and our Media Manager Tharin, who is in his early 20’s.

Here’s our Starcruiser YouTube Playlist.

The terminal building is essentially a hotel entryway, but seemingly made of stone and concrete, with a futuristic look. There is no self parking, and they would rather you check your luggage than carry it on. The luggage was in our room/cabin by the time we made it there.

We each received a MagicBand (called DataBands on the “ship”) and a Star Wars: Datapad to use during our trip. The exclusive designed MagicBand was ours to keep, but we had to turn the Datapads back in when we checked out. The Datapads are just iPhones loaded with the Play Disney Parks app. They told us eventually you’ll be able to use your own phone as your Datapad, but it wasn’t fully compatible yet. The data pad is essential and a big part of your experience. 

Next was a briefing video then our ride from Earth up to the Halcyon. That’s the name of the 275-year old starship you’ll be traveling on. In reality, the Launch Pod is an elevator ride to the rest of the building. But everything was so well themed, we actually felt like we were entering a ship’s lobby. 

Inside the ‘Ship’

The lobby atrium is large, but only two stories tall. It’s impressive, beautiful, and definitely looks like what you’d expect a luxury Star Wars spaceship to look like. We were one of the first guests to stay besides some cast member testers, but everything was white, clean, and immaculate. 

The atrium is where most of the big storylines play out. The second floor of the lobby is used exclusively for the characters to be able to address the passengers. There’s also a gift shop, the bridge, a front desk/“grab and go” area and the Sublight Lounge off the lobby.  

We headed to our room/cabin and settled in before getting some lunch then returning to the atrium for a ship tour and lesson on how to use our Datapad. Our room was a bit smaller than other high-end hotels at Walt Disney World, but it was larger than most standard cruise ship cabins, especially the bathroom. Our room had a large shower, separate toilet room, a queen-sized bed, bunk beds, and a pull-down bed. Tharin is 6’2” and fit in the bunk beds with his legs outstretched. The pull-down bed was a bit too small for him. The queen bed was the most comfortable, but the bunk beds weren’t uncomfortable.

There aren’t any true windows in any of the room, as that would break the immersion. So you have a large “window into space.” As it produces a lot of light, you can hit a button to close a shade and all the lights around the window turn off as well. The window reminded us of some of the “windows” in the Space Mountain queue. Ships flying by and planets looked detailed, but there was a trail of glare around them as they went by. They don’t look bad, but I would have liked to have seen Disney somehow reduce the glare. 

What happens outside your window reflects what’s happening in the storyline. So if the ship goes to hyperspace, you see that out your window. If you’re orbiting the planet of Batuu, rooms on one side of the ship will see Batuu. 

Overall we were very happy with the room and the space it provided the three of us. Jackie sometimes gets claustrophobic, but the “window” prevented her from feeling it at all. One thing to note, the window shade blocks out all the light. So it’s easy to oversleep. Set your alarm. 

Which brings me to another point. This isn’t a relaxing trip. If you want to experience the most you can, and follow along in the storyline, you need to be going from place to place on the ship almost all the time. Your only time to rest if you’d like to, without missing too much, is if you go late to Batuu on the second day, or come back early.

Crown of Corellia Dining Room

Then it was time for dinner in the Crown of Corellia Dining Room a few decks down. There are four floors or decks that you can access. Decks five and seven only have cabins on them, so there are only two decks with areas to visit. For this reason, if you can suggest one, we recommend getting a cabin on one of those two decks so you’re close to the action. The hallways are long, so if you’re at the end of one, like we were, it’s a bit of a walk, so one on any floor closer to the start of the hallway would be best. They do have “Turbolifts” if you’d rather not take the stairs.

The dining room is the one place you’ll be having all your meals. Breakfasts and lunches are set up buffet style. Your two dinners are full table service. The dining room is pretty large and comfortable. The chandeliers are cool and futuristic looking. The other notable feature is the lighting, which can change as they see fit. 

It’s the food that’s the main star in the dining room. They did a great job with it all. We didn’t have anything that tasted like it was prepared badly. And they also did a great job making it all look other-worldly. Sometimes the Disney chefs used natural food coloring to make the meal look unusual, like the blue shrimp we had the second night, but often it was a mix of shapes, colors, and pairings that were so well done. My favorites of the trip were the Sunflower Butter & Jelly, a green ball full of peanut butter and jelly at lunch, and the colorful bao buns the first night. Tharin and Jackie loved the Braised Bantha Beef Short Rib and ordered extra. Of course each dish also had an otherworld name like the Crispy Tuber Waffle. The drinks at dinner and in the bar were equally colorful and fun. 

There was only one dinner show for the two dinners. “Galactic Superstar” Gaya sang for us, backed by her Rodian musician Ouannii. Whoever was performing as the blue skinned Twi’lek Gaya was truly a great singer. Even though none of us knew the songs she was singing, it was really enjoyable. She walked around the whole dining room while performing so everyone could get a good look at her. 

Characters

All of the characters we encountered during the trip were really well done. Not only were they great actors, but their makeup looked just like what you’d see in any of the Star Wars movies or shows. We were especially impressed with the look of the Rodian. In case you don’t know, she’s the same species as Greedo in the original Star Wars movie. So the actor is wearing a full face mask. But it looks great. She only speaks in her native tongue, but her lips move when she speaks and her eyes can get larger and smaller.

There are two dinner times, 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. So don’t expect any major plot lines to advance or any major activities to happen during those times. After our 5:30 p.m. dinner we were scheduled for Lightsaber Training.

We had seen a preview of Lightsaber Training in a Disney video and weren’t expecting too much. I was hoping to see the cool Lightsaber that goes up as it ignites, but that didn’t come until Rey showed up on day two. Yes, Lightsaber Training is just about as unexciting as it looked in that video. Basically you block a beam of light with your saber and those in line behind you use a shield to block the ones you miss. It gets better as it gets harder, but it was the Lightsaber trainer that made it worth going to. Our trainer was intense. She even started to cry as she talked about the Force. She looked you in the eye while motivating you and didn’t lose her gaze. A friend on the trip said her trainer made her very uncomfortable because she was so intense, but we all enjoyed the realism she brought to it.

Next was our Bridge Ops Training. The Bridge is just off the atrium at the front of the ship and includes a huge view into space. The screen is really impressive. It’s highly detailed with no light trails like you see in your cabin window. 

I didn’t participate in Bridge Training as I was filming our reporter Tharin doing it. But from what I could see, everyone was having fun, although it’s more geared towards kids. There are many different stations around the bridge, and each section has a different job, like weapons or shields. It’s sort of like a video game on a big screen as different icons appear on screen which you need to shoot or dodge using your controls. You’re not in a “real” space battle, but a simulated one. Although in one of our missions the next day, we got to shoot at “real” ships.

Sublight Lounge

Because we had some time between our training and the Cruise Director’s Evening Toast, we headed to the Sublight Lounge for some snacks and Sabacc Lessons. There’s a very cool holographic Sabacc table in the middle of the lounge. Tharin tried playing a few hands and despite thinking he had the perfect hand, didn’t win any. We’re told this version of Sabacc is played differently than the one on Batuu. You try to match the rolled dice’s number and shape. Tharin matched the number perfectly, but another player matched it with more cards that matched the shape.

Don’t miss trying the foods in the lounge, and the items at the Grab and Go across from the lounge. It’s all free. In fact, everything on the ship except alcohol and merchandise is included in your price, and it’s all as much as you care for. Gratuities are also included, except for the valet.

After the main event each evening, the main actors go away and no more activities are scheduled, so there’s not a lot going on around the ship. But with how immersive everything is on the ship, all of the crew (cast members) are always “in story”. So if you’re not ready for bed, it’s a good time to chat with them. The lounge stays open until 1 or 2 a.m. and from our interactions, the bartenders are great at holding in-character conversations. Ask them where they grew up and how they got to the ship, about the fish on either side of the bar, or if they ever worked at Oga’s. 

This is a good time to talk about the characters on the ship. When they are “on duty” on the ship, they are either taking part in side missions with guests or just wandering around talking with guests. I found it amazing to see them whispering to each other over in a corner, many times within earshot of the guests. While they could just be talking about something in their regular life, since they were in earshot of guests, I assume they are staying in story and maybe whispering something they actually want the guests to hear. It just brought that much more realism to the whole thing. And it’s not just the main actors that did this. One afternoon while in the lobby I saw two crew members on the second level sitting with their legs crossed, just meditating. 

Datapad, Story, & Tech

Before we get to the second day, we should talk more about the Datapad. Using the Play Disney app, much like you can do in Galaxy’s Edge, you can text chat with characters you have met or seen on the ship and they will ask you questions. Based on your answers, they may tell you to meet them a certain place on the ship at a certain time, or just ask you to do something for them. When you go to meet them, the actual actor is there and sometimes they have your name on a list and know if you were actually invited or not. Each person in your cabin can make their own choices. 

We also have to say that the Datapad was very responsive. As soon as something major happened in the storyline, the Datapad was updated with that information, or the characters were writing to us about it.

There are so many different choices and missions that you’ll definitely not see it all during your trip. If you don’t interact with the app, you will be missing out on a lot. There are also many kiosks around the ship you will use in conjunction with the Datapad to unlock doors or hack into different things. I’m not saying you won’t have a good time just watching everything transpire, but for the large cost to be on the ship, you may as well take advantage of everything you can.

Another cool piece of technology was the robot we connected to in our room. D3-O9 shows up on a view screen in your cabin when you press a button. She’s set up to be like someone you connect to for ship information or to order extra towels, etc. We assumed she was going to be like a visual Amazon Alexa, but she was so much more. Instead of asking her questions, she asked us questions and she was very responsive. We were constantly surprised that she recognized what were were saying and referenced things we said, like what we liked best at dinner, etc. A light would also come on when she had a message for us. She was also very funny at times. 

But the bad news is that you may not see her during your trip. Imagineering is saying she is part of a play test and she may or may not be available during your cruise. We hope they perfect her and offer her every voyage. She almost ran perfectly in our use.

Day Two: Batuu

Day two started with our breakfast buffet. Then, it was time for our excursion to Batuu. You get from the hotel to the theme park via a transport shuttle. You’re actually getting into the back of a box truck, but you’ll never know that. You enter the transport just like going through any other doorway on the ship. The hallway to the transport is themed like an airport gangway. Once inside, you sit facing other passengers or standing, and listen to the droid captain talking and music along the way. The inside of the transport is well themed, but you don’t see the driver or any simulated windows out into space. In that way, it is mostly just a fancy spaceship themed box to sit in until you get to Galaxy’s Edge inside of the Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

A few minutes later, you get off the transport and you’re entering Batuu with all the other theme park guests. You’re given a special pin to wear while on Batuu so the cast can greet you as passengers on the Halcyon. You get a single-use Lightning Lane access to both Galaxy’s Edge rides and as a Starcruiser guest, you’re able to make reservations at Oga’s, Savi’s, and Droid Depot if you’d like. All items purchased on Batuu are an extra cost, except lunch. We preferred to eat on the ship.

While on Batuu, depending on your Datapad choices on the ship, you will have special missions to do. Two cool things we experienced while in the theme park land were telling our waitress at Oga’s a secret phrase and getting a special coaster with a QR code to scan in the Datapad. And, when we rode Smugglers Run, Hondo greeted us as guests “from that fancy spaceship out in orbit.”

We rode both rides and did some of our missions before heading back to the ship. Your excursion to Batuu starts around 8 a.m. and the last transport back is at 4 p.m. You’re free to visit any part of the theme park while you’re there. You don’t have to stay in Galaxy’s Edge.

We were free to do any of the activities on the ship until our dinner at 5:30 p.m. We explored some of the restricted areas of the ship that we gained access to through the Datapad like the Brig, which was just a small room with an escape hatch. We also explored the Engineering Room. Engineering includes a bunch of different stations with tubes and wires you can move around in game-like fashion to help run or repair the ship. It seemed more like a kids playroom to me. In fact, one of the activities in Engineering was a Loth Cat Crew Porg Detection Drill. The crew hid plush toy Porgs and the kids had to find them. You could only enter the room during this time if you were a kid or parent or friend of the kids.

We also saw a couple get engaged in the atrium. This couple was in cosplay dress and stayed in character the whole time we saw them around the ship. He was dressed a bit like Han Solo and she was an unrecognizable alien character with horns and fangs. With them and some other passengers, we couldn’t tell if they were really guests or cast members. After the engagement, we saw them in the bar and congratulated them. The woman told me they weren’t sure if they would be allowed to marry. Staying in story, I asked if it was because they were different species. She said no, it’s because he’s her brother. It was then that I knew they probably weren’t cast members. She then added that he was adopted. OK … I guess you can come up with whatever crazy backstory you’d like for yourself while staying at this resort.

Dinner didn’t include any show, but was a Taste Around the Galaxy with the chefs coming out and presenting each course from a different planet. These individual courses were each accompanied with lighting changes to match, like bright red lighting for the lava planet, Mustafar. 

Dinner did include an interruption by the First Order, stating they had now seized control of the ship and TIE Fighters had us surrounded. This led up to the final show later that night.

After dinner, Tharin and I had been asked to meet the First Order officer on the bridge. It’s here where Kylo Ren appears on screen telling us he was coming to visit us because he heard Rey was onboard. While this was happening, some other passenger were experiencing other events leading up to the finale show at other places around the ship. 

Later on, Tharin was able to get into the Lightsaber Training Pod with a handful of guests where they saw a hologram of Yoda give them a message. Tharin couldn’t figure out the technology behind it, but said it looked amazing and straight out of the films. It’s interesting that only a handful of guests got to see it. I wish I had seen it.

The Main Event

All of the storylines were leading up to this last night on the ship. The main event was billed as “A Halcyon Starcruiser Celebration” at 9:30 p.m. in the atrium. But it wasn’t to be, at least not yet, because this is when Kylo Ren and Rey showed up and battled on the second floor above us.

It was a very cool battle and we got to see some well thought out special effects, including that rising Lightsaber. I won’t go into detail here, but you can watch our videos of it, and just about everything else I have talked about here. Needless to say, Rey “won” the battle and got the First Order off of our ship. We confirmed with someone from Lucasfilm, it’s now canon that Rey fought Kylo Ren again between “The Last Jedi” and “The Rise of Skywalker”.

After the show, there were desserts available in the dining room and then it was time for bed. The next day only consisted of some last minute shopping, breakfast, and our departure. While shopping, keep in mind that there’s another small gift shop near valet as you’re getting your car. It features different Starcruiser merchandise that wouldn’t fit into the storyline of the ship, like things that say Star Wars on them.

Conclusion

So, do I think it’s worth the cost? I definitely think it’s worth $1,500 if you can get three roommates to help split the cost. It would definitely be worth it for a couple if it were $4,000, but the couple price is $4,800. That’s pushing it. I’d still say it’s worth doing once if you’re a big Star Wars fan, and/or a fan of immersive entertainment. The family price of $6,000 for four people is just too much. A family of four could do so much more at Disney or on Disney Cruise Line for that money. Plus I think every person in your group needs to be really into it, and into playing along. For that reason, I think it would be best for kids 12 and older.

(Editor’s Note: Our reporter disagrees about taking kids under 12. See her tips for going on the Starcruiser with kids.)

Now for these prices, keep in mind that everything is included except merchandise in the stores, alcoholic drinks and specialty beverages, as well as a tip for the valet. 

This means you get unlimited food (including Blue and Green Milk, Lattes and Cappuccinos), gratuities, two nights stay,  ongoing entertainment, a park ticket to Hollywood Studios, and an exclusive MagicBand and pin. 

We also felt we were treated as we would be at any luxury hotel. A few of the small things we noticed were the crew always saying “My honor” instead of “you’re welcome”, the receipts in the gift shop were placed in small folders and reusable bags were used instead of plastic for your items. And, we were always being greeted in the halls and around the ship. These may seem like small things, and they are, but they made a big difference. 

It’s also total immersion from the moment you arrive until you get back into your car. No one ever breaks character and there’s no sign of Walt Disney World anywhere except on certain television channels in your room. We didn’t even find a Hidden Mickey.

Besides the fact that there was no floor shaking or movement from the “ship”, we were totally into the story. The Imagineers did an amazing job. Overall I couldn’t ask for more from the experience. It exceeded my expectations. 

We didn’t pay for the trip because it was a media event, but I would have paid to do it for my wife and I at least once, knowing what I know now. I will say I don’t think you need to do it twice unless they update the storyline in the future.

I asked our travel agent sponsor, Destinations with Character Travel, to provide us with a quote for a comparable trip on a Disney cruise ship. The quote they provided was for a two-night cruise on the Disney Wonder out of California. It was a total of $3,537 for two adults. So that’s $1,263 more for the Starcruiser. I get it. You can get many more nights for your money on a real cruise. But this is a one-of-a-kind experience you can’t get anywhere else. I wish it were a bit less expensive so more people could afford to experience it and I hope some deals are offered in the future.

If you really want to visit but can’t afford it on your own, there is a Facebook group of people looking share Galactic Starcruiser cabins with others to get the price down. So yes, one person could stay for as little as $1,500 if they find three friends, or strangers, to room with, and go the less expensive time of year.

I also asked Tharin and Jackie to write up their thoughts on it being worth the cost or not.

Jackie said, “It’s subjective. If you like Stars Wars and you can afford it, then yes, it’s totally worth it! But, it’s really expensive, and totally out of reach for some. I think people should save up to go if they really, really want to experience it.”

Tharin said, “The Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser is expensive, that’s obvious. When you compare it to other luxury hotels at theme parks, it is significantly higher. With $1,000 a day per person average, riding on the Halcyon isn’t a budget friendly option. But the price comes with a lot of premiums. The immersion is all-encompassing. The food is fantastic and never-ending. The service is top-tier.  

“This hotel experience is made for those with a disposable income. You need to have a few thousands dollars to spare for a 48-ish hour journey. Or, it is meant for the die-hard Star Wars fan. Because this is truly an experience that cannot be achieved anywhere else. Take the immersion of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and make it happen for three days and two nights. There is no comparison for that level of a Star Wars offerings. If you want to lose yourself in a Star Wars story, you can be confident in a flight on the Halcyon.”

Be sure to check our other stories about the Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser and many videos of our experience on our YouTube Channel.