The Hollywood Reporter
Get this: A windowless, theme-park hotel with a mandatory 48-hour stay that costs a family of four $6,000 per visit didn’t work out.
Disney has decided to shutter its Star Wars-themed Galactic Starcruiser hotel after less than two years. The hotel’s final “voyage” will be in September.
The ultra-ambitious project opened in March of 2022 near the Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida.
A stay cost roughly $1,200 per person, per day, for a two-day all-inclusive interactive role-playing adventure where guests interact with characters from the sci-fi saga and enjoy themed games, food and drink.
“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,” Disney said in a statement. “This premium, boutique experience gave us the opportunity to try new things on a smaller scale of 100 rooms, and as we prepare for its final voyage, we will take what we’ve learned to create future experiences that can reach more of our guests and fans.”
Indeed, Star Wars fans who visited the hotel generally had high praise for the concept, with the hotel averaging 4.5 stars on Tripadvisor.
“If you are into Star Wars, and you enjoy role playing, this is absolutely worth it,” wrote one reviewer. “In addition to the lodging, food (it’s a LOT of food), park admission (including lightning lane access to the rides), what you are really paying for is the experience that is put on by the characters and crew members.”
Also notable, however, is the fact that there were only 43 reviews. Among the guests who had a bad feeling about the hotel was one who described the experience as “like being in a jail,” and another who dubbed it “the most expensive rip-off of my life,” saying they had to spend most of their time staring at their phone in order to play along with the role-playing. “The hotel is surprisingly small, with few themed spaces to explore. Even the garden ‘climate simulator’ which is supposed to help with claustrophobia is small. I really don’t know why it’s so tiny, there is plenty of land to work with. It doesn’t feel immersive, it feels cramped.”
The pandemic likely made the concept a tougher sell for the virus-wary given the prospect of being confined in an enclosed area for a prolonged period of time.
Galactic Starcruiser will at least be remembered as the perfect destination for families who love Star Wars and role-playing and had a spare $6,000 to spend and a high tolerance for closed spaces.
Source: Hollywood Reporter
