Disney World is about to embark on a flagship journey to a galaxy far, far away. The Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser experience will be a one-of-a-kind two-night experience for fans and their families. The new experience was so hotly anticipated that reservations sold out well in advance, but shortly before the new hotel’s March 2022 opening, some curious trends have been happening. In fact, it looks like some people have even reportedly been cancelling, and there are seemingly reasons why.
We’ve been hearing about this hotel for years. It’s one-of-a-kind nature made it a topic of interest since it was announced by Disney Parks. In August of 2019, Disney revealed story details as well as on-ship activities. By November of 2020, we’d gotten first looks at the hotel rooms. By November of the following year, the hotel had sold out its first three months. But it seems those bookings have not stuck.
In fact, as of today, there are dates open during the first three months the ship Halcyon will take guests to the Black Outpost Spire on Batuu. While many dates are still booked, you can see dates open in March, April and May (hat tip Inside the Magic).
So, what happened?
Why Fans Say They Are Cancelling Halcyon Reservations
According to a thread on Reddit, a lot of people aren’t happy with what’s being offered, but particularly at the price point it’s being offered. One reddit user (who seemingly had not cancelled yet at the time he wrote on the site) summed up their feelings pretty concisely, noting:
Absolutely cancelling. The price for this experience is STEEP, but we love Galaxy's Edge and figured they would be able to deliver. For 7k+ we get a few meals, alcoholic drinks aren't included, brought to Galaxy's edge early in the AM and hope that Rise isn't broken down, no lightsaber building, no droid building, the saber training looks, meh from what they've released, and the bridge training just doesn't look like a Star wars experience. I can't fathom where all my money is going for what's included. I feel like we got scammed by Disney here. Not sure if we'll be visiting Batuu and time soon after this.
Another person who reported they had actually cancelled the experience after finding out what the price tag would get them noted that even cancelling a trip to Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser was a huge hassle. That person also said in the same thread:
I made a reservation for July and canceled it after the trailer didn't show me any reason to spend $6000 for 2 nights. They also released more of the itinerary and most of the interactions only last 20 minutes, with several listed as being phone app games. Wtf? I'll wait for the reviews and hopefully a price drop before I consider booking again. Oh, and you can only book AND cancel via phone.
A third person also explained they cancelled after seeing what they would get–though in their case it was their nephew’s persuasive argument about another major Orlando theme park ride –Universal Studios Orlando’s well-reviewed VelociCoaster–that finally made the decision for them.
I also dropped my reservation I had for April. My nephew actually made the decision for me as he’d rather ride Velocicoaster after seeing the promo stuff.
After the hotel sold out its first few months at the start of November, Disney dropped a video that showed more about what fans would be getting at the tail end of November. Suffice to say, Twitter was not impressed with what the video showed, and much of that may have to do with the price tag involved.
In addition, it’s also worth noting that we are at a point where omicron is spreading rapidly through the U.S. population. In addition, Disney has opened up more capacity to its parks and attractions in recent months. Clearly things like the above tweets and Reddit comments indicate that some people may be cancelling because they are unhappy with what they have seen so far; in fact there are hundreds of comments in the Reddit thread alone. However, I wouldn’t discount people cancelling for other reasons, COVID among them.
Meanwhile, in a turn of events, Disney has taken down the initial video looking at the Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser. To note, though, none of these people have gotten a chance to experience the hotel yet, and we really don't have a clear picture of what the experience will be like, even if Disney has revealed some of the beats, activities and looks. Still, it seems like a lot of people may be on the "wait and see" fence at this point. We ourselves will have to wait and see if more people shell out to go once the first reviews are in!
