When the Disney corporation purchased all the intellectual property and rights associated with Star Wars, it naturally wanted to make the most out of its investment. In addition to the new trilogies of films and original streaming services, it installed the Jedi Training Academy in Disney World in Orlando.

Adding to the immersive experience, in 2022 visitors to Disney World encountered the chance to stay in a Galactic Starcruiser. More than a hotel, the Starcruiser recruited guests to aid in a mission, working for either the First Order or the Resistance. Staff members remained completely in character, and all the décor was carefully designed to seem as if they were actually inside a spaceship. Even the windows blocked out any Florida sunshine, covered instead with imagery of stars.

To get the full effect of the immersion, guests had to spend at least two nights if they wanted a reservation on the Galactic Starcruiser. And those nights were not cheap. Starting costs were close to $5000 for two people; a family of four would need to spend more than $6000, even before paying for any park fees if they wanted to visit the rest of Disney during the day.

In the meantime, Disney announced a pressing need to cut costs and a strategic plan to focus more intensely on its streaming services and content production efforts. Those divisions have grown notably profitable for the company, such that the parks themselves appear to be losing some of their prioritization. And at the very same time, Disney entered into a well-publicized and ongoing feud with the governor of the State of Florida over a controversial law that prevented public schools from discussing sexual orientation. Following a series of threats, lawsuits, and fights in public sources, Disney indicated its unwillingness to invest more of its resources in Orlando, until the state guarantees not only the civil rights of gay people but also the company’s right to govern itself, as had been established with a special agreement decades ago.

All these elements likely factored into Disney’s decision to close the expensive, expansive, well-resourced hotel, less than two years after it opened. The announcement, released in May, promised guests with existing reservations through September that their stay would still be booked, but after that, all bets were off. Nor could anyone make a new reservation, for one last chance to stay aboard a Starcruiser. Not that there were many people clamoring for the chance though. Disney fans, who are an active and vocal stakeholder group, noted that there was little reason to return, once they had been to the Starcruiser once, because nothing much changed. Thus, they could immerse themselves, but on their next visit, they felt they knew what was coming.

Overall, it appears a relatively rare misstep by Disney: an expensive, not particularly appealing offering in a controversial setting. The question now becomes, What will the sequel to the hotel be? Will it be another unpopular offering, like The Phantom Menace, or will it be a success, like The Mandalorian?

Discussion Questions:

1. What aspects of the Galactic Starcruiser Hotel seem most responsible for its failure (e.g., cost, offerings)?
2. How could Disney World have increased the value provided by the Galactic Starcruiser Hotel?

Sources: Lauren McCarthy, “Disney to Close ‘Star Wars’–Themed Hotel Less than Two Years After It Opened,” The New York Times, May 20, 2023; Brooks Barnes, “Searching for Streaming Profit, Disney Cuts $5.5 Billion in Costs,” The New York Times, February 8, 2023; Evelyn Long, “Star Wars at Disney World: How it Started, How it’s Going,” WDW Magazine, November 23, 2022