Josh D’Amaro Breaks Down ‘Galactic Starcruiser’ Debacle

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Resorts

Walt Disney World Resort is known for providing cutting-edge, top-of-the-line rides, entertainment, food, and accommodations. The Resort’s innovation in hospitality is one of the reasons that Guests return year after year to spend their valuable vacation time. However, sometimes Disney misses the mark and misjudges what their customer base really wants.

The Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser hotel may be one of the biggest missteps the Disney Parks have seen in the past few decades. Josh D’Amaro, the Chairperson of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, has addressed the Galactic Starcruiser’s failings and the impact that its closing will have on the company financially.

Last week, many fans were saddened, but not completely surprised, to hear that the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser would be completing its final voyage on September 30, 2023. The much-anticipated hotel was a boutique experience for Guests who wanted a premium, immersive Star Wars adventure. The project is wildly inventive, and it is truly an entirely new experience for fans to immerse themselves in the Star Wars universe.

The Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser was an intimate experience where a small number of Guests would embark on a two-night voyage aboard the starship Halcyon. During their travels, Guests would get to interact with various characters from the Star Wars universe, take part in lightsaber training, and enjoy various other activities.

Unfortunately, the Starcruiser did not perform as well as Disney had hoped. Most Guests were turned away by the shocking $2,500 per night price point. After less than two years, the Starcruiser will be retiring earlier than hoped.

Josh D'Amaro

May 22, 2023, Disney Parks Chairman Josh D’Amaro did a Q&A at the JP Morgan Global Technology, Media, and Communications Conference. During his interview, D’Amaro addresses the closing of the Starcruiser, which he referred to as “a pretty stunning asset.”

D’Amaro explained that Disney is very proud of how the Starcruiser turned out and is honored that Guests gave it such incredibly high ratings. Unfortunately, the Starcruiser did not perform as well as hoped, which left Disney with no choice but to “sunset” the experience.

D’Amaro goes on to explain how this with financially affect the company saying;

“I will not, I don’t think we’ve talked about this before, but in both Q3 and Q4, as we accelerate depreciation on that Starcruiser, we should expect about $100-$150 million in accelerated depreciation.”

While it isn’t totally clear if he means $100-$150 million per quarter or total, that is a large number for Disney to lose. The Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser will be a massive asset to loose, and it’s failings may mean we wont see anther experience like it for a while.

Chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products Recently Spotted Filming at Magic Kingdom

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks

For the Disney fans out there who don’t know, Josh D’Amaro is the Chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products. That means he “oversees the global hub where Disney stories, characters and franchises come to life,” as according to the Walt Disney Company.

Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products is an incredibly wide branch of the Walt Disney Company’s operations. It’s made up of Disney’s travel and leisure experiences, consisting of multiple theme parks in America, Asia, and Europe, the Disney Cruise Line, the Disney Vacation Club, and more. This branch also includes the entirety of Disney’s consumer products, such as toys, clothing, home goods, entertainment, and even e-commerce.

So, every Disney theme park and water park, every Resort hotel, every vacation destination with Disney’s name on it, all of the Disney Signature Experiences, and every single Disney product you see in the department store falls under Josh D’Amaro’s supervision.

Disney Store

This includes Walt Disney World Resort (Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and EPCOT), Disneyland Resort (Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure), Disneyland Paris, the Tokyo Disney Resort, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, and Shanghai Disneyland.

Carvings

In short, being the Chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences, and Products is a big job, but it’s not the only thing he does! Josh D’Amaro often appears in different Disney documentaries and videos shown during Cast Member training.

Recently, however, the Chairman was spotted in Magic Kingdom, and he was clearly filming something. Immediately, fans began to wonder what he was filming for.

One Reddit user spoke up about what they hoped it was, writing, “God I hope it’s a new Disney plus show cause the park content dried up real quick on there.” This comment quickly received a lot of attention due to how many fans agreed with the sentiment.

Another Reddit user revealed something more realistic, writing, “He films quite a lot for internal company videos btw. We hear from him quite frequently now.”

A Message From Josh D’Amaro — Happy New Year: Reasons to Celebrate!

Posted on by Mathew Corn Animal Kingdom, Disney Parks, Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom

Happy New Year!

Last year was incredible … so before we get any further into 2023, I want to thank each of you for what you did to help our guests plan their Disney visits. For many, the magic starts long before they get to our parks and cruise ships. It starts when they take their first step in turning their dream vacation into a reality by contacting their preferred travel professional.  As I’ve said countless times before… for those guests, the magic starts with you.

I know there has been a lot of change over the past few years and I want to thank you for making sure your clients understand the changes and are prepared when they arrive as our guests. As you know, we are constantly adapting our business to create a better experience for guests, and to build a foundation so we can introduce new stories and experiences in the future.

As we enter 2023, we’ll have lots of new reasons to celebrate together. TRON Lightcycle / Run at Walt Disney World along with Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway, World of Color – ONE and Wondrous Journeys at Disneyland Resort are all opening this year… we’ll be celebrating Disney’s 100th anniversary … and bringing back old favorites to the parks, such as Happily Ever After and Magic Happens.

As we move into the new year, it is important that we continuously evolve to help deliver the best guest experience possible. So, I want you to be among the first to hear about a few enhancements that we are making – specifically ones that our guests have asked for and you’ve shared with us. And while this doesn’t address everyone’s feedback, these changes will increase flexibility and add value to our guests’ experience.

At Disneyland Resort:

  • significantly increasing the number of days – nearly two months’ worth over the coming year – that we’ll offer our lowest-priced one-day, one-park ticket at $104
  • offering more flexibility with our Park Hopper ticket, giving Guests the ability to begin crossing over earlier (starting at 11 a.m.), beginning February 4
  • providing complimentary Disney PhotoPass digital downloads of attraction photos for all ticketed park guests, beginning February 4 throughout the Disney100 celebration
  • making Magic Key passes available for sale more times during the year as inventory becomes available

At Walt Disney World Resort:

  • beginning in the next few months, Walt Disney World Annual Passholders will be able to visit the theme parks after 2 p.m. without needing a park reservation, except on Saturdays and Sundays at Magic Kingdom Park. Pass blockout dates will continue to apply like they do today
  • making changes that will help our guests get the most out of their visit, such as including complimentary self-parking for guests staying at Disney Resort hotels beginning this evening, January 10
  • beginning in the next few months, guests purchasing Disney Genie+ service will also receive digital downloads of their Disney PhotoPass attraction photos taken in the park on the day of their purchase, at no additional charge

Additionally, we’ve announced several new offers over the past few weeks, including at Walt Disney World, 2-, 3- and 4-day Florida Resident Disney Weekday Magic tickets and a special package offer that includes a Disney Dining Promo Card for guests staying at select Disney Resort hotels. We are also offering a 3-day SoCal Resident weekday ticket for $73 per day through late May at Disneyland Resort.

I’m excited about all of these changes and offers and want you to know that we are committed to listening, adapting, and staying relentlessly focused on making the guest experience at our Disney parks even better.

We have a bright future together… and I want you to know how much I appreciate all that you do for our guests.  I know that many of you are Disney fans yourselves… and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it when you stop me in the park to tell how you feel about your visit.

I hope to see you soon!

Josh D’Amaro
Chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products

Disney’s Josh D’Amaro Gives Sneak Peek of Lightsaber Training in Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Resorts, Hollywood Studios, Uncategorized

Amid all the excitement and curiosity surrounding the forthcoming Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser at Walt Disney World Resort, there’s one thing we’re looking forward to: lightsaber training. 

When this first-of-its-kind vacation experience begins welcoming Guests aboard the Halcyon starcruiser on March 1, 2022, they’ll finally know what it’s like to feel the Force and wield a lightsaber as they square off against a training remote, similar to Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: A New Hope. It’s one of the many immersive activities that comprise this two-night adventure where Guests will see, feel and live Star Wars.

This morning at Destination D23, Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Chairman Josh D’Amaro gave a sneak peek at this much-anticipated moment aboard the starcruiser. Let’s take our first step into a larger world and watch as Josh tests his skills with a lightsaber.

Josh also stopped by the starcruiser’s bridge, where Disney Imagineer Sara Thacher taught him how to defend the ship using some trusty blaster cannons. Guests will learn these skills, too, during their adventure … which may come in handy should anything unexpected happen. Because everything always goes according to plan in that galaxy far, far away, right?

This is just a taste of what’s to come for Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, so stay tuned as we hurtle toward March 1 like we’re jumping to lightspeed. Earlier this week, for instance, we revealed a few of the new characters Guests may meet onboard.

So until next time, just remember … the Force will be with you, always.

Magic Returns to Disneyland Resort Theme Parks

Posted on by Mathew Corn Disney Parks

Disneyland Resort is reopening this week after being closed for over one year. Tonight, join Disney Parks with a special presentation of Magic Returns to Disneyland Resort Theme Parks.

From a Disney Cast Member;

Tune in for a special moment tonight as the Disneyland Resort prepares for a historic week welcoming back theme park guests after our long closure.

Join us as we go inside the gates of Disneyland park and reawaken its unique magic that our guests and cast have dearly missed over the last year. In this heartfelt presentation, Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences and Products, and Ken Potrock, president of the Disneyland Resort will share messages of optimism and gratitude to the cast members of the Disneyland Resort.

After more than a year of closure, we are pleased to provide a live glimpse of a shining symbol, reawakened: Sleeping Beauty Castle in the heart of Disneyland. It is our wish that it may represent a beacon of hope for Disney fans everywhere.

Watch the replay below: