Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser was supposed to be unlike anything Disney Imagineers had ever designed before. Not a hotel, but a totally immersive, two night Star Wars adventure. It was a bold, ambitious plan that most Disney fans seemed to think was at least a clever experiment… until they discovered the price. Just before the Starcruiser opened, we asked you to “place your bets” on whether Disney’s high cost galactic getaway would work. Suffice it to say, we didn’t have to wait long for the answer.
In May 2023, Disney announced that the Starcruiser would end alongside Disney’s fiscal year that September, giving the 100-room landlocked cruise a lifetime of just 18 months (and allegedly, earning Disney a hefty tax write-off). But as rumors swirl about what could happen to the Galactic Starcruiser, have you ever wondered what’s really inside? How it all connects?
Boy have we got a behind-the-scenes look for you… Our friends at Park Lore at already renowned for their collection of over 100 hand-drawn ride layouts – showing the “Then & Now“ layouts of how rides have been replaced, the “Here & There“ of how the same ride can have vastly different layouts between parks, and the “One & Only“ layouts of headlining masterpiece attractions we love. But Park Lore’s inside look at the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser gives a whole new perspective of this divisive experience…
1. The Entry
Image: Disney / Lucasfilm
Let’s start at the beginning. As we know, the premise of the Galactic Starcruiser was that guests spent two nights aboard a luxury space liner called the Halcyon. The jewel of the “Chandrila Star Line,” the Halcyon was meant to be imbued with tremendous history and backstory in the Star Wars universe. (Yes, cringily, we’re supposed to imagine that Han Solo and Princess Leia honeymooned aboard it.) But of course, a massive space cruise ship couldn’t land in Florida.
Thus, our entry experience was fairly simple: a concrete portico of slanted walls and a narrowing, covered entry. That lead to a narrow queue hallway, then a sort of land-bound equivalent to the mandatory “muster” safety briefings all cruise passengers undergo. Of course, instead of lifeboats, this last remnant of the “real world” instructed visitors on how a real emergency signal would differ from the countless story-instigated sirens, alarms, and attacks we’d experience onboard.
Image: Park Lore
From there, guests loaded into “Launch Pods” – ostensibly, the small-ish connector vehicles that would shuttle us off of Earth and to the awaiting Halcyon above. It won’t surprise you to learn that the Launch Pod was, of course, an elevator carrying guests upwards with projected videos showing the approach of and the attachment to the Halcyon itself…
Deck 6 & 5
Image: Park Lore
When doors opened, guests would find themselves on Deck 6 of the imposing starcruiser. Spoiler alert, but the Galactic Starcruiser was only about three (and a half) floors to begin with. But “in-universe” prompting signaled that guests were exploring just a small part of a much larger ship, containing our adventures to “Deck 4,” “Deck 5,” “Deck 6,” and “Deck 7.” Even though guests emerged on “Deck 6,” they were theoretically on the second story of the building.
Image: IGN
The forward of Deck 6 – where guests emerge from the Lift – was of course, the starcruiser’s fabled Atrium – a central gathering space where many whole-group story moments (and the occasional mercilessly-mocked dance class) occurred. Behind glass windows was the Bridge, where “Bridge Training” allowed visitors to play mini games, engage in real defensive combat during key story moments, or jump the ship to lightspeed – the results of which would famously reflect on the “portholes” into space across public areas and guest rooms in real time.
Image: Disney
Deck 6 also included the Sublight Lounge – the ship’s bar – which offered in-universe snacks and drinks, including an infamous $5,000 cocktail. And yes, that’s in American Earth money, not in a devalued Star Wars universe “credit” system or something. Likewise, the Chandrila Collection was a retail space selling in-universe costumes, exclusive Droids and Lightsabers, and other souvenirs (that cynically, you could try to resell on Ebay to offset the cost of your cruise).
Otherwise, a set of stairs down from the Atrium would lead to Deck 5’s staterooms – including 26 standard rooms and 2 “Galaxy Class Suites.” From there, another staircase downward would carry us into the bowels of the ship… Read on…
