Disney released a statement in the wake of its Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser at Walt Disney World reducing its number of operation dates.
The Galactic Starcruiser is an immersive, two-day live-your-own adventure experience aboard a simulated Star Wars pleasure cruise set between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker.
Following a wave of cancellations and reports of low occupancy, Disney finally took action and provided a response.
Disney Responds to Star Wars Hotel Cancellations
Following Disney's decision to only offer two Starcruiser "voyages" per week starting this October, the company issued the following statement:
"...you may notice the schedule has been modified to provide two voyages per week, except for holiday weeks where we may have three voyages. We’ve been learning a lot during our first year of operation and have adjusted voyage dates to meet the needs of our guests."
Disney originally intended for the Starcruiser to operate every day of the week which would've allowed for more than two "voyages."
Earlier this year, Disney canceled a number of low-occupancy summer voyages, offering guests who booked a stay on those newly canceled dates a discount to rebook.
At the time, Disney agents reportedly referred to the summer season and its canceled dates as a "refurbishment period," even though summer is one of Walt Disney World's busiest times of the year.
Fully Armed but Not Quite Operational Star Wars Starcruiser
This is one of the first official responses fans have received from Disney concerning the Starcruiser's difficulties, of which there have been many.
As the statement noted, the Starcruiser only just completed its first year of operation. But even before its March 2022 debut, the revolutionary vacation experience suffered a failed ad campaign and significant backlash for its $4800 price tag.
While the experience was well-received upon its actual opening, later in 2022, the lack of demand and/or affordability became glaringly apparent.
Some have speculated whether the Starcruiser could be a success if it loosened its canonical timeline restrictions, allowing prequel and original trilogy characters to appear, as well as the Mandalorian and Grogu from Disney+.
In fact, the Starcruiser's strict adherence to its sequel trilogy timeline is reportedly why Galaxy's Edge at Hollywood Studios has maintained its timeline restrictions.
Or, at least, it was.
Just in time for The Mandalorian's Season 3 debut, Disney relaxed Disney World's Galaxy's Edge timeline, allowing Mando and Grogu to appear in the previously sequel trilogy-only land.
Whether this is a sign that changes are coming to the Starcruiser remains to be seen. But for now, the question is whether two voyages per week is part of Disney's longtimer solution or rather a temporary means to stem the bleeding.
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