Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser

• 1. Introduction

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  Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser opened on the 1st of March 2022 in Bay Lake, Florida, charging guests at least $4,800 for a two-night stay. Guests were not checking into a hotel room in any ordinary sense. They were boarding a fictional starship called the Halcyon, moored within the Walt Disney World resort. One writer for The Verge called it a 'Westworld for Star Wars fans.' A ticket covered meals, ongoing entertainment, and a part in a living Star Wars story. Estimates of what it cost Disney to construct the facility ranged from $350 million to $1 billion. By the 30th of September 2023, after less than two years of operation, the Halcyon had made its final voyage. Why it closed so quickly, what guests actually found inside, and what came next are questions with answers worth examining.

• 2. The Grand Promise

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  At D23 Expo 2017 in Anaheim, California, Disney announced plans for a Star Wars hotel alongside 22 other proposed improvements to its parks worldwide. Bob Chapek, then Disney's head of Parks and Resorts, called the project the company's 'most experiential concept ever.' He promised a '100% immersive' experience that 'will culminate in a unique journey for every person who visits.'

  In April 2017, even before D23, Disney had hired the website Swagbucks to survey visitors about interest in a Star Wars-themed hotel. Creatures and droids would serve as hotel staff; guests would wear Star Wars costumes; and personalized secret missions would tailor the experience to each visitor. Marketing materials also promised lightsaber training, spacecraft piloting, and duels modeled on the Jedi Training Academy already operating at Disney's Hollywood Studios.

  At D23 Expo 2019, Disney revealed that all guests would arrive and depart together, like passengers on a cruise ship. The hotel's name, the Halcyon, was announced at the same time. A planned 2021 opening was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

  Spacecraft piloting was replaced before opening by something called Bridge Ops training. The personalized secret missions were also cut. Lightsaber training alone remained from the broader suite of interactive adventures that had been marketed to the public.

  On the 30th of May 2018, Disney had confirmed the Halcyon's precise location: just south of Disney's Hollywood Studios, to the east of World Drive.

• 3. Aboard the Halcyon

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  Thirteen decks made up the Halcyon, though guests had access to only four of them. Deck 4 contained the Crown of Corellia Dining Room, the Lightsaber Training Pod, the Climate Simulator, and the Transport Dock to Batuu. The Cargo Hold, the Brig, and the Engineering Room were also located there.

  Deck 6 held the Atrium, which connected to the Bridge, the Sublight Lounge, the Chandrila Collection gift shop, and the Passenger Services desk. Decks 4, 5, and 7 served as the cabin floors. Each cabin contained full-size bunk beds and a queen-sized bed. Some rooms also offered a pull-down berth in the style of Star Wars bunkers, accommodating a fifth guest.

  A valet parking spot, a MagicBand, food, non-alcoholic drinks, and ongoing entertainment were all covered by the ticket price. Lightning lane access for Galaxy's Edge attractions and a quick-service meal credit at Disney's Hollywood Studios were also included. The building had no self-parking lot; guests arrived by valet, rideshare, or taxi.

  On the second day, guests traveled to Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge by what Disney called a shuttle-pod transportation system. That system was a cargo box mounted on a flatbed truck, its interior fitted to resemble a spacecraft cabin. The shuttle-pod terminal inside Galaxy's Edge sat adjacent to the First Order ship in Docking Bay 9.

  The narrative waiting for guests aboard the Halcyon was connected to events unfolding simultaneously in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, just across the resort.

• 4. Picking a Side

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  The Halcyon's story was set during the ship's 275th anniversary voyage, a celebration soon disrupted when the First Order boarded to investigate Resistance activity. Guests chose which thread of the story to follow: Resistance, Smuggler, or First Order. The Play Disney Parks mobile app served as the mechanism through which guests received missions and shaped their participation. Whatever alignment a guest chose, the overarching plot of the voyage unfolded around them.

  In November 2022, the Themed Entertainment Association presented the Galactic Starcruiser with a Thea Award for outstanding achievement in brand experience.

  Mic compared the Galactic Starcruiser's planned concept to Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge and Universal Orlando's Cabana Bay Beach Resort, both described as offering lesser-immersive experiences by comparison.

• 5. Cost and Criticism

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  Windowless cabin photos spread across Twitter before the hotel had even opened, prompting immediate criticism of what awaited guests. Many commentators found the compact rooms difficult to reconcile with the premium price. Esquire wrote that 'the real villain here is Galactic Starcruiser's Death Star-sized price tag' and that the small rooms did not justify the rates. One commentator observed that the high cost had deterred many potential guests, and that the lone storyline had made repeat visits feel unlikely.

  Writing for Polygon, Charlie Hall acknowledged both the facility's flaws and the high price. He still called the Starcruiser 'something of a dream come true for a Star Wars fan.' Hall described the overall story arc as the highlight of the stay, making guests 'an integral part' of the Star Wars universe.

  What the company would eventually disclose about the financial cost of closing it made the ticket price look modest by comparison.

• 6. Shutdown and Aftermath

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  In May 2023, Disney announced that the Galactic Starcruiser would run its last two-day voyage beginning on the 28th of September. Two days later, at 10 a.m., the hotel closed permanently.

  At the JP Morgan Technology, Media & Communications Conference that same month, Disney Chairman Josh D'Amaro disclosed what the closure would cost the company. He described an expected $100 million to $150 million in accelerated depreciation per quarter. Across two fiscal quarters, that amounted to a total between $200 million and $300 million. Interim CFO Kevin Lansberry later revised and confirmed a final figure of $250 million.

  In May 2024, YouTuber Jenny Nicholson posted a four-hour review of the Galactic Starcruiser that spread widely online. Nicholson detailed her own experience, citing problems with customer service and glitches in the Play Disney Parks app that had prevented her from engaging with the story. In her assessment, the experience had not justified the cost.

  Nicholson speculated that early press reviews had relied on a four-hour guided tour in which app features were described by guides rather than demonstrated to journalists. Charlie Hall, who had covered the Galactic Starcruiser for Polygon, confirmed that he and other press attendees had never been shown the app. Disney later filed copyright claims against Nicholson's video, targeting music audible in the background of the marketing clips she had included.

  By January 2025, the building that had housed the Halcyon was being converted into additional office space for Walt Disney Imagineering. The division was at work on several upcoming park projects, including a Disney Villains-themed land at Magic Kingdom, a Monsters, Inc.-themed land at Disney's Hollywood Studios, and a Tropical Americas land at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

  At Galaxy's Edge, the walkway that once led guests to their shuttle-pod is still visible beside Docking Bay 9, though it leads nowhere.