If you’re staying at a Disney World hotel, you could choose Pop Century to be transported to decades past, Animal Kingdom Lodge to feel like you’re actually on a safari, or the Galactic Starcruiser to be transported into space and possibly held captive by the First Order. Wait, what?
In case you haven’t heard, Disney World is opening a new hotel soon, called Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser. This is much more than a hotel, though. It’s an immersive experience in the Star Wars universe with activities, dining, excursions, and more that all fit the theme. It’s the first of its kind in Disney World, so in this post, we’re exploring how this hotel could change Disney World forever.
Let’s start with some basics.
What Is the Star Wars Hotel?
Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser is a hotel with an immersive storyline. Really the experience is more like a cruise, with dining, activities, and excursions included in the cost.
Basically, the story is that you’re being transported into space in the Star Wars universe. The ship’s name is The Halcyon, and it’s part of Chandrila Star Line. “Windows” (screens) onboard provide views of planets, stars, other ships, and more that you’ll pass during your voyage.
You’ll meet characters during your journey, and guests are encouraged to dress up like their favorite Star Wars characters.
The experience is a 2-night adventure with activities like lightsaber training, a fashion show, learning to fly the ship, and more.
Click here to see the full itinerary for a stay at the Star Wars hotel.
You can also take part in role-plays when you’ll interact with other guests and characters on the ship. Disney has said that guests can choose their own adventure, so you can be part of the Resistance, join the First Order, or possibly even help out some smugglers.
We’ve got a whole page dedicated to everything that happens inside this hotel, so make sure to check that out if you want to learn more about the experience.
Click here to learn more about the Galactic Starcruiser.
Why Is It Controversial?
A 3-day immersive experience in the Star Wars universe with themed dining and amazing activities — sounds pretty awesome, right? This hotel has actually been a fairly controversial topic, and a lot of that is because of the price tag.
The price for this experience starts at $749 per person per night, and rates will vary based on the number of guests you have traveling with you.
A 2-guest cabin costs $4,809 total (the cost for both guests, both nights), a 3-guest cabin (with 2 adults and 1 child) will cost $5,299 total, and a 4-guest cabin (with 3 adults and 1 child) will cost $5,999 total.
We broke that down, and it turns out this hotel will cost between $33.33 per guest per hour up to $53.43 per guest per hour. So you’ll want to make sure and spend your time wisely! Disney also released information about the hotel’s cost for DVC members.
Some people are worried that the hotel won’t be worth that hefty cost and they’re not willing to spend the money to find out.
Disney released a promotional video a while back that received a lot of backlash from commenters. People said that the hotel looked “cheap” in the video, with the scenes and effects not living up to their expectations. For such a high asking price, the Star Wars hotel really needs to live up to Disney’s hype.
Disney has since taken that video down, but we do have a few screenshots from the promotion.
It showed a guest being taken on a tour of the ship and running into Gaia, the singer on board who provides live entertainment for guests during dinner.
Since reservations have been open, we’ve seen them fill up for some months, then dates become available again, then they fill up again, etc. There’s limited space in the hotel, so this means that some people are probably canceling their reservations.
Guests will have to wait and see if the experience is everything they’ve been dreaming of when it opens on March 1st.
See everything that’s included in the price of the Star Wars hotel.
If the Hotel Is Successful…How Will It Change Disney World?
So if the Star Wars hotel overcomes adversity and is successful, how could that change Disney World forever? We have a few thoughts.
More IP-Immersive Experiences
First of all, we could start to see more IP-immersive experiences in Disney World. IP stands for “intellectual property,” and it basically covers all of the stories that Disney owns.
That means the possibility of something like an Avengers-themed hotel, or maybe you’ll be able to stay in the Hundred Acre Woods with Winnie the Pooh and his pals.
Disney has a LOT of options when it comes to immersive lands, and it’s possible that more will come to life if the Star Wars hotel works out. Are we secretly hoping that Universal plays copycat and creates a Harry Potter-themed hotel where we can become wizards for a few days? Maybe.
You can already find some experiences like this on a smaller scale in the Disney parks. For example, Storybook Dining at Artist Point is a restaurant that puts you in the land of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. We’d love to see more experiences like this that transport you into the world of your favorite Disney movie.
The upcoming Roundup Rodeo BBQ restaurant in Toy Story Land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios also has a story behind it where you’re a toy visiting Andy’s rodeo for the day.
And speaking of Toy Story Land, could we see a Toy Story-themed hotel as well? (One such hotel does exist at a different Disney park already.) Guests staying at the Galactic Starcruiser will visit Galaxy’s Edge in Hollywood Studios during their stay. So Disney might continue the trend of building themed lands and hotels at the same time.
Could there be an Avatar hotel to match Pandora? What about a Pirates of the Caribbean hotel? There are so many options to work with what Disney already has, and the company is consistently announcing new projects as well.
With these kinds of experiences, Disney also isn’t limited to their existing parks. They could build themed hotels anywhere in the world, and these hotels would almost be like mini-theme parks.
Rather than building an entire park in a new place, Disney could expand with more immersive hotels and experiences. It’s a smaller-scale project that would bring some Disney magic closer to people who may not live near Orlando, Anaheim, or one of the international Disney parks.
But the immersive-ness of these experiences isn’t completely a good thing. With the Star Wars hotel, we’ve had readers question what they’re supposed to do if they have a loved one who is really interested in Star Wars but they aren’t really big fans of it themselves. Do you all pay to go even though not everyone will love it?
You’d encounter the same problem with other immersive hotels. If only half of your group really wants to experience a certain world, should you split up? Part of the advantage of Disney World is having so many different experiences close to each other.
In Tomorrowland alone, there’s a very chill ride through the land (the PeopleMover), a thrilling roller coaster (Space Mountain), and an interactive ride for the whole family (Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin). So within that small space, you can find something for just about everyone in your group.
That diversity wouldn’t be possible with completely immersive hotels, and Disney might not want to isolate certain guests by going all-in on certain stories.
Learn more about Disney World’s upcoming Roundup Rodeo BBQ restaurant.
Price Increases
“Disney World” and “Price Increases” are two phrases that have been heard together quite a bit recently. Disney has upped the cost of many food items in the parks, and certain events are also getting more expensive.
The Star Wars hotel will be one of the most expensive hotels in Disney World (although possibly not THE most expensive, as some Deluxe resorts cost more per night during peak times). We could see this trend continue with really cool new experiences that have high price tags attached to them.
©Disney
In addition, the “all-inclusiveness” of this hotel is on-trend with Disney’s latest obsession with prix fixe meals. Basically, prix fixe meals have one set price no matter what you order, and they often include an appetizer, entrée, dessert, and drink. You might not want all of those things, but you’ll get them anyways because you have to pay that full price regardless.
Similarly, the Star Wars hotel is all-inclusive. It doesn’t matter whether you do lightsaber training or eat 200 snacks or go on the excursion to Galaxy’s Edge — you’re all paying the full price no matter what. The trick is to make the most of that experience so that you get your money’s worth. (We’ll be bringing you lots of advice on how to do that once the hotel opens.)
This is one way that Disney convinces guests to pay more than they otherwise would if they could customize their experience. There’s no such thing as doing the Star Wars hotel on a budget because the price doesn’t change based on what you actually do once you’re there.
Finally, Disney is continuing to create experiences that draw people in due to their exclusivity. No one can just tour the Star Wars hotel. The only way to see it is to book your stay and actually go.
By making something seem exclusive and luxurious, Disney can hike up that price tag and guests will likely continue to pay.
Learn how to avoid some price increases in Disney World
More Crowds in Galaxy’s Edge
The Star Wars hotel might take some crowds away from other hotels or parks, but one land in one park is about to get VERY crowded on certain days.
Guests at this hotel will go on an excursion to Batuu (Galaxy’s Edge in Hollywood Studios) on one day of their trip. The hotel has 100 rooms, which means somewhere between 200 and 400 people can stay there at one time (since each room houses 2-4 guests). And on one day, all of those people will be going to Galaxy’s Edge.
If you’re planning a trip to Disney World soon, we highly recommend taking a look at the Star Wars hotel schedule and avoiding Hollywood Studios on the days that the Starcruiser guests will be visiting Batuu.
There will not only be a lot more people in the park, but all of those people get Lightning Lane passes to Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance AND Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run. That means that hundreds of people will be skipping the line at those attractions, in addition to the other guests who bought Genie+ and Pay-Per-Ride.
We think the standby wait times for these rides are going to skyrocket since Disney prioritizes the Lightning Lane when loading attractions.
Check out how long the Rise of the Resistance line can get in Disney World
Disney World Experiences that DON’T Involve the Parks
It seems a little bit odd to travel all the way to Disney World and pay Deluxe+ prices and then barely go into the parks at all. But that’s exactly what you’re doing at the Star Wars hotel.
Some guests might reserve a different hotel before or after their Starcruiser visit and use that time to go to the other parks. But that’s still 2 days of spending the vast majority of your time in a hotel.
So contrasting our last point about the major crowd increase in Galaxy’s Edge, this could mean that there will be fewer guests in the other Disney World parks as those guests are busy fighting the First Order (or joining them — up to you) at a hotel.
We could start to see more experiences in Disney World (and beyond) that don’t involve the actual parks at all. Since we’ve noticed that Disney World is pretty crowded almost 100% of the time now (does slow season even exist anymore?), this could help to control crowds by offering other high-quality experiences outside of the parks.
See which hotels are worth staying off Disney property!
Changing Lengths of Stay
Continuing our point of Disney controlling crowds, the Star Wars hotel also controls guests’ length of stay. With other hotels, people can choose however long they want to visit. Nothing is stopping you from booking a Disney World hotel for a full month (except maybe your budget).
But with the Starcruiser, you can only stay for 3 days and 2 nights. That’s it. No “extend your trip” option exists right now. The whole experience only takes 3 days, so Disney is turning over crowds at this hotel pretty quickly.
Guests can choose to stay longer at other hotels before or after their experience at the Star Wars hotel, but it’s a bit of a hassle to change hotels halfway through your vacation.
Disney might be moving guests towards more frequent, shorter trips rather than less frequent, long trips.
See how much it would cost to live at a Disney World hotel for a MONTH.
When the hotel officially opens next month, we’ll be bringing you a ton of information about all the experiences onboard! Keep following AllEars for more tips and info as you plan your upcoming vacation.
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Are you planning to stay at Disney World’s Star Wars hotel? Let us know in the comments.
It shows prices for 2,3, and 4 guests but what about we solo travelers? Are they making any provisions for us or are they going to attempt to charge us the same rate as a 2 guest stay? That’s really unfair and quite the rip off, too.