Disney has made two huge moves with its new Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. The two-day, two-night interactive experience is the most audacious creative production in the history of the Walt Disney theme parks. And it is the most expensive ticket in Disney Parks history, too.
Judging from the hostile reaction online, many fans are not ready for Disney to launch its prices into hyperspace like this. The two-night, cruise-like, Star Wars-themed experience costs about $6,000 for a family of four. That’s a tough ask for even Disney’s most loyal fans. But Disney and its Imagineers have done their best to deliver value for that eye-watering price.
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Imagine something like Knott’s Berry Farm’s Ghost Town Alive participatory experience. Then amplify that with a Star Wars theme, adding more interactions and theater-like performances. Throw in the food, drinks and accommodations of an all-inclusive cruise, setting it on a well-detailed starship where every “window” looks out into space. Add lightsaber training and a visit to the bridge, where you can learn how to help control the ship. Then top it off with a “port call” at Disney’s Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge land, including front-of-line tickets to the Millennium Falcon ride and the always-a-tough-get Star Wars Rise of the Resistance attraction.
This is way, way more than a “Star Wars hotel.”
Galactic Starcruiser establishes narratives for its passengers that add detail and depth to the Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge land. The Starcruiser experience not only adds new characters to the Star Wars universe, but also invites guests to become one of those characters, living up to a promise that Galaxy’s Edge failed to keep for many fans.
That makes the high price of this adventure so frustrating to some. If you get priced out of going to an NFL game, you still can watch teams on TV. If you cannot afford concert tickets for your favorite musicians, you always can listen to their recordings. But there’s no media substitute for the visceral experience of themed entertainment.
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Sure, you can watch attraction videos, and as someone publishes a lot of those, I hope you will. But I know that videos are only an appetizer and never a substitute for the real thing. That leaves fans having to pay for the original, which makes every Disney theme park price increase all the more painful to many.
I long have suggested that theme park fans do not limit themselves to Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Other attractions — at home in the United States and in destinations around the world — offer outstanding value for fans willing to try something different. Disney holds no monopoly on excellence in themed entertainment.
Except for Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser. Disney’s Starcruiser is a unique experience that represents the very best of the best in themed entertainment. There is no substitute for this one. The state of your bank account will determine whether that is exciting news, or just another frustration.