Credit: Disney Sorry, Halcyon fans… Recent backstage images from Walt Disney World Resort have reaffirmed that the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser hotel is NEVER coming back. Here’s what we know.
Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Hotel
Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser opened outside Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort on March 1, 2022. The immersive Star Wars hotel experience often cost between $ 4,000 and $ 6,000 for two nights and included all meals, a dinner show, interactions with new and familiar Lucasfilm characters, and a trip into Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
At first, the pricey experience was a smash hit. Initial voyages sold out, and guests eagerly signed up for any available spot. But the hype dwindled much quicker than Walt Disney World Resort could’ve ever predicted. By the end of 2022, Walt Disney World Resort was offering discounts on Starcruiser voyages to DVC members, Annual Passholders, and other guests.
In March 2023, with a wide-open reservation calendar, Walt Disney World Resort announced that Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser would permanently close on September 30, 2023. The experience lasted just 18 months and reportedly lost the company around $250 million.
Many heartbroken Halcyon (the name of the fictional ship guests traveled on) fans hoped that Walt Disney World Resort would renovate the building into a regular Disney Resort hotel or open its restaurant areas for a paid dinner show or other entertainment offering.
Unfortunately, the structure’s design makes it nearly impossible to reopen as a regular Disney Resort hotel. It has just 100 windowless, tiny rooms, and no standard amenities like a pool. There are no outdoor areas, and the building is stuck backstage at Disney’s Hollywood Studios–not an area Walt Disney World Resort typically wants guests to see.
Hopes were squashed in January 2025, when Walt Disney World Resort announced that the former Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser would be transformed into an office building for Walt Disney Imagineering. Now, we have a close-up look at the ongoing conversion project.
Aerial Images Confirm Halcyon Experience is Gone For Good
On February 15, aerial photographer and X (formerly Twitter) user @bioreconstruct shared several images of ongoing construction at the former site of Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser. Several vehicles and construction equipment surround the structure, which appears mostly unchanged from above.
Aerial overview of the former Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser hotel. Being converted to an Imagineering office building.
Aerial overview of the former Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser hotel. Being converted to an Imagineering office building. pic.twitter.com/EgW5Fzz8bn
— bioreconstruct (@bioreconstruct) February 15, 2026
The backstage building is set to become an office space for Walt Disney Imagineers as they work on developing projects like the Monsters, Inc. (2001) land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Pueblo Esperanza at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, and the Disney Villains and Cars (2006) areas at Magic Kingdom Park. More images from @bioreconstruct show construction staging outside the former Star Wars hotel as work continues inside:
Aerial photos of construction staging at the former Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser hotel. Conversion in progress to an Imagineering office building.
Aerial photos of construction staging at the former Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser hotel. Conversion in progress to an Imagineering office building. pic.twitter.com/TdLq3Sighy
— bioreconstruct (@bioreconstruct) February 15, 2026
Walt Disney World Resort hasn’t shared many updates on the conversion or indicated a completion timeline for the project. Though most traces of the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser have disappeared from the Central Florida property, some road signs remain, directing guests down a backstage road to a Disney Resort hotel that no longer exists.
Was a stay inside the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser hotel worth it? Share your thoughts with Inside the Magic in the comments!