Disney Dining Serving up the latest Disney Eats, Treats, News, and More!
The Walt Disney Company will see a loss of $250 million due to the closure of one themed attraction at its Central Florida parks, and there’s still no real explanation for the decision to scrap it.
Earlier this year, on May 18, Disney made two huge announcements during an otherwise uneventful afternoon in the news: two of its most recent projects were being scrapped–one that was still in the planning stages at the time of the announcement and one that had been open nearly 15 months–since March 1, 2022.
Disney Pulls Out of Central Florida in a Big Way
The Disney Company shocked fans with the announcement that plans to move part of its offices to a new location in the Lake Nona community near Orlando, Florida, just miles from the Walt Disney World Resort, had been canceled, and the move, which was originally planned to create a regional hub for Disney in the Sunshine State, was no longer taking place.
Credit: The Walt Disney Company
The $1 billion Lake Nona project was first announced in July 2021 and was to be a new home for more than 2,000 Disney employees who were currently working in Southern California–many of them part of Walt Disney Imagineering. After the move was announced, some of the affected employees decided against a move to Florida and resigned from their positions with Disney, including Kevin Lively, a 14-year veteran Imagineer whose resume is chock full of work experience with Disney Parks, and as a writer, and who ultimately said he and his wife didn’t see a move across the country as feasible for their family. He was one of many who didn’t make the jump.
Disney’s announcement to shelve the move to Lake Nona left some wondering whether Imagineers like Lively would be offered a take-two of their employment at Disney since the company chose to stay in California. That remains to be seen.
A Brand-New Attraction Scrapped
Less than an hour after Disney’s announcement about staying in California, the company dropped another big announcement–one more shocking than the news about Lake Nona. A brand-new attraction at Disney World will close in late September 2023, and it just opened in March 2022.
The Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser experience was among the 23 announcements made about upcoming changes and additions to Disney Parks around the world at the 2017 D23 Expo in Anaheim, California. Two years later, at the 2019 D23 Expo, Disney revealed the name of the “simulated” starship aboard which Guests are “transported” to the galaxy far, far away, during their experience at the Galactic Starcruiser: the Halcyon.
Disney’s Halcyon, the Galactic Starcruiser/Credit: Disney Parks
Disney touted the two-night experience aboard the Starcruiser as a “revolutionary experience where Guests are the heroes” and explained the attraction as follows:
You and your group will embark on a first-of-its-kind Star Wars adventure that’s your own. It’s the most immersive Star Wars story ever created—one where you live a bespoke experience and journey further into a Star Wars adventure than you ever dreamed possible.
Arrive at the Walt Disney World Resort terminal, board a launch pod, and rendezvous with the magnificent Halcyon starcruiser. Stay in a cabin or suite with an exquisite view of outer space. Throughout the ship, you’ll interact with an eclectic collection of characters, sit down to exotic galactic cuisine and perhaps even plot a secret mission together.
As the itinerary continues, you’ll take the story further and deeper. Choose your path. Seek out the inner workings of the legendary starship, learn the traditional art of wielding a lightsaber, and even jump on a transport to the planet Batuu—where your mission continues at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge!
Credit: Disney Parks
And though fandom over Star Wars is as ever-expanding as the universe itself, many fans struggled to justify the cost of a two-night adventure aboard the Halcyon, which started at $4,800 per couple and increased dramatically from there. The per-adventure prices were simply too high for too many, and now, they may be to blame for the failure of the fully-immersive, choose-your-own-adventure Star Wars experience.
Now Disney Will Feel the Burn From the Starcruiser’s High Prices
The Orange County Register says the closure of the Starcruiser experience will see Disney taking a $250 million bath. Part of the loss is the result of accelerated depreciation Disney will incur and, presumably, the loss of anticipated revenue once the experience is no longer available. To explain the loss further, Numlock breaks down the projected loss across the Starcruiser’s 100 cabins, which equates to a loss of $2.5 million per room in the so-called Star Wars hotel.
Credit: Disney Parks
The loss of revenue only adds to the growing number of financial woes contributing to Disney’s potential need for a buyout–but not by tech giant Apple.
The “final voyage” aboard the Halcyon Starcruiser is scheduled for September 28 to September 30, 2023. All available bookings are filled at this time, and they have been since late May 2023, just after the announcement about the closure was made. While Disney still has not been specific about the reasons for the closure of the experience, the over-priced room rates continue to be the culprit in the minds of analysts and other experts discussing the closure.
Credit: Disney Parks
Farewell, Halcyon
An update on the official Walt Disney World website applauds Guests and Cast Members who have been a part of the experience since it opened on March 1, 2022:
The final voyage for Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser will take place September 28-30, 2023. We are so proud of all of the Cast Members and Imagineers who brought Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser to life and look forward to delivering an excellent experience for Guests during the remaining voyages over the coming months. Thank you to our Guests and fans for making this experience so special.
