Now a road to nowhere?Over the past few weeks I’ve been adding some #ThrowbackThursday and #FlashbackFriday pictures to the Disney Over 50 Facebook and Instagram accounts. I love looking back. Many of the pictures that I’ve added are from rides or attractions that no longer exist. Some aren’t missed, like The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Others, like The Great Movie Ride, people do truly seem to miss. There has been a lot of change at Walt Disney World in the 13 years that my family and I have lived here. Some changes have been hits, while others have missed the mark. I thought it might be fun to write a short series on these hits and misses.
I’ll start with what was probably the biggest miss in recent history. Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser was a Star Wars fan’s dream come true. It was two days and nights totally immersed in your own Star Wars story! Everything about it screamed the franchise; the food, the entertainment, the sleeping quarters, the excursion on Batuu, and of course the Cast Members. I have not heard of one person who took a trip on Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser who didn’t have the adventure of a lifetime. I even know a couple of people who went more than once.
So what happened? Why did it shut down after a year and a half? I think there were two reasons; the cost and the theme. Mostly, it was the price tag.
Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser was expensive. On average, it cost over $1,000 a day per person. You could take a week long cruise on some cruise lines for less and still have money left over! It was hard to justify spending that much money on a 45 hour experience.
The theme also didn’t help. I personally love Star Wars. It’s been part of my life since I was a teenager! I enjoy spending time in Galaxy’s Edge. I’ve ridden Star Tours over 250 times. I don’t even know how many copies of the movies I own, and I still have my VHS tapes! I cried when Disney canceled Star Wars Weekends. But I know that not everyone is like me. Too many people immediately wrote off Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser because they aren’t huge Star Wars fans. I understand that. I wouldn’t want to spend thousands of dollars for a trip based around something that I’m not a fan of. I know a couple of people who did go on the Galactic Starcruiser who don’t know Star Wars, and they loved it. Still, that’s a risk that not many were willing to take.
People also had no idea what Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser was all about. I still hear people refer to it as “a Star Wars themed hotel”.
There are some people who think that Disney didn’t give Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser enough of a chance. Others say that it was meant to fail, that Disney wanted it as a tax write off. I don’t know if that part is true or not. But I do wish that it had stayed open a little bit longer.
I never had a chance to take a voyage on the Galactic Starcruiser. I had planned to at some point, even set money aside for it, but it didn’t stay open long enough for me to make any real arrangements. My daughter and I talked about going maybe in early 2024, and then suddenly, it was closing. Oh well. I’m sure we would have had a great time, but it’s hard to miss something that you never really had.
Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser was a big gamble for Disney. It’s a gamble that didn’t pay off. I applaud them for trying. Disney wanted to go several steps above the norm with this one. I would have loved for it to stay open for years, but at that price, I think that the closure was eminent from day one.