The $5,000+ Question: Is Disney World’s Star Wars Hotel Worth It?

There’s a brand new hotel in Disney World and it’s unlike anything we’ve seen before!

Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser is officially welcoming passengers onboard the Halcyon for a 2-night stay where they are treated to space views, food, and one-of-a-kind experiences that is more closely compared to a Disney cruise as opposed to a Disney hotel. But, is the experience really worth the $5,000 price tag for a party of two (and up to $6,000 for a party of four)? We’re covering the pros and cons to help you decide whether it’s right for you and your family!

What is the Star Wars hotel?

Before we break down our pros and cons, let’s first cover what exactly the Star Wars hotel has to offer that’s different from your traditional Disney World Resort stay.

The Galactic Starcruiser is a completely new concept where guests are immersed in their very own Star Wars adventure. So, instead of simply using the hotel as a place to rest your head between park visits or picking and choosing what you want to do based on an overall itinerary, what you do onboard the Starcruiser depends entirely on the characters that you interact with and the missions that you complete.

Guests remain onboard the Starcruiser for the entirety of their 2-night stay with only one excursion outside to the planet of Batuu (aka Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in Disney’s Hollywood Studios). They can learn to play Sabacc, enjoy space snacks, train with a lightsaber, uncover hidden areas of the ship, and more — no stay will be the same for any two guests!

So, should YOU shell out the cash to get this unique experience?

The Pros

You’re Fully Immersed in a Story That YOU Create

Unlike watching a live stage show at Disney World, you are actually part of the show on the Galactic Starcruiser! The ship is full of new and old Star Wars characters and they’re not just hosting your traditional Disney meet and greets — they’re wandering around the ship, pulling you out of the lounge to send you on secret missions for them, giving you pointers on Sabaac, and more.

The immersion into the overarching storyline and how YOU fit into that not only makes the experience on the Galactic Starcruiser one-of-a-kind, it also makes it VERY fun!

Depending on how into the story you get, you could be busy the entire day doing various missions through the Star Wars: Datapad (which is available in the Play Disney Parks app), helping characters, and more.

One way to think of the experience is to compare it to an escape room or murder mystery-style game but even better — you’re actually LIVING a giant game and exploring the ship.

Of course, you need to be willing to jump into the story and engage with the characters to get the full experience though.

The Food

Aside from Ronto Wraps and Kat Saka’s popcorn, we’ve never found ourselves blown away by the food in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, but the food onboard the Starcruiser is a BIG step up.

Unlike Oga’s Cantina in Hollywood Studios which mostly features sweet and fruity drinks, you can find a full spectrum of cocktails (including non-alcoholic ones) onboard.

And, while many of the foods look “space-y,” they’re actually very familiar flavors done REALLY well.

Now, there are some foods that require more of an adventurous spirit so kids and picky eaters may find the eats less appealing. But, compared to Disney World’s usual Quick Service and Table Service restaurants, the food and drinks are overall pretty tasty!

The Characters

While you will stumble upon Rey and Chewbacca while you’re staying on the Starcruiser, there are even more Star Wars characters that you’ve never met before onboard because they were created specifically for this experience!

Of course, it’s exciting to meet the headlining characters, we actually found that the unknown characters were what really made the story better. We spoke with a representative from Lucasfilm during our stay who pointed out that if the main characters were Rey and Chewie, we would already know what happens to them because we’ve seen it in Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker. But, we don’t know what happens to say Sammie, the onboard mechanic.

This allows all of the passengers to be on even ground with the story (meaning you DON’T need to know Star Wars to enjoy your stay) and build their own adventure.

Top-Notch Customer Service

Disney World is known for its stellar service and the Galactic Starcruiser is no different! The level of service from the Crew Members is top-notch and can be closely compared to the service you might experience on a Disney cruise.

The crew (including the characters) will go above and beyond to learn your name, get you any amenities that you might need, and more to ensure that you’re enjoying your stay. And, with only 100 cabins total onboard the Halcyon, you’ll find that the experience is very personalized.

You Don’t Have to Plan Anything

When you’re planning a Disney World vacation, you need to select a hotel, purchase park tickets and make park pass reservations, book dining reservations, and more. But, all those details are covered for you when you stay at the Galactic Starcruiser making planning your trip a breeze.

Beyond booking your stay, you don’t really need to plan anything — even when you’re onboard! The story comes to life around you and your Datapad in the Play Disney Parks app does the planning for you, loading various activities throughout your stay based on what storyline you’re following.

Technology You Can ONLY Experience Onboard

In the same way that the experience at the hotel is pushing the boundaries of what Disney has done before, the technology is also above and beyond what you can see in the parks.

For example, for the first time ever you can actually use a lightsaber in Disney World during Lightsaber Training…

…and depending on what missions you accept you might get a hologram message from Star Wars characters. Oh, and we HAVE to mention the REAL lightsaber that was made exclusively for the hotel.

All of these elements make you feel as if you’ve truly stepped into your very own Star Wars episode and you can’t get the experience anywhere else in Disney World.

It’s a FULL Star Wars Experience

When you stay at the Star Wars hotel, you certainly don’t have to be a “Star Wars person.” But, if you are, then you’re in for a treat!

Fans who have watched all of the movies and series, read the books, and more will likely get even more out of the experience because there are tons of subtle easter eggs to discover. Plus, how many times do you actually get to feel like you’re in a galaxy far, far away in the real world?

The Cons

The Cost

For a family of four, visiting Disney World can cost around $7,500 on average, but that includes everything from a hotel, to park tickets, to airfare, to transportation from the airport, to souvenirs, and more. So, when you take into account that the same family of four would pay at minimum $6,000 just to stay at the Galactic Starcruiser it becomes a bit more of a reach.

The cost includes a 2-night stay in your cabin or suite, food and beverages onboard, a quick service meal at Docking Bay 7 in Galaxy’s Edge, valet parking, a unique MagicBand, and “ongoing, immersive and interactive entertainment,” but, some of the aspects of the ship may not live up to the price tag.

For example, we found that the rooms were fairly small and were missing some of the more luxurious amenities like extra outlets. That being said, we didn’t end up spending much time inside our cabin because there’s so much more to do on the Starcruiser. But, it’s something to keep in mind when considering whether you’ll be getting the best bang for your buck.

There’s Not Much to Do if You Don’t Get Involved in the Story

Your itinerary during your stay largely depends on fully immersing yourself in the Star Wars story happening onboard. But, if you’re not someone who is willing to buy into the story or if you tend to be more introverted and uncomfortable around strangers, you might find that you’re bored on the Starcruiser.

Getting involved certainly isn’t necessary when you visit, but skipping the story elements isn’t like skipping the parks to have an afternoon at the pool. Yes, you can skip the game (or play more at a distance), but there won’t be much for you to do beyond exploring the ship, playing sabaac, and eating.

You Can’t Do it All

Because the storyline onboard the Starcruiser is so complex, it’s simply impossible to do it all during your 2-night stay. After all, you can’t work for both the First Order and the Resistance (for the most part)!

Depending on what missions you accept, who you talk to, and what story you create for yourself onboard, your experience will be entirely different than, say, your neighbor. However, we felt that this made the experience feel more realistic.

Of course, guest services may be able to help if there’s a particular thing that you want to do, but there are just too many ways the story could go.

The Experience Isn’t Geared Towards Kids

Thinking about bringing kiddos with you when you visit the Starcruiser? Well, a traditional Disney World vacation may be a better choice.

There’s almost always something going on onboard the Halcyon during your stay, but a majority of the big story moments happen late at night (think 9:30PM to 10PM). If you’ve got kids who need to go to sleep before that, you’re going to miss out on a lot.

Plus, the food may not be best suited for picky eaters, including young kids.

So…is the Cost Worth It?

Should you dig deep into the depths of your wallet to stay at Disney World’s new Star Wars hotel? The short answer is that it really depends on what you’re looking for.

If what you want is a relaxing vacation, or your typical Disney World trip, then a stay at the Galactic Starcruiser is not that. A lot has been said about how you can stay at Disney World for longer for cheaper, and that can certainly be true. However, when examining the question of whether the Starcruiser is worth it, it’s important to not frame your trip as your typical “vacation”, but instead a short-term immersive experience that’s more like an interactive live game such an escape room.

There is no denying that the experience costs a lot, and the question of whether or not it’s worth it depends on what you do while you’re there. During our stay, we found that you needed to really let yourself get immersed in the story, and take every available opportunity to interact with characters to get the best value out of the experience.

If you are someone who is more introverted, and not willing to fully immerse yourself into the world of Star Wars onboard the ship, you will also likely find that the cost could be better spent elsewhere because you won’t get nearly as much bang for your buck.

Without a doubt, Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser is unlike anything else you’ll experience in Disney World. We had a mixture in our group onboard of Star Wars fans and casual viewers alike, and all of them ended up enjoying their stay for one big reason — because they were able to get involved with the story.

While there’s no getting around the fact that the price tag is steep for a very short amount of time, if you are someone who would enjoy a Westworld-type environment where you can immerse yourself in a Star Wars story, then the unique experience may be just what you’re looking for. Ultimately, you’ll want to consider what you’re looking for from your trip, and whether other members of your party would feel the same when deciding.

And, while early reviews of the Halcyon have been mixed, don’t rule out a trip for your family! You’ll want to consider things like what kind of experience you’re hoping to have and whether any family members are huge fans of the franchise when deciding. But, if that type of experience sounds up your alley, and can fit within your budget, then we do think this is a one-of-a-kind trip you won’t find anywhere else.

Of course, we’ll continue to bring you a look at everything you need to know about Disney World’s new Star Wars hotel, so be sure to stay tuned to AllEars for more!

Learn more about the Star Wars hotel experience here!

Disclosure: We were invited by Disney to attend a media event for Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, and later attended on opening day where we paid full price for travel, stay, and expenses. This did not affect our reporting of the event — our opinions are our own.

Do you think that staying at Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser will be worth it for your family? Let us know in the comments!

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