Star Wars Resort
In 2022, after the launch of Star Wars Land at Disney's Hollywood Studios, WDI will redesign Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort as Disney's Star Wars Resort.
While a complete overhaul of the entire resort, the buildings and structures will still be located around the same lake, however the design is no longer Caribbean inspired, but now is themed to the varied planets in the original Star Wars Trilogy.
The entire resort will be based on Star Wars Episodes IV, V, and VI. In an attempt to build a themed resort area, much like the Magic Kingdom has The Contemporary (Tomorrowland), Wilderness Lodge (Frontierland), Polynesian (Adventureland), Grand Floridian (Main Street USA), Disney's Hollywood Studios will be doing the same thing.
Disney's Star Wars Resort will be the first of 3 themed resorts to revolved around DHS. It will also be the first resort to revolve around Disney's new "Moderate+" philosophy, that keeps resorts at moderate level prices, but adds more theme and design to the resorts to give it more of a "deluxe" feel. At Disney's Star Wars Resort, you will be immersed in the universe, as you enter the Death Star Main Concourse, spend a night in Cloud City, walk-through the forest moon of Endor, and much more!
Lastly, Disney's Star Wars Resort will be connected to Disney's Hollywood Studios via a Rebel Transportation system, with non-stop service from the moon of Endor to the gates of Star Wars Land. More details to come later, but this transportation connection adds another level of depth and story-telling that brings you into the world of Star Wars.
Death Star Main Concourse
As guests approach the resort for their stay, they will ride down "Skywalker Avenue" before entering the main hanger (drop-off zone) in the Death Star Concourse. Guests will ride around the Emperor Palpatine's Imperial Shuttle docked in the hanger and proceed to the drop off zone where Imperial Officers will greet you and Stormtroopers will take your luggage for "inspection."
Front Desk
You will proceed to the front desk for your planet assignments (or to confirm your requested planet). The Front Desk will look and feel like the Death Star laser control room.
In the Main Lobby, the chrome and gray aesthetics of the walls and futuristic modern designs of the walls makes you feel like you're actually in the Death Star. Also look out for roaming MSE-series "mouse" droids roaming around the floors, as well as a potential apperance by Darth Vader to ensure that you find your room in an orderly fashion.
Several acts will take place throughout the day with walk-around characters in the Front Desk/Main Lobby area so you never know what to expect. One moment Vader might show up, the next you may see Chewbacca being escorted by "Stormtroopers" to Cell Block 1138.
The Death Star Main Concourse is home to a variety of resort services as well:
Space Station Cafe
"That's no moon...it's a buffet"
This character buffet family style restaurant is located in a hanger in the Death Star Main Concourse adjacent to the Main Lobby.
Serving a variety of meats, fish, pasta, gluten-free, vegan, and a plethora of desserts and drinks, Space Station Cafe will be the first moderate restaurant buffet. The character breakfast and dinner will feature a wide variety of Star Wars characters from Episode IV, featuring:
Darth Vader
Luke Skywalker
Ben Kenobi
Han Solo
Princess Leia
Chewbacca
Grand Moff Tarkin
C-3PO
R2-D2
Depending on the location of the characters at certain times, you'll get comical interactions between characters who either met in the films, or didn't meet in the films, such as an interaction between Darth Vader and C-3PO..."hey, didn't I build you?"
For any Star Wars fan, this restaurant will be a must.
The Throne Room - Presidential Suite
Fit for an Emperor, this 12 person suite is the largest moderate suite on property, with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, living room, dining room, kitchen, laundry room, and more amenities. Faces out onto Lucas Lake (the lake in the center of the resort) where you have a large circular vista (much like the Emperor's Throne Room) overlooking the entire resort.
Main Reactor
Off to the right of the Front Desk/Main Lobby area is the resort's gift shop, specializing in original trilogy merchandise. Along with the regular assorted Disney Resort merchandise, some collectable items and gags can be found in this gift shop. Collectables such as t-shirts that say "Looking for Love in Alderaan Places" and other goofy merchandise.
The Detention Center Arcade
Rather than a regular arcade that is in every Disney Resort with similar style games, the Detention Center in the Death Star Main Concourse will offer guests of Disney's Star Wars Resort a laser tag room themed to the trenches of the Death Star from Episode IV. Here you can run around with friends and family through the corridors firing laser blasters at each other as you run through this maze-like environment. There will also be a Trash Compactor virtual reality game, where you have to solve Star Wars Trivia before the Trash Compactor walls close in on you.
Tie Fighter Carts (Tie-Carts)
Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort sat in an expansive plot of land and Disney's Star Wars Resort is no different. To bridge the gap in distance, transport "Tie-Carts" are available (supplied by the Empire) throughout the Resort complex. This is especially used when guests check in. As an amenity, an Imperial Fighter Pilot will take you on a Tie-Cart to your planet where your room is. There will also be boat service around Lucas Lake. The Boats look like triangular Star Destroyers floating through the lake stopping at each planet along the way.
Other modes of transportation include Disney's Bus Service which stops at each planet along the bring of the resort complex.
The best part about the Tie-Carts is that they make the same noises as the Tie-Fighters do in the movies as they pass by you. The infamous rahhhhh sound...further adding to the immersion and fun.
Bespin - Cloud City
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As we go clockwise around the resort, our first planet stop is Bespin, and more specifically, the floating Cloud City. This location will be the basis for the 440 guest rooms on Bespin.
As you walk the streets of Cloud City, you will gaze at the 2-3 story tall contemporary designs straight form Episode V. Around the promenade you will even see hints at the films, such as an arrow pointing to the Carbon Freezing Chamber and Lando Calrissian's Lounge.
Lando's Lounge is a small bar area by the quiet pool featured in Cloud City. It's specializes in drinks such as the Bounty Hunter - a mix of vodka and tequila with a lime infused flavor.
Cloud City Room Design
The rooms on Bespin are mostly 2 Queen sized double beds equipped with a 3rd Murphy bed, to sleep up to 5 guests. These rooms are designed to go along with the flair of Cloud City, complete with all resort amenities including a "carbon-freeze" safe.
As with each planet, and such like Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort was and all the other Moderate Resorts, these rooms face outdoors without an interior hallway, so when you step outside of your door in Cloud City, you are immediately hit with all your visceral surroundings that transport you to the Star Wars Universe.
Dagobah System
Themed to the planet Yoda has been living on in isolation for years, the Dagobah system is a swampy, forest aesthetic that invites guests to become immersed and embrace their inner Jedi roots. As soon as you walk into the forest of Dagobah you can see a downed X-wing fighter in the swamp to your left, and at certain times during the day, an underwater geyser system slowly lifts the X-wing out of the water.
The 428 rooms are located on 2 floors hut-style buildings that lead out into the swampy lagoons beyond your room.
Dagobah System Room Design
The main attractions of Dagobah are Yoda's Hut, and the Jedi Training Fitness Center.
Yoda's Hut is a small walk-through of the interior of Yoda's Hut with a history of Star Wars film playing in the interior.
The Jedi Training Fitness Center is a combination of indoor and outdoor activities. Nestled next to the quiet pool area, jog through the wilderness on a 0.5 mile loop throughout the Dagobah System area just as Luke Skywalker did. The interior of the fitness center is themed to the cave that Luke had to enter. Inside are more strength building machines, treadmills, bicycles, and other aerobic workout materials.
Endor (Ewok Village)
Enter the forest moon of Endor and the Ewok Village. This will be the most unique and expansive of the planets, mostly due to the amenities and treehouse style rooms. While the interior of the resort rooms will remain similar to the other planets, the location will all be on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th "floors" of the Endor forest, in treehouses, much like the Ewoks have in the film.
Surrounding by lush forestation and shurbbery, the Ewok Village will plant you right in the middle of Episode VI. Located behind (to the west) of the Death Star Main Concourse, it will even have a similar feeling at night, when the Death Star Projection is thrown into the sky, looking down on Endor.
Ewok Village Room Design
One of the more comical easter egg additions to the resort rooms is in every single guest room there is a picture of C-3PO, as the Ewoks think of him as a god. This is also a great spot for kids as they can stay in a Ewok treehouse, with some rooms even being equipped with bunk beds.
Campfire Sing-Alongs
On select nights there will be campfire marshmallow roasts and a movie projected onto a screen in center of the Endor forest and adjacent to the quiet pool.
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Endor Forest Walking-Trail
Stroll through the tall trees of Endor as you loop around the 64 treehouses in this planet. Perhaps you'll even run into an Ewok or two on the way
Ewok Play Area
A children's play area with slides and a jungle gym with a Ewok theme.
"Speeder"-Bike Rentals
Bike around Endor and the entire Star Wars Resort, pedaling through the planets on a designated biking path around Lucas Lake. 30minutes -1 hour rental times.
Rebel Transportation System
Takes Flight from the Moon of Endor to Disney's Hollywood Studios, board a Rebel ship piloted by Admiral Ackbar as you fly off to the theme park.
This transportation system will be similar in style to the Hogwarts Express in Universal Orlando, in that it will be an enclosed transportation system that closes you off from the outside.
There will be two different experiences going to and from the theme park. Going to the theme park (since Star Wars Land is set post-original trilogy) you will fly over the Battle of Jakku and experience how the Empire fell and the First Order rose. You will also see Luke Skywalker go into isolation after the fall of Kylo Ren.
On the return trip, you will experience a battle from Disney's Rogue One on the tropical planet (name TBA) as Darth Vader shows up and clashes with the rebels as they escape with the Death Star plans.
Tatooine -Mos Eisley
Travel to the famous Tatooine city filled (according to Ben Kenobi) with scum and villany. Why stay here, aside from the breath-taking binary sunset, is due to the lush theme and surroundings that engulf you in the Skywalker home.
Walking around the streets of Mos Eisley, your rooms are on the 2nd and 3rd floors of the sand hardened buildings with a few huts (suites) on the outskirts (as seen above)
The Mos Eisley Cantina will also make an appearance in this location as a quick service restaurant and bar for Disney's Star Wars Resort. Serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily, eat a wide variety of exotic foods surrounded by the environment from the films. While not a character quick service restaurant, there may be several "acts" throughout the course of the day, such as Ben Kenobi entering the bar area, or a blaster noise going off in one of the booths...we all know that Han shot first.
Mos Eisley Room Design
The rooms have a very "dune-equse" vibe to them, with desert themed colors and architecture.
While Tatooine doesn't have a quiet pool (it's a desert) it is adjacent to Hoth which has 2 pools, including the resort's main pool area, so guests from Tatooine may traverse a brief way for their pools.
Hoth - Echo Base
When the frozen ice planet is translocated to the Florida sun, the ice may melt a little bit, but the battle of Hoth still wadges on.
This 550- room complex in the 4 story Echo Base structure that wraps around the planet location features a variety of activities for its guests.
AT-AT Bay
One of the largest pools on property (rivaling Art of Animation) this pool made out of an iceberg on the planet Hoth is surrounded by elements from the beginning of Episode V. Imperial Probe Driods hidden throughout the melting snow pop out and squirt water at the guests, while the towering ATAT hovers over the pool ready to make a splash as it fires water out of its canyons.
Enjoy a lazy river as well that runs throughout the Rebel made snow trenches around the Hoth Battlefield and float around the action.
There's also a playground for children built out of the snowy peaks of the canyons of the planet as well adjacent to the pool.
Wampa Cove
A swim-up ice "scream" shop. With tasty treats to beat the heat, just be sure to avoid upsetting the Wampa!
Echo Base Room Design
The rooms have a very snowed-in vibe to them with decorative items themed to Echo Base from the films. This is the only moderate resort that features interior hallways, as the rooms in Echo Base open up to the snowy caverns of the Rebel fortress.
Resort-Wide Amenities
- All planets have respective laundry facilities located by their quiet pools (Tatooine's is located by the Outer Rim Huts)
- All planets have complimentary Bus Service to all WDW theme parks, and also have access to the Rebel Transportation System (RTS) to Disney's Hollywood Studios
- All planets have on-site WIFI, guest service help centers, and first-aid utilities.
Resort Room Prices
(on average)
- Standard Room (2 Queen Beds) - $180
- Standard Room (King Bed) - $170
- Lagoon View - $220
- Ewok Village Treehouse Suite - $320
- Throne Room Presidential Suite - $625
Resort Overview and Conclusion
Disney's Star Wars Resort hopefully excites the kid in all of us (as most of Walt Disney World does) and offers a more visceral and engaging theme than Caribbean Beach, while also tying in with the new Star Wars Land.
While Disney's Caribbean beach (and all moderate resorts) tend to place all the major activities in the resort in a hub around the main lobby area, Disney's Star Wars Resort spreads out the adventures to the different planets, giving each area its own special commodity, while encouraging guests to explore all the planets to get the full experience.
While a large complex, there are several transportation options around the resort, that shrinks the size down and makes everything reachable. Or if you just enjoy exercise, you can simply stroll around the complex at your leisure, soaking in all of the Star Wars lore.
Overall, Disney's Star Wars Resort will be A New Hope for Moderate Resorts, as they Strike Back with a Return of the Disney charm.