Everything We Know About The Food On Disney's Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser
Ever dreamed of fighting the First Order in an epic battle? How about sipping on some blue-hued Bantha milk to quench your thirst?
Unless you've been living under a rock, you've probably heard about Disney's most ambitious opening quite possibly ever. Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser opened at Walt Disney World to great fanfare. With a price tag that will redefine the phrase "sticker shock" — more on that to come — the immersive theatre-experience-meets-luxury-resort welcomes guests for 48+ continuous hours of living out their ultimate "Star Wars" fantasy.
After giving a big ole hug to Chewbacca, we were most excited about the copious amounts of intergalactic foods we'd be able to get our non-alien hands on. From blue shrimp to a live dinner show from an alien pop star (?!), we are breaking down the eating experience aboard one of the most unique places you may ever stay. Here is everything we know about the food on Disney's Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser.
What is the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser?
Before we can answer what the the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser is, we must first address what it isn't. If there is one thing it is not, it is not a hotel. It is an immersive experience ... that also provides lodging. We have probably colored you all sorts of confused, but Disney has continually insisted that this is not merely a hotel, but an elaborate, immersive, multi-day experience that will finally give you the chance to travel to a galaxy far, far away. As you play Padawan for a few days, you will be sleeping onboard in a cabin with a window view of "space."
The two-night excursion is a live-action role-playing (LARP) experience that offers guests the opportunity to thrust themselves directly into the storyline of one of the most beloved film franchises of all time. Upon check-in, you will leave all notions of your identity behind and immerse yourself fully in a choose-your-own-adventure of sorts. Your journey takes place aboard the Halcyon, a spaceship that's part of the Chandrila Star Lines Fleet. A personal datapad will assist you in narrating your story, where every character you meet along the way — whether mingling in the lobby or sipping on libations in the lounge — plays a role. Your mission, should you choose to accept (and afford) it, will result in one of the most elaborate — and exhausting — experiences you have ever had.
Does it really cost $6,000?
Sounds amazing, right? Yes, this next-level display of Disney Imagineering is quite possible the future of themed entertainment. With that being said, it is going to cost you a pretty penny. This two-night journey aboard a windowless, very much not moving spaceship in central Florida will set you back a cool $6,000. Prices are largely dependent upon your party size and date of visit, but according to Attractions Magazine, most voyages are around this price level. It is not exactly cheap to afford a dude in a Kylo Ren get up. The experience also includes real-life lightsabers, which is making us believe that a cool 6 grand isn't so bad after all.
In addition to non-stop live entertainment, your two-day voyage includes accommodations on-board, all meals on-board, non-alcoholic beverages, and a trip to Disney's Hollywood Studios for a visit to Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. There's also free-flowing blue milk, green milk, and sparkling water in the lobby, so we're pretty much sold.
All food is included, as it operates like a cruise
Lightsabers and blue milk aside, we are here for the food. A voyage on the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser operates much like a traditional cruise in that all meals are included. Like a true foodie delight, from the early morning hours until the wee hours of the night, the food will be dished out. Their culinary pursuits are not a means to sustain you through the next activities, but are a show in of themselves. Disney is not new to pushing the envelope when it comes to taking the mundane and making it extraordinary — and aboard the Halcyon that especially rings true.
The on-board menus read like a galactic feast where the recognizable is given other worldly upgrades in the form of smoke, blue tints, and much more. The familiar is there — like the breakfast staple of waffles, but with the ship's branding emblazoned on it. Inspired options include a tamarind-glazed burra fish with braised kale, chickpeas, and curry. You may be in space, but this is billed as a luxury experience — and it's a delicious world after all.
The Crown of Corellia is its otherworldly dining room
Step inside the Crown of Corellia — the ship's next level dining room and the heart of the ship on deck 4. The 100-room spaceship is centered by its dining room, where you will enjoy all of your meals. While the schedule may run very much like a cruise ship, this opulent dining room is anything but. The name is a nod to the planet hauling from the Star Wars Galaxy where ships are manufactured — including the one you're aboard and the "fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy."
During the day it embraces a more casual vibe with a buffet breakfast and lunch, but at night it becomes more formal. They pull out all the stops for dinner where the venue becomes a sort of supper club — where you never know who or what you may encounter. Table service dinner is further enhanced by the enchanting entertainment from a purple-skinned Twi'lek named Gaya. The setting gives off a futuristic vibe with plenty of seating in the form of both booths and tables adorned with blue and gold accents. Corellia's centerpiece is a large chandelier directly in the middle of the room with gorgeous, multi-colored lights.
Breakfast is served buffet-style
If you are in a scurry to complete your mission, they do offer a grab and go breakfast selection. But, you know we would never settle for that. Dining is part of our mission. So, we head right the Crown of Corellia for their expansive buffet style breakfast. Let us get into some logistics first. On the first full day of your voyage, breakfast is served from 7:00 AM to 11:00 AM and on the final day of your voyage, it is served from 7:00 AM to 10:00 AM. You can stuff yourself silly to your hearts content during this entire time, should you choose to do so.
Breakfast options vary for each day, but upon arrival you'll receive a tray where you can pick up little dishes that almost make a bento box of sorts out of your tray. Highlights include a compressed fruit plate, blue milk butter, rolled omelets, and a green pearberry toast — an elevated version of avocado toast.
What about Mickey waffles? It's a no go. They do have Chandrila waffles that offer that same delicious taste. Spirited guests may imbibe in a selection of cocktails, including an espresso martini and the Halcyon's Bloody Rancor Bloody Mary, but that's going to be an upcharge.
Lunch is also a buffet
Now that we have gotten the most important meal of the day out of the way, it's onto lunch. Running around completing missions have left us famished, and a buffet style lunch proves to be a delightful way to fill your tank until the evening. Lunch is served from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM in the Crown of Corellia dining room. While it is served buffet-style, everything is already plated on pre-portioned mini serving plates. It is once again an all-you-can-eat ordeal, should you choose to fill up Jabba the Hutt-style.
While more casual than dinner, the options aren't any less inspired. Lighter options, like a green leaf salad with red quinoa and creamy Chandrilan green vegetable dressing, round out a crawfish topped Sorgan's stew and nori-crusted redfish. One of the most popular options takes the familiar grilled cheese and brings it to an entirely new level. The fire melted cheese takeaway is actually a super buttery bubble waffle grilled cheese served with a side of savory of creamy tomato soup. An impressive dessert display is the perfect cap to a lunchtime meal, including blue bantha milk fruit whip. One thing is for sure — you won't go hungry aboard the Halcyon.
Dinner is the main event
Once evening hits, the Crown of Corellia dining room transforms into an elegant supper club. According to Yahoo!, dinner is served at table service style with guests able to choose in advance from two seatings, 5:30 PM and 8:00 PM. The 90-minute experience features an appetizer course, main course, and dessert course, with Disney having spent years meticulously developing the menus. Dishes are served family-style and are unlimited, meaning you could request more of whichever dish you'd like.
After a day of saving Wookiees, the first night's dinner begins with a bento experience for the appetizer course. The variety of pan seared steamed dumplings includes bantha beef, flora vegetables, and tip yip chicken, served with a variety of dips, including a gochujang-laced barbecue sauce. Course 2 features Chandrila Chef's selections, including stewed shrimp with lobster cream, and vegetables with harissa sauce. A dessert of Hogan fruit and caramel whip offer a sweet ending to the meal.
The second night's dinner is celebrated as a "taste around the galaxy." The dining experience is served family-style where each of the four courses is said to hail from a different planet. Mustafarian spreads and breads make up the first course, including roasted chando dip and apricot relish. Course 2 is the illusive iced Felucian shrimp cocktail — also known as blue shrimp. The entrée selections include a seared kashyyyk whitefish with yellowfruit buttercream and a bantha braised beef short rib with tuber-turmeric puree. The finale is Chandrilan air cake with fruit jelly.
Evening service brings a live performance from an alien pop star
Why yes, night one's dinner service sees a performance by the alien pop star Gaya. Who is the purple-haired Twi'lek? According to Wookieepedia, she is actually a galactic superstar who rose to fame during the First Order Resistance War. Not just one to slay the mic, she has also fought for the freedom of her people and may have even dabbled in the criminal underworld.
Aboard the Halcyon, she serenades guests night one with a riveting performance during dinner in the Crown of Corellia. Her performance is accompanied by the Rodian keyboardist, Ouanni. Both characters are new to the Star Wars canon and were created for the franchise's integration into Walt Disney World. Fair warning: Gaya may not be onboard solely to perform — she very well may have a mission of her own to complete. Her biggest fan Sandro, an aspiring musician, can be found in the ship's lobby drumming up a few hits of his own.
Yes, there is blue shrimp
Of all the chatter that has surrounded the highly anticipated Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, nothing compares to that of the illusive blue shrimp. Yes, on board they serve blue shrimp. Specifically, the second night's dinner finds iced Felucian shrimp in the very bright hue of blue. What is this farce?
The blue shrimp arrives to the table on a bed of ice and smoke, along with redball jungle cocktail sauce and pickled mushrooms. No, this is not some intergalactic version of shrimp that are actually blue. Classic shrimp cocktail is given the exotic, alien-like upgrade thanks to a very special ingredient: butterfly pea tea. According to Cinema Blend, the shrimp is brined in the butterfly pea tea turning it that beautiful shade of blue. It took Disney around six months to develop this method that allows the blue permeates throughout the entire shrimp, not just the surface. And don't worry, no flavor from the butterfly pea tea transfers to the shrimp.
There's even a chef's table
For the truly elevated, pinkies-up style dinner affair, a chef's table — here, called a Captain's Table — is available for a price. For a $30 per person upcharge, guests can enjoy a special meal at the center of the Crown of Corellia dining room. The few sitting at Captain Keevan's table — the vessel's commander — will receive extra courses that are exclusive to the experience. The intimate add-on brings an entirely elevated level of service and detail from an already attentive crew.
The curated menu features that evening's selections as well as a few extra bites, including an amuse bouche of red fruit toast, as well as cocktail and wine pairings. An intermezzo of miso broth and crispy tofu break up the moments between the appetizers and main courses. The entrée course sees the addition of some surprises alongside the standard dining options. After mingling with Keevan, guests seated at the Captain's Table will also receive a special commemorative coin as a momento of their fine dining time in space.
There are plenty of kid-friendly options
Dining aboard the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser is an experience, to say the least. With many exotic flavors highlighted from the vast planets of the galaxy, it may leave some families worried about some of the smaller passengers on the voyage. While adults will certainly be pleased with the exciting offerings, there are plenty of kid-friendly options during all meals.
Breakfast brings along the usual kid-friendly prospects, including waffles, eggs, and sausage. The Halcyon shakes things up a bit come lunchtime while still offering items accessible to palates, both ambitious and non-adventurous. The dipped tip yip chicken with noodle cheese is really just a fancier name for cheesy noodles with all white-meat chicken nuggets. What's not to love? The sunflower butter and jelly pods were an instant hit for both kids and adults alike. The portable pods are basically gourmet Uncrustables. Yes, please.
Dinner offers a "Younglings' menu," complete with cheese pizza, chicken nuggets, and waffle fries — perfect for the picky eaters in your group.
The ship's Sublight Lounge has some bites of its own
After a full day of adventure, resisting the First Order, and so much intergalactic food, the only way to end the day's mission is in the Halcyon's on-board bar, Sublight Lounge. Much like the intergalactic cantinas we've seen in the Star Wars movies, the Sublight Lounge is a unique offering located on deck 6. With a theme of spaceship modern, the moody, dark space is accented by pops of color. It's also home to the ship's holo-sabacc table — a fictional game from Solo now able to be played IRL. But, we didn't come to play games; we came to drink some of their signature cocktails, including the Hoth Icebreaker made with vodka, lemon, cane sugar, and topped with vanilla-lemon foam. Standard cocktails, like a vodka soda, are also available.
When the late-night cravings hit, the Sublight Lounge also offers some hidden gems in the foodie department. The small menu is home to tapas-style bites that are big in the flavor department, like a smoked redfish littletubes with Felucian gardenleaf and redfish roe. The Mustafar tuber chips are an addictive snack that features homemade potato chips dusted with charcoal vinegar and sriracha.
Guests with dietary needs don't have to worry
Disney has made a conscious effort in recent years to amp up their food offerings with options for both plant-based eaters and those with other dietary needs. There are now hundreds of plant-based options found at their theme parks and resorts. The same attention to detail was also given to curating the menus aboard the Halcyon.
At every meal, dietary needs are met with inspired options, like a plant-based kale porridge at breakfast with a savory mushroom gravy. Lunchtime provides a decadent choco-whip with hisbiscus meringue that also happens to be made without dairy, wheat, animal meat, eggs, and honey. The Sublight Lounge offers a plant-based hummus and quinoa "meatball" served with a tangy pepper stew and chickpeas.
Menus throughout the experience are marked with a green leaf icon to note that an item is free of honey, dairy, eggs, and animal meat. Disney can also make advanced accommodations to guests who adhere to a kosher or halal meal as well as other specialty diets.