Ready to live out all of your Star Wars dreams? It sounds like Disney World’s Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser (a.k.a. the Star Wars hotel) will be just the place to do that!
So far, we’ve heard a few things about Galactic Starcruiser. We know about some of the cool activities you’ll get to do on board, some impressive lightsabers you’ll get to see, and some of the spots where you’ll be able to eat or grab a drink. This week Disney released a video including even more details about the experience! But, there’s still a LOT we don’t know! Like, how much will this whole thing cost? Is there a space pool? And so much more. So today we’re sharing a list of 50 BURNING questions we have about the Star Wars hotel!
What We Do Know
Before we get into our questions, let’s briefly recap some of the things we do know. While we call this the “Star Wars Hotel” it’s not really a traditional hotel. Instead, you’ll want to think of Galactic Starcruiser more as like a cruise-type experience. During your 2-night stay in space, you’ll be transported to a galaxy far, far away where you’ll get to live out your own Star Wars story.
You’ll get to say hello to all kinds of unique characters including Kylo Ren, Rey, and Chewbacca; learn how to wield a lightsaber; visit the bridge of the ship and operate its defense system; and even hold secret meetings!
There will also be spots for you to enjoy tasty treats, the opportunity to go on a trip to Batuu, and more. We’ve seen hiring posts for some of the people that are set to appear on the ship, a permit filed that could signal a big step forward for the project, information about signage coming to the hotel, and photos of what the hotel looks like now and what its guest rooms will look like. We’ve even seen a sneak peek at some of the food that will be on board!
We also recently learned that the hotel is set to open in the Spring of 2022.
Click here to see more concept art, photos, and details about the Star Wars hotel!
Our Questions
Alright, so that’s a peek at what we know. But what about ALL of the things we don’t know. There’s a LOT. Here are just 50 of our burning questions!
1 — What happens when the fire alarm goes off?
You are supposed to be fully immersed in the world of Star Wars while onboard, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be real-world protections for earthly problems, like fires. How will you be able to tell if there’s a true fire emergency versus some kind of imaginary, in-world emergency that might happen as part of the story?
If the fire alarm goes off do you suddenly walk from your ship in space to…Central Florida? Is Disney doing anything to attempt to preserve the illusion of space while (of course) making guest safety the top priority?
2 — How will they handle people who may get sick?
It’s never ideal to get sick during a Disney trip, but it can happen. At a normal Disney World hotel, a parent or other member of your party could leave to a local store to get medication, or even order medications to be delivered to the hotel. How will that work on the Halcyon (the name of the ship you’re on during this intergalactic adventure). Can you order medication to be delivered? Will you need to request special permission before heading to urgent care? Of course, we expect Disney will make guest safety a top priority, but we wonder how the technicalities of this will work.
We’re also curious if there will be a nurse or other health care professional “onboard” to help with anything that might arise during the trip.
3 — Can You Buy a Toothbrush in Space?
Traditional Disney hotels have a small section of (often very pricey) essentials in case you forget anything — i.e. toothbrushes, toothpaste, diapers, etc. Will we have that in space? We expect the answer is yes, but we’re curious to know all the details.
4 — Can You Get Things Delivered?
This is another big one. Oftentimes, guests will get groceries, diapers, essentials, food, and more delivered directly to their Disney World hotel rooms (rather than go to a local store and get it in person). Will you be able to do that with the Star Wars hotel?
5 — Is there a pool?
Disney really hasn’t mentioned anything about there being a pool in space. But, for many people, a hotel stay isn’t complete without a dip in the pool.
So, will there be a pool in space? Perhaps (to keep the illusion) an indoor pool surrounded by stars?!
6 — Is there a smoking area?
Smoking is not allowed indoors in Disney World and is not allowed inside the theme parks. There are now designated smoking areas outside the main entrances of the parks and in certain outdoor areas at the hotels. So, how will it work for Galactic Starcruiser? Will there be an outdoor smoking area, and if so, how will that be handled? Will those who wish to smoke just have to step outside the hotel and break the illusion of being in space?
7 — What’s the refund/cancellation policy?
We are familiar with Disney World’s traditional hotel cancellation policy and its cruise cancellation policies, but what will the cancellation policies be for this, since it is a sort-of hybrid, unique experience?
We also wonder what happens if a kid gets scared while onboard. It can happen. You might plan this trip, get your whole family excited, and then 5 minutes in your kid is absolutely TERRIFIED and wants out. Will you have to just eat the entire cost of the experience?
What happens if a guest becomes claustrophobic if to “keep the illusion” guests are encouraged/essentially required to stay in the Halcyon for the entirety of their trip? Will they be able to get any kind of refund if they decide it’s not right for them?
8 — Can you leave to go to the parks or do other things?
Again, this is not a traditional hotel. With this being a FULL 2-day experience “in space” our understanding is that the Halcyon is not a hotel that you can leave in the morning to hop on a bus and head to Magic Kingdom. In a sense, you’re “trapped” during your two-night stay.
What happens if a guest doesn’t want to play along and wants to leave and go to the parks? Or maybe 3 out of the 4 guests in the party are excited to do all the Star Wars things but 1 member of their group really just wants to use the hotel as a traditional hotel. What happens then?
Do guests have to agree to stay on the Halcyon throughout their entire trip? Will guests have to get special permission to leave? How will Disney handle all of this?
We know that guests will be transported to Galaxy’s Edge in Disney’s Hollywood Studios as part of the experience, but are they supposed to stay in Galaxy’s Edge, or can they explore more of the park?
And, relatedly, will there be transportation to and from the hotel and other parks or Disney Springs? We have MANY questions.
9 — How much will it cost?
This is sort-of the $1,000,000 question. Since it is a cruise-type experience, it would make sense for it to have cruise-type pricing, but Disney hasn’t released any exact details yet. Some of our readers think it will cost $10k and their first born child though, so we’ve got a solid range of potential prices there. 😂 We also recently learned that food WILL be included in the overall cost.
10 — How will it work for those special experiences?
We’ve heard about some of the amazing experiences you’ll be able to have onboard like lightsaber training and operating the defense systems in the bridge. So, that makes us wonder — how will those experiences be handled in terms of crowds?
Presumably, the entire ship can’t all do lightsaber training at the same time. So, will there be a virtual queue? A physical queue? A sort-of FastPass system? Or maybe a set itinerary for each guest with a scheduled time to attend the activity? It’s unclear.
11 — What other food and restaurants will be available?
So far, we’ve really only heard about the Crown of Corellia Dining Room and the lounge that guests will be able to experience onboard.
We’ve also seen a sneak peek at the food onboard and heard that it’s inspired by Star Wars locations and will be part of the story itself.
But what about other dining spaces? Will there be a variety of quick service spots available? What about a snack stand or two (or three or four)? Will there be a spot to grab coffee whenever you need some?
12 — What will the costume rules be?
We know that guests will be allowed to dress up in character aboard the Halcyon, but we’re curious to know just how much people can dress up. What will the costume rules be? Will they be more similar to Disney’s policies during their Halloween party events? What will the limitations be on things like masks? Guests can get really into cosplay and paint their faces as part of the costume, so will there be face painting available to really get you fully in the Star Wars mood?
Will there be certain dress code guidelines or requirements for things like the dining room or lounges — like how there is a formal night on some Disney cruises or rules regarding what you can wear to spaces like Palo? Imagineers have said that guests are free to get into costume or just wear whatever they’d like, so will the experience feel less real when some guests don’t dress up? And what happens if 50 people show up all dressed as Luke Skywalker?
13 — What’s the deal with parking?
Where will guests park their cars exactly? Will valet service be available so that maybe you can really stick to the Star Wars experience?
Will there be both self-parking and valet services available, or perhaps just one?
14 — What other characters will we see?
So far, based on some of the posters and concept art, as well as hiring posts, we’ve seen it looks like there will be droids, Chewbacca, Kylo Ren, Rey, and some new Star Wars characters on the ship.
But, who else will be there? Will we see characters from different times in the Star Wars universe? Will we get to see Padme Amidala in one corner, but Poe Dameron in the next? Or will they stick to a singular timeline that links up with Galaxy’s Edge? Imagineers have said that it’s an experience for people who love the classic Star Wars films along with those who love the newer ones, so how will that work in terms of the timeline?
WHAT ABOUT BABY YODA?! Will we see more than just the PhotoPass experience that was available on Galaxy’s Edge?!
14 — What will the guest cabins look like and how many different types will there be?
So far, we’ve gotten a look at some concept art for the guest cabins…
…and even an image of a mock room, and later a cabin that was in progress.
But, we’ve also seen some concept art in the past of what appear to be larger-sized guest rooms.
So, how many different types, sizes, or configurations will be available? And what will they look like? Also, how many guests will each room hold? We’ve mainly seen what appear to be rooms that will hold about 4 guests. Will there be rooms for guests who have larger families or will connecting rooms be available? Or will guests have to split up their parties into smaller groups to go on this adventure?
15 — Other than those like 4-5 activities we’ve heard about, what else will there be to do?
So far, we’ve heard that guests will be able to: dine in the Crown of Corellia Dining Room, check out the space lounge, visit the bridge and operate the defense systems, learn how to wield a lightsaber, have secret meetings or explore areas like the engine room, see Star Wars characters, and take a trip to Batuu. But, exactly what else will there be to do onboard?
16 — Will any Disney characters appear?
We’ve heard about some of the Star Wars characters that will appear, but what about Disney characters?
As in, will we see Mickey dressed as a Jedi or Minnie dressed as Princess/General Leia Organa?
19 — Are meal times scheduled like on a cruise or do you just eat whenever?
This goes hand-in-hand with our question above about what restaurants will be available. But, we’re curious — will there be scheduled eating times (at least for dinner) like a cruise? Will guests make reservations for select dining experiences if they want to go? Or are guests free to just eat whenever they want? Or will there be a mixture of all of the above?
20 — How will daily activities be scheduled?
This is also a question that is related to one above where we asked about potential virtual queues or other scheduling things related to the big activities — lightsaber training, etc. But, this is more about ALL of the activities on the ship (not just the bigger ones).
How much flexibility will guests have in terms of the activities they want to participate in and when they want to participate in them? How strict will schedules be? Will there be any mandatory events?
Will you be able to spend as much time as you want doing a specific activity, or will there be time limits? Without time limits, we have a feeling some folks might spend the entire day lightsaber training, so we’re curious to see how Disney will handle it.
21 — How will meet-and-greets be handled?
In the photos we’ve seen it looks like Star Wars characters are just everywhere, walking around, and fully immersed in the story. This would provide for a very immersive/organic meet-and-greet type of situation. But, will it actually be like that?
Or will the meet-and-greets ultimately end up being more structured?
22 — Is there going to be a stunt show?
In the Disney casting call for actors to play Kylo Ren and Rey, they noted that actors with experience or knowledge in stage combat, martial arts, and more were encouraged to attend. So, will there be a stunt show similar to some of the things we’ve seen in Avengers Campus?
23 — What exactly will the price include?
We don’t know what the pricing for the Star Wars hotel will be yet, nor do we know what the pricing will ultimately include. Will it only include eats and drinks from certain locations (or only certain eats/drinks)? Will there be up-charges for specific places or items?
24 — Will you be able to get Mickey waffles? Or maybe Star Wars waffles?
25 — Is there a set time guests have to return to the hotel on their “excursion” day to Batuu (sort of like port days for a cruise)?
26 — Will there be pin trading?
27 — How small are those bunk beds?!
The rooms seem pretty stripped down and the bunk beds look TINY (at least from the photos).
How comfy are the beds in the rooms? Will an adult fit on those bunk beds (or even just a large kid or teen)?
28 — Will there be room service available and will the cost be included in the overall price of the experience?
29 — Will guests who are not Star Wars fans really (truly) enjoy it and understand what’s going on? What Star Wars movies or shows should you watch to really “get it”?
We expect that the experience will be made for guests with a whole range of Star Wars knowledge — from those who don’t know what a lightsaber is to those who can hold a full conversion with Chewbacca in his native language. But, what will the experience REALLY be like for those who don’t know very much about Star Wars and (depending on the cost) will the price be worth it for them?
Imagineers have said that the experiences is made for “people who love Star Wars and people who love people who love Star Wars,” but will it really be fun for someone who has no idea who the characters are? Even though Disney has said you can enjoy it casually or really dive deep in, it seems like a casual experience would still be a lot of Star Wars content for someone who’s not that interested in it!
30 — Will guests’ performances and actions on Batuu really impact their experiences onboard (and vice versa)? How so?
From what we know about the interaction of Batuu and the Galactic Starcruiser, guests will get to know more backstories about the rides in Galaxy’s Edge and interact with cast members and characters while they’re there! What will these interactions look like? And how will they impact what happens onboard the ship?
31 — How many people will be “on board” at a time?
32 — What happens if a guest doesn’t like the food options available?
Will they be able to leave and get food from another restaurant nearby? This sort-of ties back to the flexibility in terms of leaving the Halcyon but also focuses on the type of food and availability of options that will be on the ship.
33 — How long is the experience — when will guests be allowed to check-in and when will they check out?
34 — What will the front desk situation be like?
Will there be a typical front desk? Where will guests go if they need a question answered and they’re not really looking for the Star Wars-themed answer?
35 — Will there be luggage delivery similar to the system used on cruises?
In the concept art of the guests heading to the Starcruiser, there doesn’t appear to be any luggage. So, will luggage be collected at the front and delivered to your room like on a cruise?
36 — Will we get to lightsaber duel with other guests (not just do training exercises)?
Imagineers have mentioned that there will be “iconic Star Wars action” especially between the characters onboard the ship. Will guests get to be part of that action? Or will they just sit back and watch the fights?
37 — How will the situation work with service animals?
Due to legal requirements, our understanding is that guests should be allowed to bring their service animals to the hotel. But we’re curious to know how what rules will be in place for service animals onboard. Most importantly, we gotta ask it — where will they…you know…poop? Okay, we said it. Listen, it’s a necessity of life! We know the human passengers will have restrooms (presumably all in the appropriate theming) to use, but what about the service animals? Will there be an indoor relief area? An indoor-outdoor spot? Or will service animal owners have to “break” the illusion and take them outside into an un-themed area?
38 — Are there TVs in the rooms?
From the photos we saw of a mock room, it looks like the screen on the left could serve as a TV, but it hasn’t been confirmed yet. If there is a TV, will the TVs show normal TV channels (like will we watch the regular news in space) or is it going to be all in-theme Star Wars stuff?
39 — Will guests be able to freely explore the ship or are there restrictions?
Disney has talked about having secret meetings in cool locations and really being fully immersed in the story. That makes it sound like there will be more freedom in terms of what guests can explore. But, it’s unclear how many restrictions there will be. Presumably, you can’t hang out on the bridge at 3:30AM, or can you? Recently Disney shared that you don’t have to dress up and that you don’t have to be part of the bigger story if you don’t want to. “So many different ways to engage, you don’t have to participate if you don’t want to.” So, it looks like there will be a bit of freedom to create your own schedule onboard. We will be on the lookout for more specifics.
40 — Can you opt-out of the immersion in the story and role-playing with a wristband or something?
Let’s say 2 people in your party are okay with hanging out in the Galactic Starcruiser for a few days but they want nothing to do with the role-playing games. Maybe they don’t want to be treated as though they’re really a passenger on an intergalactic spaceship, and they definitely DON’T want characters coming up to them and talking “in-character” to them. We know that the experience is meant to be fun for people of all engagement levels, but how will other people and characters know who wants to be really into it and who doesn’t? Will those guests be able to “opt-out” of the immersion by signaling that they’re there to relax but not be in character with a wristband or a pin or something? According to Disney, yes. But again, we don’t have specifics! Disney has shared that, “You can be as causal about this as you want or dive as deeply as you want to.”
41 — Are you allowed to use your cell phone normally?
Will there be any restrictions since, ahem, you are in SPACE?! Think of the roaming charges people!!! But seriously, will my iPhone with a Minnie Mouse case throw off the whole theming?
42 — So many food questions.
Will it all be pricey and uniquely named space food? A.k.a. no chicken, just Endorian Tip Yip. Will there be “normal” coffee drinks available in the mornings? Are there mickey bars in space? And, the most important one of all…WILL THERE BE PLASTIC CHEESE?!
We’re bringing you the real heavy hitters here, folks.
43 — How do split stays work?
Will Disney transfer your luggage to/from the Star Wars Hotel? How will transportation to the hotel work?
44 — Can you book an extended stay?
So far, Disney has shared that this will be a 2-night experience. Will you be able to extend that stay at all? Or at least book back-to-back stays? If you do book back-to-back stays or even stays within a few days of each other, will you just relive the same experience over and over again? Presumably, Disney will make things different to Like what if you book to stay for 6 nights? Would you just relive the same 2-day experience over and over again?
45 — Will Cast Members be fully immersed with special space terms and more?
This was a big thing that we experienced in Galaxy’s Edge when it first opened. We feel like that has softened a bit in terms of certain aspects with the level of the immersion, so how will the Star Wars hotel handle things?
46 — How accessible will the whole ship and its experiences be for guests who use wheelchairs or other items to help with their mobility?
While we expect there will be certain accommodations made due to legal requirements, we’re curious to know how the entirety of the ship (including its special experiences) will work for those with specific needs when it comes to accessibility.
47 — What about babies or toddlers?
Will parents be expected to bring their babies and toddlers to all of the experiences/will babies and toddlers be allowed into all of the experiences (a.k.a. will there be any age limits or restrictions)? Will there be child care services like on a cruise, maybe only for those that are very young?
48 — Will “regular” resort amenities exist?
Will things like online check-in, Wi-Fi, housekeeping, etc. be available?
Also, will you use a MagicBand to pay for items, enter your room, or other activities?
49 — Will you need a Park Pass reservation for your excursion to Batuu?
Also, if and when you get off in Batuu, presumably you’ll be able to explore the land and venture around. So, can you conceivably just leave and hop to another park as well?
50 — Can people not staying at the Star Wars hotel dine there or visit under any circumstances?
These are just 50 of the burning questions we have about the Star Wars hotel, but we’ve got more and we’re sure we’ll come up with more in the upcoming days, weeks, and months ahead of its opening in 2022.
We’ll continue to keep an eye out for more news about the Galactic Starcruiser experience and let you know what we find!
Click here to see what you need to know before you stay at the Star Wars Hotel!
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What questions do you have about the Star Wars hotel? Tell us in the comments!
Jim Loiselle says
No doubt and with no question the hotel will be as poorly though out as the Star Wars attractions. In the Hotel they have over 1,000 rooms – but only 50 bathrooms. Like the park that allows in 10’s of thousands but only allows hundreds on attractions with hours wait time. You will need to log-in at 7am for the hotel bathroom queue so get on-line early.
Ken says
You have put forth Lots of great questions, and unfortunately so few answers have been released. I have one big one… why does the hotel not look like the Halcion ? I don’t get it when so much of the Disney experience begins when you enter Disney property, then enter your resort grounds. The Grand Floridian is Grand from the minute you approach the guard house, the Comtemporary is Majestic and has that iconic future look, Wilderness Lodge puts you square in the middle of the Pacific Northwest… but the Star Wars hotel does none of this. If you drive up at night, you might be able to get away with it, but by day it looks like nothing. You are not drawn in to the story by any stretch of the imagination. I just do not get it… this is not the Disney mystique that we guests have come to love from Disney. I wonder if they have bitten off more than they can deliver….
Randi Briggs says
I’m reading the post above, and m confused. Do the rooms not have bathrooms?
DFB Sarah says
Randi, they will have bathrooms.