Bob Chapek says Bob Iger shut down Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser because the immersive Walt Disney World experience was tied to Chapek’s time as CEO. He makes the case in his memoir, Behind the Castle Walls, which arrives September 29.
“But when my time as CEO came to an end, so, too, did the Galactic Starcruiser,” Chapek writes in a passage published by Blog Mickey. “I believed in the idea and its potential,” he adds. “Bob Iger saw things differently and, in my opinion, also saw it as something connected to my time in charge. As a result, in my opinion, it went away.”
Chapek Says The Economics Were Still Being Worked Out
Chapek calls the Starcruiser “an outrageously bold idea” and concedes that “there is no doubt that the resort and experience were not profitable at that moment.” He writes that cast members ran the story around the clock while also running the hotel, which made labor costs “extraordinary,” and that the team knew that going in. A stay cost over $1,000 per person, he writes, compared with about $500 a night for a nice hotel room.
“The whole concept was a great idea, and we were figuring out the economics,” Chapek writes. “It’s a known fact that no hotel is ever profitable in the first year.”
How The Starcruiser Ended
Chapek announced the project while he was chairman of Disney’s parks division, and it opened on March 1, 2022. The two-night experience started at $4,809 for two guests. The board fired Chapek in November 2022 and brought Iger back as CEO. In May 2023, Disney said the Starcruiser would close, with its final voyage running September 28 through 30, 2023.
Disney’s explanation at the time was different. The company called the Starcruiser “one of our most creative projects ever” and said the “premium, boutique experience gave us the opportunity to try new things on a smaller scale of 100 rooms.” It said it would “take what we’ve learned to create future experiences that can reach more of our guests and fans.”
Chapek Says Disney Has Tried To Erase Him
Chapek compares the closure to the removal of a sign at Castaway Cay, Disney’s private island in the Bahamas. “Like the sign on the cruise ship destination island, any memory or symbol of my time in charge was seemingly systematically removed,” he writes. “Ultimately, like most things with my name behind them, that sign, and that galaxy, went far, far away.”
He returned to the sign in an interview with Variety, saying it commemorated his getting the board to build three new ships. “Was that necessary? Probably not. Was that spiteful? Yeah,” he said. Chapek told Variety he feels “let down” by the company and that “they’ve attempted to erase me,” then narrowed it: “You know, that person attempted to erase me.” Asked whether he would go back to the parks, he said, “Ever is a long time. Anytime soon, though, no.”
Representatives for Iger and Disney declined to comment to Variety.
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