squirk
Saw what you did and knows who you are.
- Joined
- Apr 9, 2011
I was asked by a few ppl to compare my recent Starcruiser trip to a real DCL cruise. For those interested:
I am a deep, hardcore Star Wars nerd, so I’ll admit upfront to a heavy bias toward the theme of the Starcruiser experience.
And I think that’s the best way to describe Starcruiser - it is cruise-ish, but it’s really more of an “experience.” I’ll try not to spoil anything, but no guarantees.
11 ways it’s similar to a DCL cruise:
1.) Cast members are top-notch. They clearly recruited the cream of the crop in terms of the front-of-the-house talent pool.
2.) All food included. Alcoholic and specialty drinks extra.
3.) Clean, clean, clean. Everything was spotless on arrival and stayed that way throughout the cruise.
4.) Dinner entertainment similar to Tiana’s, Rapunzel’s or the upcoming Frozen restaurant on the Wish.
5.) Standard staterooms are smaller than a normal WDW hotel room (though actually bigger than a standard DCL stateroom). You need to be creative with your use of the space.
6.) Themed music piped into the hallways of the ship.
7.) Every room has an “ocean view” (of space).
8.) You get to interact/mingle with the “captain”, the “cruise director”, the entertainers.
9.) There are on-deck activities like bingo, droid racing, costume regalia, matching/memory games, etc.
10.) A huge part of the experience is something best described as “Midship Detective Agency on ultra-mega steroids.” It’s what Galaxy’s Edge should have been when it opened.
11.) You have a “port adventure,” complete with a tender, down to Batuu/Galaxy’s Edge.
11 ways it’s different than a DCL cruise:
1.) Every cast member stays in-character 24/7. They will talk to you as if they (and you) are living in the SW universe.
2.) None of the rooms have real windows, and there is only one place on the ship to get real-life fresh air and sunshine.
3.) Dinners are served family style. No official a la carte options on the menu (though the server will find you something else if you like).
4.) No pool.
5.) Common areas are very limited. Really, it’s just the ship’s atrium, the one shop, the one lounge, the one restaurant, and then special rooms (the bridge, the engine room, the brig, etc.) where story events take place
6.) There is a heavy LARP component to the cruise. You don’t have to participate, but you are constantly surrounded by it.
7.) No place to get sundries (though CMs can run and get you some).
8.) Only one dining area for breakfast/lunch/dinner.
9.) No kids club or adult-only area.
10.) They did a great job making food look weird and alien, but that creativity comes at the expense of variety. Nowhere near as many buffet food options as Cabanas.
11.) If you want value for what you paid, there isn’t a lot of time to relax. It’s chock-a-block activity for the two days. Sure, you don’t have to engage and can just chill in your room, but you are then paying a lot of money to just hang out and watch TV.
In short, I loved it. But again, I have a deep affinity for the SW IP.
Also, I will be the first to echo what Len Testa said - there are a LOT of real-life adventures to try and locations to visit that you can do for far less money. I will definitely do this again, but it probably won’t be something I’ll do every year, like I do with a cruise.
You will get the most bang for your buck if you really lean into the story unfolding on the ship. You don’t have to wear costumes or LARP per se, but if you play along and have fun with it, you’ll get a lot more out of the experience.
TL;DR - if SW is your thing, this is easily a 5/5 experience. If you are neutral on SW, you still might enjoy it because of the excellent theming, the top-notch CMs, and the immersive storytelling experience. If you actively dislike SW, your money is probably better spent elsewhere.
I hope that was helpful. Happy to answer any questions anyone may have.
I am a deep, hardcore Star Wars nerd, so I’ll admit upfront to a heavy bias toward the theme of the Starcruiser experience.
And I think that’s the best way to describe Starcruiser - it is cruise-ish, but it’s really more of an “experience.” I’ll try not to spoil anything, but no guarantees.
11 ways it’s similar to a DCL cruise:
1.) Cast members are top-notch. They clearly recruited the cream of the crop in terms of the front-of-the-house talent pool.
2.) All food included. Alcoholic and specialty drinks extra.
3.) Clean, clean, clean. Everything was spotless on arrival and stayed that way throughout the cruise.
4.) Dinner entertainment similar to Tiana’s, Rapunzel’s or the upcoming Frozen restaurant on the Wish.
5.) Standard staterooms are smaller than a normal WDW hotel room (though actually bigger than a standard DCL stateroom). You need to be creative with your use of the space.
6.) Themed music piped into the hallways of the ship.
7.) Every room has an “ocean view” (of space).
8.) You get to interact/mingle with the “captain”, the “cruise director”, the entertainers.
9.) There are on-deck activities like bingo, droid racing, costume regalia, matching/memory games, etc.
10.) A huge part of the experience is something best described as “Midship Detective Agency on ultra-mega steroids.” It’s what Galaxy’s Edge should have been when it opened.
11.) You have a “port adventure,” complete with a tender, down to Batuu/Galaxy’s Edge.
11 ways it’s different than a DCL cruise:
1.) Every cast member stays in-character 24/7. They will talk to you as if they (and you) are living in the SW universe.
2.) None of the rooms have real windows, and there is only one place on the ship to get real-life fresh air and sunshine.
3.) Dinners are served family style. No official a la carte options on the menu (though the server will find you something else if you like).
4.) No pool.
5.) Common areas are very limited. Really, it’s just the ship’s atrium, the one shop, the one lounge, the one restaurant, and then special rooms (the bridge, the engine room, the brig, etc.) where story events take place
6.) There is a heavy LARP component to the cruise. You don’t have to participate, but you are constantly surrounded by it.
7.) No place to get sundries (though CMs can run and get you some).
8.) Only one dining area for breakfast/lunch/dinner.
9.) No kids club or adult-only area.
10.) They did a great job making food look weird and alien, but that creativity comes at the expense of variety. Nowhere near as many buffet food options as Cabanas.
11.) If you want value for what you paid, there isn’t a lot of time to relax. It’s chock-a-block activity for the two days. Sure, you don’t have to engage and can just chill in your room, but you are then paying a lot of money to just hang out and watch TV.
In short, I loved it. But again, I have a deep affinity for the SW IP.
Also, I will be the first to echo what Len Testa said - there are a LOT of real-life adventures to try and locations to visit that you can do for far less money. I will definitely do this again, but it probably won’t be something I’ll do every year, like I do with a cruise.
You will get the most bang for your buck if you really lean into the story unfolding on the ship. You don’t have to wear costumes or LARP per se, but if you play along and have fun with it, you’ll get a lot more out of the experience.
TL;DR - if SW is your thing, this is easily a 5/5 experience. If you are neutral on SW, you still might enjoy it because of the excellent theming, the top-notch CMs, and the immersive storytelling experience. If you actively dislike SW, your money is probably better spent elsewhere.
I hope that was helpful. Happy to answer any questions anyone may have.
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