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Credit: DisneyDisney has just closed one of its most ambitious attractions of all time.
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Over the last few years, The Walt Disney Company has shown just how creative and innovative it can be when it comes to its vast collection of theme park resorts. From Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, to Disneyland Paris in Chessy, France, each and every Disney park is filled to the brim with immersive experiences, thrilling attractions, and classic rides. Disneyland and Walt Disney World specifically have changed significantly over the last decade, with each resort getting massive expansions.
One of the largest changes came in 2017 at Disney’s Animal Kingdom when Pandora – The World of Avatar officially opened. This incredibly detailed and immersive land transports guests into the world of James Cameron’s Avatar franchise, complete with exciting locations, deliciously unique food, and two stunning attractions. Over at Disneyland, Avengers Campus can now be found at Disney California Adventure. Here, guests can live out their very own Marvel stories alongside heroes and villains like Thor, Loki, Iron Man, Black Widow, Captain Marvel, and Black Panther, just to name a few.
The land is complete with WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure and Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOU!.
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However, no expansion would leave as big of a mark as Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. In 2019, both Walt Disney World and Disneyland got a Star Wars makeover when Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge officially opened. This massive expansion brought along two rides as well as several incredible places to shop and dine.
Galaxy’s Edge may be the biggest draw both American Disney resorts have in terms of pure attendance, with thousands upon thousands of guests visiting Walt Disney World and Disneyland just to discover and explore this incredible area. Here, guests will find Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, a trackless dark ride that blends ride systems used in various other Disney park rides. Guests will also find Millenium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run, a ride that operates very similarly to Star Tours. Guests can build their own astromech droids and lightsabers here, as well as try some blue or green milk.
However, there is a third experience attached to this land, but a very small percentage of guests ever got to experience it.
For those who may not know, In March of 2022, Walt Disney World opened Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, a first-of-its-kind immersive resort that blended a hotel experience with live entertainment, all wrapped up in a Star Wars bow.
Guests lucky enough to experience Disney’s Galactic Starcruiser would pack up their thighs for a two-night, three-day experience aboard the Halcyon Starcruiser. Disney cast members portrayed various characters, fully immersing guests in this world. Every window in the building was a screen that displayed space, further convincing guests they were millions of miles away from Florida.
Guests could experience some stunning live entertainment as well as join in on daring missions. Guests could do lightsaber training or take control of the ship’s steering systems. Guests had their very own “AI” in their room that would talk to them and explain the day ahead of them. To put it simply, it was the most ambitious and impressive thing Walt Disney Imagineering had created in years. Unfortunately, the cost to run the hotel, along with the cost to actually book it proved to be its downfall.
Earlier in 2023, Disney announced that its Galactic Starcruiser would permanently close, and while Disney did not specifically state why it had to close, we can assume it was due to low bookings.
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Since its initial “launch,” the experience has been praised for its immersion and overall quality, though there are still issues that Disney will continue to iron out. This experience comes at quite a cost, though, so be sure to have your galactic credits ready. The price to fly 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. This does, however, include food costs, room, and board, entertainment, a visit to Batuu at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and more.
For many Star Wars fans and Disney Guests, the excitement for Walt Disney World’s new Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser quickly dissipated after the initial commercial for the Resort was shared by Disney. The commercial received such intense backlash that many reservations were dropped. Disney eventually wiped the video from the internet themselves, potentially due to the damage it had done to the reputation of the new Resort.
Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser is a part of the overall Star Wars expansion to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, which started with Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Here on the planet of Batuu, Guests can live out all their Star Wars fantasies and interact with iconic characters like Rey, Kylo Ren, and a whole lot of First Order Storm Troopers. Guests can also experience two state-of-the-art attractions like Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and Millenium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run. More on Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser:
The final voyage of Disney’s Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser took place between September 28 and September 30, 2023, meaning that after these last dates, guests could no longer experience it. The Galactic Starcruiser lasted less than a year, making it one of Walt Disney World’s quickest attraction closures.
Disney is set to lose millions on this ambitious project and will reportedly use the location as a tax write-off. The Halcyon Starcruiser cost Disney an estimated $250 million to create, with more cost being eaten up by running the actual experience. Disney employed dozens of cast members on board, some of whom performed, sang, or acted.
We’re incredibly ad to see such an ambitious and creative experience close at Disney and hope to see Disney make further attempts at immersive hotel experiences, just on the cheaper side. We have no doubt that Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser would have lasted longer had it been cheaper, with the price of a Walt Disney World vacation already extremely high. This is a common complaint regarding Disney in general, with guests voicing their concerns about the rising cost of a trip to Disneyland or Walt Disney World. As for what the future of Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser is, only time will tell. With Disney planning on using the space as a tax write-off, we can assume there are no plans to use the building anytime soon. It’s possible Disney may start over, completely demolishing the structure. Disney may also attempt to use it sometime in the distant future.
As we said earlier, we hope Disney does not take the wrong message from this closure. People want immersive experiences like what was offered on Disney’s Galactic Starcruiser, they just don’t want to pay thousands and thousands of dollars. If Disney could create a similar experience for a lower amount of money, it’s possible it would be a bigger success.
For more information regarding Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, check out the official Walt Disney World website.
Did you get to experience Disney’s Galactic Starcruiser?