Behind the Product: Disney’s Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser Hotel

Welcome and Introductions

Roger Snyder | 00:00–03:00
Well, welcome everyone to another edition of Behind the Product! Today we’re going to be discussing Disney’s Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser Hotel — and of course, I can’t pass up on this special day without wishing you all a happy May the 4th. May the Fourth be with you!
I’m Roger Snyder, Principal Consultant and Trainer at Productside, but today, I’m your Principal Product Jedi — broadcasting from the forest moon of Endor… or maybe just the Santa Cruz Mountains. Let me hand things off to my distinguished alliance partners. Todd, take it away.

Todd Blaquiere | 03:00–04:00
Thanks, Roger. I’m representing the Imperials today—Grand Moff Todd Blaquiere, if you will. I’m also a consultant and trainer here at Productside. And yes, the Empire does have opinions on product management, too.

Ryan Cantwell | 04:00–06:00
And I’ll balance the Force here as a proud member of the Rebel Alliance. I’m Ryan Cantwell, Principal Consultant and Trainer at Productside. Together we’ll explore what Disney got right, what they missed, and what lessons product managers can take away from this ambitious Star Wars experience.

Setting the Stage: What Was the Galactic Starcruiser?

Ryan Cantwell | 06:00–10:00
Let’s talk about what the Galactic Starcruiser actually was. Back in August 2021, Disney announced a brand-new, fully immersive Star Wars experience at its parks. By March 2022, reservations opened for two-day “voyages.”
Guests would “board” the Halcyon starcruiser, interact with alien characters, and even choose their own adventure. The concept sounded amazing—a living Star Wars story! But when people saw the promotional materials and discovered the $5,000 price tag, excitement started to fade.
Reviews became mixed, social media turned skeptical, and soon Disney began cancelling voyages and offering discounts. So today, we’re asking: What went wrong?

Key Mistake #1: Starting with the Solution

Ryan Cantwell | 10:00–15:00
Most Star Wars fans know the Jedi journey: you start as a Youngling, grow to Padawan, then Jedi Knight, and finally Jedi Master.
Disney skipped the early stages of learning. They jumped straight from Youngling to Yoda—launching a fully built, expensive product without enough discovery or iteration.
They fell in love with the concept before validating whether the audience truly existed.

Todd Blaquiere | 15:00–18:00
Exactly. I’ve seen this pattern too often. Teams start with “the cool idea” and never ask who it’s for or what problem it solves. Even large, customer-focused companies like Disney can forget discovery.

Roger Snyder | 18:00–20:00
Right. And I wanted this to succeed. But from the moment I saw those first promotional videos—shot like they were filmed on an iPhone over the weekend—I knew something was off. Disney didn’t experiment early enough to learn what would resonate.

Poll #1 – Have You Ever Been Told to “Start with the Solution”?

Roger Snyder | 20:00–22:00
Let’s take our first poll: How often have you been on a project where leadership decided the solution first and asked for validation later?
Wow—looks like over half of you said, “Too many times to count.” So we’re not alone in this mistake.

Segmenting the Galaxy: Knowing Your Audience

Ryan Cantwell | 22:00–28:00
If Disney had started with customer discovery, they might have realized their ideal user segment was far too narrow. Their target persona was an extroverted, role-playing Star Wars fan with lots of disposable income.
That’s a very small overlap of people who both love cosplay and can afford $5,000 for a two-day experience.
Even with 58 million annual Disney park visitors, only a fraction fit that description.

Todd Blaquiere | 28:00–31:00
Exactly. Disney usually does segmentation well—they design experiences for “someone” that can include “everyone.” But here, the slice was too thin. They overestimated how many superfans would pay luxury-cruise prices to LARP as Jedi for 48 hours straight.

Key Mistake #2: Falling in Love with the Product

Ryan Cantwell | 31:00–34:00
Disney became enamored with the Galactic Starcruiser. They poured energy into making it cool but didn’t test the assumptions that would determine success.
One critical question they missed: Would guests actually want to role-play nonstop for two full days?

Todd Blaquiere | 34:00–37:00
Right—and there’s data Disney could’ve used. Kids love lightsaber training for 10 minutes, but we’ve never seen adults eager to act for 48 hours. That’s a big gap.

Roger Snyder | 37:00–39:00
And even the marketing language was confused. Was this a hotel? A live-action game? A theater show? A theme-park add-on? If you can’t describe your product clearly, how can customers understand its value?

Poll #2 – What Do You Think the Starcruiser Was?

Ryan Cantwell | 39:00–40:30
We actually asked this in our live session: “What is the Galactic Starcruiser?”
Most said “a resort hotel” or “immersive theater,” while others simply wrote, “Whatever it is, it sounds miserable.” That ambiguity is a red flag for any product.

Blue Ocean Strategy: Learning from Cirque du Soleil

Todd Blaquiere | 40:30–45:00
If Disney wanted to innovate, they could’ve used a Blue Ocean Strategy—like Cirque du Soleil did in the ’90s. Cirque combined the artistry of Broadway with the excitement of the circus, creating a new experience for adults.
Disney could’ve done the same: merge the best parts of immersive theater and resort hospitality into something fresh—without alienating families or casual fans.

Cruise or Hotel? Defining the Product Identity

Roger Snyder | 45:00–49:00
If Disney had defined the Starcruiser as a cruise, they’d have understood its constraints: captive audience, fixed schedule, limited replayability. Guests don’t want to pay cruise-level prices without cruise-level variety.

Ryan Cantwell | 49:00–51:00
Exactly. Unlike a cruise, the Starcruiser had only one “voyage.” Once you’d done it, there was no reason to go back.

Key Mistake #3: Doing It Because They Could

Ryan Cantwell | 51:00–55:00
Just because you can build something doesn’t mean you should. Disney never articulated a clear business goal for the Starcruiser.
Were they trying to increase park attendance? Boost Star Wars revenue? Or test luxury-tier experiences? Without that clarity, the product drifted.

Todd Blaquiere | 55:00–57:00
Right—and without a clear “why,” you can’t connect product outcomes to business outcomes. Every feature becomes a guess instead of a strategy.

Reimagining Success: The Outcome Tree

Ryan Cantwell | 57:00–60:00
If we were running this project, we’d use an Outcome Tree. The business goal might be “Increase Disney Park Attendance by 1 %.”
That leads to product outcomes like “Attract 5 % more Star Wars superfans” and “Increase Disney Resort stays by 5 %.”
From there, we identify features that deliver:
• Jedi training sessions with Yoda’s Force ghost
• Short, kid-friendly missions for families
• Unrestricted park access for guests
Each ties value for the customer to value for the business.

Poll #3 – Can Disney Fix the Starcruiser?

Roger Snyder | 01:00:00–01:01:00
Let’s close with a poll: Can Disney turn this around?
Results: 48 % say “Yes, the Force will guide them.” 39 % say “It’ll survive but remain crippled.” 10 % say “Unlikely.” Zero said “No chance.”

Q&A and Closing Remarks

Ryan Cantwell | 01:01:00–End
Thank you all for joining us on this May the 4th special! Even billion-dollar companies can miss the mark when they skip discovery, fall in love with their ideas, or lose sight of outcomes.

Roger Snyder | 01:02:00–End
Exactly. Stick to core product management principles: know your audience, test assumptions, define your “why.” That’s how you avoid galactic-level flops.
Use promo code PMDAY for 20 % off upcoming Productside courses. Thanks everyone—and may the Fourth be with you!

Todd Blaquiere | 01:03:00–End
May the Force be with you, always.