Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information.
If you’re a Star Wars fan like we are, you’re likely waiting with bated breath for more details about the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser hotel. Luckily, Disney has released lots more information this past week on what guests can expect — including an opening timeline and some much-anticipated pricing information for the two-night voyages.
We knew the two-night immersive experience onboard the Halcyon wouldn’t be cheap, and our suspicions have been confirmed with the sample standard cabin rates that Disney has just released. Strap into your speeder for this one as you’ll need to stash away at least $5,000 for this experience (more on that later).
The Galactic Starcruiser will open to guests in spring 2022, but an exact opening date and when hopeful Jedis and resistance fighters can start booking reservations have yet to be announced.
However, there is a lot more that we now know about the highly anticipated Star Wars experience coming to Disney World next year. So buckle up and hold onto your lightsabers — here’s everything we know about the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser hotel.
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It’s not just a Star Wars hotel — it’s an experience
When Disney’s first “Star Wars”-themed hotel opens, your family will be able to board a launch pod near Disney’s Hollywood Studios before making the hyperspace jump and not touching the ground again for two nights — or, at least, that’s what it will look and feel like.
Though the Rise of the Resistance attraction within Galaxy’s Edge changed the game when it comes to how immersive a theme park ride can get, the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser is set to change the rules when it comes to theme park hotels and immersive experiences.
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This won’t be a hotel you just book to stay at while on a Disney World vacation. Instead, it is a two-night immersive adventure aboard the Starship Halcyon. Perhaps in some ways, it makes more sense to think of it as a themed Disney cruise on land where you live out a “Star Wars” story, in that meals, lodging, entertainment and activities are all part of the package.
Upon arrival at the “terminal,” you’ll complete your earthly tasks and then enter a launch pod that blasts you off into space toward the Halcyon ship for your boarding with the main starcruiser.
Along the way, the “windows” above will show you the stars as well as the space cruiser in the distance. You’ll no longer see Central Florida at all — the magic of technology will completely immerse you in the scenes of outer space.
You’ll then dock with Halcyon, hearing the “whoosh” of the airlock as your launch pod engages and you’ll emerge into the ship’s atrium. Once onboard, you’ll start two nights and three days of your Star Wars dreams.
Related: TPG guide to Disney World
Inside the Cabins and suites onboard
The goal is for the Galactic Starcruiser experience to truly feel like you’re a character in the Star Wars canon universe, and therefore, the ship was designed for a smaller, more intimate group of passengers. As we expected, there are only 100 total cabins and suites will be available for booking (which means you’ll want to have your “credits” ready to go when reservation dates are announced to grab one of these limited spots).
For comparison, Disney’s Caribbean Beach has around 2,000 rooms, and even the more intimate deluxe hotels, such as Disney’s Contemporary Resort, still ring in at more than 600 rooms. And, just for clarity, even at those larger sizes, at least during normal times, the deluxe resorts regularly sell out.
Disney has released renderings of a guest room mock-up, and they’re awesome if you ever wanted to live aboard a starcruiser.
There’s a door, bed, bathroom and a window out into space. But that’s pretty much where the similarities to regular resort rooms end.
The bunk beds are meticulously themed pods that kids are sure to love. Each bunk/pod has its own command center. A slightly less cool queen is available for Resistance members to get sleep before their next mission.
Looking out from the pod, we see plenty of features to be excited about. There’s a video monitor on the wall that appears to be interactive (with the name of the fictional Johnston family displayed). Underneath could be storage or other hidden goodies.
There will also be a pulldown bed available in the rooms that sleep five. Disney has even found a way to fold the HVAC into the theming, with some cool vents on the exterior wall.
Where we would normally find a hotel window, we have a view of the galaxy flying by as Halcyon is on its journey. Every cabin will have at least one window out into the galaxy.
Disney has also released details about the three types of accommodations that will be available for new recruits.
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Standard cabins
Standard cabins can sleep four to five passengers. According to Disney, the room will come with a queen bed, two berths (aka: bunk beds) that will fit an adult, and a wall pull-down bed that can also sleep an adult if you are sleeping five to a cabin.
Amenities include:
- Mini fridge
- Hair dryer
- Safe (to keep valuable information safe from the Republic)
- Phone with voicemail messaging (for keeping up with anyone left behind on Earth)
- Interactive TV
- H20 Plus spa, bath and shower products
Galaxy class suite
These one-bedroom suites will sleep up to four passengers with one queen bed and two wall pull-down beds that can sleep adults. Additionally, the suite will come with a double vanity bathroom, bar area, two windows (instead of one), a living space and “extra Star Wars surprises.”
Other cabin amenities will be the same as the standard cabin.
Grand Captain suite
For larger groups or families, the Grand Captain suit will fit up to eight passengers with two queen beds, two berths, and two wall pull-down beds.
According to Disney, the suite will “feature a posh living space,” a second bathroom, three windows and “a few extra Star Wars surprises.”
Other amenities will be the same as the other two accommodations.
How much does the Star Wars hotel cost?
This part is … maybe more painful than a fall into a sarlacc pit.
Disney released some example prices and they are all in the thousands of dollars range.
Based on these prices, you’ll be paying at least $749 per person and per night. All in all, a family of four should expect to spend close to $6,000 or more for the two-night voyage — and that’s for a standard cabin on weeknight voyages set months after the reported opening timeframe.
While we don’t have sample pricing for the two suite options, it’s not outside the realm of possibility that you could be paying $10,000 total.
It’s a shockingly steep price for an experience that will only last two nights and rings in even more expensive than most of the three-night Disney Cruise Line sailings. Unless prices change dramatically in the future, it will exclude a large number of families from being able to book — especially if you’re hoping to tack this experience onto a larger Disney trip that includes other parks and resort stays.
Your voyage price does include meals and entry to Disney’s Hollywood Studios on the second day of your journey. Each guest will get two breakfasts, two lunches and two dinners onboard the ship (which includes gratuity for dinner). You’ll also get one quick-service meal (one entrée and one drink for adults, or one combo meal for kids 3 to 9) at Hollywood Studios.
And while not confirmed on Disney’s website, the teaser video from Disney’s Imagineers made it seem like there would be specialty pricing at Galaxy’s Edge souvenir shops for guests.
Even still, a minimum of close to $5,000 dollars for a two-night stay, meals and access to one park during one day is quite the entry-level price tag. Whether this experience is worth emptying your “credits” bank will depend on how much you value the immersive experience Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser promises to deliver during your voyage.
Related: What really happens on a private Disney VIP tour
Onboard activities
As part of your multiday journey on Halcyon, you’ll take a special journey to Black Spire Outpost (also known as Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge). You’ll be invited to the bridge of Halcyon to demonstrate navigation and defense skills you’ve learned and maybe even get a chance to pilot the galactic starcruiser.
Kids and adults alike will follow in the footsteps of Luke, training to use the extremely realistic-looking lightsaber (for those aged seven and up). During the voyage, they’ll be allowed to explore the mechanics of the ship and may even find hidden spots where the crew holds meetings. After all that hard work, there’s a place to relax called the Sublight Lounge.
When it comes time for a full meal (after all, being a Jedi is hard work), guests can head to the Crown of Corellia Dining Room. This name is a tribute to Corellia, a planet known for its famous shipyards that were the origin for not only the Halcyon but also the Millennium Falcon. It will serve breakfast, lunch and then a “lavish multicourse menu of both otherworldly and familiar origins” for dinner.
On your last night onboard, there will be an end-of-cruise gala celebration, and Disney invites guests to “save your very finest” for the occasion.
You’ll be able to dress in full costume (subject to Disney’s costume guidelines), and Star Wars galaxy apparel (including robes fit for a Jedi-in-training) will be available in advance from shopDisney or on the ship.
You can check out a sample itinerary on Disney’s website.
Related: Guide to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney World
Based on what the Disney Imagineers have to say about the Galactic Starcruiser experience, you’ll have the chance to partake in a truly unique journey that takes place in the canon Star Wars universe.
The storyline for the Galactic Starcruiser was developed alongside the stories for Smuggler’s Run and Rise of the Resistance, and those rides — along with other included experiences throughout Batuu (Galaxy’s Edge at Hollywood Studios) — should connect to the broader story told aboard the Halcyon.
And after riding Rise of the Resistance and seeing just a hint of the technology that will be on display throughout your journey aboard the Halcyon, we expect for it to truly feel like we’re a new recruit for the Resistance — especially at such a high price tag.
When will Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser open?
Disney announced Star Wars: Galactic Cruiser will be open for guests sometime in Spring 2022, but we’ve yet to receive official word on an exact opening date.
Something to note is that Disney has ramped up hiring for the hotel staff. They began advertising for a hotel manager earlier this year, and multiple job postings have been expanded since. Most recently, Disney College Program participants were invited to extend their internships and transfer over to be part of the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser crew this fall ahead of the opening, according to Walt Disney World News Today.
Even though there has been no official word on a specific opening date, we wouldn’t be shocked to see a “May the 4th Be With You” grand opening event.
With pricing details and an opening timeline now announced, we would expect booking to open in the not too distant future.
We’ll be sure to keep everyone updated as soon as an official opening date is announced and when voyage tickets go on sale.
Related: How much does a trip to Disney World cost?
Bottom line
The price for this Star Wars experience is undeniably high.
Between private Disney VIP tours, some high-end lodging options, $10,000+ concierge suites on the Disney Cruise Line and more, this is not Disney’s first step into the realm of the very expensive. But, unlike how Disney offers value resorts instead of deluxe, Disney Cruise Line has inside staterooms vs. concierge suites, etc. there’s no way that we know of right now to experience the Star Wars hotel without paying the ultra high-end price tag.
But for those who can find a way to get on board, it looks like a very immersive two-night experience that will keep you active in the world that George Lucas first created from the moment you board the launch pad that takes you to the starcruiser until the moment you ‘land’ back on earth.
If a trip to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is in your future:
- All about Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Walt Disney World
- The Essential Guide To Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland
- Best (and Worst) Food and Drinks at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
- TPG Ultimate Guide to Walt Disney World
If you’re new to The Points Guy, check out our beginner’s guide to learn more.
Additional reporting by Madison Blancaflor.
Featured mock-up image courtesy of Disney.