resort | Heroes and Aliens

For the past few years, Disney has been designing and building out its new Star Wars-themed attractions. I don’t just mean roller-coasters and stage shows, either, but a multi-day, fully-immersive experience.

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge (formerly Star Wars Land) is a Star Wars theme park attraction “located” on a planet in the Outer Rim. (Well, actually it will be in Florida or California, depending on where you are vacationing, but those are like separate planets, right?) The attraction, a collaboration between the Lucasfilm Story Group and Walt Disney Imagineering, opened in 2019 first at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, then at Disney World near Orlando, Florida.

According to Bob Chapek (who was still Chairman of Walt Disney Parks & Resorts at the time),

“It’s unlike anything that exists today. From the second you arrive, you will become a part of a Star Wars story! You’ll immediately become a citizen of the galaxy and experience all that entails, including dressing up in the proper attire. Once you leave Earth, you will discover a starship alive with characters, stories, and adventures that unfold all around you. It is 100% immersive, and the story will touch every single minute of your day, and it will culminate in a unique journey for every person who visits.”

There will be familiar characters — e.g., Chewbacca, BB-8, Hondo (from Clones and Rebels), Rex from the original Star Tours ride — and familiar locations — e.g., a cantina, the Millennium Falcon (which vistors can “pilot”), a Star Destroyer hangar bay.

But, wait, there’s more! 🙂

Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, scheduled for a 2021 opening, will be a Star Wars-themed resort just a shuttle-pod’s ride from the park; it is centered around the hotel/ship Halcyon, part of the Chandrila Star Line. According to Disney Parks,

“This first-of-its-kind resort will combine luxury with complete immersion into an authentic Star Wars story. Guests’ journey through space will start when everyone departs together for a multiday Stars Wars adventure by boarding a starship alive with characters and stories that unfold all around them during a voyage through the galaxy. At the resort, guests immediately become active citizens of the galaxy and can dress up in the proper attire. [Fans have the choice of interacting with the characters or simply watching the story play out.] Every resort window will also have a view into space. The opportunity for immersion at this resort will also stand out among all Disney resorts around the globe, as it will be seamlessly connected to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, allowing guests a total Star Wars experience.”

As reported by MovieWeb,

“Visitors will also engage in flight training, lightsaber training and ship exploration along with personalized secret missions that will take place both on the Starship and throughout the Star Wars themed planet.”

It won’t be cheap. A regular cabin (see pic below) is relatively small but looks cool, sleeps five, and includes a screen that details your journey and doubles as a regular TV set. That will set you back about $3300 (2-days/2-nights/5-meals) just for single-person occupancy, more for a couple or family. The Captain’s Quarters version will be a bit larger and will, of course, cost a bit more.

It’s out of my price range, but the whole thing sounds awesome!