Last week (Aug 23-25) I traveled to Orlando for a stay— or a voyage— on the Galactic Starcruiser at Disney World. This was an ambitious new experience created by Disney Imagineering, and one which did not prove a success. It’s closing permanently after its last voyage at the end of September, and news reports say Disney is swallowing a loss of around $300 million on it. I actually had a trip on the Starcruiser booked for December when Disney announced the unexpectedly early closure. They offered guests who already had trips booked a chance to move their reservations to before the closure, and I took advantage. (It says something about the lack of popularity of the Starcruiser that there was plenty of room to move everybody’s reservation forward by several months.)
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You can find a lot of articles around the web discussing why the Starcruiser failed. The experience itself was unusual and it was clear Disney’s marketing department had no idea how to advertise it. The commercials when it first opened made it seem very cheesy, and that combined with the high cost was probably explanation enough. Mostly only dedicated Star Wars fans were going to be interested, and there’s a large faction of those who’d rather just sneer “Disney doesn’t get Star Wars!” and gloat over how they just know it’s awful— and never need to actually look and see. |
Well, I won’t “bury the lede,” as the journalists say: I was amazed. I can’t really imagine that anything like this combination show/LARP/Escape Room has ever been attempted before: certainly not on this scale. And sadly, it’s not likely to ever be attempted again. If you’ve never seen a Star Wars movie and never want to, you’d still be blown away by the experience. Despite the cost, I’d gladly do it again, probably many times (I’d have to save up for it) and it’s a serious shame that it’s closing down.
| So what actually is the Galactic Starcruiser? Well, start with what it’s not: it is not a “Star Wars Hotel.” It has almost none of the amenities you’d expect from a resort hotel on Disney World property. There’s no pool, there’s no transport to the theme parks (except to Galaxy’s Edge, the Star Wars land in Disney’s Hollywood Studios), the rooms are designed like cruise ship cabins rather than hotel rooms. That’s because the experience fully immerses you in the experience that you are aboard the Halcyon, a spacefaring cruise ship in the Star Wars universe. Just as cruise ships have port excursions, your cruise includes a stopover at Black Spire Outpost on the planet Batuu, the in-universe location of Galaxy’s Edge. |
 Model of the Halcyon |
The theming, and immersion is perfect down to the last detail: all the way down to the items in the onboard clothing/souvenir shop having not a single mention of “Disney” or “Star Wars” anywhere on them. Instead they’re branded for the Chandrila Star Line, the company that owns the Halcyon. (You can actually find the word “Disney” if you peer closely at the fine-print copyright notices, but you have to look hard.)
But it’s not just the theming of the Halcyon itself. During the two-night cruise, a story unfolds as the First Order (successor to the Empire in the sequel trilogy movies) investigates accusations of Resistance activity aboard the ship, leading to a climactic battle on the last night of the voyage. Passengers can either be spectators, just watching the story unfold, or actively participate as they follow several different story paths.
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The gameplay aspect takes place mostly through the “Data Pad” (left), a cell phone app you download before checking in. Various characters will send you text messages, giving you multiple-choice options to reply, creating something like a choose-your-adventure book. The messages will give you information to act on, or missions to accomplish, which will send you all over the Halcyon and, on the second day, all over Batuu. The data pad also includes tools for “hacking” equipment, finding hidden items you can add to your (virtual) inventory, and a live-updating itinerary showing all the places you need to be based on things you’ve decided to do. The Data Pad also records Achievements, video-game style, earned by doing various things during the story.
Besides the data pad, passengers also receive a custom “M-band”— the same device that’s called a MagicBand elsewhere around Disney— which serves as room key, ID, and access key to various restricted areas. |
Besides the story moments and tasks, like any cruise ship the Halcyon provides a number of recreational activities throughout the day: you can take lessons in Sabacc, a card game that’s appeared in a few Star Wars movies and TV shows, with a passenger Sabacc tournament on the second day. There are droid races, there’s a game called Sector Set which is basically Bingo. There’s an onboard bar, the Sublight Lounge where you can take a mixology class to learn to make the exotic cocktails of the Galaxy Far Far Away.
Now my post is getting into TL;DR territory with the general overview. I’m going to tell you the story of the voyage as I experienced it— and that will mean full spoilers. I wouldn’t give spoilers if the Starcruiser was going to continue, but since it’s soon to close I don’t see the harm. But I’ll give you fair warning: if there is a reason you want to remain unspoiled about the Halcyon’s story, don’t keep reading.
Judging by the number of achievements I earned compared to the number listed as possible, I played a very laid-back game, just this side of simply being a spectator and watching the main story unfold. So there’s no doubt a lot I did not experience. But here’s what I did:
The Halcyon’s Journey [SPOILER WARNING from here on]
| Passengers are told to arrive between 1:00 and 4:00 on departure day. I got there right at 1:00 and I think a majority of passengers did the same. The itinerary on the Data Pad makes pretty clear the story won’t begin until 4:00 when everyone has to be on board, but there were plenty of non-story cruise activities to do before that.
The Halcyon has no exterior while on Earth; the entry is actually in a backstage area and the only theme here is “concrete bunker.” That would soon change. |
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A lot of passengers were already in their Star Wars cosplay outfits (cosplay on board is strongly encouraged). I wasn’t— I came directly from the airport and didn’t fancy flying from Dallas in Jedi robes.
We waited in line to board the shuttle to the Halcyon, waiting in orbit far above. Before boarding the shuttle, we got a safety briefing— the last out-of-character moment in the entire voyage— that let us know what an actual fire alarm would look like if one happened, so we wouldn’t mistake it for an in-story shipwide alert.
The it was onto the shuttle for a short journey to the Halcyon itself. Coming out of the shuttle, I entered the main atrium on deck 6, which would be the center of a lot of activities on board. A crew member was ready to show me to my cabin on deck 5.
 Walking into the Atrium |
 Deck 5 corridor to my cabin |
| The cabin “window” showed a view into space. There was also a small control panel with a screen on which I could contact D3-09, the droid in charge of passenger accommodations and comfort.
I changed into my costume and headed first down to deck 5, where the Crown of Corellia dining room had a lunch buffet. |
 My cabin, number 5205 |
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Next, I saw in the itinerary that tours of the ship were leaving from the atrium every 15 minutes, so I went to take one and learn my way around. On the tour I learned the Halcyon was celebrating its anniversary, 275 standard years in service. The ship has 13 decks but only 4 are accessibly to passengers. Decks 4 and 6 are where the story action would take place, decks 5 and 7 are passenger cabins only. The Dining Room, Engine Room and Cargo Hold are all down on deck 4. On deck 6 is the atrium, connecting to the Bridge, the onboard shop, the Sublight Lounge, and a mezzanine off limits to passengers that would serve as the stage for the story scenes.
 The Halcyon’s bridge |
 The Sublight Lounge (with a Sabacc table) |
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Up on the mezzanine, an artwork donated to the Chandrila Star Line by the famous Leia Organa (who, the tour guide informed us, spent her honeymoon on the Halcyon). Representing a hyperspace map of the Galaxy, it’s titled “The Galaxy United” and reflects the Line’s philosophy of offering welcome and entertainment to all, regardless of any disagreements. |
Down on deck 4, one item of a more grim history: during the time of the Empire, the Halcyon was seized and used as a troop carrier for Stormtroopers. They installed a brig which the guide assured us has never been used since the ship return to civilian use. Next to the brig was the door to the engine room. It was off-limits to passengers but I noticed it had an M-band reader next to it, so I tried to see if my band would unlock it. It didn’t, but by trying I’d launched an early story element.
I got a text on my Data Pad from someone named Raithe Kole who said he’d noticed my attempt to access the engine room. Would I like a little help? I said yes and he said he’d give me access to a nearby control panel, though it would be up to me to “slice” (i.e. hack) the system. When the tour was over I went back down, unlocked the panel with my M-band, and solved a simple little puzzle to gain access to the engine room.
| I wasn’t the only passenger to get in there. The various controls around the room were puzzles that each took more than one person, working together, to solve, but at the moment nothing happened if you did. I did get another text, though. Raithe was impressed with my hacking skills and might be in touch with me later. This was really the only story point I activated on my own initiative; overall I played more as a spectator watching the story, and only took part when prompted. I’m sure I could have found a lot more things to do if I’d tried, but I was mostly happy to take it all in. |
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But now it was time to return to the atrium for the “Welcome Aboard” reception, marked on the itinerary as a story moment. Captain Keeva introduced herself, as did the Cruise Director Lenka Mok. Keeva announced the ship had a new Chief Engineer, Sammie, on his first job as Chief. Finally, the Halcyon was proud to have aboard the Galactic superstar, singer and songwriter Gaya, who would be performing in the Crown of Corellia dining room.
But Gaya’s manager popped up to say she wasn’t aboard and the Halcyon would have to divert to pick her up— after all, a star of her magnitude couldn’t be expected to take a shuttle. The manager was the same Raithe Kole that helped me get into the engine room. What could that mean?
But just then Engineer Sammie burst in, alarmed, saying that someone unexpected had come aboard:
First Order Lt. Croy was on board to investigate suspected Resistance activity on the Halcyon, and announced he and his two Stormtroopers would be joining the voyage. Captain Keevan said of course they were welcome, and told Sammie to show them to VIP quarters. Then it was time for the Halcyon to start its voyage with a jump into hyperspace.
My next scheduled event was Lightsaber Training with the Saja— devotees of the Jedi arts, who have kept the old traditions alive since the end of the Jedi, although they themselves are not wielders of the Force. This was also marked as a story moment. The class learned a number of lightsaber moves and practiced against a training drone. The Saja mentioned how Jedi would use the Force to anticipate the drone’s beams before it fired, but that art vanished with them. But then, unexpectedly we heard Yoda’s voice telling the Saja to trust the students and let them try, and we all had a go at using the Force. (There was a nifty special effect with little sparkles of light that would signal which way the drone was going to shoot.) The Saja was amazed that the class all seemed ready to sense the Force, and wondered if perhaps some of us might one day rebuild the Jedi.
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It was on to dinner in the Crown of Corellia, serving gourmet cuisine from Coruscant, and featuring a performance by Gaya, who the Halcyon had indeed diverted to pick up. |
During the concert, the pair of Stormtroopers entered the dining room, looking around, and then unexpectedly Chewbacca appeared— apparently unaware that the Stormtroopers were there. Crew members hastily urged him back out of the room, hopefully before the Stormtroopers noticed.
Also at dinner, I found a note slipped in among the dessert dishes, which spoke of a mission to help a smuggler named Hondo on Batuu who needed help to steal some coaxium from the First Order. Realizing this was the mission of the “Smuggler’s Run” ride at Galaxy’s Edge, I slipped the note into a pocket and told no one.
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I got several text messages on my Data Pad during the evening. Cruise Director Lenka Mok wanted my help with a McGuffin or two. Lt. Croy contacted me to urge me to inform him of any suspicious activity on board, promising rewards for those loyal to the First Order and dire consequences for anyone siding with the Resistance. I helped Lenka and refused to tell Croy anything.
During these events, I learned that one of the Halcyon’s droids, SK-620, had recorded some information useful to the Resistance, and was urged not to let on. |
| Plenty of passengers were cosplaying Empire or Sith characters so it was clear that Croy would get his informants. Later in my cabin, I got a call from D3-09. She complained about how awful it was when the Empire controlled the Halcyon— “I had to coordinate troop movements instead of maximizing comfort zones!” —and wanted my help convincing a First Order probe droid that I had definitely seen Chewbacca leave the ship. |
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The evening culminated in a passenger show where everyone was invited to show off their cosplay— though of course it wasn’t called that, it was just “show off your regalia.” A photographer took pictures of everyone which were automatically downloaded to my account, but although many of the costumes were spectacular I don’t feel I should post anyone’s picture but mine without their permission. |
After that, the evening was over (at least from a story standpoint). I got one final message from Lenka, hoping I enjoyed my first day aboard and asking how I’d like to spend the rest of my time. The multiple-choice options were carefully phrased to stay in character but clearly were about me picking one of four story paths to follow: I could join the Resistance, support the First Order, decide I was just in it for the money, or study the ways of the Force with the Saja. I chose to join the Resistance.
With that, the first day of the voyage was over— and I’ll end this already-too-long blog post here, and continue the story in the next post.
