Price Breakdown: Why ‘Galactic Starcruiser’ Cost Actually Make Sense

On March 1, 2022, Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser will open at the Walt Disney World Resort, and the Halcyon will welcome her first passengers for an interplanetary journey through space.

The 2-day immersive experience was first met with excitement, but then Fanatics discovered how much the experience was going to cost.

According to Disney World’s website,

Rates are based on the number of Guests per cabin per night. They are ranging from $1,209 per Guest per night for two passengers to $749 per Guest per Night for three adults and one child.

Realistically, Guests are looking to spend between $5-6,000 in three days and two nights. Many have said that price is ridiculous, but let’s dig in to see what’s included before we determine the true relative cost.

What is included in Galactic Starcruiser?

There is actually a LOT included in your Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser 2-day immersive adventure.

According to Disney,

Your Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser vacation package includes:

2-night stay in a cabin or suite

Ongoing, immersive and interactive entertainment, where choices determine your experience*

Food and beverages on the starcruiser (excluding alcoholic and specialty beverages) and a quick-service meal at Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo or other select locations at Disney’s Hollywood Studios**

Admission to Disney’s Hollywood Studios for your planetary excursion to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge

Valet parking

Exclusive Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser MagicBand

First, let’s go through the obvious:

1. Valet parking costs $33 per night alone for a two-night/three-day stay at Disney World.
2. Magic Bands already cost a minimum of $30 now, but the value of this Starcruiser-exclusive would most likely put its shopDisney shelf value around or over $50 each, so multiply that times your expected Disney World Vacation Party.
3. A single-day Standard Theme Park Ticket will also run Guests between $129 and $150+.

After that, we have a two-night stay at Walt Disney World’s newest–and arguably most technologically advanced–hotel with Cast Members working ’round-the-clock to provide an out-of-this-world experience that seems to be on-par with the cruise industry, AND included meals both “onboard” the Halcyon, and in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. But let’s dig a little deeper into those.

Cost of Food at Star Wars: Intergalactic Starcruiser

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It seems that Disney Imagineers are really shooting for the stars to create “out of this world” dining experiences that are already included in your vacation package.

Disney describes the experiences as the following:

On the first night of your adventure, the Crown of Corellia Dining Room transforms for dinner into an enticing table-service supper club with a special musical appearance by a galactic superstar. You’ll enjoy a special evening with distinctive dining and entertainment as you socialize with passengers and crew.

The second night, The Taste Around the Galaxy showcases courses inspired by the geography and environments of iconic destination planets throughout the galaxy. With the serving of each course, a brief introduction presents the name, inspiration and ingredients for the dishes. The meal includes group appetizers for the table, entrées for the table and a specialty plated dessert.

Now, an average dinner at a Disney World Resort hotel can run Guests around $40 per person. An ultra-deluxe experience like this, though, would probably be listed on Disney World’s website with $$$$, which is more than $60 per person. So, let’s call it $50 per person.

Breakfast and lunch are also available aboard the ship. But, a quick-service meal during your excursion to Black Spire Outpost at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is also included, and this meal credit is good for the following locations:

• Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo ($14.99 and Under per Adult)
• ABC Commissary ($14.99 and Under per Adult)
• Anaheim Produce ($14.99 and Under per Adult)
• Backlot Express ($14.99 and Under per Adult)
• Catalina Eddie’s ($14.99 and Under per Adult)
• Dockside Diner ($14.99 and Under per Adult)
• Epic Eats ($14.99 and Under per Adult)
• Fairfax Fare ($14.99 and Under per Adult)
• Hollywood Scoops ($14.99 and Under per Adult)
• Kat Saka’s Kettle ($14.99 and Under per Adult)
• KRNR The Rock Station ($14.99 and Under per Adult)
• Market ($14.99 and Under per Adult)
• Neighborhood Bakery ($14.99 and Under per Adult)
• PizzeRisso ($14.99 and Under per Adult)
• Ronto Roasters ($14.99 and Under per Adult)
• Rosie’s All-American Cafe ($14.99 and Under per Adult)
• The Trolley Car Cafe ($14.99 and Under per Adult)
• Woody’s Lunch Box ($14.99 and Under per Adult)

With this in mind, let’s round the base meal tab out at $200 per person per stay.

Now, let’s finish off with the cost of room and board on the Halcyon. 

Room Cost for Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser

Related: New Canon: ‘Han & Leia’ Honeymooned on Disney’s Galactic Starcruiser

So, a family of three–two adults and one child–is looking to book a room aboard the Halcyon. Disney says that will cost $5,299 for the entire voyage. Let’s subtract $280 for two dinners, $45 for in-park lunch, another $420 for three Theme Park tickets, $75 for valet ($66 charge + tip), and $150 for three exclusive Magic Bands.

Using these ballpark numbers, our estimated hotel charge remains $4,329 for our family of three. That is $2,164.50 per night.

To put this into perspective, this price sits right between the average cost of a Deluxe Resort and Disney’s Deluxe Villas. Guests can stay at monorail hotels like the contemporary this March for less than half the cost. But here’s the thing: Galactic Starcruiser is not just another Disney World Resort hotel. It is truly a two-night/three-day cruise that pretends to go to a Galaxy Far Far Away instead of embarking on the high seas.

Because of this, Disney requires a little more Cast Member Magic than it does for Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa or Disney’s BoardWalk, and it adds the cost of that extra demand into its price when it says:

Ongoing, immersive and interactive entertainment, where choices determine your experience.

And on top of that 24/7 Cast Member immersion, Guests will also experience cutting-edge technological innovation that no doubt comes with a staggering operational cost.

I haven’t even gone into any of the other amenities and experiences Guests will get to take advantage of, like the Sublight Lounge or the Lightsaber Training, because, frankly, I don’t need to. The basic package alone demonstrates that Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser is appropriately priced.

Related: Are These Walt Disney World Hotel Deals Too Good to Be True?

The only problem is my own which is that I am nowhere near a big enough Star Wars fan to shell out that kind of cash. Personally, I’d take that money and book myself a Villa at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge, or one of the Bora Bora Bungalows at Disney’s Polynesian Resort, or a Park view suite at Bay Lake Tower. But, hey, to each their own, and for those who yearn to step further into the Star Wars Universe, then may the Force be with you!