News Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Permanently Closed Fall 2023

Wendy Pleakley

Well-Known Member
Wow...

I'm a veteran of the Barbie in EPCOT Wars, I thought that in forty-five years of following WDW I had seen it all...

But this is the most cringe, most out-of-touch, most Disney being the completely uncool old aunt trying to hang out with the teenagers thing I've ever seen.

JFC, $5000 for this.

Did anyone who actually went on the cruise complain about line dancing and other "cheesy" elements?

Most of the criticisms seem to be from people who were predisposed to hate this and found some photos and video clips to justify an opinion they formed despite not actually experiencing it.

I also understand some of those "standard" cruise elements were part of the story, to establish this as being like a standard cruise before things "unexpectedly" go sideways.
 

Nubs70

Well-Known Member
Not all of that should be something to be happy about. The problem is Disney spent around 250 Million dollars on building Galactic Starcuiser and around a billion dollars on the concept of it. That type of money wasted should be something people be irked at. The fact is that type of money could've been used on Epcot, new land at Magic Kingdom, new stuff at Animal Kingdom, or a new do more changes to Disney Hollywood Studios.
You could build a new office/lifestyle center for that kind of money.
 

TP2000

Well-Known Member
Didn't know that, thanks for sharing.

I don't think decisions were made based on line dancing, but yeah that's not exactly something I would be expecting on a $6K a night experience.

To be honest, I have absolutely no problem with the line dancing lessons if it's useful/interactive with the plotline at the dinner show later in the voyage. I have been known to cut a rug myself on the dance floor still to this day, if the right song is played. :cool:

What I found cringe-inducing and tacky was the way it was presented in the middle of the lobby. The young lady CM's leading it were sweet and obviously trying hard, but they had the perky-cutesy demeanor and jarringly unthemed vocabulary of modern 21st century sorority girls working a Fun Committee shift at a Value Resort pool. So the whole thing felt totally out of place in the Star Wars universe, much less in an upscale luxury environment.

This is not the CM's fault, it's the fault of management and whatever TDO training team was inept enough to not realize the perky phrase "AMAAAAAZING!" was unacceptable in the Star Wars universe. Those CM's should have been trained and then supervised to teach a gracious and elegant dance for the dinner show, using gracious and elegant phrasing and demeanors. Star Wars isn't perky.

The Starcruiser CM's needed better much training and front-line management to truly play into the Luxury Star Wars story and aesthetic and vibe. The line dancing lessons were simply among the most jarring and blatant example of that training/management failure.
 
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TP2000

Well-Known Member
Did anyone who actually went on the cruise complain about line dancing and other "cheesy" elements?

It certainly didn't secure them any future bookings. So much so, that they had to shut it all down as a massive failure the following year.

"5,6,7,8!... Keep Goin'!.... Amaaaaazing!.... Face the bridge, and clap!.... Keep Goin'!.... Give yourselves a hand!" 😁
 
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celluloid

Well-Known Member
I saw someone mention it above but the moment someone called it a “hotel”, the whole thing was lost. I’ve also mentioned that I worked there, we were never allowed to use the H word.
That's nothing new. That is a Cast Member Culture thing for decades with any of the Walt Disney World owned resorts. It just waivers a bit with extended names and descriptors.

Tower of Terror with the Hollywood Tower Hotel lore is the only time Disney really does not mind the connotation there if any comes with it.
 
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monothingie

Nakatomi Plaza Christmas Eve 1988. Never Forget.
Premium Member
It certainly didn't secure them any future bookings. So much so, that they had to shut it all down as a massive failure the following year.

"5,6,7,8!... Keep Goin'!.... Amaaaaazing!.... Face the bridge, and clap!.... Keep Goin'!.... Give yourselves a hand!" 😁
Why is anyone surprised when this is Star Wars management's knowledge of the Star Wars brand.
im-a-star-wars-star-wars.gif
 

some other guy

Well-Known Member
To be honest, I have absolutely no problem with the line dancing lessons if it's useful/interactive with the plotline at the dinner show later in the voyage. I have been known to cut a rug myself on the dance floor still to this day, if the right song is played. :cool:

What I found cringe-inducing and tacky was the way it was presented in the middle of the lobby. The young lady CM's leading it were sweet and obviously trying hard, but they had the perky-cutesy demeanor and jarringly unthemed vocabulary of modern 21st century sorority girls working a Fun Committee shift at a Value Resort pool. So the whole thing felt totally out of place in the Star Wars universe, much less in an upscale luxury environment.

This is not the CM's fault, it's the fault of management and whatever TDO training team was inept enough to not realize the perky phrase "AMAAAAAZING!" was unacceptable in the Star Wars universe. Those CM's should have been trained and then supervised to teach a gracious and elegant dance for the dinner show, using gracious and elegant phrasing and demeanors. Star Wars isn't perky.

The Starcruiser CM's needed better much training and front-line management to truly play into the Luxury Star Wars story and aesthetic and vibe. The line dancing lessons were simply among the most jarring and blatant example of that training/management failure.
there might have been a way to make it work, like it's a protocol droid being insistently cheery through the welcome bit, then he gets overly pushy about doing the stupid dancing, then about a minute into that something interrupts it so it's not an actual activity
 

GimpYancIent

Well-Known Member
Not all of that should be something to be happy about. The problem is Disney spent around 250 Million dollars on building Galactic Starcuiser and around a billion dollars on the concept of it. That type of money wasted should be something people be irked at. The fact is that type of money could've been used on Epcot, new land at Magic Kingdom, new stuff at Animal Kingdom, or a new do more changes to Disney Hollywood Studios.
From the aspect of waste, yes, absolutely, the money, time, talent and material could have been much better utilized. But it was done, it now has a termination date the looming question how to salvage the venue and its contents? Reutilization of the building for instance rather than razing it.
 

Door Coaster

Well-Known Member
Walt Disney World's Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser will make its final voyage this fall.
FAIL!

In other news, BIG grain of salt, but The Other Site has stated that the plan for the Starcruiser is indeed to turn it into an actual hotel. Assuming this would involve work done to make it more like, well, a hotel. And hopefully a pool.
 

GimpYancIent

Well-Known Member
FAIL!

In other news, BIG grain of salt, but The Other Site has stated that the plan for the Starcruiser is indeed to turn it into an actual hotel. Assuming this would involve work done to make it more like, well, a hotel. And hopefully a pool.
If, yes if, there is a plan for the Star Cruiser building to be utilized as a full on hotel, welllll it will need more than just the addition of a pool.
 

DavidDL

Well-Known Member
I still can't get over the price for this thing. I check every theoretical "box" Disney would need to get me there to experience this.. except the one willing to spend this much.

Seriously. Just for fun I looked up how much it would cost my wife and I to spend 7 days, 6 nights on our favorite Hawaiian island and stay at our favorite hotel there. The cost for two people, including nonstop airfare, hotel accommodations and a rental car was $3,300. That's $1,700 cheaper than two nights for two people aboard the Starcruiser. -and the Starcruiser stay doesn't even include airfare or transportation!
 

WDWFREAK53

Well-Known Member
I still can't get over the price for this thing. I check every theoretical "box" Disney would need to get me there to experience this.. except the one willing to spend this much.

Seriously. Just for fun I looked up how much it would cost my wife and I to spend 7 days, 6 nights on our favorite Hawaiian island and stay at our favorite hotel there. The cost for two people, including nonstop airfare, hotel accommodations and a rental car was $3,300. That's $1,700 cheaper than two nights for two people aboard the Starcruiser. -and the Starcruiser stay doesn't even include airfare or transportation!
...and is basically just an add-on because if you're booking airfare, chances are you're not just spending the two nights in the Orlando area.
 

AEfx

Well-Known Member
I still can't get over the price for this thing. I check every theoretical "box" Disney would need to get me there to experience this.. except the one willing to spend this much.

Seriously. Just for fun I looked up how much it would cost my wife and I to spend 7 days, 6 nights on our favorite Hawaiian island and stay at our favorite hotel there. The cost for two people, including nonstop airfare, hotel accommodations and a rental car was $3,300. That's $1,700 cheaper than two nights for two people aboard the Starcruiser. -and the Starcruiser stay doesn't even include airfare or transportation!

That's what many of us have said from the very beginning. I'm in the same category - I spend thousands of dollars a year on Star Wars.

For what this less-than-48 hours experience costs, a family of 4 you could buy a life-size Darth Vader statue to enjoy for the rest of their lives, LOL. And when you figure it's just two nights out of a week for the average vacationer, and you still have to pay for everything for the rest of the week - it's just...wow.

There just was not an audience for this, especially when you actually look at the activities and what was included. If it had been half the price and three times the quality of experience, this would have been a totally different story.
 

Monkee Girl

Well-Known Member
I still can't get over the price for this thing. I check every theoretical "box" Disney would need to get me there to experience this.. except the one willing to spend this much.

Seriously. Just for fun I looked up how much it would cost my wife and I to spend 7 days, 6 nights on our favorite Hawaiian island and stay at our favorite hotel there. The cost for two people, including nonstop airfare, hotel accommodations and a rental car was $3,300. That's $1,700 cheaper than two nights for two people aboard the Starcruiser. -and the Starcruiser stay doesn't even include airfare or transportation!
exactly. I can't say anything to people who enjoyed the experience, good for them. But I just....can't....no familiar characters...no long term stay (2 days is ridiculous and it's not even 2 full days when you add it all up). And you're not as structured in Hawaii as this. I feel like, as a big Star Wars fan, I would have loved this experience but the theme and price were just all wrong. Cool on Disney for attempting something different but...I could do all you booked and used that extra $1700 for a helicopter ride around the island or 5 more luaus, lol.
 

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