Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser Review Part 1: Arrival
My review of the Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser is going to be broken up into several posts as I break down the experience into different segments. There will be spoilers in these reviews, though I will try my best to keep them superficial. If you are especially sensitive to spoiling this experience, I’d recommend skipping this content!
The journey aboard the Halcyon begins with a drive to terminal building, located just behind the Galaxy’s Edge portion of Hollywood Studios. I took my rental car to valet (included in the price) but I saw many groups coming in with taxis to drop them off. Considering there is no need for a vehicle for a full two while on board the starcruiser, I can see the value of not renting a car if your trip only includes this event.
Engraving at the entrance to the Galactic Starcruiser
Of note is the seeming lack of care for the presentation of the drive up and arrival to the starcruiser. Coming in off the main drive you are going directly past the plain white, stark building that houses the hotel and show areas for the Halcyon and you even seen the behind-show views of Galaxy’s Edge as well. My daughter pointed out the “fake mountains” as we drove past. Why this area was built up more with landscaping to hide the back HS and the starcruiser building itself seems like a big miss.
Going through the security entrance, much like going to a resort, was mostly painless, but there was a good 20-30 minutes of waiting in line in our car. As you would expect everyone tends to show up at the same time for this, very excited to get the most of their time with the starcruiser experience. There were plenty of management on staff to keep things organized but there are only so many valets and bellmen to help at any one point.
Once your luggage is taken you are greeted by a crew member to check you in. They give you the exclusive white magic bands (M-Bands) used for your time on the Halcyon and provide any data pads (smart phones) for people that don’t want to use their own devices. This is where the first hiccup occurred for me and my daughter. Despite having been called by Disney the day before to manually setup a Play Disney account for Emmaline ahead of time, the login and account connection through starcruiser data pad app wasn’t working, and it took two individuals and another good 15 minutes of time to get it worked out before we could get in line to board the ship.
Even when that was addressed, and after waiting in the line to enter terminal and going through security, our bands blinked blue the first time (meaning there was an error) the cast member needed to go off with her tablets to get it resolved. Another 5+ minutes of delay and lack of technical coordination.
Once corrected, we proceeded through standard metal detectors (would have been a good place for some themed scan-based security used at the parks instead, we entered what essentially is a plan concrete hallway, to wait in line for a security brief and trip on the transport (elevator) to the Halcyon. It’s worth noting that my 6yo daughter had an adverse reaction to the security video where it shows you the difference between a ship-wide alert that is part of the show, vs a ship-wide alert that is a real emergency, with louder sirens, blinking lights, and a demonstration of how to use the in-room exits that take you to stairs and emergency exists. The demonstration scared her, and she repeatedly asked me for the next few hours if those sirens were going to go off in the middle of the night.
The safety video location
She recovered once the event proceeded, but something to consider for anyone with kids or travelers with sensitivities.
After the safety video the group was boarded into the transport that would take us up to the Halcyon. This is basically a large elevator with some handrails along the outside edges of it and two screens that are at angles above the heads of passengers. The simulation of going up to the Halcyon feels lacking, especially considering the drama and execution of the Space 220 restaurant experience. First, the screens on the transport are hard to see, placed where you need to stand in the middle to see them, or crouch at the edges, making it uncomfortable and unwieldy for a space crowded with people all eager to see the magic.
Inside the transport elevator
It’s also without any haptic sensations of merit. The floor vibrates when you “dock” but there is no sensation of movement like you get on the transport of Rise of the Resistance for example. I get that it can’t be made to be too raucous as some may have suitcases or bags with them, but to me it seemed like a pretty normal elevator taking you up two stories.
The atrium area that serves as the common gathering space
Once you arrived you enter into the atrium, the primary space where events of the story occur and the primary gathering space (outside the dining hall). A crew member greets each group independently to welcome you and walk you to your room, explaining briefly the layout of the Halycon, what floors you can access, etc. It happens pretty quickly as there are many families all coming aboard in a short period of time, so expect to still need time to familiarize yourself with the ship through day 1 to make any sense of it.
The crew member walks through the cabin with you (more on that in another post), teaches you how to use the operations droid interface, and reminds you that you have free time to explore before the 4pm welcome event back in the atrium.
I’d say the welcome experience for the Galactic Starcruiser is pretty solid. Once you are checked in the immersion starts quickly and you can quickly succumb to the make-believe of being in space, on a real ship. Getting to the terminal needs work: it shouldn’t be so apparent that you are driving to a plain white building with no windows for your multi-thousand dollar 2-night experience.
