In an interview with The Points Guy, Josh D’Amaro said “something will happen” with Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, which is permanently closing this year.
On the subject of the hotel, D’Amaro spoke about pushing Imagineers to take risks.
“Raise the bar,” he said. “Try things that the guests aren’t even asking for because they don’t know to ask for that. I know not everything’s going to work. What did work, though, is we took creativity and storytelling to a completely new level, to a level that had never existed before. … It didn’t work commercially. And so, when we realized that, you just make a call and move on.”
The Points Guy asked what would happen to the shuttered hotel.
“No hints yet,” D’Amaro said with a smile, “but something will happen.”
About Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser
Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser will permanently close after the final voyage on September 28, which quickly sold out after the closure announcement was made. Bookings closed temporarily but reopened today. Guests waited in hours-long virtual queues to book their final trip to the stars.
No discounts were available for Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser when bookings reopened. Bookings quickly sold out.
It’s very unlikely more availability will open for the experience.
Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser opened in March 2022 at Walt Disney World. The experience starts at nearly $5,000 per cabin and offers a three-day, two-night immersive “Star Wars” adventure on a fictitious cruise ship where guests become part of a conflict between the Resistance and the First Order. It includes an excursion to Batuu (Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios), themed meals, and live entertainment, including a climactic battle for the galaxy.
The Halcyon, as it’s called in-universe, has 100 guest rooms, including 94 Standard Cabins that sleep up to 5, four Galaxy Class Suites that sleep up to 4, and two Grand Captain Suites that sleep up to 8.
This month, Disney made the surprise announcement that they’d be closing their themed hotel aimed at immersive storytelling permanently after only one year and a few months of operation. Starcruiser has been burdened since before its opening, shrouded in financial troubles, budget cuts, high prices, low occupancy, and inconsistent levels of satisfaction when individuals compare what was delivered with what was initially promised in conceptual stages. Above all, the struggling resort was prohibitively expensive for the vast majority of potentially interested guests, with costs exceeding multiple thousands of dollars for a brief, two-night stay.
Disney CEO Bob Iger reportedly rejected ideas to retheme Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser to something like “The Mandalorian,” or to offer tours for day guests.
Though Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser did not perform as well as Disney had hoped, it will be a $300 million tax write-off.
Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser was generally well-reviewed and has the distinction of winning the 2022 TEA Thea Award for Outstanding Achievement in Brand Experience.
Curious about the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser full experience? Check out our guide to everything on the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser and our honest, in-depth review.
Will you be on one of the final Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser voyages? Let us know in the comments.
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