Space tourism is all the rage right now, at least among the world’s billionaires. Regular people still have to wait several years until commercial flights to space become available to them and, more importantly, until they’re affordable.
Disney is filling the gap in the meantime, and it’s doing it in the most Disney way. If you’ve been dreaming about flying to space and experiencing life on a spaceship, albeit only briefly, and if you’re a fan of the Star Wars franchise, you’d better start saving up. Disney has confirmed that the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser experience is coming in 2022.
August is Travel Month here on autoevolution and, while this experience isn’t yet available for you to enjoy it this summer, it’s probably for the best if you start planning for it. Because it’s not cheap. At all. Described as an immersive, two-day hotel experience that “will invite guests abroad the Halcyon, a starcruiser known throughout the galaxy for its impeccable service and exotic destinations,” the Galactic Starcruiser is a family-oriented offering.
It is also designed for the true Star Wars fan: based on the reactions to this week’s announcement, only one such fan, or a pair of them, would pay this much money to sleep and eat inside a Disney building at Hollywood Studios, while pretending to be flying through space “to a galaxy far, far away.” But more on that later on.
Photo: Disney
The Galactic Starcruiser is a fully-immersive and highly curated experience that places you as the “hero,” Disney promises. You will get to mingle with like-minded space tourists, interact with characters you must be familiar with from the Star Wars universe (or else you wouldn’t call yourself a fan), drink Star Wars-themed cocktails and indulge in culinary treats from other planets, but also your own. Sleeping accommodations would be just like those on a Star Wars spaceship, and you will also have the chance to fight enemies, wield lightsabers, and travel to Batuu.
The idea is, clearly, to offer an experience comparable to being a part of the movie universe. For two full days, all connections to real life will be severed: Disney even invites guests to “dress the part,” so as to allow the illusion full force. Even the windows inside the hotel room look out into space, offering views of distant planets and other spaceships passing by.
Described as “the most immersive Star Wars story ever created,” as well as the most technologically advanced Disney experience offered, Galactic Starcruiser starts with your arrival at the launch pods. These will take you jumping through hyperspace, to rendezvous with the Halcyon starcruiser. Once the pod docks, you’re welcome on board, where you will have free access to the Atrium, the Bridge, the Crown of Corellia Dining Room, and the bar. Food and (non-alcoholic) drinks are included in the admission price, as is the chance to operate the Halcyon under guidance from the crew, and to “experience the traditional art of wielding a lightsaber and put your skills to the test.”
The latter can also serve as practice if you opt for one of the three missions Disney offers: an excursion to Black Spire Outpost on planet Batuu (at Galaxy’s Edge, Disney’s themed land at Hollywood Studios), the Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run mission (also at Galaxy’s Edge), or a battle against the First Order.
Photo: Disney
The Starcruiser hotel has 100 cabins of varied sizes, sleeping four to eight guests. And now for pricing, the only part that has struck a nerve even with Star Wars fans: a standard cabin with a queen bed and two bunk beds is $4,809 for two adults. Add a kid, and the price goes up to $5,299; at maximum occupancy, meaning two kids and three adults, the cabin costs $5,999 for two days.
Disney is also offering a Galaxy Class Suite (for four passengers but it’s more spacious and includes “a few extra surprises”) and a Grand Captain Suite (sleeps eight and feels more like a regular luxury hotel apartment), but no pricing is available for those. But you can use your imagination.
So, if you happen to be a Star Wars or Disney experiences fan, the Galactic Starcruiser could be an idea for a future family vacation. Or, for this kind of money, you could go on a real holiday out in the real world. Whether you can – or should – put such a high price on the ultimate Star Wars experience is, at the end of the day, a matter of how big a fan you are.
Elena has been writing for a living since 2006 and, as a journalist, she has put her double major in English and Spanish to good use. She covers automotive and mobility topics like cars and bicycles, and she always knows the shows worth watching on Netflix and friends. Full profile
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