We now understand how Walt Disney World goes to make use of the defunct Star Wars Hotel close to Hollywood Studios, and it’s not as “sexy” of a challenge as any followers would’ve appreciated. This covers particulars of the conversion of the resort in house to workplace house, which places to relaxation years of rumors, hypothesis, and wishful enthusiastic about the way forward for the previous Galactic Starcruiser constructing.
This goes to be a intestine punch for diehard Starcruiser followers. Many had been holding on to hope with Jedi-like energy, that the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser resort constructing, which was as soon as dwelling to an envelope-pushing interactive multi-day expertise, could be transformed from a cruise on land into one thing, anything.
They couldn’t be faulted for clinging to optimism. Around the time it closed, Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro teased that “something will happen” with Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser down the street. That added gasoline to the fireplace of fan pleasure concerning the “future” of the Starship Halcyon, with lots of the Starcruiser’s superfans hoping for an announcement. When D23 Expo got here and went with none information, there was nonetheless optimism for the 2025 Destination D23.
When discussing Starcruiser, D’Amaro additionally indicated that “not everything’s going to work. What did work, though, is we took creativity and storytelling to a completely new level, to a level that had never existed before…It didn’t work commercially. And so, when we realized that, you just make a call and move on.”
Of course, “something will happen” is fairly meaningless by itself and open to projection of 1’s personal wishes and hopes. The optimistic amongst us may assume it is a trace of a reimagining into an everyday resort, which might be “something” main taking place with Starcruiser. The extra pessimistic may assume it’ll rot in plain sight, which can be not nothing.
There’s an enormous expanse of center floor between these two extremes. And now, it could appear that’s occupied by “reimagining” the Starcruiser into workplace house for Walt Disney Imagineering. Probably not on anybody’s want listing, however not a complete out of left discipline shock. Better than demolishing it or letting it rot in plain sight!
The replace on Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser being transformed to workplace house comes courtesy of TheWrap and journalist Drew Taylor (a pal of the positioning who is very educated about theme parks–not simply an leisure reporter who’s out of his factor, as is usually the case when the trades cowl the parks).
TheWrap stories that a number of sources, together with a person near the Walt Disney Company, have knowledgeable them that the constructing that previously housed Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser is being transformed into places of work for Walt Disney Imagineering.
WDI shall be utilizing the constructing as a hub for a number of enlargement initiatives coming Walt Disney World, together with however not restricted to Tropical Americas, Cars Land, Villains Land, and Monstropolis.
This is sensible. Although Walt Disney Imagineering has everlasting places of work in Florida, the plan for a big artistic campus in Lake Nona was scratched. And since a lot of what WDI does is project-based and Walt Disney World is beginning a large new growth cycle, it tracks that they’d must scale up employees and workplace house at Walt Disney World.
This is usually performed through compounds which might be adjoining to the enlargement themselves–such because the trailer park that was constructed final 12 months backstage at Animal Kingdom–however it’s additionally attainable that challenge groups will want a centralized hub. And that it will function the compound for Monstropolis and different unannounced initiatives for Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
It’s additionally attainable that Magic Kingdom gained’t have the house for its personal compound. I don’t actually know. Imagineering needing extra places of work backstage at Walt Disney World within the close to and medium time period is just not in the slightest degree stunning.
TheWrap additionally stories that it had heard “rumblings” that the Starcruiser constructing was going to be utilized for a multi-hour dinner theater-type expertise that might use the resort’s foyer, bridge, bar and restaurant–and that the present store would additionally stay open. We additionally heard a extremely credible variation of this rumor, and the wheels had been supposedly already in movement on it.
Well, theWrap can be now reporting that it has now been advised, “quite firmly,” that the constructing is not going to be accessible to friends in any respect. Taylor speculates that that is because of the problem of shuttling friends to the Starcruiser constructing, which is backstage behind Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
One supply advised Taylor that a number of Cast Member playtests had been carried out within the outdated Starcruiser constructing, however that the checks could be for a possible eating expertise within the theme park, not within the Starcruiser constructing itself. This would presumably use the pad adjoining to Oga’s Cantina, which was initially meant for this function. According to Taylor, Disney is now circling again to that dinner theater concept.
To by crystal clear, I haven’t heard something about any of this in a very good 8+ months. To the perfect of my information and recollection, these playtests occurred some time in the past. I believe Taylor has this largely right.
It was my understanding that the Starcruiser was by no means the meant long-term web site of the dinner present for the precise cause recognized: transportation would’ve been too expensive and clunky. (Before you ask: no, a strolling path from Galaxy’s Edge is just not possible.) Rather, the dinner present could be held in Starcruiser with precise paying friends for an prolonged interval to check the idea and as a stopgap whereas constructing the entire thing in Galaxy’s Edge.
Our view was (and is) that this dinner displaying coming to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge was (and is) an inevitability sooner or later sooner or later. Although Walt Disney World has been burned by Star Wars investments, the dinner present continues to be a license to print cash. The house already exists for it, and it’s unlikely for use for different enlargement. The dinner present might be paired with a gentle reboot of the land, which we’ve been mentioning as a chance for some time.
Now, it could appear, Disney is glad in skipping the testing of the idea with paying friends. Without any inside information, I believe this has much less to do with transportation hurdles–a recognized amount lengthy earlier than there have been rumors of this taking place–and extra to do with the Starcruiser constructing getting used as Imagineering workplace house.
No arm of Disney is as secretive as Walt Disney Imagineering, and I simply can’t conceive of WDI being keen to share its house with any guest-facing function. Some overly-eager followers would’ve seen it as a “challenge” to see what was taking place throughout the halls of Imagineering, and the safety presence required would’ve been vital–and dear.
The concept of doing guest-facing checks in Starcruiser may’ve died lengthy earlier than this. We began seeing renewed curiosity in Starcruiser and receiving an inflow of questions final summer time, main us to publish What Went Wrong with Disney’s Star Wars Hotel? That was a direct results of Jenny Nicholson’s four-hour deconstruction (to place it charitably) of the challenge. Her video racked up tens of tens of millions of views and introduced the Starcruiser mainstream consciousness.
It in all probability goes with out saying, however Walt Disney World would simply as quickly individuals neglect concerning the failed Starcruiser solely. Doing a dinner present take a look at within the venue may’ve been deemed extra bother than it was value. It may’ve impressed an inflow of copycat YouTubers to do their very own items on the defunct expertise, and introduced extra undesirable consideration on the shuttered Starcruiser.
It doesn’t take a lot creativeness to check the sensational titles these may obtain, and movies concerning the extinct/failed/doomed/deserted/and so on. Star Wars resort would nearly actually dwarf these a couple of dinner present take a look at.
Regardless, many Walt Disney World followers will view the conversion of Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser as yet one more stain on the already sordid legacy of this challenge. Not us.
For one factor, we’ve got ‘warned’ repeatedly (…and once more) that Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser couldn’t be transformed into an everyday resort. In reality, we began sounding this ‘alarm’ even earlier than it opened. That got here as its critics had been cheering for its downfall, within the hopes that it could be transformed into an ordinary resort.
As we’ve cautioned repeatedly, there are various explanation why this can’t occur. See Why Walt Disney World Will NOT Reimagine Starcruiser Into a Star Wars Hotel for a non-exhaustive listing. The backside line is that Starcruiser being reimagined into an everyday resort was by no means on the desk. The constructing being transformed into something involving in a single day stays was not critically being thought-about.
We’ve additionally talked about repeatedly that essentially the most believable end result for the Starcruiser constructing was it being transformed into places of work.
Honestly, our hope was not for Walt Disney Imagineering places of work, however moderately, it changing workplace house at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The park at the moment has a bunch of backstage assist services which might be in prime places for enlargement, and relocating these to Starcruiser–and constructing extra round it–might be extremely useful for the long-term way forward for DHS.
This additionally isn’t a “sexy” use for Starcruiser and its surrounding plot of land…till you notice what this opens the door for. Long time period, that is precisely what’s crucial for the footprint of Disney’s Hollywood Studios to be expanded, and walkways connecting Toy Story Land, Animation Courtyard, and Sunset Boulevard. That could be nice for visitors move, however it could possibly’t occur on account of what’s at the moment backstage. It wants to occur, although, to enhance the capability of the park.
This additionally will occur sooner or later. We’ve hinted that one of many causes Monstropolis went to Muppets Courtyard as an alternative of the extra logical location in Animation Courtyard is as a result of there are extra bold long-term plans for that plot. While I’m skeptical of something unannounced, that is completely the present pondering–to save lots of Animation Courtyard for a much bigger challenge than Monstropolis. Think of Monstropolis as this cycle’s Toy Story Land, with Animation Courtyard being dwelling to this cycle’s Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
What’s been introduced up to now is the 5-year plan, however there’s a much bigger 10-year plan, and it entails a bigger enlargement into and behind Animation Courtyard. Whether that really involves fruition is anyone’s guess at this level (quite a bit may change within the subsequent few years earlier than something is introduced or building begins).
Regardless, relocating places of work is a crucial prerequisite to that and the Starcruiser campus may serve a pivotal medium to long-term function. I additionally wouldn’t be stunned if the Starcruiser constructing is demolished sooner or later and changed with a brand new construction that’s extra environment friendly for places of work, parking, coaching, and so on., for Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
That chance appears much less doubtless provided that Imagineering is now utilizing the house, although. Instead, Walt Disney World will proceed its wealthy historical past of repurposing buildings and shoehorning places of work into them. Perhaps one other constructing and parking storage will sprout up subsequent to Starcruiser.
Beyond that, I wouldn’t be stunned if different components of Starcruiser make their manner into Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. The “what” of this actually relies upon upon how a lot of the R&D is rolled into the accelerated depreciation of a whopping $300 million.
There’s a whole lot of tangible know-how that was produced through Imagineering R&D that Walt Disney World and Disneyland may need to reuse for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge (and even elsewhere). Things like that fancy new lightsaber, the Yoda impact, and different showpieces.
There’s an opportunity of these being added to new leisure alongside the catwalks within the land, Savi’s Workshop, Oga’s Cantina, and elsewhere. So a lot of this was initially meant for the land, and it’ll simply be a matter of Disney expressing an urge for food to take a position extra into the land.
Again, I may completely see that taking place with a gentle reboot that breathes new life into Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. It may nonetheless be the blockbuster land that they needed. Disney saying the New Mission that includes Mandalorian & Baby Yoda for Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run will increase the percentages of this taking place 2026.
Perhaps it’s wishful pondering, however I don’t consider that’s the one Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge enhancement within the pipeline. I’ve heard nothing credible lately, however my hope and expectation is that Imagineering will need a marketable ‘package’ of additives, enhancements, regimaginings, and so on. for 2026.
That may embrace increasing the ‘universe’ to incorporate legacy character meet & greets, new leisure from Starcruiser, and the aforementioned dinner present. It wouldn’t shock me within the least if we get an announcement to this impact on the 2025 Destination D23.
Ultimately, most of that is fairly irrelevant to Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser being transformed into workplace house/places of work in house for Walt Disney Imagineering. But I needed to take what’s going to come back as miserable and disheartening information for a few of you and supply hope. A New Hope, if you’ll.
That’s a large quantity of hypothesis, however actually, it comes with the territory. I’d moderately lay out what I believe are the practical potentialities moderately than go away this open-ended and let followers get carried away with operating by means of extra implausible eventualities. Even long run, Starcruiser is just not going to turn out to be an everyday resort and even Disney Vacation Club. It isn’t going to be remodeled into DisneyQuest: Star Wars Edition.
I’ve been a Disney fan for some time, and I already see historical past repeating itself right here with the identical kind of hypothesis and wishful pondering that dragged on for years with the Adventurers Club and its diehard followers. Starcruiser parallels that interactive expertise in various methods, and I hope that doesn’t prolong to its superfans being strung alongside for too lengthy with the false hope that the factor they love will return.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you consider Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser being transformed into workplace house? Is this heartbreaking, or is it roughly what you anticipated primarily based on earlier reporting? Think D’Amaro is honest in saying “something will happen” with the shuttered Starcruiser? Are you anticipating an announcement on the 2025 Destination D23? Do you agree or disagree with our assessments? Any questions we may also help you reply? Hearing your suggestions–even whenever you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!