An introvert’s guide to the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser
Introversion Insight:
Introverts are planners. They want to be prepared for what the world has in store for them. Let’s avoid surprises at all costs, please. They like knowing how to do things, especially around other people.
***NOTE: The Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser is now in permanent dry dock.***
Warning: SPOILERS ahead! It’s in our nature as introverts to know what to expect, so let’s do our Galactic Starcruiser homework.
What is the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser exactly?
It’s tricky to succinctly describe the Galactic Starcruiser—but let’s try. First off, it’s a hotel. You’ll sleep there for two nights. It has a Star Wars theme. (You don’t have to be a Star Wars überfan, but it certainly helps.) It includes two breakfasts, two lunches, two dinners, and various snacks. It’s a live action role-playing (LARPing) experience set aboard a simulated starcruiser. (I got some dinner theater/escape room vibes too.) You interact with characters, objects, and locations on the ship, as well as on Batuu a.k.a. Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Your package includes a one-day ticket to Hollywood Studios.
If it sounds intense, it’s because it is. It really doesn’t sound like a place introverts would thrive, right? But with the right planning, maybe a little acting as an extrovert, and some liquid courage (alcohol), I think you’ll discover it’s a pretty unique and amazing experience.
Character interactions
Before we get into your itinerary, we better talk about the one thing that’s giving all the introverts out there the most heartburn: character interactions or the LARPing. If you’ve ever tried to interact with characters at the theme parks, you know it can be awkward. Character meet-and-greets are difficult for introverts. And on the Galactic Starcruiser, it’s more than a meet-and-greet. The nice thing about these characters is you’re part of their storyline, so you’ve been reading about them in the events part of your datapad (more to come on the datapad). You’re completing missions for them. When you see them next, you come equipped with a conversation starter (if needed).
A lot of the time, it’s more about following a character around or congregating around one while they tell you a story or act out a scene. And that’s actually an important tip. If you ever feel like you don’t know what you’re supposed to be doing, look for the characters and head toward them. They will sometimes come to you, but most of the time, you need to seek them out. This keeps the storyline going.
You decide how involved you want to be. You can fully participate and join the characters whenever they’re nearby. You can participate sometimes and watch other times. Or you can simply watch and observe from afar. But I really do recommend acting like an extrovert and participating as much as you can.
The cool thing is that there are two levels to the storytelling: the one everyone experiences and then the personal story you end up experiencing with the characters. They are very good about remembering your name and what you did (or didn’t do) earlier in the day—or even the previous day. Introverts love details, so you’ll appreciate this level of storytelling.
DAY 1
Arrival
You made it. You’re excited and probably a little nervous. (It’s going to be fine.) Did you dress up? No pressure if not. You’ll find some go all out, and part of the fun as an introvert is to just see everyone’s costumes. (Remember as a kid when you’d just watch your friends play video games while you observed. It’s kinda like that.)
Check-in is between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. You’ll pick your check-in time in advance when you do your online check-in via the My Disney Experience app. From what I noticed, most guests picked 1 p.m. because there was a long line of cars leading up to the terminal. It took us about 45 minutes before we actually got inside. I still recommend the earliest check-in time—in fact, show up around 12:30 p.m. if you can. As an introvert, maybe you’re used to being early. Tip: When you’re part of the first group somewhere, you feel like you own the place before the rest of the crowd shows up. Try this in all sorts of social situations.
Note: On our first voyage, we showed up right before 1 p.m. On our second voyage, we showed up around 12:30 p.m. The earlier arrival was much more relaxed and less busy. We were inside within 15 minutes.
If you’re driving your own car, it’s all valet parking (tip not included). They’ll take your bags at this point too. You’ll then take a launch pod to the starcruiser. As soon as you board the Halcyon, your party is directed to a Passenger Services Crew Member. They go over some details and escort you directly to your cabin. See? You’re not even lost yet. Your bags will show up a little later. And the beauty of this experience happening at an actual hotel? If it’s ever too much and you need a break from it all, you can walk down to your cabin.
Passenger Services is basically Guest Relations that you’d find in the parks. They are dressed in blue and have a counter in the Atrium. If you’re ever unsure what to do, or if you have any issues with your stay, they are super helpful and kind.
Lunch
Lunch is served from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. At this point, it’s probably close to 2 p.m., and I bet you’re hungry. (I recommend eating a later breakfast on your homeworld before coming.) Head to the Crown of Corellia Dining Room on Deck 4. Lunch is buffet style. You’ll grab a tray, load it up with food from the various stations, and seat yourself. Cups for drinks are on shelves underneath the counter.
Lunch on day one is the busiest, but if you’re a party of two, I have the perfect introvert spot for you.
Tip: Whenever you’re dining at a restaurant—on Disney property or elsewhere—try and avoid tables in the center of the room. Introverts feel more comfortable on the side or in a corner where they can look out, read the room, and take it all in. Also, no need to awkwardly dump your tray somewhere. Just leave it on the table when you’re done.
The datapad
You’re going to be interacting with characters, objects, and locations, which is all linked to an app on your phone, your datapad a.k.a. the Play Disney Parks app. You’ll end up using this datapad a lot, especially on your trip to Batuu on day two, so you’ll want to master it. You may already be familiar with it from previous visits to Galaxy’s Edge, but if not, no worries. In the days leading up to your voyage, they’ll populate your events schedule in the datapad, so definitely take a peek. You can view the in-app tutorials, or better yet, attend a datapad orientation while on board.
Do you like to read? Introverts tend to enjoy reading, which is good because you’ll be doing a fair amount of it within the datapad. The comms part of the datapad is your friend.
This is where characters will communicate with you when you’re not with them. This is really how you keep the storyline moving. Once you complete missions within the comms part of your datapad, you’ll see your schedule update within the events part of your datapad. Tip: Pay attention to any new events (in yellow).
You can passively participate by having someone else in your party run their datapad, but a lot of the fun is doing it yourself. This is also how you can pick a different story path. Warning, though, you may be invited to secret meetings that only you can attend, which means splitting up from your party.
Ship consoles
Throughout the ship, you’ll find consoles. They provide general information, but more importantly, they’ll enable you to unlock (literally) more of the story. The comms part of your datapad will direct you to the consoles when needed. Tip: Watch for the comms that provides you with the console access code.
Ship tours
Passenger Services offers short guided tours of the ship. Great idea for introverts. It will help you get your bearings, and you’ll start to feel like you know where everything’s at. You’re probably a lover of learning, which is perfect because you’ll learn some backstory along the way.
Ship muster
This is when the captain welcomes you and shows you your muster location in case of emergencies. Where you settled in before the start of the muster becomes your muster location. I liked being in a location nearest the balcony and turbolifts.
You have a good view of the characters performing above you. At a certain point, the captain will put you on the spot by asking you to chat with the people around you to get to know them. Oof. Small talk is hard for us. But it’s brief.
Captain's reception
The muster leads right into the reception. A shared nonalcoholic toast happens. Don’t worry if you don’t get a drink right away. They’ll eventually make it around to everyone if you stick around long enough. But be aware the captain may proceed with the toast before everyone has a drink.
Bridge ops training
This was one of my favorite activities, and I think it’s quite introvert friendly. As the name implies, you're learning how to operate the ship’s bridge. Each station is basically a simple video game. Keyword: simple. No pressure to figure out a complicated game in front of others. You’ll rotate so you can try out each station, but you’re more or less just doing your own thing at your own station.
Dance lessons
Nope. Just nope. This is definitely an optional activity, and if you’re an introvert, you’re probably going to stay clear. Don’t be like me and be hanging out in the Atrium when lessons suddenly start up around you.
Sublight Lounge
Ah, one of my favorite locations on the ship, right off the Atrium on Deck 6. You seat yourself at the bar or any of the tables or booths. This is also where the holo-sabacc table is located. For some introverts, adult beverages act like liquid courage, or liquid extroversion. If you imbibe, you’ll want to spend some time at this great lounge. It will help you open up and fully enjoy the Galactic Starcruiser. They have inventive and great-tasting drinks, but they also have spirits from your homeworld. (Tip: The Fiery Mustafarian and Dagobah Vimlet have souvenir glass options.) The bartenders and staff are exceptional. Like Passenger Services, they are extremely friendly. In fact, I’d say the Galactic Starcruiser offers the best Disney guest service you’ll find anywhere on property.
Even if you don’t imbibe, the lounge offers a nonalcoholic drink tasting, complete with stories, which lovers of learning (introverts) will appreciate. This takes place on day two, but you’ll want to sign up for it in advance. Sublight also has snacks starting around 4 or 4:30 p.m. Snacks are included in your voyage. Drinks are not. Also keep in mind, an 18% gratuity is automatically included, which is shared by all; however, if you tip extra, that goes directly to your bartender/server.
Dinner 1
Unlike lunch and breakfast, dinner is table service. You’re taken to your seat, and they bring your food to you. Like at Sublight Lounge, gratuities for food service are included. Tip: When you book your voyage, you have the option to upgrade to the captain’s table. Do it. And do it on night two. (You’ll learn why in a second.) It gives you more food courses as well as a champagne toast. Do keep in mind, though, you’ll be sharing the table with other parties. But it also gives you a great seat in the dining room—both nights. On the night you’re not at the captain’s table (night one), you may just find yourself seated at the table right in front of where the entertainment performs.
What entertainment you ask? Gaya, one of the biggest superstars in the galaxy, as well as keyboardist and DJ Ouannii and guitarist Sandro Alimander. Introverts tend to be lovers of music and artistic expression, so something tells me you’ll get a kick out of this performance. Be prepared—Gaya may ask you to stand up at some point and dance. Not a solo performance. Everyone in the dining room will get up and dance, so you can blend in and not really dance. She may also wander about and ask you where you’re from.
DAY 2
You’ll be happy to know day two is much less busy. It’s a refreshingly quiet day compared to day one. This is when introverts can really explore the ship without a lot of other passengers. Spend more quality time with the Atrium, the ship consoles, the Engineering Room, the Climate Simulator, and the holo-sabacc table.
The reason why it’s so quiet? Everyone is on a day excursion to Batuu! We’ll talk about that in a minute—and it’s definitely something you want to do—but first more food.
Breakfast
You have two options for breakfast: grab-and-go boxed items in the Sublight Lounge or a buffet in the Crown of Corellia Dining Room. If day one was too much for you and you need a bit more recharging, the grab-and-go option is great. But you’ll find more (and better) options at the buffet. Breakfast seemed less crowded than lunch. And the setup is the same as lunch, something you’re comfortable with at this point—grab tray, fill with food, and seat yourself.
Batuu excursion
It’s time to leave the quiet ship and head to Batuu. You might be tempted to stay, but I highly recommend you don’t. Here’s what to do. Board the Batuu transports as early as possible. They typically run from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. (You’ll notice you have a scheduled time in the events part of your datapad. You don’t have to board at that time.)
Note: A park pass reservation is not required.
You’ll arrive right around the same time as regular day guests. Crowds should still be light. You’re given two Lightning Lanes (LLs): one for Rise of the Resistance and one for Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. Even if you’ve experienced these rides before, use your LLs. They may actually be part of your storyline and open up more comms and events in your datapad. Speaking of the datapad, as a guest of the starcruiser, you’ll find more is unlocked than if you were just a day guest at the park. This is your time to shine and complete some missions. Remember the comms part of your datapad? Missions will be added there while on Batuu.
To complete a mission, you’ll read the character’s request, accept the mission, go to the location, and perform some sort of action in your datapad. Don’t worry, it’s not too complex. The mission may include an image of the location. This can be super helpful, so tap the image to enlarge.
If that doesn’t help, tap Show Map. Your location is the red circle. The blue arrows show you which direction to head.
Once you’re near the location, tap the blue location marker. This will unlock the action you need to take. It could be as simple as tapping a Hack button. Others require a decryption key, which requires you to construct the key a.k.a. dragging shapes to form the key. Here’s an example:
(If you’re stuck, notice the flashing shape hints.)
Another action might be angling your phone up and down and side to side to align lines on your datapad. One particular mission might stress out introverts. Time to act like an extrovert. It involves telling a Cast Member something at Oga’s Cantina. Your datapad will tell you exactly what to say—and the exchange is brief—but you’ll say your line, they’ll have you scan a code, and you’ll construct the key while standing next to them.
Once you’ve completed all your missions, you might be hungry. Lunch is included on Batuu at Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo or Ronto Roasters (and does include one alcoholic beverage). Tip: Go back to the ship for lunch. The ship’s lunch buffet is better, you’ll find some new options that weren’t there on day one, and it’s less busy than day one’s lunch. Plus, you’ll have more time on the ship before everyone else gets back.
Lightsaber training
Sounds cool, right? It is, but it needs an introvert warning. You’ll stand in a line, taking turns learning how to use a lightsaber and shield. It’s not difficult. It doesn’t require a lot of coordination, thankfully. Near the end, though, you might feel like you’re on display for the whole class. After the practice rounds, each person steps up to the simulator while the rest of the class stands at the back of the room. Power through! It doesn’t last too long, and everyone else looks just as ridiculous when it’s their turn.
Dinner 2
Dinner on night two isn’t accompanied by Gaya, sorry. But the focus is on the food. Chefs present the courses as they come out. The lighting in the dining room changes with each one. It’s a fun little display.
When you book your voyage, you choose if you want early or late dinners. There are pros and cons to each, and it may be personal preference. I enjoyed having the later dinners. I felt like we had more uninterrupted time to interact with the ship and characters. Now, I don’t want to spoil everything, but if you’re ordering drinks (where you’ll have a tab at the end), pay as soon as you receive the check. You may need to go somewhere quickly…
Note: First and second dinner seating is based on availability. You may find only one option is available. You'll know when you book.
DAY 3
Departure
The time has come. Before experiencing the Galactic Starcuiser, I never would have said I wish the experience was longer than three days. But it’s true. You may not want to leave!
The day before you’ll receive personal cargo tags (luggage tags) to put on your luggage. You’ll set your luggage out by your door by 8 a.m. on day three. This is optional. You can also take your own luggage with you when you disembark and board the launch pod for home. You’ll see a scheduled launch pod time in the events part of your datapad. Like your transport time to Batuu, you don’t have to board at that time. Disembarkation generally happens from 6 a.m. until 10 a.m.
Ignite the spark
Phew, do you feel more prepared for your voyage? There’s so much to experience, and this itinerary doesn’t even cover everything. But I hope this guide gives you reassurance. I was hesitant going into the experience, but from one fellow introvert to another, I think you’ll enjoy it way more than you think. Weeks after, I’m still thinking about my adventure. Despite there being 100 cabins on the Galactic Starcruiser, it feels intimate and you really experience a deep connection to the ship and characters.
May the stars light your way, D•Introverts!
Words or phrases you might hear
a’ deg a’ (ah-deeg-ah) = hello
ba’ ma’ shay (bah-ma-shay) = goodbye
credits = form of payment
datapad = Play Disney Parks app
good journey = hello or farewell
good passage = good morning or good day
Halcyon = name of the ship
holo-sabacc = electronic, holographic version of sabacc card game
holoscan = photo
imaging unit = camera
loth-cat crew = guests 7 and under
M-Band = MagicBand
my honor = you're welcome
personal cargo = luggage
personal cargo tags = luggage tags
sabacc = card game
ship consoles = interactive panels found throughout ship
ta’ bu e tay (ta-boo-eee-tay) = let’s celebrate or cherish the moment
turbolift = elevator
viewport = window into space
Map
Knowing your surroundings can really help an introvert feel comfortable. There’s nothing worse than getting lost and then having to talk to another human for directions. (Although, it may not be a human on the Galactic Starcruiser.) All these ship locations can be found on the map, which can be accessed in your datapad or on the ship consoles.
Deck 6
- Atrium
- Bridge
- Passenger Services
- Sublight Lounge
- The Chandrila Collection (merchandise shop)
- Launch Pod Dock (where you arrive and depart)
Deck 4
- Crown of Corellia Dining Room
- Engineering Room
- Climate Simulator
- Lightsaber Training Pod
- Cargo Hold
Decks 4, 5, and 7 cabins
