JohnRPG
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- May 13, 2014
Trip report - Cruise 6/13/22 - 6/15/22
Travel Party (self, DW, DD14)
Background - I write for tabletop RPGs as a hobby business, including the current Star Wars RPG line. DD and I both fence lightsaber competitively. I am a very devoted Star Wars nerd.
Room - Standard cabin. I'm enough of a nerd that I was excited to get room 314.
Scheduled Events - Dinner Service 1 (both days), Lightsaber Training Day 1 @ 5PM, Bridge Ops Training Day 1 @ 9PM, Oga's Cantina Day 2 @ 10:40AM, Portrait Session Day 2 @ 2:30PM
We booked last fall as during the Disney Visa early booking period. Based on airline prices that I saw up through the spring, we committed to driving (from Ohio), since it'd be cheaper. With fuel prices, I think it still was, but not by much.
Day 1 - We arrived at the hotel around Noon on our check-in day. Initial check-in went without issue, and we received our magic bands. By the time we were line up, I think we were around the 6th or so group in line. While waiting in line, someone bumped my daughter's arm, which knocked her phone to the ground and shattered the screen. Disney CM were great about setting us up with a loaner device that she used throughout the cruise. (The Florida Mall Apple Store were great about getting our device replaced after the cruise, too.) Maybe 1/3 of the initial crowd were in costume at this point. (We were not.) Considering the temperature was in the high 90s, we opted to wait to dress up once we were checked in. (Also, the last four hours of our drive was the morning of check-in day, and I didn't want to have to explain my outfit if there was a traffic stop.)
After a quick security scan, short wait in line, and safety video, we took our shuttle up to the Halcyon. Then, we were taken to our room and given the quick tour. Our luggage was already there. We changed into costumes, and headed to the lunch buffet. Note - DD and I both wore 3rd party lightsabers throughout the cruise. (Non-Savi's, much lighter and smaller.)
After lunch, we did tour departing from the Atrium, and quickly started developing our stories. DD & DW had an odd hiccup with their magic bands, where they couldn't get past the first interactions with the ship's data consoles. After a few minutes, we figured out that their magic bands weren't properly associated with their accounts. A trip to the service desk got this resolved after a few minutes of confusion. There were no further technical issues after that.
I didn't expect things to start until the 4PM muster, but they definitely got moving before this. It did take a little bit of work to get moving into the story. This was really a matter of tracking down cast members and making it a point to engage with them. Some of them were harder to find than others, but the interactions were more than worth the time and effort. It was amazing to me how quickly characters managed to retain our names. Really, be prepared to hit the ground running at this stage. Move through different areas, and keep your eyes open.
From the Captain's reception, we moved directly to lightsaber training. There's video of it out there. It's really, a very straightforward and basic routine. From a story and special effects perspective, it was neat. From a perspective of actually learning how to do sword things, it was not useful. I get why they incorporate the shields in order to give people something to do during the training exercise, but I did not care for them.
Dinner was fantastic, and Gaya put on a really impressive show. Afterward, there was plenty to do on the ship, but joining into the storyline development was by far the best choice for us. There really was a lot more going on at this stage than I had expected there to be.
Bridge Training was much more entertaining than I expected it to be. This was both fun and a cool team building kind of exercise. It helped grow relationships with other passengers, which was pretty cool.
We visited the Lounge after things were done for the day and sampled a few of the drinks. I enjoyed the Fiery Mustafarian, and I'm happy to have the glass, too.
Definitely have D3-O9 tell you a bedtime story. It was absolutely fantastic.
Day 2: We had spent a couple of days in Batuu in spring of 2021, so we had previously built sabers at Savi's and hit Droid Depot. We weren't planning on either of them. Our plan was RotR, MFSR, Missions, Oga's, shop, lunch at Ronto Roasters, and back to the hotel. We did not bound/costume for Batuu. It was in the upper 90s, and we were way more concerned about the heat than how we looked. If anyone asked, our planned explanation for our T-shirts and shorts was, "We're just trying to blend in with the natives." (No one asked.)
Rides and missions went smoothly. Rise did break down as we were walking through the line, but the CM reset our lightning lane, and we were able to ride without issue ~30 minutes later. We had a little engagement due to our pins, but not a ton. Dok Ondars had a few new items that drew our attention, and we found out that Droid Depot had C-series droids. So, that required a new addition to our astromech family.
After we headed back, we cleaned up and changed into costumes for our CSL portrait session. This was extremely cool. The photographers were great, and we're very happy with the shots they took. This was money and time well spent.
In the afternoon, missions and other interactions back aboard the ship continued to develop quickly and furiously. The later storyline missions were absolutely amazing. Disney managed to combine some truly impressive technology along with some fantastic actors to really make those moments emotionally invested. I really loved it, and those were certainly highlights of the experience.
The grand finale in the atrium was a let down after that for us. My daughter and I both found the choreography to be very poorly executed. The story beats were great, and the effects were mostly pretty cool. But the choreography was the first thing that completely broke immersion for me.
We enjoyed the desserts after that, but for our tastes, the Sublight Lounge's snacks and drinks were even better. (The fried green beans and the smoked cheeses were both world class.)
Day 3: The next morning, we had no issues with checkout. However, it took them a surprisingly long time to bring our car around. I drive a manual transmission, though, and I think that was part of the complication.
General Notes:
Travel Party (self, DW, DD14)
Background - I write for tabletop RPGs as a hobby business, including the current Star Wars RPG line. DD and I both fence lightsaber competitively. I am a very devoted Star Wars nerd.
Room - Standard cabin. I'm enough of a nerd that I was excited to get room 314.
Scheduled Events - Dinner Service 1 (both days), Lightsaber Training Day 1 @ 5PM, Bridge Ops Training Day 1 @ 9PM, Oga's Cantina Day 2 @ 10:40AM, Portrait Session Day 2 @ 2:30PM
We booked last fall as during the Disney Visa early booking period. Based on airline prices that I saw up through the spring, we committed to driving (from Ohio), since it'd be cheaper. With fuel prices, I think it still was, but not by much.
Day 1 - We arrived at the hotel around Noon on our check-in day. Initial check-in went without issue, and we received our magic bands. By the time we were line up, I think we were around the 6th or so group in line. While waiting in line, someone bumped my daughter's arm, which knocked her phone to the ground and shattered the screen. Disney CM were great about setting us up with a loaner device that she used throughout the cruise. (The Florida Mall Apple Store were great about getting our device replaced after the cruise, too.) Maybe 1/3 of the initial crowd were in costume at this point. (We were not.) Considering the temperature was in the high 90s, we opted to wait to dress up once we were checked in. (Also, the last four hours of our drive was the morning of check-in day, and I didn't want to have to explain my outfit if there was a traffic stop.)
After a quick security scan, short wait in line, and safety video, we took our shuttle up to the Halcyon. Then, we were taken to our room and given the quick tour. Our luggage was already there. We changed into costumes, and headed to the lunch buffet. Note - DD and I both wore 3rd party lightsabers throughout the cruise. (Non-Savi's, much lighter and smaller.)
After lunch, we did tour departing from the Atrium, and quickly started developing our stories. DD & DW had an odd hiccup with their magic bands, where they couldn't get past the first interactions with the ship's data consoles. After a few minutes, we figured out that their magic bands weren't properly associated with their accounts. A trip to the service desk got this resolved after a few minutes of confusion. There were no further technical issues after that.
I didn't expect things to start until the 4PM muster, but they definitely got moving before this. It did take a little bit of work to get moving into the story. This was really a matter of tracking down cast members and making it a point to engage with them. Some of them were harder to find than others, but the interactions were more than worth the time and effort. It was amazing to me how quickly characters managed to retain our names. Really, be prepared to hit the ground running at this stage. Move through different areas, and keep your eyes open.
From the Captain's reception, we moved directly to lightsaber training. There's video of it out there. It's really, a very straightforward and basic routine. From a story and special effects perspective, it was neat. From a perspective of actually learning how to do sword things, it was not useful. I get why they incorporate the shields in order to give people something to do during the training exercise, but I did not care for them.
Dinner was fantastic, and Gaya put on a really impressive show. Afterward, there was plenty to do on the ship, but joining into the storyline development was by far the best choice for us. There really was a lot more going on at this stage than I had expected there to be.
Bridge Training was much more entertaining than I expected it to be. This was both fun and a cool team building kind of exercise. It helped grow relationships with other passengers, which was pretty cool.
We visited the Lounge after things were done for the day and sampled a few of the drinks. I enjoyed the Fiery Mustafarian, and I'm happy to have the glass, too.
Definitely have D3-O9 tell you a bedtime story. It was absolutely fantastic.
Day 2: We had spent a couple of days in Batuu in spring of 2021, so we had previously built sabers at Savi's and hit Droid Depot. We weren't planning on either of them. Our plan was RotR, MFSR, Missions, Oga's, shop, lunch at Ronto Roasters, and back to the hotel. We did not bound/costume for Batuu. It was in the upper 90s, and we were way more concerned about the heat than how we looked. If anyone asked, our planned explanation for our T-shirts and shorts was, "We're just trying to blend in with the natives." (No one asked.)
Rides and missions went smoothly. Rise did break down as we were walking through the line, but the CM reset our lightning lane, and we were able to ride without issue ~30 minutes later. We had a little engagement due to our pins, but not a ton. Dok Ondars had a few new items that drew our attention, and we found out that Droid Depot had C-series droids. So, that required a new addition to our astromech family.
After we headed back, we cleaned up and changed into costumes for our CSL portrait session. This was extremely cool. The photographers were great, and we're very happy with the shots they took. This was money and time well spent.
In the afternoon, missions and other interactions back aboard the ship continued to develop quickly and furiously. The later storyline missions were absolutely amazing. Disney managed to combine some truly impressive technology along with some fantastic actors to really make those moments emotionally invested. I really loved it, and those were certainly highlights of the experience.
The grand finale in the atrium was a let down after that for us. My daughter and I both found the choreography to be very poorly executed. The story beats were great, and the effects were mostly pretty cool. But the choreography was the first thing that completely broke immersion for me.
We enjoyed the desserts after that, but for our tastes, the Sublight Lounge's snacks and drinks were even better. (The fried green beans and the smoked cheeses were both world class.)
Day 3: The next morning, we had no issues with checkout. However, it took them a surprisingly long time to bring our car around. I drive a manual transmission, though, and I think that was part of the complication.
General Notes:
- No bones about it, The Starcruiser is Live Action Role Playing (LARP) for the masses, delivered as a premium product on a corporate budget that likely exceeds the entire tabletop RPG industry. The interactions are incredibly approachable. If you've played RPGs or LARPs before, it's going to make embracing the experience more familiar. If you haven't, there is very little barrier to entry.
- Everyone has said it, but the theming is amazing. From construction to costuming to meals. It’s as immersive as anyone could ask for at the price point and still have it be accessible to the mainstream.
- The cast does a fantastic job of immersing and drawing everyone into the story. They were also stunningly good at learning people’s names and retaining them.
- The app interface is a huge part of the experience. There is a small learning curve here. We watched many people fight the app instead of using it as intended. Bring a battery pack. You’re going to spend two days living on it.
- It’s sequel era Star Wars. Know and embrace that going in, or don’t go.
- This would be a terrible way to experience Galaxy’s Edge at Hollywood Studios for the first time. You basically have 4 hours there. We took two 12 hour days to explore it last year, and I know we still haven’t seen everything in detail.
- We saw some very young children there, they may have enjoyed it, but most were exhausted throughout the experience.
- For what you get, compared to other Disney vacations, I think it’s a very good value.
- Food was delicious and very conscientious of allergies and dietary restrictions. It was always available in quantity. Almost everything was prepared in ways that felt like they came from another world.
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