Disney World Exec Says the $5K Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Hotel Was ‘Difficult to Explain’

Even Disney had a hard time explaining what the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser hotel was to potential guests, according to Chairman of Disney Experiences, Josh D’Amaro.

What was easy for people to understand was the price tag. The LARPing experience could cost upwards of $5,000 and its hefty price tag was roasted by the media before the hotel even opened to the public.

Like a spacefaring Hindenburg, the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser crashed and burned almost immedately, and was shuttered less than two years after opening. Disney took a multimillion dollar writedown on their taxes.

Still D’Amaro defends the project as innovative and says it was brave of Disney to even try such a thing.

“It was difficult to even explain to the public, and I think it was incredibly brave for us to move into this space.”

“This is something that had never been done before,” D’Amaro said. “It was difficult to even explain to the public, and I think it was incredibly brave for us to move into this space. … And this, to me, says Imagineering is still at its best today.”

“Those learnings are being employed on the next experiences, which we haven’t even announced yet,” he said.

It’s still possible that Disney may salvage the Galactic Starcruiser in some form, as permits have recently been filed for construction. Additionally, some of the food and beverage offerings have recently made their way to Disneyland in California for Season of the Force.

The sure-to-be-legendary episode of Defunctland can’t come soon enough.

[Source: CNBC]