As a life-long fan of Star Wars, there was nothing quite as exciting as finding out that I would be working on the immersive Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser experience. Located at the Walt Disney World Resort, the Galactic Starcruiser opened on March 1, 2022, and welcomed engers to board a two-day, two-night cruise through the stars, during which they could live out their own Star Wars adventure. I never thought I would get to experience it, much less work on it, but the opportunity arose, and I found myself positioned there for eight incredible months.

This dream of mine, however, quickly began to crumble on May 18, 2023. It was the day we all found out that the Galactic Starcruiser would be permanently closing, with my fellow crew and I getting the news not long before the rest of the world did. It was then that I learned just how misunderstood the Galactic Starcruiser was as I watched people celebrate the closure of what I and so many others had long since worked to make into a life-changing experience. What, then, was the Starcruiser, and why is it considered a failure?

The Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Was The First Of Its Kind

There Was, & Still Is, No Other Experience To Compare The Starcruiser To

The reality is that the Galactic Starcruiser immersive experience was the first of its kind, and thus it's only inevitable that it would make mistakes over the course of its tenure. Everything about the Starcruiser was extremely ambitious; I'm still in constant amazement at what our entire cast and crew, particularly the entertainment, were able to pull off each and every day. The Starcruiser characters would somehow at least 16 hours' worth of lines and cues in addition to brand-new enger names, all while the rest of us attended to as many of the engers' needs as possible.

Essentially, the Starcruiser experience was a 48-hour movie that engers were actually a part of. It was all facilitated through the "datapad," which was accessed through the Play Disney Parks app. The technology and design behind that software still blows my mind to this day, but in summary, the engers' use of the datapad made it possible for them to choose their own path in the greater story and have a strong sense of agency. This is something that's never been done before on such a scale, which means that mistakes were simply inevitable.

The Starcruiser Was So Much More Than A "Hotel"

It Was An Experience, Not Just A Place For Guests To Sleep In

The biggest misunderstanding about the Starcruiser, and honestly its biggest downfall, is that many people who never experienced it thought it was just a "Star Wars hotel." This is understandable, to the degree that the marketing for the Galactic Starcruiser was not always clear about what exactly the entire experience was. Often, people who had already booked and paid for the experience still didn't know what they were getting into once they came aboard, with some engers asking why they couldn't or shouldn't simply come-and-go as regular hotel guests would.

This is why the Starcruiser could never be just a hotel; every part of it was designed for enthusiastic interaction.

To facilitate the overarching immersive experience and storytelling, the Starcruiser built a jam-packed itinerary for each and every guest that would consist of a variety of important activities: the captain's toast at muster, a bridge training exercise, lightsaber training, and more. These types of events were essential to understanding what was happening, as they would give engers the chance to interact with characters and build their story. This is why the Starcruiser could never be just a hotel; every part of it was designed for enthusiastic interaction.

The Price Was High, But So Were The Majority Of Reviews

The Cost Was Worth It For Many engers, & It Got Them More Than Just A Room

The most common criticism of the Starcruiser has always been its price, which was certainly on the luxurious side. When considering the Galactic Starcruiser to be a hotel, it makes sense that people would see such a high price as ludicrous, especially given the smaller size of the majority of the cabins. What many people don't know, however, is that the price included much more than just a room. The engers' food, park tickets, recreation activities on board, non-alcoholic drinks, and more were all included - with merchandise being one of the few additional costs on board.

There's no hiding that the price was high, but for many engers, it must have paid off. The majority of reviews (some examples via Tripadvisor) were constantly in the Starcruiser's favor, and during my last few months working there, we achieved some of the company's highest guest scores. Those were incredible achievements that even the closure announcement didn't affect. While I, of course, wish there would have been a way to make it more affordable and thus more accessible, it was proven that the price was indeed worth it for most of the engers who got to experience it.

After Its Closure, Only The Crew Is Hurt By Negative Reviews

The Cast & Crew Are The Ones Who Feel The Weight Of These Reviews

While it's important that each review is heard and received, and that everyone has a right to share the honesty of their own experiences, there's no longer anything to gain from it. The Galactic Starcruiser closed indefinitely on September 30, 2023, and there has since been no word about the next steps for the immersive experience. I visited Walt Disney World for the first time since it closed just a few weeks ago, and Disney has still kept the Galactic Starcruiser signs up, which hurt me deeply just to see. It's a loss many of us haven't processed yet.

It doesn't mean these reviews shouldn't exist nor be shared, but at this point, when the experience has already been closed by Disney, it does little except hurt those who were perhaps the most affected by its closure - despite any good intentions.

The cast and crew were reassured often that it wasn't a failure and that it certainly wasn't our fault, but when 40-plus hours a week of hard work were put into such an experience, it's easy to feel that weight - even months later. Seeing negative reviews and misunderstandings about it persist makes that even harder. It doesn't mean these reviews shouldn't exist nor be shared, but at this point, when the experience has already been closed by Disney, it does little except hurt those who were perhaps the most affected by its closure - despite any good intentions.

Why It's A Shame The Starcruiser's Fate Has Been Sealed

The Building Will Reportedly Be Converted Into Imagineering Offices

According to TheWrap, the Starcruiser will be converted into offices for Walt Disney Imagineering, which has essentially confirmed the fate of this experience for good. While, as someone who had the honor of meeting some of the incredible Imagineers who brought this brilliant experience to life, I'm glad it's going to be in their capable and caring hands, it's still a huge shame that this experience is officially being laid to rest. More Star Wars fans, and even those who aren't fans, deserved to see its beauty and participate in its magic.

This is because it wasn't just a hotel that was designed with a Star Wars theme. There was a shift we often saw in engers when they arrived on-ship for the first time; coming up the launch pod, as we called it, and seeing the atrium as the doors opened was an unforgettable experience for just about everyone. I know I'll certainly never forget the jaw-dropping feeling I got seeing it for the first time. It was a feeling that's still so hard to put into words, because it truly transported you to the galaxy far, far away.

I'm devastated to think about all the unique rooms and experiences within this building no longer being used - the engineering room with mini-games, the lightsaber training pod with interactive lightsaber training, the bridge with functioning systems, shields, loaders, and weapons stations, all of it. Even if they do remain, it's still limited access, and the Star Wars fans it was all made for will never get to see it. I mourn that, and I wish more people would mourn that, too, because if I could have shared this place with the entire world, I would have.

The Starcruiser Still Changed Many People's Lives

The Galactic Starcruiser's Legacy Is More Positive Than Many May Think

The Galactic Starcruiser may always be seen by many as a failure for Disney and Star Wars alike, but it has another legacy that is certainly going to outlive it. The community created by the Starcruiser is nothing short of beautiful, from cast and crew relationships to those of engers who got to experience it. The words "together as one," which were often uttered during the Starcruiser experience, have since become something of a mantra for those who had a chance to become a part of this community. It's not something that can easily be forgotten.

The words "together as one," which were often uttered during the Starcruiser experience, have since become something of a mantra.

I know that my life has certainly been forever changed by the Starcruiser. It was unreal, as the massive Star Wars fan that I am, to have worked in that galaxy for eight months and to witness what I did on a daily basis for so long. I was there for its one-year anniversary, and I was there when we received the news about its closure - and I witnessed the strength of our crew as we pushed on to make its last few months the best that we possibly could. That's how I'll always this Star Wars experience.