SS Galaxy - Review
The SS Galaxy is a three sim, 32,000 prim cruise ship and floating hotel. Or at least it was until May 2015, when you were able to book suites and rooms.
Six years ago it had to close, and Linden Labs stepped in and preserved it as a museum. I’ve reviewed it as you can still in theory stay there (though the suites are now free), and many of the original features remain.
At the end of this review, I’ve suggested LL refurbish and properly reopen the Galaxy, with some ideas of how that could be done.
Overall look and feel
The SS Galaxy is a huge cruise ship, across six levels with an enormous amount to see and do. It has restaurants, bars, a large pool, a spa - more than most SL resorts.
It’s also stuck in something of a time warp. The SS Galaxy was built in 2007 and was in operation until 2015. That means much of it looks very dated.
Walking into the public areas is like going into an RL hotel that was last redecorated in the 1970s.
Most of the furniture in the state rooms and suites has now vanished, and a few things (the climbing wall, the zip wire) no longer work.
At times the Galaxy reminded me of pictures of abandoned airports or of Olympic villages from previous Olympic games. Parts of it have a sense of decay, and you know that it has seen better days.
However, some parts like the Japanese restaurant, have stood the test of time well and still look good. And despite its age, the Galaxy is a fascinating place to visit.
The ship is largely deserted, in the four days we visited we only encountered one helicopter crew using the ship for search and rescue RP, and one other person at the pool, so the chances are you’ll have it largely to yourself.
Features and amenities
As mentioned, some things no longer work, which you’d expect from a place that has been mothballed for the past six years.
However, many of the attractions and features are still operational, and the list is huge.
There is a large pool, with a water slide, a kids’ playground by the pool, an ice rink, a ballroom and restaurant, an indoor spa and pool, a Japanese restaurant, a mini golf range on deck, a cinema, an art gallery, a helipad, two lounges and a (now empty) shopping arcade.
One criticism I’ve had in the past of SL resorts is when they try and pack too much into one or two sims, so it seems cramped. Given the size of the SS Galaxy, that’s not the case here. In fact, the original creators did an excellent job in recreating the features of an actual RL cruise ship.
One of our favourite areas was the Japanese Restaurant, which still looks pretty good after all these years.
The water slide into the giant pool is a lot of fun, and the (working) mini golf range on deck is enjoyable too. Finally, if you visit be sure to rez a monocycle and ride it along the jogging track on the upper deck
The suites
Most of the suites no longer have any furniture in them.
The exceptions are the VIP Star Suites (which once went for 700L a night), which still have a living room (with very dated furniture), a bedroom, a private balcony and a hot tub on the terrace. The suites also have a lower level, which is empty.
The terrace and hot tub have probably stood the test of time the best, sitting in the tub on the private terrace is pleasant.
The anims
The furniture is PG, and all adult furniture seems to have been removed - I completely understand why, as otherwise the Galaxy would have become a hookup place with free rooms.
However, many of the sitting anims, for example in the restaurant, seemed to work better and with fewer adjustments needed than in much of the modern furniture you encounter in present day SL resorts.
Other things to consider
Is it adult? See above, there is no adult furniture there. When the ship was operational, there were of course rules on dress codes, nudity and so on.
Lag? Almost none, I was able to run graphics on ultra
Prices? Until 2015 you were able to book rooms, now it’s free, though in practice only the VIP suites are still usable
Privacy? None, all areas are completely open, but as mentioned there is no adult furniture anyway
A plea to Linden Labs - reopen it!
So, here is my plea to Linden Labs: Why let it continue to gather dust, for more things to break, and for it to continue to age?
Having probably stayed in more SL hotels and resorts than anyone, I can see that this place would work as a living, breathing place with paying guests.
For one thing, it has more features than many of the resorts that charge 3000L, and that manage to be largely full. And it is different to the many tropical beach resorts out there, it is unique with real character.
Here’s an idea of what LL could do with it:
The place needs to be refurbished and gutted, the spa for example would look great, if the features and furniture weren’t a decade old, and SL furniture from the pre-mesh age just doesn’t look good.
There could be a competition, different SL builders and designers could be given a different area of the ship to work on, with the stipulation that the features have to stay (e.g. the ballroom couldn’t be turned into something else).
The ship has too many rooms, I’d develop maybe 15-20 really good suites. Again, here designers could be called in to each do one, and they could then be themed.
The helipad and boat embarkation pier could be opened up, work with boat captains and helicopter pilots in offering VIP arrivals.
Then sell the suites for nightly virtual vacation stays. My suggestion here would be to keep the lower deck and reception open for all, but make the upper decks for guests only, you could also issue day passes like many SL resorts do.
And the proceeds? Give them to charity, maybe have a rotating list every month. If LL did this, I’m convinced the Galaxy would be full.
Final note
Finally, if going to visit, I recommend rezzing a boat at the nearby lighthouse (there’s a boat rez point by the pier) and sailing across to the embarkation point and reception. You need to be quick when stepping out though, as your boat will be returned to your inventory within 30 seconds.
With special thanks to
Camille (Muti) Milos who contributed to this review and took most of the photos. Follow her on Flickr, and check out her destination and travel blog!
Take a look at the Galaxy Website, which talks about the ship in more detail
