Multiple sources are reporting that the shuttered Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser at Walt Disney World will be turned into offices for Walt Disney Imagineering, using the building as a base for numerous expansion projects across the four theme parks. It is disappointing news for Star Wars fans as there was suggestions the experience may have been reopened as some form of dinner and show experience.
According to several sources, including an individual close to the company, the building that formerly housed the immersive adventure (located near Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World) is being converted into offices for Walt Disney Imagineering, the secretive arm of the company responsible for theme park attractions, retail locations and cruise ships.
WDI will be using the building as a hub for several expansion projects coming to the expansive Walt Disney World resort including (among other things) the Latin America area of Disney’s Animal Kingdom that will be home to “Encanto” and Indiana Jones-themed attractions; the upcoming “Cars”- and Disney Villains-themed lands opening at the Magic Kingdom; and the “Monsters, Inc.” land, complete with door chase coaster, arriving at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
TheWrap had heard rumblings that the building was going to be potentially utilized for a several-hour-long dinner theater-type experience that would use the hotel’s lobby (used for key storytelling moments as part of the Galactic Starcruiser), bridge, bar and restaurant and that the gift shop would also remain open. But TheWrap has now been told, quite firmly, that the building will not be accessible to guests at all.
This likely has to do with how cumbersome it would be to shuttle guests to the Starcruiser building, which is in a backstage area of the park. When the hotel was open, themed shuttles would transport guests to and from Disney’s Hollywood Studios on the experience’s “away day” – where guests would have exclusive interactions in Disney’s “Star Wars”-themed land Galaxy’s Edge. Those shuttles could only carry a few guests at a time, which isn’t ideal if you’re trying to repurpose the space for a more inclusive dining experience.
According to one source, several playtests have been conducted in that part of the old Starcruiser building, with cast members filling in for paying guests. But the tests would be for a potential dining experience in the theme park, not in the Starcruiser building itself.
We await for some form of official confirmation directly from Disney. Read our coverage and thoughts on the Galactic Starcruiser here.
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