Disney Cruise Line: Star Wars Day at Sea
Article written by Mandy Larkin
Not only does Disney do amazing cruises but they also have awesome themed cruises too. This past January, my family and I spent a week on the Fantasy and it also happened to be a Star Wars Day at Sea (SWDAS) cruise. This means that one out of the seven days was dedicated totally to Star Wars. My son (6) and my husband are pretty big Star Wars fans. My daughter (10) likes certain characters, and I’m not a huge fan. I wasn’t sure if I’d enjoy it as much since I’m not a Star Wars fan, but I learned that you don’t have to be to still have a great time. There is so much to do during SWDAS and even if you’re not a big Star Wars fan, it is only one day out of the week so there is still PLENTY to enjoy on the ship!
I wanted to share just a handful of some of the cool things that go on all around the ship, and there is probably more that we missed, especially in the kids’ club since our kids stayed with us and enjoyed the other things going on.
Star Wars Atrium Show: The night before SWDAS there is a show in the main atrium when Darth Vader and Storm Troopers board that ship and take it over. The only problem with this show is that it was late, like 10:00pm. When you have kids who are tired from running around and having fun all day this could be a little hard for them to stay up for, especially if they are on the younger side. During the show Storm Troopers walk through the crowd looking for rebels, so be ready in case they decide to take you in front of Darth Vader.
Special Star Footer: Your Room Attendant will leave a special SWDAS footer on your bed, this is for you to keep. It makes a really fun souvenir to remember your trip. I just wish we got two because our kids fought over who was going to get to keep it!
Jedi Training: The next morning my kids took part in the Jedi Training. This took place in the Walt Disney Theatre. This is an event that you need to make a reservation for and if you have Star Wars fans I highly recommend it. The kids all go up on stage and receive their light sabers in order to train in the ways of the Jedi. When their training is complete, they are split into two groups and fight either Darth Vader or Kylo Ren. My son had a blast doing this and even my daughter loved it.
Star Wars Photo Opportunities: Another thing that you need to make reservations for is the special photo opportunities that are held. During these times you are able to get pictures with Chewbacca, Darth Vader, R2D2, and C3PO. A personal favorite for us was meeting Chewbacca! What is there not to like about him? My son wasn’t a huge fan of Darth Vader, because again he was only 6 and Darth Vader is pretty intimidating up close.
Character Run-Ins, Porg Scavenger Hunt and More!: Throughout the day there are on going events so you need to make sure you check your Navigator. Every time we turned around we came across another character, and there were even a few from the Star Wars Rebels cartoon. Our favorite characters that walked around the ship were the Jawa, they tried to make trades with everyone. In fact they tried to trade my daughter a copy of the Navigator for her light saber. Needless to say she didn’t want to do that. A few times during the day there were BB8 Droid races in the main atrium too and they were always fun to watch. Every hour out on the pool deck the Strom Troopers would do a patrol looking for Rebels, and one time Rey even made an appearance! I think my kids favorite thing though was the Porg scavenger hunt. You had to run around the ship looking for “damage” that was caused by the Porgs. When you found a spot you used a special symbol that helped decode a hidden message.
Special Star Wars Food Offerings: Now for the whole reason why we cruise, the food! The food in all the restaurants is Star Wars themed. It was fun seeing what they named all the yummy food that was available. The desserts in Cabanas were even decorated special for the day. My kids loved getting their dessert at lunch time and seeing that it contained either a chocolate Darth Vader or a candy light saber.
Star Wars Nightime Show with Fireworks!: In true Disney fashion, no night is complete without a fantastic show and fireworks. The final show takes place on the pool deck, and it is the only one for the night so make sure you get there early enough to get a good seat. All the Star Wars characters make an appearance and it is so much fun!
If you are thinking of doing a SWDAS cruise or any other Disney Cruise, I highly recommend that you do. Don’t forget your costumes to really get into the spiirt of the day. My kids loved running around the ship as Rey and Poe for the day. Coming from someone who isn’t a huge fan, I am sold on the Disney Cruise and Star Wars Day at Sea!
Thinking of booking? Make sure you contact World of Wonder Travel for your next cruise! I am so thankful for the help and expertise she gave my family before and during our cruise!
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