In 2017, Disney announced that it was doing something unlike anyone had ever seen. The company was building a completely immersive Star Wars hotel. But this would not be any normal hotel that people only used to relax and sleep. The new Star Wars hotel would be a completely immersive experience, with guests becoming a part of the story. It would be the ultimate vacation experience for Star Wars fans who always wanted to travel to a galaxy far, far away.
In 2021, Disney released its pricing for the new Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser and guests were shocked. The Galactic Starcruiser would only be a 2-night experience, but the cost was nearly $5,000 for just two people. The Starcruiser could fit up to four, and the cost was $6,000. Many wondered what Disney was thinking and how many people would actually book a stay there.
Well, as it turns out, not many people did.
Related: Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser’s Replacement Already Available at Disney Park
When the Galactic Starcruiser opened at the Walt Disney World Resort in 2022, many of the initial voyages were booked up. However, it was only a matter of months before Disney was offering discounts on stays and canceling voyages because not enough people had booked a stay.
Then, just about one year after it opened, Disney announced that the Galactic Starcruiser would be closing. It was one of Disney’s biggest failures. The Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser went on its final voyage in September 2023.
Despite its failure, the Galactic Starcruiser was one of Disney’s highest-rated experiences ever, proving to many that its failure was mainly due to the price point. However, one guest said that, while it was a unique experience, it wasn’t something that should have cost nearly as much as it did. Especially since she didn’t feel like guests got what they paid for.
YouTuber Jenny Nicholson is a big Star Wars fan who paid nearly $6,000 to stay aboard the Halcyon (the name of the Starcruiser’s ship). While she praised the cast members and the detailing, she said there was A LOT that needed to be improved. Nichols said that the rooms were cramped, the technology didn’t always work, and many guests were confused about their “roles” on the ship.
Related: Here’s What Disney Should Do With Its Abandoned Starcruiser
Despite her 4-hour review coming out nearly a year after the Starcruiser closed, the video quickly went viral. In fact, Nicholson’s video went so viral that Disney apparently saw it.
And the company did not like what she had to say.
Jenny took to X (formerly Twitter) to share that Disney had actually tried to sue her for copyright infringement.
Youtubing is such an impossible job for people who rely on the adsense every single month like, because disney tried and failed to copyright claim the star wars hotel video I just have no idea how much money it’s made or when I’ll get it (in my experience usually 2 or 3 months)
Youtubing is such an impossible job for people who rely on the adsense every single month like, because disney tried and failed to copyright claim the star wars hotel video I just have no idea how much money it’s made or when I’ll get it (in my experience usually 2 or 3 months)
— Jenny Nicholson (@JennyENicholson) June 23, 2024
Related: Disney Hints Its Failed ‘Star Wars’ Hotel May Not Be Extinct After All
Commenters were shocked that Disney would actually try to sue a small YouTuber, and Jenny clarified that typically, these lawsuits are filed through some sort of automated system. However, Disney dropped the lawsuit because, according to Jenny, they did not have a case.
For people asking followup questions, when you dispute a claim the money sometimes goes into escrow (other times the video is demonetized completely) til the claim is settled. Money in escrow doesn’t show on analytics so if you win you just get mystery dollars at a mystery time
Most companies file claims with an automated system and almost none of them read your appeal and manually release it when you’re in the right; they just make you wait the 30 days to run out the clock until the dispute expires on its own. Which is rotten of them imo!
Most companies file claims with an automated system and almost none of them read your appeal and manually release it when you’re in the right; they just make you wait the 30 days to run out the clock until the dispute expires on its own. Which is rotten of them imo!
— Jenny Nicholson (@JennyENicholson) June 23, 2024
Jenny later revealed that Disney had tried to claim copyright infringement because her video used public marketing materials released by Disney. The music in those marketing videos could be heard in her video.
A lot of commenters were upset on Jenny’s behalf and accused Disney of simply filing the infringement suit to prevent her from getting any money for at least 30 days. Jenny said that YouTube holds the money or completely demonetizes a video when there is a legal proceeding against it.
What do you think about Disney trying to sue over this negative video? Let us know in the comments!
