It’s been a year since Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser first opened, giving guests the chance to live out their own Star Wars adventure during a two-night immersive experience. I visited for the first time this year — over spring break. Here’s what I didn’t expect.
Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser opened over a year ago, on March 1, 2022. More than a hotel, Galactic Starcruiser is an experience. The 2-night, 3-day journey lets you live out your Star Wars adventure onboard, complete with unique missions, immersive theming, and live entertainment. I happen to be married to one of the biggest Star Wars fans in the galaxy, so from the moment we first heard about the Starcruiser, I knew we’d eventually be making our way there. We experienced our Galactic Starcruiser adventure earlier this month, and were blown away by the story, the theming, and (above all, in my opinion) the food. We also visited the Galactic Starcruiser during spring break, one of the most crowded times of the year.
While I have been covering Disney news for long enough that I knew what to expect onboard the Halcyon, I’ll admit there were a few critical components of visiting the ship during such a crowded time of year that I didn’t expect. Here are three things I learned from visiting Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser during spring break.
***NOTE: I will be writing about my time onboard in more general terms, without any spoilers to the story on the ship. However, if you want to remain completely unspoiled, read with caution.***
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Will Be More Crowded for Spring Break
Climb inside the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon in Galaxy’s Edge. Photo by Brett Svenson
This one may seem obvious, but when you visit during spring break or a holiday, you’ll want to expect some larger-than-average crowds when you make your on-planet excursion to Batuu. On day two aboard the ship, all passengers will be provided transportation to and from Galaxy’s Edge to visit for the day. During your time on Batuu, you can continue playing through various storylines using your Datapad. You will also be provided Lightning Lane access to Rise of the Resistance and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run.
Additionally, you can enjoy more time throughout Batuu (or even Disney’s Hollywood Studios at large, if you choose). You can make reservations at Oga’s Cantina, book time to make a Droid at Droid Depot, or a lightsaber at Savi’s Workshop. Because of your Lightning Lane access to the rides, the crowds won’t be a problem when getting on each of the land’s two rides. However, other elements of your Galactic Starcruiser journey are inherently more challenging with bigger crowds in the park.
Photo by Judd Helms
For one, I found navigating around the land to scan things in my Datapad was a bit more tricky with so many people around for spring break. If you get really into doing missions as part of your Galactic Starcruiser stay, you will want to prepare to be on your phone quite a bit. Being on your phone and navigating around crowds of people to scan what you need to can be a lot when every square inch of the land seems full of bodies.
If you want to visit Oga’s Cantina or build a droid or lightsaber, you will also want to make a reservation well in advance. I would give this advice no matter what time of year you go, as these are popular experiences, but especially during spring break, they were tough reservations to come by.
Kids Will Play a Bigger Role in Your Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Story During Spring Break
Photo by Danny Shuster
When I first covered the opening of Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, I remember reading a lot of feedback about how few kids guests had seen on their experiences at the hotel. Going for spring break, I found my time to be quite the opposite, as my stay was made up of mostly families with kids. The timing completely makes sense–spring break is when many families visit Disney World with their kids off from school. My group was visiting the Starcruiser sans kids (I have a baby at home who I didn’t think was quite ready for the journey into space), and I learned a few key things.
First and foremost, seeing kids experience the joy of the Galactic Starcruiser can be incredibly magical. Everyone was dressed up and very into their characters, and you could just tell that this place was a dream come true for so many of the younglings on board.
However, if you are visiting without kids, there are a few parts of your journey that may be different when you go on a voyage with a lot of kids for spring break. For example, character interactions. On your missions, you’ll have opportunities to meet and interact with various characters throughout the ship. While these characters are all incredible and make sure to interact with every guest, they (and you, most likely) will want to make sure to give priority to the kids onboard. There were several times where I found characters surrounded by kids that I would leave be, because I wanted to make sure the little ones had their time. While I didn’t have an issue with it, I know some adult passengers on my trip felt a little more let down by the lack of interactions they would get.
A great time to take advantage of an emptier ship is during the Batuu excursion on day two. Transportation is available back and forth for several hours of the day, so at any point you can head back to the Halcyon to do a little exploring on the ship. While characters may not be as plentiful during this time, it’s a great, quiet period to check out all that the ship has to offer while most guests are out visiting Galaxy’s Edge. Another great time is during itinerary items that are aimed more at younglings. For example, events like droid racing seemed to bring a lot more kids out than adults, making it a great time to hang around the ship.
Sabacc first thing in the morning. Photo by Morgan Flaherty
I did find that another popular activity for kids was over at the Sabacc table as well. Located in the Sublight Lounge, there’s one massive digital Sabacc table where you can play the Star Wars card game. It’s incredibly fun and was a popular hangout for everyone onboard. Kids especially loved this game, with some hanging around playing for hours. However, I quickly found an easy fix for this one–simply grab your spot early in the morning (they provide complimentary coffee first thing, win-win) or late at night once the place has cleared out to be able to grab a spot!
You’ll Still Be Able to Do Everything You Want to Do at Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser
Sublight Lounge. Photo by Morgan Flaherty
So, yes, there are a few things you’ll want to look out for when you choose the dates of your Galactic Starcruiser voyage. But, here’s the biggest, most important thing–you’ll still be able to do so much on the ship, even during the most crowded times of the year. My journey was completely sold out, and yet I never once had a problem getting a table in the Sublight Lounge for my party of four (as you may have guessed, this is where I spent a lot of my time. Amazing, complimentary food and incredible drinks? I could have lived here.).
Cloud of Bespin in the Sublight Lounge. Photo by Morgan Flaherty
There is so much to do and see for Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser that it’s impossible to accomplish everything. Because of that, they’ve perfected the ability onboard to make sure that not everyone on the ship is doing the same thing at the same time (unless they’re supposed to be). Our group experienced bridge training, Jedi training, Batuu, Sabacc, and all the incredible food and drink the Starcruiser had to offer. And that still left us plenty of time to complete missions and simply relax and explore onboard–even with it being spring break at the Galactic Starcruiser. The journey is truly what you make it, and for my group and I it was the immersive vacation of a lifetime.
Looking to book your Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser trip? Make sure you check out all of our coverage from the blog below! You can also order the WDW Magazine Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Special At
PHOTOS: Inside Galactic Starcruiser – Star Wars Hotel Media Day Pics
Star Wars Hotel Room Photos: Inside a Galactic Starcruiser Cabin
Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Map—Explore the Halcyon Before Your Voyage
PHOTOS: Galactic Starcruiser Merch—Exclusive Souvenirs from the Star Wars Hotel
VIDEO: Galactic Starcruiser Food—Jedi Dining at the Star Wars Hotel
