Disney’s Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser Hotel Shutting Down is Actually Good For Fans
The Galactic Starcruiser’s final flight might well be a good thing for fans.
The costly experiment that was Disney’s Galactic Starcruiser is coming to an end. The much-hyped fake hotel in space will be closing down. While this is personally disappointing for many fans, it might end up being a boon in disguise. But this closure is actually good for fans.
The Closure of Galactic Starcruiser
After much hype and some delays, Galactic Starcrusier opened on March 1st, 2022 to great fanfare. It has now been announced that the hotel/attraction will close its doors. Though an exact date has not been announced, we do know it will be in late September of this year, likely the 30th. The news is not super surprising as there have been rumors for quite some time that the hotel was having trouble filling its rooms.
The reason for its closing has not been disclosed but is almost certainly due to a lack of revenue, perhaps hasten by Disney’s ongoing feud with the hate-spewing governor of Florida. However, the closure of Galactic Starcusier may be good for fans.
A Controversial Ride
Galactic Starcruiser was a groundbreaking idea. This was a major cooperation creation of a massively immersive event. For two days (or most of two days) guests are whisked away to a space-going cruise ship in the Star Wars universe. There they can interact with characters and have adventures. It’s the most mainstream LARPing has ever been. In the lead-up to the opening, the hype was massive. The announcement of the Starcrusier garnered massive enthusiasm among fans. Yet not all was well.
Increasingly in the run-up to the opening the hotel started to get some bad press. The internet panned some of the early promotional materials released. Some felt it looked cheap or lacked enough to do. Many were disappointed that the story told on the ship was set during the Sequel Era. Then there was the price. At around $5,000 for a couple or $6,000 for a family, this was a steep price to pay for 2 days and nights. That’s more than you might pay for a much longer real-life cruise.
Once it opened the reaction was generally positive. People seemed to very much like the attraction. I’ve had acquittances go who loved it. Some people complained the storyline and events were unexcited or buggy. There were also some complaints that the actives were a little thin. However, it was generally well received.
Though it is fair to mention that influencers given free $5,000 vacations by Disney were unlikely to say bad things about it.
In addition, the people who jumped to drop that massive price in the first rush are likely mega-fans and predisposed to really enjoy this, no matter the quality. Still, it seems that quality wasn’t what sunk the Galactic Starcruiser, it was price. And that’s good for fans.
The Ultimate Gatekeeping
The pricing of the Galactic Starcruiser made it prohibitively expensive for most people to visit the attraction. At over $5,000, not counting airfare, transport, or anything else you might do while there, it was simply out of reach for the masses. It’s an attraction aimed at rich super-fans and that’s it. It doesn’t grow Star Wars or bring new people in, it just makes people feel excluded.
Now, sure, there is going to be some level of that no matter what. Simply going to Disney parks to visit Star Wars land is expensive. But that cost pales in comparison to Starcrusier. Many many more people can and do visit the parks than could ever dream of staying at Starcrusier.
Star Wars should be for the masses. For the kids and the adults, and the adults who are kids, and just everyone. The more inaccessible you make Star Wars the worse it is for fans. To gatekeep the best of Star Wars behind a price that is inaccessible to most people hurts the brand. It says to be a real fan you have to spend thousands of dollars. It’s not a feel-good story.
As much as it was an interesting concept and may have been an amazing experience it was one that only the most privileged could experience. Ultimately the price was clearly the sticking point for most. It was too high. And because of this, the closure of Galactic Starcusier is good for fans. Not even so much in that it was stopped, but it was what its closures prevented.
The Closure of Galactic Starcruiser Changes the Future
There was a serious fear among many Disney fans that if Starcruiser was successful it would spell bad things for the future of the parks. Many people worried that Disney would see this success as something to repeat. Instead of affordable (if only barely) hotels, Disney would turn to building more super-themed immersive attractions.
Existing hotels might even be converted. Other Disney properties would get the same treatment. You have to think Disney must have at least explored ideas for an MCU version of Starcrusier. Such a move would have only driven up the already exorbitant cost of visiting a Disney park. It would have priced out even more people.
A successful line of hyper-immersive experience-based hotels would have been great for Disney’s pocketbook, at least short term. It also would have been great for some fans, though who could afford it? However, it would have been horrible for the fandoms. They would have increasingly been excluded from these experiences and seen the money and attention that might have created something for everyone, focused on something for just a few to enjoy.
That future does, at least for now, seem to have been avoided. So as sad as it might be to some, the closure of Galactic Starcusier is good for fans as it helps keep Star Wars, and other properties, accessible.
Let us know what you think about the closure, down in the comments!
