I am going to attempt to do a spoiler-free trip report on our recent stay at the Galactic Starcruiser. Some background info:
DH and I, are both 50 and with varying degrees of interest in Star Wars. I am a casual fan, I’ve seen all of the movies but don’t necessarily know all of the intricate plots, what is canon and what isn’t…etc. DH is a HUGE star wars fan and ever since this was first announced, he wanted to go.
We are APs and used Touring Plan travel agency to book our trip and Gina was fabulous with booking our stay, booking the captain’s table for our first night, and our Oga’s reservation during our Battu excursion. It was wonderful to not have to worry about being on hold for hours 
We were on the 3/3 “voyage” and spent the night before at BLT and then ended our trip with a few nights at SS.
For transparency purposes, I was anxious about this experience. I am an introvert, I do not enjoy the concept of LARPing and am not outgoing enough to walk up to random people and start engaging in a story. So, to say I was apprehensive is an understatement! But, I knew this was DH’s dream and wanted to be a good sport about it. I did dress the part but nothing over the top, mainly regular clothes but with the look and style of something that would blend in with the theme.
I listened to Len’s podcast about his experience so I will try to share where our experience differed or was similar. But, we did not lean into a backstory as much as Len so it was interesting to compare experiences. We didn’t have an elaborate backstory (or any backstory, really) but we also did not say we were from Ohio, we did at least pick something star wars related.
We also went into this by watching some of the media reports and videos so I had a general idea of what to expect and the high-level plot that would unfold over the next 45 hours.
Warning: this will be a long, detailed trip report! In part so that I can memorialize and remember everything!
We were told that there would be regular luggage transfer from BLT to the Starcruiser, just like any split stay. We also have an owner’s locker and we brought a lot of luggage knowing we would be purchasing a lot of the specialty merch. Knowing the rooms were small, we didn’t want an owner’s locker, 2 big suitcases, and 2 carryons taking up that much space so when we checked into BLT, we asked to confirm the luggage transfer situation and they said they would transfer to the starcruiser but we could also send our other bags to SS. That was great news. We were also told that as Starcuiser guests, we would get a noon checkout. We received multiple messages confirming this on our check-in day.
Then we got a call from bell services explaining that guests of the Starcruiser have to go through security and be with their bags. So, if we did the transfer, we would have to exit the hotel, claim/identify our bags then go back through security into the hotel. I knew that some of the missions begin right away and didn’t want to stop and worry about going to get our luggage. Luckily, there is another solution - the hotel called a Mears shuttle to take us and our luggage to the Starcruiser and they paid for the trip. We opted to take two small suitcases and sent the rest to SS for the last part of our trip.
Arrival Day
We headed to the lobby around noon and met another family who was also going to the Starcruiser - we were all dressed in Star Wars outfits so pretty easy to find “our people”. We all went in the same shuttle and it was nice to meet some other people and have the excitement build.
We pulled up to the StarCruiser at about 12:40.
There was security who verified our names and confirmed that we had a reservation. We were then taken to the main entrance of the “terminal”. There were probably 50 people already in line to get in and it was a little chaotic but the cast members were great.
We were met right away by someone who took our luggage and then another CM who checked us in, gave us a bag with a commemorative coin, magic bands, and our datapads, along with charging cables and information on how to get everything set up. I was so disappointed to get a regular magic band, I was really hoping for the new one.
I asked if we had to close out of the Play Disney app on our personal phones and they said no, we just needed to log into the one on the phone they gave us. All of that worked with no issues. It was a little bit of a struggle to get used to juggling two phones - I hope that is temporary. I know some have said it was nice because it saved the battery of your personal phone and you could use that for photos and videos while using the loaner phone for the missions but I found it cumbersome.
We went through Security at 1:10 - it is the old-fashioned security screening so we had to have our bags hand searched. Be aware that if you have lightsabers or any other parts of a costume, you will have to remove it and send them through security. Once we got through security, we were held in a long hallway, waiting to board the transport to the Halcyon.
We already started to get messages on the comms channel on the datapad - a welcome message from Lenka Mok, the cruise director.
At 1:30, we were next in line to board the transport so we could get some great pictures without a lot of people in them!
Before you board the transport shuttle, you get a little safety briefing explaining that there will be shipwide alerts with dimmed lights and red flashing lights - these indicate you have to go to your muster station but that if there is a true emergency, all of the lights will come on with instructions of what to do. They also went over the “escape” door in the cabin and how to work it in the event of an emergency. And then, it was time to board the shuttle
1:45 we boarded the shuttle. It was pretty cool with windows to look out as we departed from the terminal and made our way to the Halcyon
About a minute later the doors opened and we were in the atrium of the ship, being greeted by the “crew”. We were then escorted to our cabin where our luggage was already there.
I will say, the room was not as small as what I was expecting based on some of the things I had read - at least it didn’t feel small. We had a standard cabin, we are only 2 people and it was fine but I couldn’t imagine having 5 people in that room!
Even the bunk beds were roomier than I imagined (although I am only 5’1). There is a small desk and stools that pull out from the wall, this is nice because it does save space if you keep them pushed in. The stools have lids that come off so you could use those for storage too.
And of course, there is the space window! This was actually pretty cool because it would show things outside that match the storyline. So, if there was bridge training going on and they make the jump to hyperspace, you see that outside of the window. When we arrived at Battu, the scenery changed to match that. The lights that outline the window are really bright and there is a shade to shut the window and the lights go out. I wish there was a way to keep the shade open but turn the lights off.
The bathroom had wall-mounted hand soap and lotion but the sink, the shower had a rain-head as well as a removable hand shower and there were the traditional body wash, shampoo, and conditioner dispensers mounted in the shower.
There was also a tin with a bubbling face mask and makeup remover clothes (they also sell these in the gift shop).
There was a pocket door from the hallway into the bathroom and then another pocket door from the bathroom to the toilet.
Well-appointed towels with the CSL insignia embroidered on them.
There was quite a bit of storage space including a closet with space for hanging things, bathrobes and the sleeping bags for the bunk beds.
Another closet had multiple shelves and the ‘cooling supply unit’ aka minifridge. It was tiny, you could really only fit a couple of bottles of water in there.
There is a small vanity in the hallway that has outlets, a carafe of water, and two glasses. There is a water filling station in the atrium that has sparkling water, chilled water and room temperature water.
We were also introduced to D3-09, our in-room droid. I was glad this was working as I had read that it was still being tested and may not be available on all voyages. It was a fun way to keep you in the story and interact in a relatively passive way. Be sure to ask it to sing you a lullaby or read you a bedtime story, super cute.
It was around 2:00 so we decided to head to the dining room for lunch.
We got slightly distracted on our way and checked out the gift shop. All of the offerings here are CSL branded - there is no reference to Star Wars, that mech is outside once you get off the voyage. For high demand items like the Starcruiser lightsaber, there is a limit of 2 per cabin. That would be problematic if you have more than 2 people who want the lightsaber. I think they have further reduced it to 1 per cabin now. All of the other items is a limit of 1 per person.
Another view of the lobby atrium
I knew from watching some of the vlogs that there were stations throughout the lobby where you could scan your magic band and start to get missions so we headed for one to start our story. I had decided I wanted to try to play both sides and DH was resistence all the way. It was fun to see how we got different missions.
Once we scanned our magic bands, we got a message from Raithe Kole, Gaya’s manager. We each got different messages but ultimately had to go to the same place, we just had to perform different tasks.
We finally made it to the dining room! But this was a sign of what was to come - so many missions and side tasks!
Lunch was buffet style and they actually had some really good tasting items - the grilled cheese and tomato soup was my favorite.
Blue and Green milk on tap - DH loves blue milk so he was in heaven!
DH is a really picky eater but he found plenty to eat at lunch. While the names sound weird, most of the items were very familiar tasting - mac and cheese, chicken nuggets…just looking different.
They do have beer, wine and other concoctions available at lunch. All alcoholic drinks are extra and not included in the price of the voyage.
After lunch we still had about 1 1/2 hours until the ship’s 4:00 muster. So we went to the gift shop to make some purchases and explored the ship a little more.
Side Note: There is the option to have all of the items you purchase on the ship and in Battu shipped home. They provide a huge plastic bag, zip tie, and QR code. You scan the QR code and fill out the paperwork with the third-party shipper. We opted to do this to save space in our suitcase. You simply leave the bag in your cabin and on check-out day, they will retrieve it and then call you with the cost of shipping. We sent a lightsaber, lightsaber shield, and some other pretty heavy items and the shipping was around $60.00
We also had missions to complete for Raithe in the engineering room. Cool room, lots of stations with buttons, levers and lights.
Good directional signs in both English and Aurebesh. You can use the Translate function on the data pad to translate any of the signs (some are only in Aurebesh)
Next, we checked out the climate simulator - this is a great place if you need to see the outside sky!
Next, we checked out the bridge
Next up, checking out the Sublight Lounge
I tried the fiery mustafarian - it was really good and you get to keep the glass!
Holo table Sabbac - this was neat but it was always full whenever we went into the sublight lounge. There is only one table like this although you can play Sabbac anywhere. It would be nice if they had one or 2 more of these tables though.
It was now getting close to 4 so we made our way into the atrium and spotted a few of the ship’s characters: Captain Keevan, Ouannii (Rodian Musician)
Side Note: As you can see from some of the pictures when the cast comes out, people flock to them. I would say maybe 5% of people were wearing masks. It appears everyone has moved on from the pandemic and this was pretty jarring for me. Unlike a regular cruise that requires proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test, this experience does not have any such requirements. It is a free-for-all so be aware, especially if you are high risk or have unvaccinated children. There is simply no way to keep any amount of distance unless you are on the sidelines but even then when the whole ship assembled, it was impossible.
And now, the real story begins with the Ship Muster. More to come!