How to Travel to a Galaxy Far, Far Away Aboard a Disney Ship

By: Disney DestinationsMay 4, 2021

This post was written by Danny Handke, Senior Creative Director, Walt Disney Imagineering for the Disney Parks Blog.

May the 4th be with you! Those of you who’ve met me know I am a huge Star Wars fan. So as a Walt Disney Imagineer, getting to work on projects that bring Star Wars to life on board our cruise ships and in our theme parks and resorts is a dream come true for me.

And now, I can finally talk about the project I’m currently working on – Star Wars: Hyperspace Lounge – coming to our newest ship setting sail summer 2022. We gave you a first look at this incredible space in our grand reveal of the Disney Wish last week, and today I want to share more details about this first-of-its kind Star Wars-themed space for adults on a Disney ship.

That’s right parents … It’s not just your kids who get to have all of the fun! Every evening, this high-end bar styled as a luxurious yacht-class spaceship is reserved exclusively for adults. For the first time on one of our ships, you can embark on a space-jumping tour of the Star Wars galaxy with interactive tasting experiences and signature beverages inspired by the films.

The venue’s sleek interior design and metallic detailing is inspired by lavish star cruisers similar to Dryden Vos’ ship in “Solo: A Star Wars Story.” While you sip your galactic concoctions, this space-faring voyage will transport you to iconic locations from the eras of the Republic, Empire and First Order, employing hyperspace jumps to travel from planet to planet while sensational scenes unfold just beyond the ship’s panoramic viewport at each stop.

Ranging from serene vistas to action-packed encounters, the spectacles seen through this virtual “window” into the galaxy will feature famous space ships from the films and fan-favorite locales like Batuu, Tatooine, Mustafar and Coruscant. The experience will be amplified by surround-sound audio and a holotube that presents holographic models of nearby ships.

While we’re talking Star Wars, did you know that Disney Cruise Line will once again offer Star Wars Day at Sea in early 2022? Yep, the force will be with you during select seven-night Caribbean cruises aboard the Disney Fantasy. Here are some of my favorite things about this intergalactic experience:

• The entire day is filled with Star Wars excitement—costume celebrations, movie screenings, family trivia, a ship-wide scavenger hunt and youth club fun with BB-8!
• You can meet over a dozen Star Wars characters, like Chewbacca, R2-D2, C-3PO and Darth Vader and more. You may even have a surprise run-in with roaming characters such as Boba Fett, Jawas and First Order Stormtroopers.
• There’s an incredible deck show starring Rey and other popular characters that concludes with a fireworks spectacle set to John Williams’ Star Wars score. What a way to end an unforgettable day!

Last up, I want to share with you two of my four-year-old daughter’s favorite places to visit when we’re on a Disney cruise, which means so much to me because I had a hand in designing these spaces. Aboard two of our ships, kids can have their own Star Wars experience inside Disney’s Oceaneer Club.

On the Disney Dream, kids can design a starship, train like a Jedi or climb into Han Solo’s cockpit in Star Wars: Millennium Falcon. And on the Disney Fantasy, they can train with Jedi or X-Wing pilots, connect to legendary spacecrafts via an interactive “holotable” and combat First Order Stormtroopers face-to-face at Star Wars: Command Post.

The best part? We’re not done creating Star Wars experiences for Disney Cruise Line guests… but I can’t tell you anything else yet! If you want to know more, keep following along to be among the first to hear about what other out-of-this-world adventures we have up our sleeves.

Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Launches in 2022 at Walt Disney World Resort

By: Disney DestinationsMay 4, 2021

Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida will take Guests to a galaxy far, far away for an all-immersive, two-night vacation experience that goes beyond anything Disney has ever created before. What exactly does “all-immersive” mean? Well, in honor of May the 4^th, here’s a little hint … 

Not sure if what you just saw is actually what you just saw? Maybe you should watch it one more time. Or 10.

Yes, that’s a new type of lightsaber Rey is holding in her hand, created by Walt Disney Imagineering Research and Development. Guests who experience Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser will be the first to see it in action – along with so much more – starting in 2022 when this amazing new two-night adventure debuts. When Guests watch that lightsaber activate right before their eyes it will be just one of the countless ways that, from the moment they arrive to the moment they depart, they’ll be plunged into a Star Wars story where their decisions and actions – or even the casual conversations they may have – determine how their personal journey unfolds.

Guests’ adventure begins at the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser terminal at Walt Disney World, where Guests will gather with fellow passengers before departing for their intergalactic destination. Guests will soon enter a special Launch Pod and leave their world behind as they make a hyperspace jump to a galaxy far, far away.

Guests will watch through viewports as they approach the massive and magnificent Halcyon starcruiser, which will be their home for the next two nights. For a limited time, Disney’s Hollywood Studios Guests can now see a model of the ship on display inside Walt Disney Presents – another special May the 4^th surprise!

When the Launch Pod’s airlock slides open, Guests will take their first step into a galaxy far, far away as Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser comes to life all around them. During their stay aboard this glamorous ship, Guests may interact with an eclectic group of characters both familiar and new, possibly including the starcruiser’s strong and charismatic captain, a plucky ship’s mechanic and a galactic superstar who can captivate an entire room with the crook of one jewel-encrusted purple Twi’lek finger.

This singing sensation will be a featured performer during one of the exquisite dining experiences inside the Crown of Corellia Dining Room, which you can see in this artist concept rendering we’re sharing today for the first time. The enticing supper club’s name is an homage to Corellia, the planet known galaxy-wide for its shipyards that gave us not only the Halcyon starcruiser, but also the Millennium Falcon. The dining room is a bright and welcoming hall that will offer breakfast and lunch to passengers before transitioning each evening into a lavish multi-course menu of both otherworldly and familiar origins.

As the journey continues, Guests will have the opportunity to train in the ancient ways of the lightsaber, learn more about the inner workings of the Halcyon starcruiser and even jump on a transport to the planet Batuu to further their adventure inside Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. This isn’t storytelling – it’s storyliving, where Guests will see, feel and live Star Wars in a whole new way.

We’ll have much more to share about Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser in the future as we look forward to its 2022 debut; you can always visit starwarsgalacticstarcruiser.com for more details, and sign up there to receive updates.

And since it’s May the 4^th, let’s check out a few other Star Wars happenings at Walt Disney World in honor of this special day.

Star Wars Galactic Outpost at Disney Springs and select locations at Disney’s Hollywood Studios are showcasing new merchandise available starting today (while supplies last), including apparel featuring the new Disney+ series “The Bad Batch” (also debuting today). There are also new items from the Rainbow Star Wars Collection, as well as new Star Tours-inspired Disney Parks Wishables including R2-D2 and C-3PO.

Today and tomorrow, Disney’s Hollywood Studios is offering special Star Wars-themed desserts and beverages available at select locations throughout the park, including the new Dark Side Chocolate Creation and returning favorite Lightsaber Churro. Also, through tomorrow, Disney Springs will offer the Grogu Mini Dome Cake at Amorette’s Patisserie and the Millennium Falcon Chocolate Pop at The Ganachery.

As you can see, the Force is strong with us here at Walt Disney World Resort. So however you’re celebrating Star Wars today … May the 4^th be with you!