Just 18 months after The Walt Disney Company opened its first “Star Wars”-themed hotel known as the Galactic Starcruiser, the company announced it would permanently close the immersive experience.
A few days after the news broke, Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro spoke out on the difficult decision, admitting the hotel did “not meet expectations.”
Josh D’Amaro On Closing Galactic Starcruiser
DisneyThe “Star Wars”: Galactic Starcruiser was groundbreaking for the Walt Disney Company, though many Guests found the price a bit out of their range. Every stay aboard the Starcruiser is two-night stays with a starting cost of more than $4,800 for two people and around $6,000 for a family of four, making it more expensive than many anticipated. However, it is all-inclusive and does offer a one-of-a-kind immersive experience.
Disney describes the experience as: “Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser is a revolutionary 2-night experience where you are the hero. You and your group will embark on a first-of-its-kind Star Wars adventure that’s your own. It’s the most immersive Star Wars story ever created—one where you live a bespoke experience and journey further into a Star Wars adventure than you ever dreamed possible.”
Eighteen months after Disney opened the Galactic Starcruiser, the company announced closing the experience.
Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro is shedding some more light on the decision, saying, “While the Starcruiser experience offered a groundbreaking and unprecedented adventure, its performance did not meet our expectations. Therefore, we have decided to sunset the experience in September.”
At this time, there is no word on what Disney plans to do with the space that the “Star Wars”: Galactic Starcruiser currently sits on or when/if exactly the hotel will be demolished or just reimagined.
Fans React To Closure Of Galactic Starcruiser
DisneyMany Disney fans quickly took to social media to express their opinions following the news. They included Dylan Dickson, who ran the Theme Park Obsession YouTube channel and released a video expressing his opinion on the information, stating that the closing is “disappointing” and “shameful.”
“It’s just odd that Disney isn’t willing to figure out a way to discount the experience to make it more obtainable for the average family,” Mr. Dickson said in the video. “All that wasted money, company money, time, blood, sweat, and tears went into this. To me, that isn’t very kind to the Imagineers. That’s a slap in the face.”
Another fan took to Twitter to express their opinion, sharing, “The irony of Galactic Starcruiser closing is that if they had invested more accessible experiences for all like the Gaya supper club which was ORIGINALLY planned for Galaxy’s Edge (same layout), it probably would’ve generated more money consistently with how popular it’d be!”
And another Tweeted, “You’re laughing. The galactic starcruiser is closing after barely a year, and you’re laughing,” to which another replied, “It’s sad to see a project that size fail. I believe the building and the show elements inside could be repurposed and create a new attraction. IMO @DisneyParks need something original and unique, a new concept, a new experience.”
