Star Wars Hotel Closure: Costs, Losses, and What Happens Next

Disney’s Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser opened in March 2022 as a two-night immersive voyage aboard a starship called the Halcyon, with a costumed crew and a continuous storyline. The New York Times covered the venture’s short life and its announced closure; roughly eighteen months after opening, Disney permanently closed it. Here’s why the Star Wars hotel closed, what a stay cost, how much was lost, and what is happening to the building now.

Last checked: 2026-10-16

Name: Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser · Status: Permanently closed since September 2023 · Final voyage: September 28–30, 2023 · Location: Near Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Florida

By HotelOz Staff | February 2025

Key facts: Star Wars hotel

Why Did Disney Close Their Star Wars Hotel?

Disney announced the closure on May 18, 2023, saying the Galactic Starcruiser would end operations after a final voyage from September 28–30, 2023. Disney’s own leaders and local reporting later filled in the picture.

Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro was direct about the decision in comments reported by Mickey Visit:

“It didn’t perform exactly how we wanted it to perform, so we decided to sunset it this September.”

— Josh D’Amaro, Chairman, Disney Parks, Experiences and Products

Low attendance and financial losses

The New York Times reported that Disney characterized the experience as underperforming just as the wider company was cutting costs. ClickOrlando gathered industry commentary pointing to three barriers: the steep price, the hotel’s limited conventional amenities, and its reliance on deep Star Wars interest.

High operating costs

ClickOrlando reported that the experience’s deliberately small scale — roughly 400 guests per voyage — increased the staffing and operating-cost burden per visitor. The format compounded the problem: a two-night, tightly scheduled voyage with role-playing and programmed activities, which ruled out the flexible one-night bookings that keep conventional hotels full.

A long YouTube critique by video essayist Jenny Nicholson later turned the value gap into a public conversation, and Disney defended the project as creatively ambitious even as it wound down, NBC News reported.

How Much Did a Stay at the Star Wars Hotel Cost?

The Starcruiser never sold a single night. FOX 35 Orlando reported that the experience required a two-night minimum stay, with launch pricing around $1,200 per guest per night for two guests sharing a cabin — about $4,800 for the full voyage.

Package pricing and inclusions

A four-person cabin was reported at approximately $6,000 for the two nights, before extras such as specialty or alcoholic drinks, according to The New York Times.

WDW Magazine described the all-inclusive structure: accommodations, food and beverages excluding certain specialty and alcoholic items, plus one Disney’s Hollywood Studios ticket. The package also meant a tightly scheduled itinerary, with missions and character interactions rather than a free-form resort stay.

For international visitors, the same package price applied on top of airfare, pre- or post-voyage lodging, and currency conversion — a total that, as Looper noted, made the two-night voyage even harder for families to absorb.

How Much Did Disney Lose on the Galactic Starcruiser?

Disney does not publish separate financial results for a single hotel, and no audited revenue or profit figure for the Starcruiser has appeared in coverage of the closure. The documented record has three reference points:

• Write-down: Disney expected approximately $100 million to $150 million in accelerated depreciation tied to the closure, as reported by Mickey Visit.
• Development cost: press estimates around the closure put the total investment above $1 billion, although Disney never published a complete construction ledger.
• Company context: the closure coincided with broader Disney cost-cutting, including workforce reductions and the cancellation of the Lake Nona project, according to ClickOrlando.

Reported losses and write-downs

The New York Times, which covered the project’s construction spending and Disney’s cost-cutting context, reported the experience as underperforming at the same time the company was reducing costs across its businesses. The $100 million to $150 million depreciation charge is not the same as total project losses; it is the portion of the asset’s book value Disney acknowledged it would not recover once the hotel closed.

What Happened to the Star Wars Hotel?

The hotel ceased operations on September 30, 2023, when the final voyage ended. Disney paused new bookings before the closure and said it would contact guests with reservations beyond that date to discuss alternatives, FOX 35 Orlando reported.

Current repurposing plans

Disney has not announced a specific new use for the building. What executives have said, through D’Amaro, is that the property will not sit empty. Speaking as the final voyage began, he told the Orlando outlet:

“No hints yet, but something will happen with it.”

— Josh D’Amaro, Disney Parks chairman

As of early 2025, no demolition, conversion, or reopening plan had been announced, and the building — located near Disney’s Hollywood Studios — remained on Disney World property. Since the building was designed around the Starcruiser experience, any future use would likely require significant reconfiguration.

To pull it together: the Starcruiser opened in March 2022, required a two-night package priced around $4,800 to $6,000 per cabin, ran for about 18 months, and closed with an expected write-down of $100 million to $150 million. Disney has said the building will be reused, but as of early 2025, the company had not announced a specific plan.

For readers who follow hotels with fictional ties, our Bates Motel guide explores a motel born from a movie franchise, and our feature on the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel traces how a working landmark became part of film history. The Galactic Starcruiser flipped that relationship: the hotel was the story. When the story ended, so did the business.