What? You mean BRIGHT green dumplings, Bantha Beef(?!), and fluffy, green rice aren’t something you serve at dinner every day? Oh, well, in that case, you’re in for a TREAT, our dear earthlings.
We’ve experienced our first day onboard the Galactic Starcruiser, AKA Disney World’s new Star Wars hotel. We’ve gotten some training on the Halcyon’s defense systems, spent some time exploring this new “ship,” and maybe even saved a Wookiee! Now it’s time to head into the Crown of Corellia Dining Room for our first dinner onboard the ship! We’ve heard a little bit about the food at the Star Wars hotel already, so we’re eager to see if the dishes really live up to our expectations. There are Star Wars-themed cocktails, and all kinds of unique entrées. So which items are out-of-this-world, and which should have stayed on their home planets? Let’s find out!
First of all, we want to note that dinner on the Halcyon (that’s the name of the “ship” you’re on at the Star Wars hotel) is not like most other restaurants in Disney World. Staying at the Galactic Starcruiser is a bit like a cruise experience, where most of the food and activities are included in the cost of your stay.
Guests will eat together in the Crown of Corellia Dining Room, although the times for dinner will be staggered to accommodate all the people on board. There is an early dinner and a later dinner time, and you will be assigned one of the times. Check your itinerary if you’re visiting this hotel to see which time you should head in to eat. While we don’t think that the dinner time makes as much of a difference on night 1, it can make a difference on night 2, so that’s something to consider. Check out our night 2 dinner review for more details!
Breakfast and lunch are buffet-style meals, but both dinners (on the first and second evenings of your stay) are family-style affairs. That means your server will bring out food to your table, and you can request more of any dishes that you particularly enjoy.
Now that you know generally what’s going on with this meal, let’s head into the dining room to check out the atmosphere and eats here!
Atmosphere
The Crown of Corellia Dining Room is the main dining location in this hotel. This is where you’ll eat all of your meals, unless of course you choose to eat at Galaxy’s Edge during your excursion to Batuu or you opt to fill up on some to-go options (available only for select mealtimes) in the Sublight Lounge.
The dining room is one large room with multiple levels.
There are tables and chairs in the center of the room and booths along the walls.
Here’s a look at one of those partial booths with some chairs!
Your eye will probably go straight to the gorgeous “chandeliers” in this room, which provides multi-colored light in the center of high-tech concentric circles.
There are some larger tables for parties with many guests, but you can also find smaller tables and booths.
The chairs and booths are both made of a blue vinyl-looking material on the bottom and blue velvety-looking material on top. There are gold accents on the chairs, which make them look very upscale.
In the center of the room is the Captain’s Table, which is a special dining experience that you can pay extra for during your visit. Guests at this table will have a slightly different menu for dinner, including some special dishes not included in the other meals.
We dined at the Captain’s Table during our stay, so we’ll be bringing you a full review of this experience as well!
At the front of the room, you’ll see a small stage. This is where the galactic superstar Gaya will sing while you eat. She may be joined by Ouannii, who often accompanies Gaya by playing a special instrument.
Gaya and Ouannii might not be the only characters you see during your meal. We have seen firsthand that there will be some fun surprises even during dinner time, which means that other characters might run through the room or even stop to talk with guests.
The storyline is very interactive and immersive, and it doesn’t pause during mealtimes. You might even see the First Order get involved in some ways.
Be prepared to see these characters walking around the dining room (not just sticking to the stage area). You may find yourself munching on some treats while chatting with Gaya herself!
At our table, we found silverware and cloth napkins. Keep in mind, we did eat at the Captain’s Table on night 1 so the plating of your meal might be slightly different.
Seating at dinner is assigned, so you never know where you’ll be placed. If you want to be closer to the action, you might want to ask for a seat that is near the stage and (ideally) in front of the Captain’s Table. If you’re determined to get a specific seat, be sure to speak with the Cast Members. A Cast Member we spoke with shared that they will try to accommodate table changes whenever they can, but nothing is guaranteed.
Once we were seated, we were ready to get started with the first course!
Eats
Like we said earlier, this meal is served mostly family-style, so your server will bring the dishes out to your table.
Menu
Here’s a look at the menu.
The menu for night 1 includes a Bento experience with dipping sauces…
…as well as Chef’s Selections and Dessert.
There is also a menu for Younglings (those 9 and under).
The menu includes various appetizers, entrees, sides, and desserts that kiddos can enjoy.
Drinks
You can choose from a variety of cocktails at this spot.
There are specialty non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages that you can get, but note that these will cost you EXTRA.
An endless supply of blue and green milk are included in the cost of your overall trip. These essentially have the same flavors as the blue and green milk you can find in Galaxy’s Edge. We did notice, however, that the milk on the Galactic Starcruiser had a different texture. The milk in Galaxy’s Edge is almost like a smoothie consistency, whereas the ones onboard the Starcruiser were less frozen. Other drink options include standard sodas and water.
We also grabbed the Blue Milk Citrus Fizz. This is a non-alcoholic specialty drink that costs $8 and is made with lychee, lime, lemon-lime soda, and blue milk sorbet. We also got the chance to sip on this drink during the Cantina Chronicles event in the Sublight Lounge.
The sorbet at the bottom of this drink was…interesting. It didn’t really melt into the drink. Instead, it sort-of sat there. The drink was fine though. That sorbet sort-of gave it a more concentrated blue milk flavor. And the drink itself had a more juice-like sensation, rather than milk. But it was sweet and it did give you that sort-of minty aftertaste that sometimes comes with blue milk. If you’re a lover of all things blue milk, you may enjoy it, but it wasn’t our favorite.
The Muja Twist is another non-alcoholic drink that is available here for $8. We actually tried this one over at the Cantina Chronicles event in the Sublight Lounge. The drink features watermelon, herbal garden blend, mint, and sparkling bubbles.
According to the Cast Members we spoke with, this is said to be a truth telling beverage. If you’re lying, the drink will be too sweet and essentially won’t let you speak. But if the drink is bittersweet, then it’s proof that you’ve got pure intentions in making your deal! This drink had a tart flavor to it and was pretty aromatic. It wasn’t a favorite of ours.
We also grabbed the Pod Chaser during dinner, which is essentially an Old Fashioned. It costs $15 and is made with bourbon, bitters, and orange zest.
This drink was a bit sweeter than some of the other drinks we tried, but it did deliver in terms of alcohol flavor. We also really liked the chilled metallic sphere it had, which helped keep the drink cold. And the hints of orange added a nice layer of flavor. Overall it was good, but nothing too unique. (When you’re munching on more unique food items though, a simple drink might be the way to go.)
During another meal at the Starcruiser, we also got the try the Dagobah Vimlet (but we’re including it here since it is also available at dinner). This drink costs $15 and is made of vodka, herbaceous orange liqueur, lime, and peppercorn. It meant to essentially be a take on a vodka gimlet.
This drink was VERY earthy. Like, very, very, very earthy. Like, it tastes like swamp and grass earthy! 😂 But one of our reporters said the swamp taste wasn’t bad? It was very herbaceous and you’ll definitely taste that peppercorn.
This is one that’ll depend highly on your tastes. If you like that very earthy sense of flavors, then you’ll probably enjoy this. If you’d rather see grass than drink it, stay away!
During dinner on night 2, we also grabbed an Espresso Martini here, which is an additional cost. Though it isn’t specifically listed on the menu, it may be available during dinner on night 1 so we wanted to include our thoughts here. Overall, the espresso had a strong coffee and strong vodka taste. If you’re looking for a pick-me-up after a long day in space, this could be a solid choice.
During our second trip on the Halcyon (on its official maiden voyage) we also tried the Nysillin and Bubbles over at Sublight Lounge. Since this drink does appear on the menu for dinner on night 1, we wanted to include a photo of it here! Basically, this drink is a version of a Gin and Tonic. The drink is made with gin, cucumber, lime and thyme and is priced at $16.
Overall the drink was very light and refreshing thanks to that cucumber flavor. If you want something simple and refreshing, this is a great choice. But be warned — it isn’t sweet at all (so if you love sweet drinks, this isn’t for you) and you’ve definitely got to like gin to enjoy this one.
During our second trip, we also got the Mark of the Huntress drink during dinner. This drink is made with bourbon whiskey, peach-infused blackcurrant, orgeat (almond), lemon, and sparkling bubbles.
If you want to try this drink, it’ll set you back $23.
Food
For dinner, we started out with The Bento Experience. These are pan-seared steamed dumplings with various fillings inside.
The difference with these pods is that each one is colored and has a different flavor inside. These are served family style, with boxes meant to be shared between a few guests (though you can ask for more of anything you want). We received 2 boxes to be shared between our group of 3. The buns were also pre-cut in half to make them easier to share.
The blue/purple pod was the Bantha Beef option. This is filled with Braised Teriyaki Beef. This dumpling delivered on that signature teriyaki flavor many know and love, and the beef was very tender, which was great!
The green one was the Flora Vegetables option. It is filled with potatoes and curry. If you’re looking for a more complex flavor, this is IT. The curry flavors in this really came through and made it more unique (in terms of pure flavor profile) than the other two dumplings.
Finally, the orange one was the Tip Yip Chicken option and was filled with Sweet-and-Sour shredded chicken. Though our reporters all felt like this was good, one said it was their least favorite of the three, while another said that they really liked it — so it’ll all depend on what you like!
If you love sweet-and-sour chicken, then you might really enjoy this as it delivered a wonderful sweet-and-sour flavor!Â
Overall, one of our reporters shared that the entire Bento Box experience was one of the best things they ate at the Star Wars Hotel. The dumplings were well cooked, with that nice and soft breading, and they were all packed with flavor in terms of their fillings. The flavors do match with the descriptions well (so that helps when going in, in terms of what to expect). If our meal didn’t consist of several other items, we totally could have eaten more of these!
But, the dumplings didn’t come on a plate alone. They actually came with a set of “interplanetary dipping sauces” for everyone to enjoy. Spoiler alert: all of these sauces were good! (If you’re the type of person who feels like food is just a vehicle for sauce, then you’re in luck!)
One of the sauces we received was the Kaadu Cream (described on the menu as being sweet and creamy). This one reminded us of a Yum Yum Sauce. It was mild in flavor, but still tasty and went with the dumplings really well.
We also got to try the Melahnese Curry (described as a yogurt dip). This had that curry flavor to it, which was nice, but it didn’t stand out as much as the other sauces.
There was also a sauce called Batuu Spice (described on the menu as a spicy aromatic condiment). One of our reporters absolutely LOVED this sauce. It was spicy, aromatic, and complex in terms of flavor. If you love jalapeños and spice, this is the one for you (our one reporter who loved it said they could have eaten it with a spoon because it was just THAT good).
And finally, the set also comes with a Barbecue-style sauce (a Gochujang-laced sauce). This was more of a regular barbecue sauce, though it did have a fun chili flavor to it because of that Gochujang, so that made it a bit more unique.
The dumplings also come with a Flora Noodle Salad. This is a chilled salad featuring yellow beets, diakon, onion, carrots, and white miso vinaigrette.
This dish had that picked vegetable vibe, which added a layer of freshness and acidity to the Bento Experience. We thought this went well with the dumplings, since they’re a bit heavier on their own. The noodles aren’t something we’d get excited about on their own, but paired with the dumplings (and the sauces) it made for a more balanced meal experience, which we really liked.
Then it was time for the Chandrilla Chef’s Selections. These are again served family-style so the whole group can share. There are a variety of meats included as well as some sides. Note that the Scallop option listed on the menu above is one that is exclusive to the Captain’s Table (and may vary — it may be Lobster Tail on some days!).
The Chef’s Selections that were included with the traditional dinner (not Captain’s Table) were the Bantha Beef Tenderloin, Tip Yip Chicken, Stewed Shrimp, Green Herbed Fluffy Rice and Surabat Spiced Flora. Let’s go through each of them!
The Bantha Beef Tenderloin is a Tamarind-glazed beef with crushed moon-rock potatoes. This was a HIT with one of our reporters in particular. According to that reporter, this was basically a perfectly cooked steak. It sliced easily, wasn’t chewy, was juicy, and was packed with flavor. YUM.
The potatoes are also something you shouldn’t just walk past or ignore. Though we expected these to be pretty basic, they were super flavorful and fun! They had more spicy and savory flavors to them, and we really liked them! Now, when we say “savory and spicy flavors” we don’t think it’s so “unique” that picky eaters wouldn’t enjoy them, but we do think they elevated the potatoes to a different level.
The Tip Yip Chicken is Menkooro Bourbon-glazed chicken with red peppers and sesame seeds. (Menkooro Bourbon is a drink from the Star Wars universe!). This is essentially an Asian-style, lightly fried chicken. One of our reporters shared that this dish was really good, though not as good as the Beef Tenderloin. While it might not look like much, the chicken is a solid dish and one we think could satisfy many in the group.
The Stewed Shrimp is made with lemon grass, lobster cream, and coconut-lime foam. This was actually really good! If you’re a fan of shrimp being served in a creamy, savory sauce, then you’ll probably really like this! The shrimp was warm, which was great for those who might not like it when shrimp is served cold.
We didn’t get a strong coconut flavor from the coconut-lime foam. In other words, it didn’t taste like we were on vacation eating shrimp on the beach! Instead, we definitely got a more savory flavor, so don’t let that coconut scare you. Even if you aren’t a huge fan of shrimp, we think the flavors here are solid enough that you might really like this!
The Green Herbed Fluffy Rice features a puffed rice crisp on top. Love herbs like cilantro? Then this rice is for YOU! The rice features herbs like cilantro in it, giving it a unique flavor. One of our reporters loved it (though they did admit that you could put almost anything on rice and they’d probably like it 😂). We could see this one being a little bit more divisive though, especially for those who might not love cilantro.
And finally, we have the Surabat Spiced Flora, which is vegetables with Harissa spice. Basically, this is your obligatory veggie dish, but the Harissa spice made them more unique. They were really tasty and we enjoyed the Harissa spice. If you’re a picky eater, don’t let the Harissa spice scare you off! It makes the veggies more unique but isn’t too overwhelming (at least from what we experienced).
No meal is complete without some dessert! For this dinner, we get to try the Jogan Fruit and Caramel Whip, which features yuzu, passionfruit, and Cardellia Jelly. This dessert was good, but nothing special. The passionfruit added a nice level of tartness, but we’d have to say our favorite part was probably the caramel.
Here’s a look at the inside of some pieces from the dessert.
If you’ll be traveling with Younglings, they can pick some items to enjoy from the kids menu. Our understanding is that kids can ask for as many items as they’d like. The kids menu includes appetizers like the Flora Greens Salad, a fruit cup, or the Flora Rice Paper Rolls (pictured below). The Flora Rice Paper Rolls are vegetable summer rolls with sweet-and-sour sauce.Â
Adults should also be able to order off of the kids menu as well, so they can get any items they might want to try. It isn’t always guaranteed that this will be accommodated, but the Cast Members will generally try to get you the things you want to try, if possible.
These rice paper rolls were good — made essentially just of fresh vegetables in rice paper. They’re nothing “out of this world” in terms of flavor, but we did like how light they were. If you’re looking to add a sense of lightness to your meal, you could consider ordering these from the kids menu to try!
For entrees, there are a variety of choices. First, there are Grilled Tip Yip Chicken Swords with are served with a sweet-and-sour sauce. There are also Fried Tip Yip Chicken Chunks, a Cheese Pizza, and Chedd-Cheesy Beef Spiral Dumplings available. For the sides, kids can pick from steamed green beans, buttered noodles, steamed corn spirals, a fruit cup, and crispy sliced waffle fries.
Overall, these main entree items for the kids do mainly what they’re supposed to do — serve up standard, “safe,” kid-friendly flavors with a fun look. While the chicken might have been shaped a bit weirdly, they tasted good (nothing wrong with some solid chicken nuggets).
The cheese pizza was basically your standard Disney puffy pizza (with maybe a more flavorful sauce). If your kiddos love the puffy pizza from places like PizzeRizzo, then this will be a good choice to get them full and happy!
During night 2 we got to try the kids Chedd-Cheesy Beef Spiral Dumplings and the waffle fries. The waffle fries were surprisingly huge and pretty good. The Dumplings were basically the same as the cheeseburger pods from Satu’li Canteen (except maybe more cheesy, which isn’t a problem for us!) and we could NOT have been more excited!
Kiddos can also have dessert — either the Jogan Fruit and Caramel Whip (mentioned above for the adults), Fruit Salad (with a baked Masa-Flatbread cone and vanilla yogurt), or warm cookies with white milk.Â
During a subsequent visit, we got the chance to try the warm cookies and milk. They feature 3 cookies, a little container with milk, and a chocolate decoration. Though the description on the menu says white milk, they let us pick our milk — white, blue, or green — we went with blue for this trip! They were fairly basic cookies. Instead of being chewy, these were more on the crunchy side, but they were still buttery!
Our recommendation? Go with the white milk on these! The blue milk didn’t give us that same delicious flavor combo with the cookies for dunking. We think the white milk would have gone much better with these sweet treats.
Nosh or Not
We traditionally write up a “nosh or not” section in our DFB reviews, advising you why you might want to visit or skip a particular restaurant. In this case, things are a bit unique. There really aren’t any other options for dinner, unless you bring your own food or opt to survive on the snacks in the Sublight Lounge and in the Atrium. There is no room service, so the menu items here at the Crown of Corellia are you main option for dinner eats. So you don’t really have many other options if you don’t like what you see, but we still want to point out some of the reasons why you might or might not like this spot.
You’ll really enjoy Crown of Corellia for dinner on night 1 if:
- You are looking for some unique eats. Bright dumplings and fluffy rice might not be things you normally go out to eat at home, but you’ll certainly find them here! If you’re looking for some more uniquely designed eats (with some flavors you’ll know and recognize like sweet-and-sour chicken, teriyaki beef, and more) then this could be a spot you’ll really like!
- You want dinner AND a show. The Crown of Corellia is much more than just a restaurant. It’s truly a part of the story and you’ll see all kinds of important story points play out right in front of you. If you want to be entertained, and potentially get up close to the performers as they circle the room, then we have a feeling you’ll really enjoy eating here.
- You like trying a lot of different items. The good part about this meal is it is served family-style and you do get the chance to try a number of different items. If you’re into sharing dishes between friends/family, and then requesting more of anything you especially liked, then you’ll like the format of the meal here.
You might not enjoy the Crown of Corellia for dinner on night 1 if:
- You want a quiet space to escape from the action. If you were hoping dinner would give you the chance to just sit in quiet and decompress from the day, this won’t exactly provide that for you. Instead, you’ll be surrounded by the action. But consider asking (if you can) for a table near the back/upper areas if you do want to be just slightly apart from all of the action on the main floor.
- You are looking for simple eats. If you were hoping to get hot dogs, hamburgers, and fries here — you might not be satisfied. The items here are a bit more on the unique and adventurous side. Things are served family-style though, which means you can ask for more of whatever you like — so if there’s one, more plain option, that will be your main dish, you can ask for more of that! You can also request items from the kids menu (even if you’re an adult) so that could also give you some more “safe” dining choices.
- You would rather not get items that you have to share or you want to eat small. If you’re more of a “order one entree and be done with it” type of person — either because you’re not a big eater or you prefer not to share — then you might not love the family-style dining here.
Overall
Overall, the Crown of Corellia puts on an immersive and entertaining show on night 1, and couples that with some unique eats! It’s a spot where you’ll definitely want to keep your eyes open because you just never know what might happen! Pair that with some fun food, and you’ve got one heck of a dinner. Some of the items we especially loved (like the dumplings and sauces, or the Beef Tenderloin); others were just okay (like the dessert). But overall the meal was satisfying and entertaining — a winning combo!
Keep following DFB, because we’ll be bringing you all the info about the new Star Wars hotel in Disney World!
Click HERE to see our COMPLETE GUIDE to the Star Wars Hotel!
Star Wars Hotel -- Galactic Starcruiser News and Information
The Star Wars Hotel Is CLOSING
Check Out Our COMPLETE GUIDE to the Star Wars Hotel
We’re Breaking the MYTHS from Inside the Star Wars Hotel Rooms
What to Get (or AVOID) for Breakfast at the Star Wars Hotel
We Ate EVERYTHING for Lunch at the Star Wars Hotel
See Our FULL Review of the Entire Dinner on Night 1 of the Star Wars Hotel
Yes, Dinner on Night 2 at the Star Wars Hotel is Different. See Our Full Review
Is the Captain’s Table Worth the Extra Cost?
See How the Fireworks at the Star Wars Hotel Will (and Won’t) Surprise You
Get Our Full Thoughts on the BLUE SHRIMP
See What Snacks Look Like in Space
Some of the Best Food in the Star Wars Hotel is Hiding!
Get a Look at the Exclusive Star Wars Hotel Merchandise
Learn About What’s Included When You Leave the Star Wars Hotel for Hollywood Studios
Take a Look at the Pricing for the Star Wars Hotel
Watch Our DFB Video About Our Experience at the Star Wars Hotel
Click HERE to See More About Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser
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Which foods from “space” look the best to you? Let us know in the comments.
Disclosure: In nearly all circumstances, Disney Food Blog writers and photographers pay full price for their own travel, hotel, food, beverage, and event tickets. We do this because it’s important to us as journalists to ensure not only that we give you unbiased opinions, but also that you can trust us to do so since we’re paying our own way. On rare occasions, when we are invited by a company to attend a preview as media, and when we choose to accept that invitation, we will always make you, our readers, aware of that situation. Recently, we were invited by Disney World to attend their media preview of the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser. We later visited on our own accord during the inaugural “sailing.” Some of the photos in the post above are from the media event, some are from our own paid trip. Note that when we attend events as media we are 1) Not required to review that event/food on any of our channels, and 2) Not required to review that event/food favorably. You can always count on DFB to give you a 100% unbiased and honest review of any event that we attend, food that we eat, or beverage that we drink.You can see more in our Disclosure Policy. Thank you for reading. — AJ
Mike says
To me, the Crown looks like a Boling Ally, Not Impressed at it’s price point.
Cait says
Once again I am disappointed by the lackluster attempts at plant based eats. I’m vegan and I think five hours into the cruise i would side with the first order to get them to smuggle me in some impossible nuggets or something.