Disney World's Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser to shutter
Disney World's Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, a two-day hotel experience, is closing and will make its final voyage this September after being open for only more than a year.
The experience blends elements of the company's resorts, cruise lines and theme parks into a 48-hour romp in space. First teased during Disney's D23 Expo in 2019, the Galactic Starcruiser, located near the company's Orlando, Florida-based Disney World Resort opened in March 2022.
The voyage costs around $1,200 per person per day, with family packages reaching closer to $6,000 for the two-day excursion. That can be a hard number to digest, especially considering a typical Disney vacation for a family of four can cost that much for a week-long trip, depending on hotel and restaurant choices.
However, the Galactic Starcruiser has been lauded as a dream come true for fans looking for the ultimate Star Wars experience. The two-day jaunt includes a hotel room, all food and drink except alcoholic and specialty beverages, a day trip to the Hollywood Studios park, a Magic Band and valet service at drop-off.
The Galactic Starcruiser is more than a hotel, however. It is an immersive experience. Voyagers spend their time on the Halcyon meeting new characters and aligning themselves with the light or the dark side.
The main gist of the overarching story goes as follows: You are a passenger on a starcruiser for a two-day voyage. During that trip, a First Order officer and several stormtroopers board the ship to root out Resistance spies. Alongside these villains there are spies, musicians, rebels and reluctant heroes, everything that makes up a Star Wars story.
And, of course, some familiar faces also appear, including Chewbacca, Rey and Kylo Ren.
The experience has earned some of the highest guest satisfaction ratings in the history of Walt Disney World and earned a Thea Award for outstanding achievement in the themed entertainment space.
Still, the boutique hotel proved to be too pricy for general Star Wars fans.
"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," the company 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."
Disney reportedly spent $2 billion to construct its two immersive Star Wars parks in Florida and California — though it is unclear if the cost of building the Starcruiser is included in the sum.
Source: CNBC
