We head inside Disney World's Galactic Starcruiser Hotel to investigate if LARPing in a galaxy far, far away is actually worth the hefty price
Would you spend $6,000 to pretend to be a Star Wars character for two days? Disney was so certain that enough visitors would say "yes" that it built Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, a two-day resort stay/immersive theme park experience at Disney World that promised to achieve exactly that. However, when the first footage of the hotel was uploaded on the internet late last year, the fan reaction was so hostile that the recordings quickly vanished from YouTube.
Disney, of course, never verified that the films were removed because everyone was mocking them for charging up to $1,200 per night to wander around what seemed to be a setting comparable to the Star Tours line queue area. But I'm guessing the initial negative buzz had nothing to do with the company's recent and seemingly hasty decision to invite a few dozen assorted journalists, fan site operators, and travel bloggers and their guests to experience it firsthand—and, for the most part, most expenses paid (Disclosure: Disney invited us onboard the Galactic Starcruiser for a two-day media preview event, and covered the associated cost of transportation, food and drinks, and theme park admission). However, the exclusive stuff still costs a hefty fortune, and normal attendees will have to pay for their own drinks).
I would never, ever (ever) pay what it costs to bring my family to this thing—two-night excursions start at $4,800 for two people and run up to just shy of $6,000 for four. But when the opportunity to do it for free came itself, I couldn't say no. Because few others are likely to be lucky enough to come when the hotel opens to the public next week, barring a Make-A-Wish-level catastrophe, I'm here to tell you all you need to know and help you decide whether it's worth the money. The short answer is no. No. However, it is quite cool.
What Is the Story of the Galactic Starcruiser?
The idea behind Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser is that it combines a two-night hotel stay with a two-day Star Wars LARP (that's Live Action Role Playing for those who aren't up on your immersive-experience jargon). You are a passenger aboard the luxury starship Halcyon, which is celebrating its 275th year in space (which looks to fall between between the conclusion of The Last Jedi and the beginning of The Rise of Skywalker, similar to its predecessor at Disney Parks, Galaxy's Edge). Consider it similar to the QE2, but with more droids.
You're there to unwind, enjoy the ship's facilities, eat some good food, and be serenaded at dinner by a galactic pop sensation (kind of like Cher, if Cher were a Twi'lek). Unfortunately, your pleasant voyage is disrupted by a visit from the First Order, who is onboard to investigate claims of Resistance activities.
Over the course of two nights, you'll be both an observer and a participant in the story that unfolds from there, getting to know a colorful cast of new but familiar Star Wars archetype characters along the way (though appearances by more familiar faces aren't out of the question; Disney owns the rights to all of them, after all).
What Is the Gameplay of Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Like? (Or, How to Stare at Your Phone in a Far, Far Away Galaxy)
Before going, I was concerned that the experience of LARPing in a galaxy far, far away would be similar to the time I went to a Renaissance Fair with a buddy who was extremely into leatherwork—that is, understandably appealing to a specific type of geek, but very much not for me. That is not to say that LARPing is without merit! I'm a major nerd, but I don't feel at ease with other people, and I'm having problems getting over the fact that I'm an adult playing pretend. But the reality, such as it is, is considerably more intricate and organized than that, and it is unquestionably better for it.
Much has been said about how each individual would experience Galactic Starcruiser in their own unique way, and while this is true to some extent, all of the visitors are still inhabiting the same core story. It's not nearly as fluid as group improv, but it's close (which is what I was dreading). It's more like participatory theater, like Sleep No More, where your perception of the tale changes depending on who you meet along the journey, but the plot itself remains consistent from night to night (or voyage to voyage).
The narrative's backbone is an app, which is troublesome for anyone who goes on vacation to get away from a life spent gazing at screens. When you board the ship, you'll be given your "datapad," which resembles an iPhone 12 mini running a stripped-down OS (the default unlock code is, of course, "1138"). This is where the majority of the story will take place, as well as how your personal timetable will be created. And apologies if you have a "no phones" rule for your children, since they will be receiving their own as well. If your children are anything like mine, you will unironically exclaim, "That's it, no more datapads!" " at them before the journey is through.
Along the journey, you'll get text messages from various personalities onboard the ship who will play a role in the story, ranging from the captain to the "cruise director," to a First Order officer probing allegations of Resistance activity onboard, to a smuggler playing both sides. What activities end up on your calendar will be determined by how you reply to these messages (through a series of video game-like branching interactions). Will you be dragged into the engine room to assist a hapless new recruit in keeping all systems running, or will you be dragged into rescuing a Wookie from the brig?
Will you promise to help a Jedi safeguard the secrets of an ancient holocron, or will you be requested to inform a passing stormtrooper on your fellow passengers? If you're looking for more backstory or aren't sure what to do next, you may "hack" into the ship by tapping your wristband/room key at one of the ATM-like onboard computers scattered about the hotel, solving a basic problem on your datapad, or chatting via video with the Halcyon's concierge robot. When you go "off-ship" to Disney's Hollywood Studios' Galaxy's Edge sector, you may either enjoy the attractions and buy some souvenirs, or you can scan QR codes concealed throughout the park to accomplish even more story-enhancing "missions."
It is absolutely up to you how much work you put into all of this. Your choices are only important insofar as they allow you to experience the tale in the way you choose to. You can either align with the good guys or go rogue and hang out with the First Order. Whatever you do, the story will still have the same "wow" moments, even if they are presented in a different way—for example, every passenger will end up participating in a firefight on the bridge, but some will be shooting at Tie Fighters and others at X-Wings—and the ending will always be the same.
You won't be shocked to find that this is a Star Wars movie.
Because this is Star Wars, it should come as no surprise that the conclusion includes more than one laser sword.
Is it necessary to be a huge Star Wars fan to enjoy Galactic Starcruiser?
Given that my brain has been marinating in Star Wars crap for the past 35 years, I may not be the greatest person to answer this question. Fortunately, I had brought along a control group. My children have never seen Star Wars, and my spouse is actively opposed to it, so they served as excellent case studies for the question of whether one needs to spend their childhood waving around a broomstick and pretending it was a lightsaber in order to enjoy pretending to live inside the saga for a few days. The response was emphatic no, and for reasons that have nothing to do with Star Wars and everything to do with plain old Disney MagicTM.
You'll get a lot more out of seeing a real-life sabacc table if you don't have to explain to everyone that Han Solo won the Millennium Falcon from Lando in a game of sabacc (and then explain to you who Han Solo and Lando are, and what the Millennium Falcon is). However, the experience is fluid enough that you'll be able to follow along if you have a general knowledge of the basics: you're in space, there's a thing called the Force, Jedi wield lightsabers, the hairy guy is named Chewbacca, and the bad guys are in fascist uniforms.
That's because a journey on the Halcyon is more of a Disney experience than a Star Wars one, and if Disney has learned anything in its 60 years of operating theme parks, it's how to make people of all ages and backgrounds feel welcome. The Galactic Starcruiser doesn't feel like it belongs in the gritty, lived-in universe of the original Star Wars as much as it does in the in-universe equivalent of a theme park (imagine Han and Leia on their honeymoon, as is now canon, waiting in line to ride the Coruscant equivalent of the Haunted Mansion), with all of the artificial authenticity that entails.
Everything onboard the Starcruiser, like the Disney-era Star Wars films, is perhaps a bit too bright and sparkly, a little too quippy and self-aware, to actually seem anything close to real. Disney's "cast members" are thoroughly educated to delight guests, and it's difficult to envision the inhabitants of a galaxy far, far away cheerfully saying "good trip! " to you every time you make unintentional eye contact with them. There was seldom a moment when I wasn't acutely aware that everyone I spoke with was not only playing a part, but was also getting paid a very little portion of the $6,000 booking fee to show us a nice time.
Even stormtroopers were amused by the tiny girl dressed as Yoda, who pretended to mind-control them with the Force.
However, if you can overcome your internal critic (a genuine battle for me, an asshole), you will almost certainly get swept up in the experience, since that is what Disney intended.
You don't have to take on a persona and craft your character's backstory, or even interact with any of the cast members or fellow guests all that much, but you do have to be willing to participate—to wander the ship and perk up your ears when you hear kids shouting that they just saw Chewbacca, and toggle switches on the bridge, and actually go to lightsaber training even if it sounds incredibly childish (it was a lot cooler than I was expecting, admittedly). Every time you leave your room, you'll run into the emerging narrative, and unless you actively work against it, you'll find yourself drawn into it.
It doesn't hurt that the tale takes place in an environment that has been meticulously crafted to be completely immersive. You may stroll throughout the ship at your leisure, and everything you come across appears to be a plausible part of the Star Wars world. You can touch almost every surface and press every button; all the flips and switches on the bridge or in the engine room look to have a function (even if they don't—you can't crash the hotel).
There are no windows, and while the "viewports" into space aren't quite as convincing as I hoped, especially from certain angles, the effect was cool enough that it never got old, and I never felt like I was actually wandering around a hotel built mostly underground (if you're wondering why the exterior of the place looks so drab, it's because it's only supposed to be a spaceport—the first thing you do is take a "shuttle" to the Halcyon)
Is it worthwhile to buy Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser?
No. But, perhaps, yes? How much money do you have set up for vacation? You can have a wonderful trip practically anyplace in the world for $6,000 that will last far longer than two days—I once spent two weeks in Costa Rica for a quarter of that money and came away much more relaxed. However, Galactic Starcruiser is the only site where you can LARP Star Wars in luxury, and if that's an experience you want to enjoy, well. I felt similar to how I used to feel when I used to fly to San Diego Comic-Con for work:
I'm having fun, but I'm also surprised that so many people were ready to pay so much money to do what I was able to do for this media preview—at least the Galactic Starcruiser doesn't entail primarily standing in line.
At the best of times, Disney is exorbitantly priced. A few days' vacation will cost a family of four thousands of dollars in park tickets alone, and considerably more when lodging and meals are included in. The Galactic Starcruiser is a (largely) all-inclusive experience that flirts with being opulent, notably in terms of cuisine; supper is a fixed menu served at specific hours that is clearly aiming for fine dining with a dash of Star Wars worldbuilding (the blue shrimp in the iced Felucian shrimp cocktail was a nice touch, and the Bloody Rancor was a great morning pick-me-up).
The tastefully decorated rooms are certainly a little utilitarian in terms of comfort, but you aren't expected to spend much time in them anyhow. However, when it comes to real facetime with Disney staff, the attention you'll receive seems quite intimate, if not unrivaled by anything else at the parks. We were late to one of our scheduled narrative pit-stops, for example, and ended up receiving an elaborate private reproduction of it, complete with a hologram Yoda and a full-sized astromech robot. It was pleasant to see the same faces on the crew again and again, whether they were doing their humdrum tasks or more actively engaging in the tale, and they never forgot our past interactions.
Even when compared to a theme park trip, the Starcruiser packs a lot of excitement. I brought my family to the standard old Disney parks on either end of my time on the Halcyon, which are as busy and spread out as ever. We came away from those days fatigued from too much walking and with a lot of money spent on the food and refreshments needed to keep small kids going through many hour-long lineups. Even if we moved quickly, we'd only get four or five things done—a few rides, a show—before everyone was too exhausted and irritated to pretend to enjoy themselves.
But aboard the Galactic Starcruiser, there were no queues, no crowds, and no need to return to the hotel for a mid-day nap. We were so engrossed in the action and narrative that the journey practically didn't finish for two days. Pirates of the Caribbean is only seven minutes long. If you don't count the 70 minutes spent waiting in line.
This is undoubtedly one of the easiest ways to blow a lot of money at Disney World, but when compared to a $900 per night stay at the Grand Floridian with park tickets, it's likely a better bargain for the experience you get in return. You know, in comparison. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that provided me with some absolutely amazing memories, but I didn't have to pay for it. My greatest piece of advise if you're going to Galactic Starcruiser is to have Disney pay for everything.
Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser will be available to customers at Disney World beginning March 1, 2022.
#Disney #DisneyWorld #StarWars #GalacticStarcruiser #Starcruiser #StarWarsHotel
SOURCE: gizmodo
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