Star Wars hotel at Disney World to become offices for Imagineering
The now-defunct Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser — Disney World’s abandoned “Star Wars hotel” — will be repurposed as office space for Walt Disney Imagineering.
In a galaxy far, far away, they’re dreaming up what’s next for the future of the Disney parks. Or, a soon-to-be office building not so far, far away.
Walt Disney Imagineering — the sector of Disney that creates its theme parks and resorts — will utilize the former Star Wars hotel building as an office, as reported first by The Wrap on Jan. 30, 2025. Disney confirmed the news with Attractions Magazine.
The Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser was an ambitious project from The Walt Disney Company: a $4,000+ two-night stay aboard the Halcyon (think a cruise ship, but for space) offering an interactive choose-your-own adventure type experience for guests. Met with criticism upon opening regarding its high price tag, the Galactic Starcruiser debuted on March 1, 2022 to favorable reviews.
Artwork courtesy of Disney
On May 18, 2023, the Internet was shocked to learn Disney planned on closing the new hotel only a little over a year after its opening. The Galactic Starcruiser was set to sail its final voyage on Sept. 28 of that year, closing permanently after the last guests “disembarked” on Sept. 30.
Photo by Matt Stroshane / Disney
Photo by Matt Stroshane / Disney
Photo by bioreconstruct
The Starcruiser building is located just outside of Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Part of its overnight experience involved visiting the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge area of that theme park.
Photo by bioreconstruct
With lots of new expansions coming to Walt Disney World in the coming years — including a “Monsters, Inc.”-themed land at Hollywood Studios, a land based on Disney Villains at Magic Kingdom, and a Latin America retheme of the former DinoLand, U.S.A. housing “Encanto”- and Indiana Jones- themed attractions — it would make sense for a new hub for the Imagineering team to be close to these new projects. Several small Imagineering offices already exist within Disney World’s property; Imagineering’s headquarters is based in Glendale, Calif., with no plans on moving.
Artwork courtesy of Disney
Disney has not indicated whether the new Imagineering offices inside the former “Star Wars” hotel are permanent, or just for the projects coming up in the next few years. In a June 2023 interview with The Points Guy, Josh D’Amaro, chairperson of Disney Experiences, said there were “no hints yet” about what may happen to the Starcruiser after its then-upcoming closure, “but something will happen.”
Photo by David Roark / Disney
Did you get to experience the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser? Stay tuned to Attractions Magazine for updates as we learn more.
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