In news not entirely unexpected, as public demand continued to wane over the past year, Disney has announced that it’s pulling the plug and parking its Orlando, Florida-based Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser hotel after only 15 months in operation.
As the House of Mouse continues a series of brutal employee layoffs and cost-cutting measures that also include a slimmed-down release schedule, the cancellation of a massive Florida relocation plan, and the removal of low-rated Disney Plus shows like “Willow,” this extravagant Walt Disney World Resort attraction was ripe for the chopping block and hosts its final guests Sept. 28-30, .
Being such a risky $1 billion investment that never really caught on with fans due to its extremely expensive prices, claustrophobic rooms, uninspired interior design and generic live-action entertainment offerings, the decision to mothball the Galactic Starcruiser seems to be the prudent thing to do in light of Disney’s declining stock price and dollar-saving necessities.
“Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser is one of our most creative projects ever and has been praised by our guests and recognized for setting a new bar for innovation and immersive entertainment,” an official Disney spokesperson told Variety. “This premium experience gave us the opportunity to try new things on a smaller scale of 100 rooms, and we will take what we’ve learned to create future experiences that can reach more of our guests and fans.”
The space-y 100-room hotel first opened to passengers on March 1, 2022 as a two-night, “Star Wars“-themed role-playing adventure experience on board the Halcyon, a simulated spaceship cruise liner set within the storied “Star Wars” galaxy. It was an experimental all-inclusive interactive attraction where a pair of guests were charged a minimum $4,809 price tag for the two-night sleepover during off-peak dates.
As whispers about the resort hotel’s plunging occupancy numbers circulated this year, and despite Disney offering steep discounts to try and revitalize interest, this ambitious sci-fi venture simply outpriced itself and eventually ran out of fuel, marooned in a stagnant economy besieged with high inflation and interest rates. In another day and age it just might have succeeded, but not in these troubling times.
Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser will shut its airlocks for good after Sept. 30 and the attraction is not currently accepting any new reservations. Disney intends on contacting all future guests who have booked a stay after that date to discuss restitution, altered plans or compensation options.
