Inside Disney’s New Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser Hotel

You can fly the Millennium Falcon and come face-to-face with Kylo Ren at Disney’s theme parks, but soon you’ll be able to live out an all-new Star Wars dream: actually living aboard a starship.  Though you’ll experience familiar tropes of the iconic Star Wars film series in all new ways with Walt Disney World’s latest endeavor, it’s much more than a place to rest one’s head. Disney is billing the long-awaited Star Wars hotel as more of a cruise on land, with onboard dining, entertainment, and reactive storytelling. Plus, an alien crew, Star Wars characters, and windows looking out upon intergalactic vistas.

Bob Chapek, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, elaborated on the “ship” at Sunday’s theme park panel, whose name was first announced at this year’s Disney’s D23 Expo fan convention.  Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser will welcome guests aboard the Halcyon where they won’t book vacations by night, but by flight.  Each “cruise” will last around 48 hours, with space-bound passengers boarding and disembarking the two-night, two-day experience together. And, just like stepping aboard a Disney Cruise Line ship, Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser will have its own dedicated boarding process. Upon arrival at Orlando’s Star Wars hotel terminal, guests will check in and enter a “launch pod,” where views of the surrounding skies will peel away as they blast into hyperspace and ultimately link up with the Halcyon ship.

From cabin windows displaying galactic views that change throughout the day to lightsaber training for perfecting one’s skills, everything about the long-awaited Star Wars hotel is intended to make guests feel like they’re truly in a galaxy far, far away. In reality, they’ll only leave to visit one place — Black Spire Outpost, located at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge within Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

There’s even a role-playing component where passengers can interact with onboard creatures, each other, and Star Wars characters both unfamiliar and beloved. And, just like sailings on the Disney Fantasy or Disney Wonder, guests will enjoy a range of relaxing experiences including the must-visit Silver C Lounge, kid-friendly entertainment within the ship’s playful Engineering Room, or exclusive themed activities, like visiting The Bridge to help navigate the vessel.  Who wouldn’t want to help save R2D2 and C3PO from imminent danger?

Reservations are not yet available, but you can soon get your Star Wars kicks on both sides of the country. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge debuts at Walt Disney World resort on Aug. 29, and will open its second attraction, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, on Dec. 5. Disneyland’s version of the land, which opened earlier this summer, will unveil Rise of the Resistance in January 2020.

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