Star Wars Hotel in Disney World
A Star Wars Resort Hotel has been announced for Walt Disney World, which will offer an immersive visit that further enhances what guests experience in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Previously, Disney indicated that the Star Wars Starship Resort will “be seamlessly connected” to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. (Last updated August 23, 2019.)
In August 2019, Disney revealed that this new hotel would be called Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser. Disney additionally revealed that this will be a two-night adventure aboard a glamorous starship. Once onboard the starcruiser (called the Halcyon), guests will interact with characters and become active participants in stories that unfold around them on their galactic journey.
We’ve offered other info, including concept art, permit plans, and more in our recent Star Wars Resort Rumors & Construction Photos. Hopefully, we’ll hear more about the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Resort at the 2019 D23 Expo this weekend, so stay tuned!
At the last D23 Expo, Chairman of Walt Disney Parks & Resorts, Bob Chapek, confirmed that the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Resort will debut as part of the new Disney 360 vacation concept. This new vacation concept will be a living adventure that allows guests to be active participants in an entirely new form of Disney storytelling.
Last May, Disney took this a step further, confirming that the hotel is currently under development on the south side of Disney’s Hollywood Studios, just east of World Drive. Following that, land was cleared for the new hotel, but not much substantive work occurred last year. In 2019, we finally started seeing visible progress, with underground infrastructure work occurring in a pit at the construction site. Still, the project is quite far from going vertical, and several years away from opening.
In the original Star Wars Hotel’s original announcement, Bob Chapek shared that “from the second you arrive, you will become a part of a Star Wars story! You’ll immediately become a citizen of the galaxy and experience all that entails, including dressing up in the proper attire. Once you leave Earth, you will discover a starship alive with characters, stories, and adventures that unfold all around you. It is 100% immersive, and the story will touch every single minute of your day, and it will culminate in a unique journey for every person who visits.”
It’s a fascinating idea, one that sounds like a hybrid of a live action role playing game–something Disneyland previously tested (to a totally different extent) with Legends of Frontierland–and the all-inclusive resort hands-on ‘enrichment through entertainment’ experience of the Disney Institute.
While both Legends of Frontierland and the Disney Institute were ahead of their time pushing unique concepts, both of them were (arguably) failures. (There’s a decent chance you’ve never heard of either.) Legends of Frontierland only lasted a summer at Disneyland, and the Disney Institute is now Saratoga Springs (with a name that endures as some sort of corporate training program).
Presumably, this Star Wars Hotel will not suffer a similar fate…
My Reaction
There are still a lot of unknowns and unconfirmed details about the Star Wars Resort. Even with all of that, this is a game-changer, plain and simple. It’s a revolutionary concept, and one that will likely be highly lucrative for Walt Disney World if they can pull off the concept. It’s probably not for me, but not everything at Walt Disney World is. I can still sit in the corner and politely clap at what I think is an idea with a ton of potential.
Per the previous rumor, which was based upon extensive questionnaires that Disney had sent out, the Star Wars resort experience at Walt Disney World would entail guests being immersed in a 2-day story set in the the Star Wars universe and taking place both at their resort and within Star Wars Land.
Over the course of their 2-night stay, guests would have personalized interactions with Star Wars characters and performers throughout the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Resort, have an all-inclusive Star Wars meal experience, and engage in story ‘quests’ and missions throughout the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Resort and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
Since this was announced, I’ve seen a few people “report” on pricing at the Star Wars Resort. I would take all of these numbers with a huge grain of salt. Walt Disney World has yet to settle on 2019 hotel pricing for its standard resorts–there is no way there is concrete pricing for a resort that has not even started construction yet.
Yes, this is going to be an incredibly expensive resort. It’s rumored to be an all-inclusive resort experience, with per person pricing. It wouldn’t surprise me if it’s like Disney Cruise Line with pricing based upon double occupancy and each additional guest in a room costing more (but not quite as much) after that.
However, in terms of actual pricing? No one knows yet. With things like this, so much depends upon actual operational costs, what the actual capex outlay ends up being for the resort, and even things like the economy. (If things are still booming when this opens, expect higher prices.)
No matter whether the price is $600 per person or $2,000 (or more!), there will be a loud chorus of “TAKE MY MONEY, DISNEY.” How loud that chorus is all depends on the final number. With a presumably low capacity for such a personalized experience–and a huge fan base for Star Wars–it might be the case that demand always outstrips supply.
This is sort of what we have seen with limited capacity events Disney has done in the past. It does not matter if something is an objectively good value if there’s enough scarcity and enough fans with a surplus of disposable income. That could be the case here.
The big question is when will this open? Unless there’s a literal starship hotel being built off-site that will be flown in come 2019 when Star Wars Land opens, construction for this hotel has yet to begin. It would appear that permits have not yet been filed, either. (August 2019 Update: construction now has begun and we’re anticipating that Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Resort will open in 2021.)
There’s the possibility that the Star Wars Hotel will be taking over an existing property, which would allow it to open sooner rather than later, but that also seems unlikely. More likely is that this has yet to begin, and won’t be open when Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge debuts in 2019. I wouldn’t be surprised if the target date here is 2021, so it can be bundled as part of the Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary celebration.
Other unknowns include whether the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Resort will also be built at some point at Disneyland Resort. While it was not announced at D23 Expo, the concept has been on the table for Disneyland as well. The hotel dynamic and resort operations in California are a bit different, and current delays with Anaheim City Council in moving projects forward could be what caused the delay in announcement there. Or, it could be entirely off the table.
Irrespective of the details, the fact that Walt Disney World is going to build the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Resort as an immersive, storytelling boutique hotel is a bold and laudable move. It’s the kind of envelope-pushing experience for which Disney was once known–and seems to be returning to. To my knowledge, nothing has ever been done like this anywhere, and this is a revolutionary concept. While the Star Wars Hotel is almost certainly going to price us out, it’s still a really cool idea, and I’m excited that Disney is moving forward on it. I wouldn’t go as far as to call it risky given the crazy demand for all things Star Wars, it’s certainly an ambitious concept, and far more applause-worthy than Walt Disney World just re-theming some existing hotel rooms by throwing some Ewok-fur comforters on the beds, a BB-8 lamp in the corner, and calling it a day.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think about the addition of a boutique Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Resort to Walt Disney World? Does this make you want to yell “TAKE MY MONEY!!1!” to Disney, or would it not appeal to you at the potentially high price points? Would you prefer an immersive “Disney 360” experience, or would you prefer a more conventional hotel stay? Let’s hear some of your thoughts about this news in the comments below!
I’m a huge Star Wars fan so this sounds like a really cool concept. The only thing I fear is the price. Disney is already expensive so a totally immersive hotel experience run by Disney is going to be out of most people’s budgets. That said, Disney will be able to get away with it if demand outstrips supply like the article suggests. Personally though, while I look forward to how this pans out, I’m not going to get my hopes up that I’ll be able to stay here (unless I win the lottery).
PLEASE TAKE MY MONEY!! This is one of the most amazing concepts I’ve heard of. I will be actively watching for news of when they begin taking reservations!
LOL. You can wire me some dough if you really need to unload it. I grew up a huge Star Wars fan and still am mostly but I don’t know if I like the idea of immersion all day and night. I like a break from the parks for pool time so I’m thinking I’d want a break from the role playing all the time. Maybe that is why they are thinking 2 days and not say a week or maybe the price will be so exorbitant that is the reason for the short stay.
Not a fan of a Star Wars but husband & I would certainly take our grandson & son for an immersive experience even if higher-priced. It would hopefully be a trip he would never forget. And yes, would rather not have crowds of non guests watering down the hoped-for immersion.
Probably I will never be able to afford a stay at this resort. But, in case I ever win the lottery, I have to ask; Is there a 2 night maximum for guests at the future Star Wars resort? Or can you stay longer? Not asking for a friend;)
I need an update! Oh, and a reservation link!
The idea sounds creative and unique, however, only the 1% will be able to take advantage of it. Disney is very expensive now for an average family of 4 so I can just imagine the cost to stay for two days at this proposed hotel.
I am super excited! This sounds amazing! I cannot wait. I don’t want to take out a loan to spend a weekend at this resort, and my husband wouldn’t let me if I wanted to, but somehow I want make it happen. It’s officially on my bucket list!
Is this what is being built in the middle of the Hollywood Studios parking lot? Ridiculous. I love the walk between Epcot/Boardwalk area and Hollywood Studios, but don’t want to come around the corner to see a giant hotel in the parking lot. Then parking will be miserable for HS and the hotel. Also the gondola is being added? Just more of a mess over there. I am a passholder and DVC but seriously considering not renewing pass and selling my time with DVC.
I appreciate that Disney wants to give people an immersive experience of Star Wars, however i simply can not be the only person who feels that enough money is spent on any Disney World vacation. Take my money, but do not rob my family the chance to see this.
I will just say it now. If Disney is able to pull off what they say they are trying to do TAKE MY MONEY NOW
Not sure if we would splurge for this, but as a mother of two boys, I am glad there is something really awesome that is not geared towards princesses and castles.
I have no idea how much this will cost but I am prepared to save up for as long as it takes so that I can go.
I will say, though, that I will be carefully reading the reviews before taking the plunge. I am not in the “disposable money” set. But OMG, if they can pull this off, I would LOVE it. My only real objection is that it sounds like I’d have to move to another hotel after the first two days. Hopefully, that would be part of the story or something, because that could be really annoying. But if, at the end, I got a Star Wars themed ride to the next hotel, I would be cool with that.
I am so glad that I don’t care about Star Wars 😉 Now, if they did this kind of experience for Fantasyland or Adventureland… then they could take my money!
It sounds amazing…and I hope it will be! As soon as we’re able to book it, we will!!
All well and good but I for one need to plan ahead so we need proper opening dates and pricing and whether there is going to be a first come first served booking system . Can’t wait though.
I would like to know the price per room for 1 adult, teen 14 and child of 11 around sept 15 -18 .
I do not find price or link to make a reservation.
My question is can you visit the hotel for like half a day or do you have to stay the two days?
It seems that in order for the everyone-in-costume, all-inclusive dining, and questing aspects to work, they will need to limit access to overnight guests. Otherwise there will be thousands of day visitors flooding the hotel to participate in the role play activities and dine at the restaurants and no ability for hotel guests to take part without hours-long waits. That said, maybe they will have some limited part of the hotel open to the public, with the main attractions on non-public floors that require room keys on the magic band for access (eg like the concierge floors at the grand flordian)
From what I have read, the only way to see the inside of this resort is by being a guest. If you are not you will be politely turned away. You won’t even get inside the door. So guests are protected and given the run of the resort for the shenanigans lol.
my issue with all this hype is that they say it will combine a luxary resort with an immersive experience.. to me that sounds like they will renovate rooms at another hotel to make it fit..
hopefully I am proven wrong, but nowhere in that speech did it say they are building a new hotel, they say it will stand out amongst all the resorts worldwide though.. need to be clearer i think
I don’t think they’re going to renovate rooms at another hotel to turn it into a Star Wars resort. I’d read somewhere that the Star Wars resort will have its own entrance into Galaxy’s Edge at HS. If that’s true, then this would have to be an entirely new resort.
I love Star Wars and LOVE Disney World but something seems amiss to me. I will need to see more designs. I don’t want to stay in a room that bucks and jilts like you are in an actual spaceship almost as if you are staying Star tours. I’m a bigger fan of developing your own “reality” at Disney. I’m a pirate, I’m a princess, could be a Jedi or even a ghost in the Haunted Mansion. when you start being told what your reality should be it gets ruined for me. But t I am excited for al these changes!
Take My Money! This is an amazing idea that could easily be pulled off if each room, or party, was given their own “guide” who walked them through their storyline. That’s the kind of VIP treatment I would expect if I was spending $1000 p/night, especially if you consider the add-on purchases like costumes and light sabers.
Bravo Disney for always being the innovator!
I think this is a cool idea – and I think that you are right – there are plenty of people that will be yelling ‘Take My Money Diseny” I really like Star Wars, but I am not a super fan, although if my bf was into it – I could probalby talk myself into it because it sounds like it is going to be amazing.
He has not even seen the movies – and I tell him that growing up in India is no excuse! But so far I haven’t gotten him into them enough to go all in on a star wars experience.