Disney World’s Galactic Starcruiser hotel opened at the beginning of March to big fanfare. A host of social media influencers and YouTube stars were invited to sample the immersive experience of actually living the Star Wars dream for two nights. However, new reports have suggested that the $5000 price tag on the Galaxy’s Edge park-themed accommodation may be proving to be a bit too much for some to contemplate, as the attraction is seemingly struggling to fill its rooms.
Star Wars hotel appears to be struggling to draw in fans
The principle of the hotel is to invite guests to take a trip across the galaxy onboard the Halcyon for a two-night adventure that includes lightsaber training, meals and entertainment inspired by the Star Wars franchise and for those really wanting to get involved a fully interactive story that allows them to take part in their own Star Wars story. Moreover, early reviews were very mixed, with many praising the overall immersive atmosphere and scope of the hotel but also speaking negatively about some aspects of the story and the size of rooms/public areas. Now it seems the paying public has had their own say by reportedly not paying.
The hotel had a maximum capacity of 100 rooms. According to SFGATE, there are still plenty of rooms available from August through to the end of the year, as well as there being free rooms on many weekends in June and July, a prime time for a two-night say that would usually have been snapped up immediately. While there are still several people holding back on summer holiday bookings due to Covid concerns, the massive, once-in-a-lifetime experience is one that many would have expected to quickly fill up during the holiday season.
Disney failed at advertising the new experience
Although Disney has had a lot of practice at advertising their parks, the first major promo for the Halcyon experience ended up causing more problems than praise. Released in December, The Goldbergs star Sean Giambrone and Disney Parks Imagineer Ann Morrow Johnson appeared in a walkthrough of the hotel, which was met with backlash from fans who bombarded the video with dislikes across numerous social media sites. Their gripes ranged from the use of a non-Star Wars actor in the promotion to, more importantly, many complaints about the quality and size of the hotel compared to the previously released concept art.
To try and rectify this, Disney deleted the promo and when their next one did arrive, it featured sequel trilogy star, Oscar Isaac. Still, it was not enough to prevent some cancellations based on the videos of the actual hotel when compared to what fans had expected. This then led into exactly how much people are willing to pay to be part of the Star Wars world, and at $5000-$6000 for two nights, which is on top of any travel costs to get to the park in the first place, it could be a stretch too far for many people in the current economic climate.
Many families are still suffering financially from the Covid pandemic, whether through loss of income or increased medical expenses, and with many living costs skyrocketing, the launch of the new hotel experience could not really have come at a worst time when it comes to holidaymakers looking to spend a lot of money on trips away. However, it is unlikely that Disney will look to drop the prices in any way in these early stages, so anyone hoping to jump on a hefty price reduction may be disappointed.
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