Disney has just filed a permit for work to be completed at a site located at the Walt Disney World Resort, which is nothing out of the ordinary. But this particular permit stands out as it seeks a green light for new work at a guest location that is only days away from closing forever.
Disney World is an ever-changing place–and not only because the trees at Disney’s theme parks grow taller and fuller every year. Walt Disney once famously said, “Disneyland will never be completed–it will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world,” and because Disney World is much larger and isn’t bound by a lack of land on which to expand like Disneyland is, the same is even truer about the Walt Disney World Resort.
Disney World: In a Constant State of Change
Disney has always been dedicated to not only maintaining its theme park resorts around the world but also to taking the necessary steps to ensure that Disney’s parks always stand head and shoulders above the competition. Those steps include keeping current attractions in good working order and making the necessary repairs immediately, sprucing up and/or refurbishing attractions, guest areas, and other elements around the parks that are in need of a new coat of paint or more accessibility, staying on the forefront of the most state-of-the-art ride technology, and employing the latest technology aimed at making the guest experience more magical and easier to navigate.
Many of the changes that take place at Disney World are small enough that only diehard fans notice them. Other changes are unmistakable, as in the huge changes made to the entrance signs at Disney World.
And the major overhaul of the exterior of Cinderella Castle at Magic Kingdom in preparation for Disney World’s 50th anniversary celebration, which kicked off in 2021, is impossible to ignore.
On a daily basis, changes are taking place all around the Most Magical Place on Earth to keep it truly magical. When major work is to be performed on any existing structure, attraction, or area at the Central Florida Disney Resort or when a brand-new element, building, or attraction is going to be constructed, Disney World must file a permit with the county, just like individual homeowners are required to do. And Disney files scores of permits each year. But a recently filed permit is catching the eyes of fans who realize that permits filed by Disney World often tell a story–even if it’s with very few words.
An Eyebrow-Raising Permit is Filed
On August 17, shortly after 2:00 p.m., Disney World filed a permit that, at first glance, isn’t anything that warrants sending a postcard back home to the family. The permit is for work to be completed at a site located at 201 South Studio Drive, which corresponds to the exact location of the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Disney Resort hotel.
Disney’s Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser first opened to guests on March 1, 2022, with 100 guestrooms and a full calendar of bookings. The Starcruiser is technically a Disney World Resort hotel, but the word hotel isn’t used by cast members when they discuss the location with guests. For around $1,200 per guest per day, Star Wars fans and those who love them can experience a two-night voyage aboard the Halcyon starcruiser, the Corellian MPO-1400 model starcruiser, which is touted as “the jewel of the Chandrila Star Line.”
The Walt Disney Company has built an empire by embracing never-before-created and never-before-conceived experiences, attractions, and technology, but the Galactic Starcruiser is one idea that simply didn’t take hold with fans and guests. There are any number of reasons for the Starcruiser’s failure–from the exorbitant price to book a voyage to the lackluster accommodations (especially at those prices) to a failure by guests to completely wrap their heads around the idea of the Star Wars-themed hotel/experience/starship/hotel.
Earlier this year, just 14 months after Disney World’s new “Star Wars hotel” opened, Disney announced that the venue would close on September 30. On May 18, Disney’s President of Parks, Experiences, and Products and executive Josh D’Amaro made the announcement and said that the Galactic Starcruiser “didn’t perform exactly like [Disney] wanted it to perform.”
Disney is on deck to lose approximately $250 million because of the closure of the themed space located near the entrance to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
That announcement is what makes this particular permit so interesting. The permit describes the work to be performed as “general construction,” but the contractor listed is Colwill Engineering, a group that specializes in engineering as well as electrical and mechanical work. It’s doubtful that Disney would begin any major work at the Galactic Starcruiser location before the venue officially closes.
It’s impossible to know exactly what kind of work is being done under this permit at the Star Wars-themed hotel location, though the new permit does raise a few eyebrows and drum up questions about what exactly the plan is for the massive space once the final voyage is completed. Disney has shared that there are already plans for the location, though details are next to nill as of the time of this publication.