Scrapping the infamous Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser hotel cost Disney $250 million, the company announced in its quarterly earnings call last week. With only 100 guest rooms, that breaks down to $2.5 million per room for the failed venture.
People Also Ask
Disney Reveals Just How Much Money It Lost on Overpriced Star Wars Hotel. In its most recent quarterly report, Disney revealed an embarrassing $250 million loss on its overpriced Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser hotel.
– Disney announced earlier this year that the company would be closing its Star Wars-themed “Galactic Starcruiser” hotel, with its final voyage scheduled from Sept. 28-30.
Disney Parks made a surprising announcement in May: its Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser experience in Orlando, Florida, will close in September after just ~18 months. During the Walt Disney Company's Q3 earnings call, the company revealed that the closure would result in a $250m loss.
But the Starcruiser was also said to be immensely costly to operate, primarily because it employed a cast of about a dozen core actors who had to perform and interact with guests in full-day shifts. The Galactic Starcruiser features about a dozen core actors who interact with guests throughout the two-day experience.
The marketing surrounding Galactic Starcruiser didn't quite manage to show you what to expect, especially in the first few promo spots – Disney actually scrapped their initial “first look” promos due to incredibly negative backlash, and the reputation of the Starcruiser never really recovered.
Turns out the galaxy doesn't contain enough Star Wars die-hards willing to pay for such a high-touch, high-cost experience, industry observers and experts say. “How many people who are superfans want to put in the time and the emotional expenditure of spending two days in a fully immersive experience?”
The introduction of the Galactic Starcruiser to Disney is by no means a “failure”--the hotel continues to maintain a steady supply of bookings and general interest–but after the initial rush of popularity during the first few months of operation, it is unlikely the experience will recapture those numbers unless there ...
High costs and high prices. No conversation about the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser would be complete without discussing the out-of-this-world price tag. The 3-day, 2-night experience costs anywhere from US$5,000 to US$20,000 (NZ$8000-32,000).
– Walt Disney World's Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser is beginning its final voyage Thursday before closing permanently. Walt Disney World announced back in May that the immersive Star Wars hotel experience would be closing after nearly two years in operation.
Your starcruiser voyage includes a 2-night stay in a cabin or suite with cosmic views of planets, stars, and other ships traveling through the galaxy. Standard Cabins can comfortably sleep 4 to 5 passengers, Galaxy Class Suites sleep 4 passengers, and Grand Captain's Suites sleep up to 8.
Staffing alone was a huge cost, but that's not it. Starcruiser had far more 'moving parts' than a standard hotel, so maintenance and upkeep also would've been significant costs. It's also probable that $300 million does not represent the entire cost of Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser.
It's OK to fly home with the Coca-Cola cans shaped like thermal detonators sold at Disney's Galaxy's Edge, TSA said Friday. People who want to take them home as souvenirs should put them in checked baggage or empty the cans and stick them in a carry-on item, the TSA said.
For the comfort of all Guests, Walt Disney World theme parks, water parks, ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex and Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser are smoke free.
Aboard the StarcruiserCostumes that may distract from the experience of other Guests are not permitted. All Guests may dress as their favorite character, but they may not pose for pictures or sign autographs for other Guests.
Disney World announced last week that it is shutting down Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, the interactive two-night hotel experience, less than two years after it opened in March 2022.
One factor is that people may be less interested in theme parks. From what we're seeing with our bookings, that pent-up demand has somewhat transitioned to cruises and Europe, Greg Antonelle, the co-owner of Florida travel agency MickeyTravels, told the Journal.
Another thing to consider here is that the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Resort is essentially an all-inclusive boutique hotel plus an interactive live entertainment experience.
Disney has not commented on just how much Galactic Starcruiser took to construct, although the Washington Post estimated a cost of close to $1 billion. Now, the company can add another $250,000,000 to that total, according to Disney's interim CFO Kevin Lansberry on the August 9 earnings call.