New Star Wars resort images: A space view but how costly?

Recently, Disney released more imagery for its new Star Wars-inspired resort. While images look impressive, how much will fans be willing to pay for the experience?

In about a year, Disney will unveil the highly anticipated Star Wars Lands at both Disney Hollywood Studios and Disneyland. These completely immersive theme parks areas have Star Wars fans eagerly anticipating the opening dates. For Disney Hollywood Studios guests, an additional Star Wars experience will be available, the Star Wars-Inspired resort.

While the exact opening dates haven’t been announced, Disney has released some new imagery for the Star Wars-inspired resort. The biggest reveal in these extremely short videos is that the rooms have a space view. Since guests don’t actually get transported to space, these views must be computer generated. Still, the idea of a space view is intriguing.

Disney has used similar imagery on its cruise ships. The window portals are used to show images of favorite characters swimming around or frolicking about. Using the same concept on a hotel window isn’t too much of a stretch.

Universal uses the same concept on the Hogwarts Express. The train windows are big screens that convey a story. It was a smart choice for Universal, since the company didn’t want guests to see the backlots of the theme park. The short journey between parks is entertaining because of the imagery and story.

While Star Wars fans want to be transported to a “real” Star Wars experience, do these windows really not have an actual view? For some people, not being able to see the actual sky could be a little claustrophobic. Just like the room in the middle of the cruise ship, sometimes you want to see the real, outside world. If these window have options, like a television screen, it could be a smart choice to make the non-Star Wars fanatic a little more content. Personally, if I spent more than 10 minutes on the Hogwarts Express, I would like to look at something more than just a television screen.

Even though Disney hasn’t released an opening date, Star Wars fans will probably have this Star Wars-inspired hotel booked for years to come. Some fans are postponing trips to the Disney theme parks till the Star Wars Lands open in 2019. The biggest unknown factor is the cost.

Looking at on-site Disney hotels, the current prices range from approximately $150-$700 a night. Of course, there are package deals, special discounts and other items. If a family of four (two adults/two kids) were to book just a hotel room from May 9-13, 2019 at the Grand Floridian, the cost would be almost $3,700. Given that price tag, the new, totally immersive Star Wars-inspired resort will surely be as much or more.

While fans want this type of immersive experience, the cost is quite high. After factoring in hotel, theme park tickets, travel expenses and food, the cost is huge. A five-day vacation would be easily over $5,000 and quite possibly more.

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Will people pay for this special experience? Absolutely, people will. Theme park attendance hasn’t dropped over the past couple of years. Even with the annual price hikes, the theme parks are crowded. There is no doubt that this new hotel will be booked for years.