Galactic Starcruiser Closing Permanently In September!

[Obi-J Kenobi]

And now I don't know if you are making fun of me or making fun of Disney.

Life is a mystery.

 

[Mrs Geek]

Honestly even though this was always going to be out of my price range, I'm devastated it's closing. I truly think it was ahead of its time. Immersive entertainment like this is the future. I do think that putting all their eggs in the sequel era basket was the nail in the coffin though. The people with the money and the desire to do an experience like this would much prefer an OT-era story to live through. My husband and I just spent half an hour discussing a blue-sky, if-I-were-in-charge take on this, and we both agreed that it would have been awesome (yet way too labor intensive / expensive) for them to run several versions of the cruise throughout the year set in different Star Wars eras; pre-announce the sailings as a Clone Wars storyline, a pre-rebellion storyline, a during-the-rebellion storyline, a post-Empire storyline, or a fight-the-First-Order storyline (the one they do now). Each version would have its own cameo characters (young Anakin, Obi Wan, or Ahsoka? The crew of the Ghost / Cassian Andor / Jyn Erso? Han or Leia? Din Djarin and Grogu? and then the current Kylo and Rey) and its own inter-woven storylines depending on the era. Each era would have its own captain of the ship (maybe a younger version of the current captain at some point?) and on-board entertainment. The downside is that the attractions in Galaxy's Edge are definitely a fixed point in time; but they currently have anachronistic character appearances there and are making that work. Maybe it would be worth stepping out of the immersion for a minute to ride Rise. Anyway I'm just saying they would widen their audience tremendously if they had the ability to dig into the vast universe (pun intended) of characters and storylines that exist in Star Wars.

Either way, I hope Disney continues to pursue this style of entertainment, just on a smaller scale for a while. Could you imagine how amazing it would be if they added guest rooms to the Hollywood Tower Hotel and you could live the Tower of Terror storyline for a night? Or a Fantasyland immersive experience where you help the princesses defeat the villains, spend the night in an enchanted cottage, and top it off with dinner inside Cinderella's castle?

 

[Obi-J Kenobi]

Could you imagine how amazing it would be if they added guest rooms to the Hollywood Tower Hotel and you could live the Tower of Terror storyline for a night?

I would personally soil myself. But that's just me.

 

[maui2k5]

I would not be shocked if they bulldoze the building so they can write it off like they did with dismantling and destroying the awful tacos + Stargate that occupied world showcase lagoon.

 

[Narcoossee11]

The hotel has some issues.
Will need to add pool, great food court.
Interaction with characters at certain times only for resort guest.

Have a dinner show/characters meals.. All meal times. Something BIG.

 

[RedHead0186]

Could you imagine how amazing it would be if they added guest rooms to the Hollywood Tower Hotel and you could live the Tower of Terror storyline for a night?

This is actually what the original plan was for Tower of Terror. They (Disney higher-ups) wanted it to be a real hotel that also had the ride experience to it. The hotel plan was scrapped because there was (probably justified) concern about having a ride with people regularly screaming so close to rooms where people might be sleeping. (If you have Disney+, watch the Behind the Attraction on Tower of Terror, it was really interesting!)

 

[bsmcneil]

Maybe they will turn it into an immersive Muppets experience.

 

[Frank4202]

It was doomed from the beginning! It wasn't tailored to the nerds and the price was insane hence why there was so many cancellations after the promo videos.

I think its telling that instead of offering discounts to the general public, they decided to close it all together. Shows how much money they're losing.

I hope they do use it for something eventually. Even if its for people to escape the hurricanes.

 

[musicguy856]

I predict this will go the way of River Country after closing and just be abandoned until Disney is ready to do something with it.

 

[JasonH]

I mean... this was a niche experience to begin with. Based on an IP that was already overextended. And not to mention the whole ongoing battle with the Florida State government. Two headline attractions closing / canceled in less than a week from each other by Disney in Florida. I do wonder what else may get the axe.

I'm not a DVC owner, but I would really be interested in both of these news events this past week if I were. DVC property values are certainly going to trend downward, yet dues will likely continue to rise.

The trend is concerning, not only from a "Disney vs. Florida" perspective but also from a DVC real estate perspective. The Riviera was IMO overpriced when it opened and was based on the value of the overall World property at the time Disney sold points. I'd be curious how DVC adjusts.

 

[dizneedoll]

I wonder if they'll just let it sit there and rot like they did with AOA/POP

And River Country and Discovery Island and The Disney Institute. They don't seem to mind letting things sit and rot.

 

[DodgerGirl]

When you applied to work as a actor on Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser how much did actors get paid to work there? Because I can imagine now that the resort will close Disney will use these actors for future shows at the parks and some actors will become dancers/parade performers and some might be used for park characters in the future. I think also if they designed the cabins to be more like the rooms in Star Trek had for living quarters it would've made the Galactic Starcruiser more worthy of staying at. Because I saw pictures of the cabins in one of my magazines they reminded me of hospital rooms and the beds were like hospital beds and if they had put Star Wars framed pictures on the walls and Star Wars decor in the cabins that would've worked wonders. But I truly this resort will go down as the biggest failure in Disney history

 

[bcla]

And River Country and Discovery Island and The Disney Institute. They don't seem to mind letting things sit and rot.

They have all that land.

I don't know exactly why, but 18 years later, Six Flags New Orleans is still there more or less abandoned. They've used it for various purposes including as a theme park stand in. But man it still looks sad.

 

[Chrispy97]

I really just don't get the decision to price it SO high. I was just talking to my wife about this, and I was thinking, Disney can operate an actual cruise ship for what... $400 a night per person at double occupancy? They are paying maintenance costs, utilities, food, CMs/attendants, and actors/entertainment, same as GSC. Why wasn't it priced closer to on par with an actual cruise, which is what it was emulating? For two of us to go to GSC I could just about take an actual 7-night cruise to the Caribbean on the Fantasy in a verandah stateroom and still have the included food and entertainment. There is not a universe in which I'm going to pick option A, there, and I consider myself an avid Star Wars fan.

This was my calculation as well. It was roughly the same for 3 of us to do GSC or a 7 night on the Fantasy with a Star Wars day at sea. I’d rather get the additional 6 days and multiple ports than the 2 day immersive experience.

Disney’s response was to replace Star Wars day at sea with Pixar. I hope they bring back the Star Wars cruise now, or maybe add the Halcyon dinner show to the Treasure when that launches.

 

[BrianL]

I read a rumor this morning that there are plans to repurpose the space, but no specifics are known. I do think they will want to use it for something, so we'll see.

 

[NotUrsula]

When you applied to work as a actor on Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser how much did actors get paid to work there? Because I can imagine now that the resort will close Disney will use these actors for future shows at the parks and some actors will become dancers/parade performers and some might be used for park characters in the future. I think also if they designed the cabins to be more like the rooms in Star Trek had for living quarters it would've made the Galactic Starcruiser more worthy of staying at. Because I saw pictures of the cabins in one of my magazines they reminded me of hospital rooms and the beds were like hospital beds and if they had put Star Wars framed pictures on the walls and Star Wars decor in the cabins that would've worked wonders. But I truly this resort will go down as the biggest failure in Disney history

The Disney Equity contract specified Starcruiser as an Equity role, which means an average pay of approximately $33/hr.
Some surely got somewhat less and others more, but it was definitely more than your average parks CM got paid.

 

[LAS2AMS]

I predict this will go the way of River Country after closing and just be abandoned until Disney is ready to do something with it.

But they didn’t abandon the DI. It was under renovation during 9-11, and when it was originally temporarily shuttered they accelerated the renovation project. Portions of the property were torn down and redeveloped as Saratoga Springs, including the DT built for the DI. The renovated portions of the DI were to reopen, but later they were demolished and rebuilt. The property was never abandoned.

 

[Disney Bobby]

The Disney Equity contract specified Starcruiser as an Equity role, which means an average pay of approximately $33/hr.
Some surely got somewhat less and others more, but it was definitely more than your average parks CM got paid.

LOL. No wonder it was so expensive and went under so fast.

 

[New Mouse]

The Disney Equity contract specified Starcruiser as an Equity role, which means an average pay of approximately $33/hr.
Some surely got somewhat less and others more, but it was definitely more than your average parks CM got paid.

On the entertainment side this is correct but the strong majority of those cast members were typical entry level pay.

 

[robert_j]

I have fond memories of our cruise last June. It was like being inside a roleplaying adventure game: VR but without the motion sickness. And it makes Batuu a more complete experience. I would like to do it again, but it is hard to justify the price a second time.

I don't see how they could use the building for anything else. It is basically just a set, built for a specific purpose and just barely to specifications. I remember thinking at the time that, screens aside, a lot of the physical construction seemed low quality and not made for years of wear and tear. It was the people, and the story, that made the experience. (I did love the Sublight Lounge though!)

I think there is an opportunity to reopen and rebrand with themed cruises set in different periods. The lore supports this, and I don't think you need a Batuu stop for every era. There are already plenty of activities on the ship that you miss when you go to port. To avoid having people feel trapped, lean into the cruise idea with more time for relaxation, expand the "climate simulator" to include a pool, and put more chairs in public spaces--and maybe have more public spaces in general. And free drinks?