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Credit: DisneyDisney’s incredibly expensive starcruiser hotel is closing in a few short weeks.
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Over the last few decades, The Walt Disney Company has shown that it can innovate in multiple different industries. The two biggest aspects of Disney are its film and theme park divisions, each generating massive revenue for the company. The theme parks specifically are where a lot of Disney’s creativity and impeccable design choices can be seen, with recent additions to the parks like Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and even Pandora – The World of Avatar being shining examples.
Both of these lands offer an immersive atmosphere like we’ve never seen before. Sure, Magic Kingdom has different lands that guests can go explore, but with franchises like Star Wars and Avatar, the possibilities are truly limitless. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is perhaps Disney’s most popular theme park expansion yet, bringing in millions of guests each and every year. This land can be found at both Disneyland in Anaheim, California, as well as Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Florida.
However, Disney’s creativity does not stop with theme park lands, with Walt Disney Imagineering creating one of the most unique and immersive Disney park hotels in the world.
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We’re, of course, talking about Disney’s Galactic Starcruiser. This hotel had a lot more in common with a cruise than a Motel 6, offering guests the chance to get lost in their very own Star Wars story during their brief stay aboard the Halcyon. Unsurprisingly, this experience came at an extremely high cost. The price to experience Disney World’s Galactic Starcruiser is nearly $6000 per room, which is a cost that may price even the biggest Star Wars fans out, considering this is only a 2-night adventure. Because of this high price, Disney struggled to maintain a solid stream of bookings. Disney eventually released various discounts to Annual Passholders and Disney Vacation Club members.
For months, fans theorized what would become of this admittedly very cool but overpriced experience until Disney confirmed what many had already thought. The final voyage of Disney’s Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser will take place between September 28 through the 30. That’s right, this incredibly cool idea will be gone forever this month. This decision came as a surprise in March of 2023, and, of course, meant that Guests would make a mad dash to the Walt Disney World website in an attempt to snag these now-limited dates.
To make matters even worse, Disney World’s Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser cost a reported $400 million to develop.
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The Walt Disney Company revealed that it would be taking a big hit and will be using the Galactic Starcruiser as a $300 million tax write-off, indicating the company does not intend to use the space anytime soon.
Whatever your thoughts may be regarding this experience, we’re incredibly sad to see it close forever. Despite its high price, it was a genuinely cool idea that truly was different than what most theme parks are doing. Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser opened in March of 2022, meaning it will have lasted less than a full year at the Walt Disney World Resort.
As we said, this hotel connected directly with Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, allowing guests to seamlessly transition from their rooms to the land found in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This feature alone was something we’d never seen before at the Disney parks and was truly exciting. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge was a big gamble on Disney’s part as well, though it admittedly had less room to fail.
This land has been a big hit among die-hard Star Wars fans as well as casual theme park fans. Here, guests can do all sorts of cool things, like build their very own Lightsaber, enjoy some blue or green milk, and battle alongside Rey, Poe, and Chewbacca. This land is present at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland and has been a fantastic addition to both resorts.
Did you ever experience Disney’s Galactic Starcruiser? What are your thoughts?