First, don’t call it a hotel.
The lavish and immersive new Star Wars resort coming to Walt Disney World Resort in Florida is titled Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser.
And Disney released several new details and five new photos about the, er, Starcruiser on Sunday at the D23 Expo in Anaheim, Calif.
“This is an opportunity to live your multi-day story as it unfolds and interweaves with the crew, other passengers, and Star Wars characters,” executive producer and creative director for Walt Disney Imagineering, Ann Morrow Johnson, told reporters. “Throughout your journey, you’ll share your adventures with some interesting characters, some of whom you’ll be meeting for the very first time. Some, you may already know. But because this is Star Wars you might suspect that not all is going to go according to plan, and we must travel with caution.”
Guests will book the hotel for a two-night itinerary (so no single nights or three-night stays). All guests will arrive and depart the hotel together — as if the stationary resort were an oceanic cruise ship.
Guests will enter a “Launch Pod for transport into space.” Through the pod’s windows, they’ll watch as they leave Earth for a “ship” called the Halcyon.
Once on board, guests “will cruise the galaxy in style [with] impeccable service and exotic destinations. Onboard, you will stay in well-appointed cabins, experience onboard dining, make a planet-side excursion to Black Spire Outpost on Batuu, and much more.”
Activities will include “wielding a lightsaber while facing off against a training remote.”
As well as “visiting the starcruiser’s Bridge to learn about ship systems and how to operate them.”
Also “every window in the Halcyon – including those in each cabin – has a view of the galaxy beyond, with ever-changing vistas as the ship progresses from place to place.”
Johnson added that the interactions you have with crew members and Star Wars characters will affect your stay. “Be wary of who you make allegiances with, because the choices you make affect the course of your journey and ultimately determines how your Star Wars story unfolds,” she said. “Perhaps you’ll even discover some hidden spaces deep within the mechanics of the ship, where secret allegiance members may hold meetings [and] you may just be called upon to become a hero.”
According to a Disney news and rumor site — but not confirmed by Disney — the cost of the resort will be similarly out of this world: A 2-night/3-day stay starting at $3,300 per person and a cabin with five passengers would run $7,200.
The Star Wars extension was one of several park announcements made by the company, including an Avengers Campus.
Here are some of the earlier photos released for the Star Wars resort:
— Marc Snetiker contributed to this report