STAR WARS: GALACTIC STARCRUISER Official Information & Questions Thread

[sophy1996]

Wait, for the $7k we paid you're saying there are things we may not be able to do? We board on December 30th so I am assuming we have time if it's at 60 days out. If not, I can't find where to book things.

There are bookable experiences for extra cost, including Captain's Table for dinner, the portrait experience, and also character face painting. And my DH tells me that the mocktail presentation at the lounge (free and walk-up on our cruise, which was a disappointment because they couldn't handle all the people who showed) has been made into a bookable experience (for mocktails) and a paid experience (for cocktails). We had to call the Starcruiser line to book Captain's Table and the portrait experience. I would call and ask them what all the bookable options are and when you would be able to book them.

 

[Jimmy Mouse]

There are bookable experiences for extra cost, including Captain's Table for dinner, the portrait experience, and also character face painting. And my DH tells me that the mocktail presentation at the lounge (free and walk-up on our cruise, which was a disappointment because they couldn't handle all the people who showed) has been made into a bookable experience (for mocktails) and a paid experience (for cocktails). We had to call the Starcruiser line to book Captain's Table and the portrait experience. I would call and ask them what all the bookable options are and when you would be able to book them.

One would think for the price paid, Disney would include all those. I know, wishful thinking lol. I will call them tomorrow and find out when and how to book. Thanks for the information!

 

[mousedroid]

One would think for the price paid, Disney would include all those. I know, wishful thinking lol. I will call them tomorrow and find out when and how to book. Thanks for the information!

The problem is there are 100 cabins on the Star Cruiser, to give every cabin a 1/2 hour portrait experience would take 50 hours. If you limited the hours for taking portraits to between 5 and 10 PM the first day and noon and 9 PM the second day, that's 14 hours, so you'd need at least for teams of photographs taking pictures continuously, with four groups of passengers jockeying for position in the most desirable photo locations.

And the Captain's table only seats 11 guests, so with two dinner services per night, logically only 44 out of 200+ passengers get to do it.

 

[floribr1]

I was able to take advantage of a last-minute cancellation for June, so it looks like we are boarding the Starcruiser! However, at this point there are no photography packages available. Is there any sort of welcome photo, like they do for character meals? Or is the photography package the only option? I also wonder how open cast members would be to taking family pictures.

There are Photopass photographers available. They will take some fantastic pictures of you with the model of the Halcyon, plus on the bridge (I think... But please don't quote me). Plus there are other Photopass options available, if I recall correctly.

 

[floribr1]

One would think for the price paid, Disney would include all those. I know, wishful thinking lol. I will call them tomorrow and find out when and how to book. Thanks for the information!

As a Halcyon passenger, keep in mind that you also receive Lightning Lane access to both MFSR and ROTR. Those are specific to your Batuu excursion date, but are not not time stamped, i.e., you can go whenever you like on that day.

From my own recent experience, I would say that if you take one of the earliest transports down to the planet, you should be able to ride once in the regular queue and save your lightning lane for a bit later in the day if that is your interest. We only rode each ride once which was good enough for us. We did build a droid and a lightsaber, and went to Oga's Cantina. We still had plenty of time to complete all of our missions before going back up to the Halcyon for lunch.

Have fun!

 

[mousedroid]

As a Halcyon passenger, keep in mind that you also receive Lightning Lane access to both MFSR and ROTR. Those are specific to your Batuu excursion date, but are not not time stamped, i.e., you can go whenever you like on that day.

From my own recent experience, I would say that if you take one of the earliest transports down to the planet, you should be able to ride once in the regular queue and save your lightning lane for a bit later in the day if that is your interest. We only rode each ride once which was good enough for us. We did build a droid and a lightsaber, and went to Oga's Cantina. We still had plenty of time to complete all of our missions before going back up to the Halcyon for lunch.

Have fun!

Something else to keep in mind, you can work on a mission while you're in line for Smuggler's Run. I'm not sure if the mission is exclusive to Starcruiser guests or not, but it requires you to count things on the surface of the Falcon - things you can only see when you are in the ride line. I tried doing it after the fact, mostly by guessing, and that didn't really get me anywhere because I guessed wrong too many times.

 

[robert_j]

There are Photopass photographers available. They will take some fantastic pictures of you with the model of the Halcyon, plus on the bridge (I think... But please don't quote me). Plus there are other Photopass options available, if I recall correctly.

This is great to know, thank you! I have not been to Disney World for a while (Disneyland has become my "home" park). Can you buy those as part of a package or is it a la carte? Or both?

 

[Jimmy Mouse]

As a Halcyon passenger, keep in mind that you also receive Lightning Lane access to both MFSR and ROTR. Those are specific to your Batuu excursion date, but are not not time stamped, i.e., you can go whenever you like on that day.

From my own recent experience, I would say that if you take one of the earliest transports down to the planet, you should be able to ride once in the regular queue and save your lightning lane for a bit later in the day if that is your interest. We only rode each ride once which was good enough for us. We did build a droid and a lightsaber, and went to Oga's Cantina. We still had plenty of time to complete all of our missions before going back up to the Halcyon for lunch.

Have fun!

We will be content riding both Rise and Smugglers just once. We have rode both many many times. I think if we do those, a little shopping, eat at Docking Bay and maybe Olga's if we can grab a reservation and whatever missions we can do it will be great!

 

[Chris401]

I’m still debating my portrait session at 830pm on day 1. for those that have gone, is that a pretty inconvenient time? Should i try hard to move that? Also, regarding the mixology classes, are those only booked once on ship, or can those be booked in advance (less than 60 days out)

 

[mousedroid]

I’m still debating my portrait session at 830pm on day 1. for those that have gone, is that a pretty inconvenient time? Should i try hard to move that? Also, regarding the mixology classes, are those only booked once on ship, or can those be booked in advance (less than 60 days out)

I can't say for sure about the mixology classes. I think our cruise, or the one before it was the first to offer this and we didn't find out about it until we were in line to get on the ship. My guess though would be that they'd offer them for booking in advance. It's more fair that way (you don't have to be first in line to get on the ship to book it), and one less headache for the CMs to worry about while getting people in.

An 8:30 PM portrait experience on day 1 isn't ideal in my opinion because there will likely be parts of the ship that are off limits (like the bridge if people are doing bridge training), or otherwise crowded with people trying to do missions (like the cargo bay corridor where we had some pretty cool pics taken.

I think the best time to do the portrait experience (based on our experience) is mid afternoon of day 2. It might mean coming back from Batuu early, but that's when the ship will be the most empty and the least will be going on.

Alternately you could try for the morning of day 2 when people are leaving for Batuu. I'm not sure what hours are available to book. I also don't think there's any rule about returning from Batuu and then going back. Like if you booked a 12 PM session, went to Batuu at 8, came back for your session, and then headed back to Batuu afterwards for a few hours.

 

[floribr1]

This is great to know, thank you! I have not been to Disney World for a while (Disneyland has become my "home" park). Can you buy those as part of a package or is it a la carte? Or both?

You can purchase a Photopass package as part of your voyage, and that will include all photos they take during your entire stay (i.e., both on the Halcyon and while on planet). Otherwise, you can purchase one full day after-the-fact. In retrospect, I wish we had purchased the Photopass package, as they took some great shots that we want to have... We did not utilize the Photopass photographers while on planet, but if we had purchased the package I am sure we would have.

I do not recall the pricing, but I remember that it seemed quite expensive to me... But if you get it, you will definitely get some very cool, professional shots both on the ship and while on Batuu.

 

[mousedroid]

You can purchase a Photopass package as part of your voyage, and that will include all photos they take during your entire stay (i.e., both on the Halcyon and while on planet). Otherwise, you can purchase one full day after-the-fact. In retrospect, I wish we had purchased the Photopass package, as they took some great shots that we want to have... We did not utilize the Photopass photographers while on planet, but if we had purchased the package I am sure we would have.

I do not recall the pricing, but I remember that it seemed quite expensive to me... But if you get it, you will definitely get some very cool, professional shots both on the ship and while on Batuu.

According to my records, the Portrait Session, or whatever it is specifically called, was $99.00

 

[TigerlilyAJ]

Does anyone know if GS 2023 dates will drop on June 8 like the regular WDW vacation packages will?

 

[JFox]

We are in Batuu today for recon and shopping to prepare for our Trip in July. I have a few observations,

1. Passengers did not start arriving until about 8:45am
2. The crew suggested to enjoy breakfast, not rush and expect to spend 3 hours on planet to "do it all"
3. Not many passengers were in costume, most in shorts and t-shirts
4. I was surprised to see most passengers not wearing their pins. I asked the crew when the pins were given out and they said on the transport. So maybe the pins just went into pockets to be put on later.
5. It's AFRICA HOT! I am rethinking my costume

 

[only hope]

We are in Batuu today for recon and shopping to prepare for our Trip in July. I have a few observations,

1. Passengers did not start arriving until about 8:45am
2. The crew suggested to enjoy breakfast, not rush and expect to spend 3 hours on planet to "do it all"
3. Not many passengers were in costume, most in shorts and t-shirts
4. I was surprised to see most passengers not wearing their pins. I asked the crew when the pins were given out and they said on the transport. So maybe the pins just went into pockets to be put on later.
5. It's AFRICA HOT! I am rethinking my costume

My guess is that during the summer months fewer people will cosplay on Batuu. It’s just too hot for most things. Before I let my pass expire last year, I was much more likely to dress up during the fall and winter. If I did during the summer I did not wear my vest.

 

[GeneralLeia003]

I’m still debating my portrait session at 830pm on day 1. for those that have gone, is that a pretty inconvenient time? Should i try hard to move that? Also, regarding the mixology classes, are those only booked once on ship, or can those be booked in advance (less than 60 days out)

I would move it to the next day, if possible. At that time, people are all over the ship, doing various trainings, meeting cast members, and getting involved in the story. We had our photo session at 12 on Day 2 and we had the entire place (minus the Dining Room) to ourselves. We came back a bit early, freshened up for the shoot, changed out of costumes and ate lunch, and then headed back to Batuu.

 

[GeneralLeia003]

We are in Batuu today for recon and shopping to prepare for our Trip in July. I have a few observations,

1. Passengers did not start arriving until about 8:45am
2. The crew suggested to enjoy breakfast, not rush and expect to spend 3 hours on planet to "do it all"
3. Not many passengers were in costume, most in shorts and t-shirts
4. I was surprised to see most passengers not wearing their pins. I asked the crew when the pins were given out and they said on the transport. So maybe the pins just went into pockets to be put on later.
5. It's AFRICA HOT! I am rethinking my costume

My costume was white and I was sweating buckets. We only wore them in the morning and changed around lunchtime.

In regards to the pins, we got them literally right before we got on the transport but they didn’t need them to identify us. Most people spent the whole time at the park, so it was good they didn’t wear costumes. I think it was 95 the day we went.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

On the topic of when new dates past 12/31/2022 may become available...if I did my math right the timing of the two releases to date have been something like this...

	From (check-in)	To (check-out)	# of Days	# of Voyages		General Booking Available	Days in Advance of First New Date	Months in Advance of First New Date
Release #1	3/1/2022	10/1/2022	214	107		10/28/2021	124	4.1
Release #2	10/1/2022	1/1/2023	92	46		3/4/2022	211	6.9

Early June would fit the roughly just under 7 months out of Release #2. But obviously big TBD if any sort of pattern emerges with this thing. One could argue that since many book this in conjunction with other portions of a WDW stay, it'd be nice if 2023 dates get released here sometime soon just for convenience for those that plan that far out.

 

[robert_j]

A few odds and ends as I am planning for our trip next month.

I would move it to the next day, if possible. At that time, people are all over the ship, doing various trainings, meeting cast members, and getting involved in the story. We had our photo session at 12 on Day 2 and we had the entire place (minus the Dining Room) to ourselves. We came back a bit early, freshened up for the shoot, changed out of costumes and ate lunch, and then headed back to Batuu.

I noticed last week that our trip dates in June were open for booking again, most likely because of a cancelation, so I called and sure enough there was a photo experience available. So definitely keep checking if like us you missed it! We have been using the Available Voyage Dates calendar on the website as a guide for when we should call again. It would be great to do the portrait experience on day 2, but I am taking what I can get at this point, which is day 1 at 8:00.

I would think there are pros and cons to the various times. It sounds like there may be story elements happening during our window on day 1, and that the ship will be crowded. On the other hand, we will be at our freshest in terms of energy, the look of our outfits, and so forth. Day 2 in the afternoon might mean a less crowded ship, but I suspect we will not be looking our best after the June Florida sun, and I do not want to rush the family back from Batuu to freshen up for a photo shoot. But we did not have a choice, so I am grateful for what I could get.

5. It's AFRICA HOT! I am rethinking my costume

We are thinking in terms of layers, with the idea that I will wear the typical sun smart gear I always do for the parks, but in themed colors (oranges, blacks, browns), and then have a major costume accessory that coordinates with everything else. Most likely the accessory piece will be for the Starcruiser only. I don't want to wear a sweat drenched cloak around the ship! Can you imagine going outside in June in something like the Organa Security Aide Jacket? I would have to air it out and probably get it dry cleaned! I also don't want to wear what everyone else is so I have been looking at boutique retailers online that cater to Burning Man for the accessory piece. Something like a neutral hooded robe or vest that I can decorate with pins, etc.

I think there is no way they will be expecting us to purchase Disney Genie+. My bet is that we will have ILL's pre-assigned to us, based on whatever other plans we might have already made at our 60-day mark.

My kids have been asking whether they can go on other rides at Hollywood Studios during our time on Batuu. I have been telling them to think of the Starcruiser itself as a two-day attraction, and that we should focus on that and try to stay in the bubble. I still think that is the correct answer, but I could see how something like Star Tours might still make sense. Obviously we get the two lightning lanes included in our package. Is it even possible to buy Genie+ for HS if you are Starcruiser guests? Can you purchase it at midnight the night before the Batuu excursion, and then use it to book things like Star Tours and Slinky Dog Dash? I am not sure I even want to go down this path, but I was wondering if it is possible. We have recently done Savi's/droids/Ogas in the California park, and we are not planning to do those again, but we have not been to HS in a long time, and never with the kids.

 

[robert_j]

In regards to the pins, we got them literally right before we got on the transport but they didn’t need them to identify us.

Hmm, so maybe we get a themed lanyard? I am guessing you mean by "they" that the Starcruiser cast members do not need them to recognize guests, but you might still miss out on Batuu interactions?