Thirsty for more details on Galactic Starcruiser cocktails? Our Sublight Lounge review serves up all the Star Wars goodness in a single cup.
No Star Wars adventure would be complete without a journey to the local watering hole. Some of the most important events in the franchise have played out inside a cantina, and the Sublight Lounge aboard the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser’s Halcyon ship is no exception.
From intimate story moments to lively celebrations to an outstanding small-bites menu, Sublight Lounge was one of my favorite aspects of the Galactic Starcruiser experience.
Scroll on for my full Sublight Lounge review.
Where Is Sublight Lounge on Galactic Starcruiser?
You’ll find the Sublight Lounge off the main atrium, to the left of the turbo lifts. This bar/lounge is open to guests of all ages and offers a range of signature cocktails, zero-proof cocktails, and small bites.
Sublight Lounge is a top Galactic Starcruiser experience. Photo by Danny Shuster
It’s also the place aboard the Halcyon to hone your Sabacc skills, plan a clandestine meeting or find yourself wrapped up deeper in the unfolding story aboard the ship.
Need help getting around? Check out this Galactic Starcruiser map.
Sublight Lounge Hours
Sublight Lounge’s hours change during the course of your stay on Galactic Starcruiser:
- Sublight Lounge is open from 7 AM until midnight on night one.
- Sublight Lounge is open from 7 AM until 1 AM on night two.
Sublight Lounge is open for most of your stay aboard the Halcyon. Photo by Danny Shuster
In the morning, from 7 to 10 AM, you can find a grab-and-go breakfast (a prepacked continental-style breakfast with bread, pastries, jams, and fruits similar to the offerings in the main dining room).
All of the food offerings inside Sublight Lounge are included in your package price so feel free to enjoy as much as you like.
Alcoholic and signature non-alcoholic cocktails are an additional fee and can add up quickly, especially if you opt for some of the pricer drinks that include souvenir drinkware.
Related: Scroll through all the Instagram-worthy Galactic Starcruiser food photos
Sublight Lounge Review:Â Star Wars Ambiance
Sublight Lounge is vibrant and eclectic inside. Plush banquet seating lines the perimeter with smaller tables, the Holo-Sabacc table, and bar seating rounding out the space. The bar is flanked by beautiful space fish that float hypnotically inside their tubes.
Space fish. Photo by Danny Shuster
Brightly colored bottles of mysterious liqueurs line the back of the bar, and the high-gloss finish of the tables reflects funky lights and shadows throughout the space.Â
If the lounge is full, you can still order drinks at the bar to go or let the staff know you’d like to order and then find a place to sit in the atrium. The servers aboard the Halcyon are equipped with side tables, and I saw guests with food and drink from the Sublight menu enjoying themselves in the atrium.
Cozy seating. Photo by Danny Shuster
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If you can, try and snag a seat in the plush banquets. I couldn’t help but feel instantly transported into the Star Wars universe as I sipped my drink and chatted with my fellow travelers about what planet they were visiting from.Â
One of the coolest moments of my journey happened inside the Sublight Lounge. The cruise director, Lenka Mok, was making the rounds to welcome guests aboard and make small talk. After a quick lap around the room, she returned and very casually slid into our booth for a more serious talk in hushed tones.
I happened to be wearing an aircast during our voyage on Starcruiser (I suffered a very mundane ankle injury just prior to this trip) and had decided to make the injury part of my backstory, a daring escape from prior skirmish with the First Order that left me mostly intact. I’d been sharing this tall tale with some of the Starcruiser staff, and it caught Lenka’s attention.
Danny in his aircast in the Sublight Lounge. Photo by Stephanie Shuster
Having learned my name and sussed out my allegiance to the Resistance, she invited me to a secret meeting later that evening in the cargo hold to discuss something vital to the resistance. The conversation returned to normal small talk, and she casually went about her business, excusing herself to check something on the bridge.Â
It is hard to convey just how seamless and impressive this whole interaction was. It felt cinematic, like a scene right out of a Star Wars film. We were just sipping our drinks and tapping away at the Datapad, and then all of a sudden, we’ve been folded into the story that is happening all around you on the ship.
It’s worth repeating that the most impressive aspect of Galactic Starcruiser is how the story is happening, in real time, all around you throughout the ship. We go much deeper into the story of Starcruiser in our June 2022 issue of WDW Magazine.
Sublight Lounge Review: The Best Drinks at the Star Wars Hotel
Delicious drinks and snacks at Sublight Lounge on Galactic Starcruiser. Photo by Danny Shuster
The culinary team at Disney has gone above and beyond in their role to help fill in the details and build a rich environment aboard the Halcyon. Talk to your servers, and they will have a wealth of knowledge about the drinks, their alien ingredients, and the planets of origin.
Take for example the Muja Twist, one of the signature non-alcoholic beverages. The twist in the name comes from the technique required to properly harvest the Muja fruit.
Muja Twist. Photo by Danny Shuster
Other drinks take their names from the planet of origin like the Bespin Fizz, Bespin being the home of cloud city where we meet Lando Calrissian in Episode V. In honor of its namesake, the Bespin Fizz is topped with a fluffy cloud of falernum-lemon foam.
We tried our best to sample our way through all the food and drinks on offer, but between lightsaber training, covert Resistance missions, trouble in the engineering room, and so much more happening during our voyage, we couldn’t possibly try it all. What follows are my top picks from the menu at Sublight Lounge
Hoth Icebreaker
Hoth Icebreaker. Photo by Danny Shuster
Vodka, Lemon, Pure Cane Sugar, Vanilla-Lemon Foam
Basically a Star Wars-ified lemon drop, this drink is a crowd pleaser and will look amazing on your instagram feed. Too sweet for my taste, but the lemon flavor is nice and bright, and I saw a lot of these being ordered at the lounge and with dinner.
Silver Sea Martini
Silver Sea Martini. Photo by Danny Shuster
Gin, Lemon, Mint, Ginger, Passion Fruit
All the cocktails look amazing on Starcruiser, but if I had to pick, I think the Silver Sea Martini has the most visual appeal. The beautiful colors, the elegant glassware and iridescent shimmer give this drink a sophisticated and glamorous look. It’s also delicious—not too sweet and packs a great balance of flavors. Definitely one of my favorite drinks at Sublight Lounge.
Cloud of Bespin
Rum, Lemon, Orgeat (Almond), Passion Fruit, Falernum-Lemon foam
The foam on top of this drink is a fluffy cloud of flavor that perfectly accentuates the tart drink beneath. This cocktail would be right at home at Trader Sam’s if you served it in a tiki mug. It’s got all the hallmarks of a tiki drink: rum, tropical fruit, sweet-and-sour taste, and falernum (a simple syrup with flavors of ginger, lime, cloves, and allspice).Â
Mark of the Huntress
Mark of the Huntress. Photo by Danny Shuster
Bourbon Whiskev Peach-infused Blackcurrant, Orgeat (Almond), Lemon, Sparkling Bubbles
A booze-forward cocktail that is a little too easy to drink. The bourbon is prominent but mellowed out by the peach flavor, and the orgeat adds a slightly tiki vibe to this drink. This was my favorite based purely on taste, but I do think there are more visually appealing cocktails on the menu. Also, I was warned that this drink is often ordered by bounty hunters and to keep a keen eye out because you never know what kind of attention it may draw.
Dagobah Vimlet (Vodka Gimlet)
Dagobah Vimlet and Cloud of Bespin. Photo by Danny Shuster
Vodka. Herbaceous Orange Liqueur, Lime. Peppercorn
A good drink with a layered and complex flavor. The peppercorn and herbs add a lot of intrigue with each sip, and I think this drink pairs really well with the food options. The presentation is a bit lackluster, especially compared to others on the menu.
Fiery Mustafarian
*Served with Lava Extract* Ancio Tequila, Mezcal, Stone Fruit, Lime, Chili, Black Salt
You can save a few dollars and skip the souvenir cocktail glass with this drink if you choose. You still get to keep the aurebesh labeled test tube containing the lava extract (a smoky hot sauce). This drink just didn’t wow me. For all the buildup and warnings from our server, the lava seemed pretty tame to my tastes, and overall I found the mezcal overpowered the other ingredients. Not my cup of tea, but it might be just the drink you’re looking for.Â
Sublight Lounge Review: Snacks at the Star Wars Hotel
Pizza. Photo by Danny Shuster
You’re going to need some snacks to pair with those drinks, and the Sublight Lounge small plates menu does not disappoint. If you’ve already read my Galactic Starcruiser lunch review, you’ll know that the pizza aboard the Halcyon is excellent. They have it available at Sublight (perfect for a late-night snack), but the menu has lots of other tantalizing bites to enjoy.
Little Flatbread
I think this was my favorite pizza (little flatbread as the menu calls it) aboard the Halcyon. While the dining room goes big with bold flavors like Indian spices and paneer cheese, or braised bantha beef, the lounge is serving up a more classic pepperoni pizza, and sometimes you just can’t beat a classic done really well. Honestly, some of the best pizza you’ll find at Disney is being served aboard Starcruiser, and I was not expecting that when I began this journey.
Mustafar Tuber Chips
Mustafar Tuber Chips. Photo by Danny Shuster
Dusted with Sriracha and Charcoal VinegarÂ
This is a plant-based and allergy-friendly offering that is big on flavor. The tuber chips are freshly made, kettle-style potato chips, dusted with salt-and-vinegar, and sriracha powder. They are an ideal bar snack, crispy and crunchy and salty, the perfect nibble to whet your whistle for the cocktail menu.
Speaking of bar snacks there is also a fruit and nut mix your server will offer at your table. I loved the sweet-and-sour, crunchy, and chewy mix. This combination of pepitas, dried chickpeas, dried cranberries, and apricots is seriously addictive. The chickpeas and pepitas are salty and spiced while the fruit is sweet and tangy. There were also containers of this mix available in the atrium for a grab-and-go snack.
Smoked Cheese en Cloche
Delicious cheese. Photo by Danny Shuster
White Cheddar with Bacon and Jalepeño Crusted in Dried Cheddar, Black Goat Cheese Crusted in Pumpkin Seeds, Smoked Gouda with Crushed Pistachios
This cheese board is a delight and will definitely draw some attention with its showy presentation. The delicious smoky aroma fills the bar as the server dramatically removes a glass cloche containing this outer-space cheese board. We inspired two nearby tables to order this after they witnessed ours arrive at the table. The smoked gouda with pistachio was my favorite of the cheeses. Make sure to have your camera Datapad ready to capture a holoscan of this plate.
Sublight Lounge Review: A Must Aboard Galactic Starcruiser
The Halcyon is full of impeccably designed spaces that keep you immersed in the Star Wars experience. On my voyage, the Sublight Lounge was a hub of activity both for the story elements of the experience and as a social gathering place for the travelers on board.
Do not miss the Sublight Lounge during your trip. Photo by Danny Shuster
It’s inevitable to compare Sublight to Oga’s Cantina as they are WDW’s two Star Wars-themed bars. I find the experience at Oga’s to be loud and hectic, I don’t love the time-based reservation system, and I’m not a fan of the drinks all being pre-mixed and simply dispensed when ordered.
Conversely, I was always able to find a seat at Sublight and strike up a conversation either with the servers or my fellow patrons. If you can get a spot at the Holo-Sabaac table, you’re in for a treat as the game is great fun to play even with a group of strangers. The food offerings at Sublight are lightyears ahead of the menu at Oga’s and, for my preferences, the drinks are too.
Whether or not you want Star Wars cocktails, the Sublight Lounge is a must-visit during your time aboard the Halcyon. If your story (or your curiosity) takes you there, you’re in for a treat.
There are times during the Starcruiser experience where it feels like you’ll never get a break, but carve out the time to sit for a few minutes, have a drink and a bite, and recharge before your next mission. Who knows, your visit to the Sublight Lounge could turn into the next chapter in your story.
