It's been nearly three years since Disney's Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser welcomed its final guests at Walt Disney World. The lavish hotel, which opened in March 2022, was designed to feel like a luxury cruise liner through the stars. But despite its immersive two-night experience—complete with lightsaber training, interactions with iconic characters, and a battle between the First Order and the Resistance—it shuttered after just 18 months. The main culprit? A staggering price tag of nearly $5,000 per couple and $6,000 for families, which kept most fans from ever stepping aboard.
Now, filmmaker and Star Wars superfan Carrie Coaplen has captured the magic and the heartbreak in her feature-length documentary Halcyon Daze: The Final Voyages of Disney's Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser. Partially funded through Kickstarter, the film dives deep into the attraction's legacy, featuring never-before-seen footage from inside the Starcruiser, interviews with designers, actors, and crew, and perspectives from the fan community who fell in love with the experience. It's a tribute to what the Starcruiser was—and what it could have been.
Coming to SDCC and Gen Con
Halcyon Daze is officially set to screen on the first day of San Diego Comic-Con, Thursday, July 23, at 9:30 p.m. PT at Grand 6 in the Marriott Marquis San Diego. The following weekend, it will head to Gen Con in Indianapolis on Saturday, August 1, at 3:30 p.m. ET at Capitol Ballroom III in The Westin Indianapolis. Additionally, the Flyover Film Festival in Louisville, Kentucky, will host a screening at the Kentucky Science Center on August 1 at 5 p.m. Members of the documentary team will be present at all three events.
“At its core, Halcyon Daze has always been about the people who made the experience possible and the community that found connection and meaning on the Starcruiser,” Coaplen said in a statement. “It’s a thrill to bring the film to events like Comic-Con that are really about connecting fans with things they love.”
Widespread Acclaim and a Gamer's Connection
The documentary has already earned praise at festivals like the Poppy Jasper International Film Festival, Indy Film Fest, and the Miami International Science Fiction Film Festival, where it won Best Fan Documentary. It has also been nominated for Most Innovative Documentary at the Portland Festival of Cinema, Animation, and Technology. For lead researcher and producer Carly Kocurek, the Gen Con screening feels especially fitting. “I first got interested in the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser because of the way it leveraged game design, turning its guests into active participants,” Kocurek said. “Bringing the documentary to a gaming celebration like Gen Con feels a little like going back to the beginning of the project.”
While Disney has moved on from the Starcruiser, the documentary ensures its legacy lives on. For fans who missed the chance to board the Halcyon—or those who want to relive the adventure—Halcyon Daze offers a heartfelt look at one of the most ambitious and controversial attractions in theme park history.
For more on Disney's recent ventures, check out our coverage of Marvel's Nova Movie Risks Repeating Disney+ Pacing Problems and Percy Jackson and the Olympians Dominates Disney+ Charts Ahead of Season 3 in 2026.
