Disney World’s Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser

Techy Baniya

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Disney World’s Star Wars

Disney World's Star Wars

Disney World’s Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, a two-day hotel experience, will close in September after being open for just over a year. The experience was a major undertaking for Disney, costing an estimated $1 billion to develop. However, it has struggled to attract guests, with only about half of the available cabins booked.

The voyage costs around $1,200 per person per day, with family packages reaching closer to $6,000 for the two-day excursion. This price tag may have been too high for many Star Wars fans, who could get a week-long vacation at a Disney resort for the same price.

Despite the high price, the Galactic Starcruiser has been praised by those who have experienced it. The experience is immersive, with guests interacting with characters and making choices that affect the story. Some guests have even said that it feels like they are living in the Star Wars universe.

However, the high price and low occupancy have forced Disney to close the Galactic Starcruiser. The company says that it will take what it has learned from the experience and use it to create future Star Wars experiences that are more affordable and accessible to a wider audience.

Here are some additional details about the Galactic Starcruiser experience:

  • Guests are assigned to a cabin on the Halcyon, a luxury starcruiser.
  • The Halcyon is staffed by characters who interact with guests and help them to create their own Star Wars story.
  • Guests can participate in a variety of activities, including lightsaber training, piloting a starship, and exploring the ship’s many amenities.
  • The experience culminates in a battle between the First Order and the Resistance.

The Galactic Starcruiser was a unique and ambitious experience, but it ultimately proved to be too expensive for many fans. Disney says that it will take what it has learned from the experience and use it to create future Star Wars experiences that are more affordable and accessible to a wider audience.

Disney World's Star Wars

According to a spokesperson from Disney Parks, there are currently no immediate plans for the Starcruiser building. The integration of its elements into Galaxy’s Edge, the “Star Wars” land at Hollywood Studios and Disneyland, has also not been decided yet.

However, fans who were unable to afford the expensive $5,000-a-stay experience remain hopeful that Disney will offer more limited experiences, such as dinner reservations in the Crown of Corellia Dining Room. The Starcruiser is already conveniently connected to Galaxy’s Edge via a short shuttle ride.

For devoted “Star Wars” enthusiasts still holding onto the hope of a reimagined version of the hotel, there is a glimmer of optimism. In the late 1990s, Disney World had announced the construction of the Pop Century Resort, a more affordable hotel option with a theme centered around the decades of the 20th century. However, due to the significant decrease in tourism following the 9/11 attacks, only half of the planned decades were completed when the Pop Century Resort opened in 2003. The Legendary Years section, though partially constructed and visible, remained unfinished and abandoned.

Nevertheless, in 2010, Disney revealed its plans to repurpose the unfinished structures and incorporate them into the new Art of Animation Resort. These buildings were transformed into a theme inspired by animated movies and finally opened to guests in 2012. It is important to note that the Art of Animation Resort is a vast complex with over 2,100 rooms and suites, unlike the relatively small space of the Galactic Starcruiser. Whether the Starcruiser can be repurposed effectively, if at all, remains uncertain.

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