Disney’s Star Wars-themed hotel experience, Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, is already fully booked for its first four months, according to Disney CEO Bob Chapek. The House of Mouse first purchased the intellectual property to one the world’s most profitable movie franchise in 2012, when Disney bought Lucasfilm for $4 billion. Soon, they announced plans for a new trilogy of movies, merchandise, and spinoffs, and it wasn’t long before Disney moved to integrate Star Wars into the Disneyland theme park franchise. It was a sure-fire recipe for success, as Lucasfilm had previously licensed Star Tours, the popular interactive ride which opened at Disneyland in 1987. That ride became the tip of the iceberg in 2016, when construction began on dedicated Star Wars areas in both American theme parks.
The area, which opened as Galaxy’s Edge in 2019, is now an interactive, fun-filled thrill ride for Star Wars fans, and other Disney parks rebranded rides such as Disneyland Paris’ Space Mountain (which became Hyperspace Mountain in 2017). During construction of the specialised park, Disney announced plans to expand Disney World's Galaxy’s Edge via a luxury-themed hotel. Named Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, the hotel is set to be an immersive, spaceship-based Star Wars experience. Visitors can partake in a virtual trip across the Galaxy, with inclusive meals and activity options, and are also encouraged to come in costume for live-action-role-play purposes. When Disney set price ranges for the hotel at $4800-6000 for a stay of two days and nights, many fans jeered online, but the strategy appears not to have been unfounded.
Now, Gizmodo reports that Disney CEO Bob Chapek announces the hotel has “virtually” sold out entirely for its first four months of operation. The announcement comes during Disney’s Financial Year 2021 Earnings Call, as the company looks at its monetary matters ahead of the new year. The news may surprise some, who expected the hefty $6000 price to put many people off. It turns out, lots of fans were interested, and the 100-room hotel has no availability until later next year.
In September, Disney announced the opening date for the hotel as March 2022, with initial bookings beginning soon after. The price reveal earlier this summer raised several eyebrows and earned Disney some heat online, including a quick jibe from theme park competitors Universal Orlando, who joked about how many churros one could afford with such money. Disney’s earnings seem to be as strong as ever, though, and the company continues to dominate the entertainment industry, with its Disney+ day presentation set to excite prospective streaming users on November 12th.
For Star Wars fans that were considering saving up to go to the immersion-based hotel, the news may disappoint. Potential visitors will have to wait to book their place for late-summer 2022 at the earliest. Whether the money is well-spent remains to be seen, as the first guests are yet to go on their much-anticipated trips on Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser. Critics of the Disney park’s pricing will be surprised at the news, but its certainly no surprise that there are Star Wars fans out there willing to spend this sort of cash on such a unique experience.
Source: Gizmodo
