While Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge is already one of the more exciting theme park experiences we've ever seen, Disney isn't sitting back on its laurels just yet. Last week we learned the name of the upcoming Star Wars themed hotel, Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, but at D23 Expo today during the Parks & Experiences panel, we learned a bit more about what will actually be going on during this immersive experience.
Disney Imagineer Ann Morrow appeared on the stage at D23 Expo and spoke about some of the things that would be going on while guests experience their two-night "trip" aboard the Starcruiser Halcyon. We knew that, in the tradition of a cruise ship, all of your entertainment will be part of the price of the stay, but we now know some of that entertainment will include using lightsabers and even helming the bridge of the ship itself.
It seems that if you're a guest who thinks they might have some latent Force ability, you can test that out the same way Luke Skywalker did, by taking on a training remote with a lightsaber. We only saw concept art of what this experience looks like, so exactly how it will work isn't clear, but if it makes you feel like a Jedi, does it matter?
Guests will also be able to visit the "bridge" of the ship and become familiar with the controls, such as navigation and defense, and actually learn how to use them. It was strongly hinted that this knowledge would come in handy at some point during the stay. I'm assuming you need to actually fight off a First Order attack at some point.
Expect walk around characters like Rey, Chewbacca, and Kylo Ren. to all appear on board the starship at various points. As such, guests will have the opportunity to pledge themselves to either the First Order or the Resistance, and your personal story may change depending on which side you choose.
It was also explained that there would be "hidden spaces" on the ship, places where guests aren't necessarily directed to go, but that you could potentially find if you go exploring, and doing so will give you more of the story for you to engage in.
And of course, what cruise would be complete without a shore excursion? The Halcyon will have one of those as well, as the ship will dock on the planet Batuu, allowing guests to experience Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge for themselves.
Needless to say, this sounds remarkable. How exactly all of this will be managed for every guest in the hotel is unclear. It seems like quite an undertaking. Exactly what the capacity of the hotel is we don't know, but it will certainly not be a tiny number of people.
And of course, we also don't know what an experience like this will cost. A recent rumor implied that it certainly won't be cheap, and while it's far too early to believe those numbers are set in stone, it does seem likely that this experience by itself could make up the cost of an entire vacation for a lot of people.
