I thought people went all out for pirate night, but this takes theming to a whole new level. The costumes are so elaborate for Star Wars Day at Sea that it’s actually difficult to tell the Disney cast members from regular superfan passengers. Apparently our sailing has 1,500 fewer children than usual because of all the adult Star Wars fanatics that snapped up a room when Disney announced this special event. It’s kind of surreal.

Official characters from the movies wandered the ship for most of the day. We bumped into a couple of cute Jawas who searched Brayden for droid parts; we also came upon a funny-looking guy with a big axe that Brayden insisted on getting a picture with. The one sour note was when we got a special ticket to what Disney called an “interactive character experience” that turned out to be a 10-second photo op with a Dark Side dude none of us had ever heard of. Huh.

Star Wars TV shows on the giant poolside screen, Star Wars music over the PA system, Jedi training sessions, Star Wars trivia games…it’s like being in a parallel universe. There was even a special Star Wars menu in the dining room featuring things like a Jedi Temple Salad and Han Solo’s Frozen Carbonite Sundae. Our server even poured Brayden’s ketchup in the shape of a Yoda face, which was a welcome departure from the usual Mickey ears.

Right now we’re off to see The Force Awakens in the theatre, then there’s a late-night Summon the Force party on the pool deck complete with fireworks that we’re going to try hard to stay awake for. May the Force be with us…