A travel blogger who raved about the Disney Star Wars-themed hotel when it opened admitted she “would not pay” out-of-pocket to remain there – and told The Post she wasn’t surprised to search out out closing.
Benét Wilson was a senior editor at The Points Guy travel blog when she was invited to the “Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser” hotel for a free press review ahead of its March 1, 2022 opening.
The result was a glowing review of the self-proclaimed “Star Wars geek” doomed hotel – which Disney revealed last week that it plans to shut for good at the tip of the summer.
In an article that called the doomed hotel “the travel experience I have been waiting for 45 yearsWilson raved about the lightsaber training, the technology within the room, and the staff’s ability to remain within the role.
Nevertheless, Wilson, 59, told The Post in an exclusive interview this week that the Galactic Starcruiser didn’t deliver a bang for the buck.
![](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/NYPICHPDPICT000011558556.jpg?w=768)
“I would not pay for that,” said Wilson, who now works as a contract journalist and runs a journalism scholarship program. “With the cash it costs, I could go to Europe. I could have gone to South America,” she added, “and he or she does not imply Epcot.
A two-night hotel stay in Orlando, Florida cost a pair $4,800 and a family of 4 around $6,000.
For those with deeper pockets, a “tuned-up suite” was offered for a staggering $20,000 for just two nights.
“I’ve all the time been a budget traveler,” said Wilson. “I like to travel, but I refuse to pay ridiculous prices. And you realize, not only me. Others said it was numerous money for a 2.5 day experience where you may go to the 4 Seasons on Disney property and it will be cheaper.
The typical night at Disney’s 4 Seasons Resort Orlando costs guests a mean of $400 an evening, while the common cost of an evening at a Star Wars hotel is $1,209.
That is why Wilson said she wasn’t surprised to listen to about the hotel closing.
![The hotel has 100 apartments, none of which have windows. Instead, the screens give the impression of sleeping on a spaceship bound for a galaxy far, far away.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/NYPICHPDPICT000011558091.jpg?w=1024)
While Disney succinctly referred to Galactic Starcruiser’s demise as a “business decision”, Wilson pointed to the stakes being out of this world.
Within the Galactic Starcruiser, guests got windowless accommodation, meals, and access to Disney World’s “Star Wars: Galaxy Edge” park using a MagicBand that also served as a Lightning Lane pass to avoid long waiting times.
Beer, wine and other specialty drinks can be found at an extra cost of USD 11 – USD 23.
![Hotel guests will not interact with any Disney staff. Instead, they will meet characters such as the captain, mechanic and director of the Starcruiser, not to mention the iconic Chewbacca, Rey and Kylo Ren.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/NYPICHPDPICT000011558567.jpg?w=778)
If guests desire a souvenir photo to commemorate their stay, a photographer is on site for no less than $99.
There have been no staff on board to greet guests at check-in. As an alternative, Wilson was given an iPhone 5 “to maintain up with things, schedule time for lightsaber training, and manage bookings.”
“No person said, ‘Oh, welcome,'” she said. “Your room is in your phone and also you go about what you are promoting.”
Nevertheless, visitors met loads of characters along the way in which, including the captain, mechanic and director of the Starcruiser, not to say the enduring Chewbacca, Rey and Kylo Ren.
“They were really good at staying in character. Ask them any personal query and so they all the time come back to Star Wars,” Wilson said.
In one among the hotel’s 100 rooms, as a substitute of ordinary windows overlooking the hotel’s surroundings – comparable to the nearby Hollywood Studios – screens made guests feel as in the event that they were on spaceships traversing space.
![](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/NYPICHPDPICT000011558092.jpg?w=1024)
![Wilson recalled getting an iPhone 5 upon check-in](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/NYPICHPDPICT000011558559.jpg?w=768)
“You possibly can look out the window and you will see spaceships flying by. We might randomly jump to the speed of sunshine and you may see it within the window. It was really cool,” recalls Wilson.
When spacecraft in a multi-billion-dollar series traveled on the speed of sunshine through hyperspace, they may crisscross galaxies in a matter of days, as shown by flashing lights on the screen. The identical effect was utilized in “windows” of the hotel as a part of the advertised “immersive adventure”.
“I believed I used to be going to get claustrophobic, but I used to be just engrossed within the story,” Wilson said of the window screens.
Within the evening, Starcruiser guests can enjoy an early or late dinner where food is cut, coloured and coated in a Star Wars nod. Wilson pointed to a memorable prawn appetizer she had, “where the prawns were blue, it didn’t affect the taste of the food.”
“Every thing looked familiar, but it surely also looked different,” Wilson added of the themed dish. “The eye to detail was just amazing.”
Guests staying for several nights may also sit at the identical table for dinner.
In the event that they need to be promoted to go of the captain’s table in Starcruiser’s Crown of Corellia dining room, it will be an additional 30 bucks.
Nonetheless, it’s still “the closest most individuals will ever get to in a Star Wars movie,” Wilson said of the experience.
The hotel, which has been criticized for overpricing since its first trip, will make its final trip on September 28-30.