Major Disney World attraction to close after just one year
DISNEY World is closing one of its biggest attractions less than two years after it opened.
Disney confirmed that the two-night “Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser” hotel and experience will be closing down.
The hotel was first announced at the D23 Expo in 2019 as part of the $1billion Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge land.
It debuted with fanfare at Disney World in March 2022, offering guests an immersive experience where they played out their own storyline.
Guests at the hotel would become “heroes of their own Star Wars story” while on the Halcyon ship, before meeting and interacting with characters onboard and joining the Resistance against Kylo Ren and the First Order.
During their stay, guests would be given a full wardrobe as well as a back story to their character, and could even partake in lightsaber training and starcruiser engineering lessons.
However, Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger announced in February that the company would reduce costs by $5.5 billion as it works to make its streaming TV business profitable.
This also includes the closing of the hotel this September.
Some Star Wars fans had complained that the cost of staying at the Starcruiser was too high.
Bookings started at $4,800 for two guests, but could reach as high as $20,000.
The price included two days and two nights in one of 100 Starcruiser cabins, galactic-inspired food and drink, and a visit to Batuu, the “Star Wars” planet inside the Disney World theme park.
The 100 rooms at the site represented less than 0.5 per cent of Disney’s room inventory in the area.
A Disney spokesman said the Starcruiser experience was “praised by our guests and recognized for setting a new bar for innovation and immersive entertainment.”
They added: “This premium, boutique experience gave us the opportunity to try new things on a smaller scale of 100 rooms.
“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.”
Sun Online Travel tried the Star Wars hotel when it opened – here’s what we thought of it.
If you fancy a similar stay, here is a Star Wars themed Airbnb just outside the theme park for around £17pp a night.