4 Burning Questions We Still Have About Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser-Disney's Most Immersive Experience Ever

What if you could actually live out an adventure in the Star Wars universe… not just in a land on a ride but to be 100% immersed in a galaxy far, far away for two days?

“Hold my blue milk,” says the Disney Imagineers.

Scheduled to land in 2022, Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser might be Disney’s most ambitious venture to date—an all-inclusive experience where guests will spend two days living out an ultra-immersive Star Wars adventure. It’s an escape game on steroids, a video game made real, live-action roleplaying meets Disney Cruise Line in space. It’s a Star Wars fan’s dream taken to levels we never imagined possible.

We know much more about Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser than we did at the beginning of the year, and the impending arrival of this unique resort is starting to look more concrete. We now know what a sample itinerary for a visit to Galactic Starcruiser might look like—a mix of activities, dining, entertainment, and unique story moments—as well as that a visit to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge (with access to both Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run included) will factor into that story. We know what the cabins will look like, and we know the price guests can expect for this all-inclusive adventure—between $749-1209 per guest per night, depending on how many people you’ll have per cabin.

Yeah. Ouch.

Sticker shock aside, there are some burning questions we have about Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser that still haven’t been answered yet…

1. What will the limits be on cosplay?

Cosplay is serious business among Star Wars fans—we love dressing up as our favorite characters for movie premieres, conventions, and other special events. International organizations like the 501st Legion are full of dedicated fans who have made an art out of replicating studio-quality costumes (just watch the finale of season one of The Mandalorian to see some examples—most of the stormtroopers are 501st members in their own armor).

Disney decided to lean into this tradition with the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge by bending their longtime rules regarding guest costumes. In most cases, guests over the age of 14 cannot dress up in costumes when visiting Walt Disney World (the exception being “Disneybounding” outfits made of modern or vintage clothes). With the arrival of Galaxy’s Edge, Disney opened up a new option, sometimes called “Batuu-bounding”, where guests could dress up as their own Star Wars character. While there were some strict limitations on this when the land opened, many of these have been lifted (with the exception of things like armor, large prosthetics, full masks, etc.), giving guests a large amount of freedom to live out adventures on Batuu.

For Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, guests aren’t just being permitted to dress up—they’re actually going to be encouraged to wear costumes beyond anything Disney has allowed before. Disney Imagineer Ann Morrow Johnson stated that, “We are encouraging our guests to be in full cosplay, so if you want to have Twi’lek lekku and a full robe, we are all for it aboard the Halcyon.”

In the past, Disney has limited costumes largely for safety reasons—mostly so guests (and especially kids) don’t mistake costumed guests for cast members. While we are definitely excited about Disney encouraging full cosplay, we are curious what limits they’ll place on the practice.

It seems likely that blasters will remain banned, but what else might be up in the air? Will armor be allowed, and if so, what about helmets? Will costumes based on known characters from the Star Wars galaxy be limited to prevent timeline issues? Will certain costumes be banned to maintain immersion? What about dresses and robes that drag on the floor (currently banned in Galaxy’s Edge)? Intricate face paint? It sounds like headdress prosthetics like lekku (head tails) will be permitted, but what about larger prosthetics like Darth Maul-style legs or Wookie fur?

We know Disney will have to put some limits in place—it’s just a question of what they’ll end up being.

2. Will there be a Passholder discount?

I was surprised by some of the blowback when people originally started to raise this question—the overall sentiment was why should Passholders get a break on a brand new experience outside of the parks? There’s actually a good reason to ask this question though…

The price for Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser is definitely on the high side, but it makes a little more sense when you consider everything included in the experience. Pretty much all of Disney’s deluxe resorts cost more than $749 a night during the busy season, with some special suites reaching the $1200 mark. This puts Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser on the upper end of the price range for Disney deluxe resorts. The number is off-set, however, by the fact that, like a cruise, the cost for Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser will include dining, a full itinerary of activities and personalized entertainment, and most importantly, one-day admission to Disney’s Hollywood Studios to visit Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.

That last bit is where Passholders have some questions…

Passholders already have access to Disney’s Hollywood Studios any time they can get a reservation—they’ve already paid for access to that park as part of the cost of an annual pass. While you could make the argument that part of the value of the Galactic Starcruiser visit to Galaxy’s Edge is guaranteed access to Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, you can’t get around the fact that some of the value included in the price is in covering the park admission.

While Disney may not need to reduce the full price of a one-day ticket from the cost of Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, it does seem reasonable for Passholders to get some sort of price break to cover this value difference. Will Disney do it? Considering the company’s penchant lately for cutting perks and introducing upcharges, we doubt it, but we still hope this will be factored in eventually.

3. Will there be any way for non-guests to peek inside?

The staggering price tag for Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser is going to place it out of range for many hopeful Walt Disney World guests, which raises an important question: will there be any way for outsiders to peek inside Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser?

Most Walt Disney World resorts have an open door policy—you don’t have to be staying at a resort to visit and explore the grounds. This level of freedom may not be possible with Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, considering both the resort’s insulated nature and carefully planned guest itineraries.

We suspect the answer to the question will be no, but there are a few scenarios where, if Disney is feeling generous, outsiders could gain access to peek in on the world of The Halcyon.

Considering the resort’s setting, it would be possible for Disney to include a sort of viewing lounge in Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser—a section of the resort where visitors can get a birds-eye view without directly entering the space or disrupting the immersion of those aboard. Think of the ways the Peoplemover is able to pass through Tomorrowland attractions without disrupting those—it wouldn’t be impossible, even if it is unlikely.

A restaurant is another possibility—something not directly integrated with the main resort, but a space with similar theming where visitors can get a taste of what Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser has to offer. A restaurant or dinner show experience could bridge the gap of utilizing the space for Galactic Starcruiser is a way that would provide access for guests who can’t afford the full experience but may be willing to pay for a single meal experience, similar to Oga’s Cantina. Once again, we suspect this one will be a hard, “No”, but we are still curious.

4. Will the price go down?

It’s the biggest question of all, one many Star Wars fans are eagerly hoping for…

Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser honestly sounds like one of Disney’s coolest ideas ever, but they are taking some significant risks going forward with the project. It’s an extremely expensive experience tailored for a very specific niche audience. Will demand be high enough to justify the price?

Disney already ran into issues with the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. While the land’s overall design and attention to detail was praised across the board, they faced their share of criticism both for the land’s setting in the Star Wars timeline, as well as mixed feelings from casual guests who found the immersion elements too overwhelming. Much of that has leveled out, particularly since the opening of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, but it’s a legitimate question to ask if enough people will be willing to pay Disney’s asking price to try out Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser.

If attendance ends up falling short of Disney’s plans, one of two things will likely happen—either the price will come down (possibly in the form of sales) or Disney will start gutting elements from the experience, watering it down to make it more palatable to a larger audience. Going with the latter would be a real shame, and we hope Disney will adjust course to make the price more accessible rather than the alternative.

What questions do you still have about Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser? Let us know in the comments or on Facebook!

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