For our 26th anniversary, this year, we decided to splurge and go on the Disney Starcruiser Experience. For those that don’t know, this is a 3 day, 2 night, live-action role play event set on a star cruiser called the Halcyon. For those three days passengers are invited to be involved in an intriguing story of subterfuge, rebellion, and resistance against the First Order in the Star Wars universe.
To be involved in the story, each passenger uses the the Play Disney Park app. In this app the passenger finds a Star Wars Datapad. Through this “Datapad”, passengers get messages, clues and instructions along with their itinerary, maps, and general voyage information.
From the moment you drive up to the entrance to the Star Cruiser to the moment you get into your car to leave, you are involved in a highly curated experience. Every Castmember you talk to, every meal you eat, everything in your room from the window that “looks out into space” to the monogramed towels is designed to immerse you in the Star Wars world. I have to admit, when the doors to the “transport” closed behind us, the music swelled and the windows showed us lifting away from the Disney Park and flying into space, I actually got a little teary. It was magic.
Your “datapad” involves you in the events from the moment your arrive. There is a communication for you from the Starcruiser line informing you that the cruise line is under investigation by the First Order. Of course, they reassure you, they do not anticipate this will affect your cruise in any fashion. Hah!
Once on board, you begin to think things aren’t what they seem and, through various communications and conversations with the crew you are soon deeply involved in the adventure!
In short, this is a Star Wars fan’s dream vacation!
While the lunch and breakfast meals weren’t particularly extraordinary, the dinners were, simply put, wonderful! They were delicious and just different enough to keep everything on target.
The rooms were not huge. There was a queen-sized bed, two bunks and a pull-down twin bed. It was perfectly fine for us, but I can imagine it might be a bit claustrophobic for a family of four or more.
For us, the fit and finish was more than enough to make up for the size. Everything is on point. Even the monogrammed towels were soft and plush. There was a control panel in the room through which you communicated with a Logistics Droid and even she has a mission for you!
The story lines were not so deep that you couldn’t get through them but not so simple as to be boring. The most interesting thing to me was the fact that there were at least three different story lines running and you could decide to be involved in one, two or all if you liked. When you add those missions to the ones you are assigned for Black Spire I can promise you that there is no way any one person could complete all the story lines in one visit!
We also added the photo package on to our experience. It was a 30 min event but they took us all around the ship to different places for our pictures. I’m very please with what we got!
Overall, it was an absolutely first rate experience. The story was fun. The actors were terrific. The food was delicious. As Tim says, “It was expensive but they put every single dollar on the stage for you.”
Now here are some spoiler free tips
- Do not go to this if you are not a Star Wars fan. By that I mean, you’re someone who has seen more than just the original trilogy. You have seen the last three movies and know who the main characters are. If you are not a Star Wars fan, then you will not understand what is going on most of the time.
- Do not go if you do not intend to be involved. This is performance art and improve combined. It is a LARP (live action role play) experience. They WANT you to talk to the characters. They WANT you to be involved in the puzzles and stories. If you go expecting a stage play, you will feel short changed.
- When you are following a story line on your datapad, be aware that if you choose a communication response that shuts off a story line (such as telling the First Order officer that you don’t support the First Order) that will end that story line permanently. There is no way to revisit your choices. So, choose wisely!
- On your half day in the park, you simply will not have time to see more than just Black Spire. You will have a list of tasks you need to perform for your contacts back on the ship and that will take up a lot of your time. But don’t worry, riding both “Rise of the Resistance” and “Smugglers Run” are woven into your stories and with your special Lightening Band, you will go straight to the front of the line!
- Oga’s Cantina and Savi’s Workshop (build your own lightsaber) are NOT included in your ticket price, and you will have to make separate reservations to see those. However, if you do, you may find that those experiences are woven into the plot as well!
- DO take the bridge training and engineering training. I know it seems like a silly thing and not something worth your time, but DO IT. Just trust me on this one.
- DO take a costume! You will feel much more involved if you do. I can tell you that when we boarded, less than 5% of the folks were in costume. By dinner that night probably 30% were in costume but by the end of the event at least 70% of the passengers were in costume with most having bought costuming from the gift shop on the star cruiser or in Black Spire.
- If you have a costume, have a backstory for you who are and why you are on the cruise BEFORE you get on. This will make blending your story into the onboard story much easier. As you first enter the star cruiser you will be greeted by one of the passenger services cast members. The first thing they ask is what planet you are from. Earth doesn’t exist in the Star Wars world, so you will want to have an answer ready!
- If you are 501st, be aware that the cast knows their Star Wars lore. They all recognized my uniform as “old” Imperial rather than new First Order. Make sure you have a backstory as to why you are there in an “old” uniform. In my case, I told them I was an officer with Imperial Security Services. They said they were glad that I had survived to which I replied, “Ah, but you are mistaken. We never left,” then gave a sly smile. This was VERY well received. Also, if you have a name you want to use with your character, use it! They will adapt to it quickly.
- Also, if you are 501st, let them know ahead of time. They really like knowing who is 501st and will go out of their way to involve you!
FINAL VERDICT
I don’t think I’ve ever had as much fun on a vacation. This was immersive, exciting, involving and 110% Star Wars. We had SO much fun that we decided we MUST go back, just to see the other story lines!