The Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Never Made Money
Just when we were ready to close the book on the Star Wars Hotel, some new information surprised us once again.
According to a report, Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser never made money.


Photo: (David Roark, photographer)
How is that even possible? Let’s discuss the report and try to understand what went wrong here.
Galactic Starcruiser Cost Too Much


Matt Stroshane, photographer
You probably nodded your head at this statement, but I’m not talking about you, the customer, here.
Instead, that’s apparently Disney’s perspective on the situation.
Drew Taylor at The Wrap published an article that you can read at Yahoo!


(Matt Stroshane, photographer)
In this report, the author states, “Three individuals close to the project admitted that the experience never made money.”
As a reminder, a stay at the Star Wars Hotel cost guests “$4,800 for two people for two nights.”
Now, we knew that Disney had struggled to break even on the project due to the obvious reason that it, you know, closed permanently.


Image Credit: Disney
Successful businesses rarely shut down after less than two years, but Galactic Starcruiser came and went that quickly.
Still, many people have admitted curiosity about the financials of the project.
In fact, someone commented in a recent Galactic Starcruiser article that it was a “big misconception” that “the principle [sic] cast were expensive.”
As I indicated in my reply, I’ve spent countless hours trying to crack the math on Galactic Starcruiser in determining how it failed.


Credit: Disney
I, too, have wondered out loud why Disney couldn’t turn a profit on a project that charges so much and seemingly has so little financial overhead.
Taylor has clearly wondered the same, as some comments from the article address this matter.


Image Credit: My Disney Program
For example, here’s an explanation regarding the high cost of casting:
“(There) were two sets of characters on duty at all times — if one performer fell ill or broke a leg, there would be a understudy seamlessly taking center stage.”


(Matt Stroshane, photographer)
So, that doubles the payroll expense right off the bat. Also, remember that Disney’s cost is much higher for each worker than just their salary.
Disney paid a high price to immerse guests in a complete Star Wars experience.
Attendance Woes


(Kent Phillips, photographer)
Simultaneously, attendance proved problematic after the hot start.
According to Taylor, “Ultimately, only 71,000 guests experienced 274 “voyages” of the Galactic Starcruiser, not counting repeating guests (of which there were a surprising amount).”
I’m not crazy about the choice to exclude repeat customers from the headcount, as they’re paying guests, too.


Photo: Disney
Still, the author notes that the “hotel had an average occupancy rate of 70%, meaning that some ‘cruises’ had an occupancy as low as 20%.”
I suspect that the latter number surprises all of us. I never once saw any confirmation of an itinerary that was less than half-full.


Photo by Matt Roseboom
Presuming this information is correct – and The Wrap hires only the best reporters – some Galactic Starcruiser voyages were virtually empty.
From Disney’s perspective, it would have staffed for five times as many guests as actually arrived.
You can translate that premise to any business and instantly recognize the peril here.


(David Roark, photographer)
When you supply five times as much as the demand justifies, you wind up with E.T. video games buried in the desert.
At this point, the author also notes the unique determinant for how the Star Wars Hotel estimated capacity:


(Matt Stroshane, photographer)
“Total occupancy wasn’t based on the rooms but rather on how many people, somewhere around 370, could fit in the atrium of the hotel for the big show moments.”
I’ve worked in the hospitality industry on and off since 1993. That’s…a new one. I have so many questions about how Disney settled on this practice.


Photo: Disney
Anyway, these two concerns weren’t the only reasons why Galactic Starcruiser failed.
Marketing Problems


Photo: Disney
Here’s a reason we all could have guessed.
Remember when Disney deleted its first YouTube ad for the Star Wars Hotel? Management never solved that problem.
According to Taylor, “Disney struggled to convey to the general public what, exactly, the Starcruiser was. Some cast members at Walt Disney World weren’t even sure.”


Photo by Matt Roseboom
I’d like to believe that’s hyperbole, but who knows? I had a running joke with friends that nobody could do an elevator pitch for Galactic Starcruiser.
Several of them tried, but nobody really succeeded. It’s an unprecedented immersive experience that draws on ideas from The Adventurers Club.


Image Credit: Disney, Lucasfilm
Non-Disney fans have no idea what that means, and the Venn Diagram of Star Wars fans who know the history of Pleasure Island doesn’t have much overlap.
Even now, after all this time, can you easily summarize what the Star Wars Hotel was? We can agree that “hotel” doesn’t really cover it, right?
Something I’ve emphasized about Disney lately across all divisions is that it’s struggling with messaging. We saw the same flaw with multiple 2023 films, too.
Still, despite all these struggles, the article goes out of its way to point out the one way Galactic Starcruiser excelled.
“The Galactic Starcruiser earned the highest guest satisfaction ratings of anything in Disney history.”
As a reminder, in case you’ve been offline for a while, Disney just turned 100 years old. So, that’s a stunning triumph.
Final Thoughts
That statement about historically good survey scores also explains why Disney is plotting a potential comeback for the premise.
Taylor indicates that a single-day experience that’s much cheaper is a distinct possibility.


Photo by Matt Roseboom
The article I linked above discusses others. Also, Disney may re-theme the building, which is something I’ll debate in a future piece.
For now, all we can say for sure is that everyone loved it, but Disney somehow couldn’t turn a profit on its most expensive venture ever.


Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser
That’s a staggering setback for what seemed on paper to be a can’t-miss business proposition.


Photo: MickeyBlog
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