This Star Wars nerd's 10 favorite experiences aboard the Galactic Starcruiser
Last week, Disney held another press availability on the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, so as one of EW's resident Star Wars podcast hosts, I, along with my family, got to spend two days on an adventure in a galaxy far, far away (a very steamy Orlando, Fla., in actuality). These are the highlights of my trip below, but for my full report check out this week's episode of the Dagobah Dispatch.
Lauren Morgan for EW
The cabins give a taste of what it's like to sleep in space
If you ever wanted to sleep on the Millennium Falcon, well, the Halcyon accommodations are quite a lot nicer! Our fully-themed cabin slept four with a queen-sized bed and two bunks built into the wall that were perfect for kids. My daughter loved hers so much it was hard to get her out of the top bunk, but it proved a good retreat when she needed some quiet time before bed.
As for the rest of the room, instead of a window like in a normal hotel, there is a viewport with an ever-changing view of the galaxy during the course of the journey. It's not super-realistic, but I found it more fun to look at than a standard hotel courtyard. When it's time to go to bed, you can switch it off by hitting a button and it drapes the cabin in total darkness. For those with late-sleeping children, turning the viewport back on in the morning made an excellent alarm clock, though my teenage niece seemed to disagree.
Our cabin was also stocked with snacks, water, and a number of Star Wars tie-in comics which was a lovely touch as well.
Lauren Morgan for EW
D3-09's bedtime stories are droid-tastic
One of the best parts of the cabin design though came in the form of the interactive droid D3-09, who could be hailed by a button on the room's console. Besides offering tips on seeking out the ship's adventures and assigning us missions, D3 also told a nightly bedtime story to help us drift off amongst the stars. The stories were different each night, but the droid-centric retelling of A New Hope featuring the heroic droid R2-D2 and some unnamed teenage moisture farmer (you know who) was a charming end to the day.
The food is a culinary adventure across the galaxy
My family was starving when we boarded the ship, so the first thing we did after storing our luggage was head to the Crown of Corellia Dining Room for the ship's welcome lunch. Both breakfast and lunch are served a la carte, so you can eat as much or as little as you want. I tried to eat everything I could.
There were familiar dishes like the Star Wars version of a grilled cheese to more deluxe fare like Red Fruit Burrata, Chandrilan Salad, and different kinds of roasted meats and fishes. For dessert, the Blue Bantha Milk Fruit Whip, a creamy purple mousse, was an early favorite even though I couldn't quite place what flavors I was tasting. There were even more desserts on the last night of the trip, which featured a full Sweets and Treats hour of galactic delicacies.
Dinner was even more elaborate, with multiple courses from around the galaxy served in a traditional sit-down fashion. Our delightful server, Lulu, introduced each course and helped us out when our youngling was being especially difficult about trying both the safer and more adventurous options on the menu. If you have dietary restrictions or are just dealing with a recalcitrant child, the kitchen staff goes out of their way to accommodate any type of dietary needs with an exceptional amount of culinary verve.
Lauren Morgan for EW Part of the first night's dinner in the Crown of Corellia Dining room.
Let's hear it for themed drinks (especially the unlimited green milk)!
As is standard on most cruises, alcoholic drinks were extra. I didn't partake, but my husband reported the ones he had (Mandalore Sling and the Mark of the Huntress) were smooth and well-made. The special non-alcoholic drinks I tried, including the Muja Twist and the interestingly-named Yerdua Poison Spitter Drop, were refreshing while also having an out-of-this world flair that made them feel special.
The ship provided the standard soft drinks you find at most Disney properties, though the labels for them were written in Aurebesh, but an even more fun option was the unlimited supply of blue-and-green milk. I never tried either prior to the voyage so I was surprised both had more of a fruity taste than I was expecting. While I eventually became a green milk partisan, I found the blue milk sorbet on the non-alcoholic Blue Milk Citrus Fizz to be quite delicious.
Lauren Morgan for EW An array of out-of-this world drinks at the Sublight Lounge.
Take a trip to Batuu!
One of the highlights of the trip was the excursion to the Black Spire Outpost on Batuu. I had never been to Galaxy's Edge before so this was possibly the best way to experience it for the first time, and they've engineered the trip to be as smooth as possible. After taking a "shuttle" from the Starcruiser to its own designated arrival bay within the Black Spire Outpost itself, we got to avoid all the bother of entering Disney Hollywood Studios from the traditional main entrance, which was great for keeping the illusion you were traveling to a far off galactic land.
With Lightning Lane passes to Rise of the Resistance and Smuggler's Run along with a reservation at Oga's Cantina, we got to experience all the highlights without any of the long waits, which is always a plus. It left plenty of time to look around in the shops, build a lightsaber or a droid, or even go "off-world" to the other parts of Hollywood Studios if you desired.
Lauren Morgan for EW The author getting some sun on Batuu.
The lightsaber training lives up to the hype
It's rare to find a Star Wars fan who hasn't pretended to be a Jedi at one point or another (okay, maybe my mother hasn't), so out of everything offered on the Starcruiser, the activity I was looking forward to the most was the lightsaber training. And these were no plastic lightsabers we were training with, but more in line with the elegant weapons you could purchase at Dok Ondar's on Batuu. Our instructor led us through some basic lightsaber forms before we each took a turn with the training remote, which fired a beam I had to deflect with my saber. I'm not sure I had the natural ability for lightsaber combat that I imagined I might have (my husband, below, seemed like a natural), but it was a pure delight to watch my daughter do battle with one hand on her hip and a pair of Minnie Mouse ears on her head.
In addition to that session, we also got to train on the ship's bridge, which was more fun than I was expecting. We started at one station (weapons), and then shifted around trying the three other ones (shields, loaders, and systems). Systems was my personal favorite, since it was a series of small puzzles I had to keep clearing to achieve success. Much of the time, you are working in tandem with other passengers on a mission, so it was a great way to foster a communal feeling amongst the group.
Lauren Morgan for EW My husband facing off against the training remote.
A cast of characters keeps everyone involved
From the moment we boarded the Halcyon , the cast shepherded us through all the missions that made up the ship's main adventure between the Resistance and the First Order. No matter how we aligned ourselves, be it a Jedi, scoundrel, or somewhere in between, the cast treated us with a personal attention to detail that was impressive. Gaya, the Twi-Lek intergalactic diva who performed for us during dinner (in addition to running some business for the Resistance on the side), remembered my daughter's name on sight, much to her delight. And I saw the same with other cast members who made sure even the smallest passengers were included in the fun.
Even if you are an introvert by nature, the cast makes sure to include you in the most comfortable manner. One evening I was sitting in the atrium when Quanni (below), Gaya's Rodian musician, sat across from me and started having a full conversation in Rodese. I had no idea what she was saying, but played along and it turned out to be a kick.
Lauren Morgan for EW
The customer service is out of this world
Upon arriving at the Starcruiser, we were met by a squadron of crew members who made sure the boarding process was hitch-free. The customer service remained top notch throughout the experience from providing free water when we arrived in Batuu to making sure every member of our party understood how to use the crucial Datapad to participate on missions. Even when a rare fire alarm went off and we had to temporarily evacuate, the crew walked around with bottled water and set out chairs for guests who needed them and got us back into the experience as soon as they could.
Check out the galactic fashion show
Though I will go all out for Halloween, I'm not a cosplayer by nature, so I kept it pretty casual while onboard the Starcruiser. My fellow passengers, thankfully, did not. The costumes ranged from the fashionable capes and cloaks available at the ship's exclusive gift shop (you can buy them at ShopDisney, but only if you have a voyage booked) to full out Star Wars cosplay. There were Twi-Leks, Togrutas, multiple Jedis, Reys of every age, and an assortment of characters who wouldn't have looked out of place in the background of any of the films. They made the people watching spectacular, but my favorite of all had to be the young mother decked out in the most beautiful pale blue Twi-lek makeup and head tails for almost the entire journey. More impressively, she did it while toting around an adorable 8-month-old baby who remained costume-free, but did look a little confused about what the heck was going on.
You can learn (and lose at) sabacc
I learned that if I was ever involved in a real sabacc game, I most likely would lose my ship quicker than Lando Calrissian. Though he was probably a far better player than I ever hoped to be, I still had fun learning to play on the electronic table in the Sublight Lounge. Despite my initially chaotic approach of just trying to wing it, the lounge's very funny bartenders, Chris and Keeli, valiantly kept trying to teach me how to play properly. Through their persistence, I eventually learned the rules. I even bought myself a sabacc deck to practice with, but I probably won't be betting any vehicle of mine in the near future.
Matt Stroshane/Disney Resorts Passengers playing sabacc in the Sublight Lounge.
To hear all the details from EW's trip aboard the Galactic Starcruiser (along with interviews with the casts of Andor, Ahsoka, The Mandalorian, Obi-Wan Kenobi and more, check out the latest episode of Dagobah Dispatch.
