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Disney Spent $1 Billion on a New Hotel and 3 Other WILD Investments We Still Can’t Comprehend


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Disney, honey, what were you thinking?

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Magic Kingdom

Disney makes TONS of good decisions all the time and we leave the Disney Resorts smiling frequently (otherwise we wouldn’t be doing what we do. However, that doesn’t mean they don’t make mistakes. In fact, sometimes Disney makes REALLY costly mistakes that they end up paying for years down the road.

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Disney has never shied away from making investments in its theme parks. From new lands to decades-long resort expansions, The Walt Disney Company is willing to drop top dollar on projects it believes in. Sometimes though, the decision to jump in head-first has monetarily backfired for the company.

Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser

Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser was a Disney World hotel that was open for just over a year between March 1st, 2022 and September 30th, 2023. The experience let guests get fully immersed in the world of Star Wars as they “board a starship alive with characters and stories that unfold all around them” with a two-day, two-night itinerary.

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Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser

While the experience was unique and breathtaking at times, it wasn’t for everyone, and the price point of thousands of dollars put a lot of people off. It was a bold experiment from Disney, but it ultimately failed.

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©Disney

Live and learn, right? Eh…We’re guessing Disney wants a do-over or wishes it hadn’t done it to begin with. While there is no public record of the set amount the hotel costs to make, estimates indicate the project could’ve cost Disney up to $1 BILLION. Big yikes.

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Galactic Starcruiser Room

While it was long-speculated what would become of the hotel since its closure, it was recently revealed that the Galactic Starcruiser building will be used as office space for Walt Disney Imagineering. Guests won’t have any access as the space will become home for Imagineers as they work on several expansion projects.

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Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Atrium

That’s one expensive office building.

EPCOT’s Harmonious Barges

At least the Star Wars hotel wasn’t ugly. EPCOT’s Harmonious barges on the other hand…yeah, those things were U.G.L.Y.!

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Harmonious barges

The nighttime spectacular ran from October 2021 until April 2023 and the show itself was fine, but its pyrotechnic and entertainment barges in the middle of World Showcase lagoon were an eyesore during the day.

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BYE

While the cost of the project hasn’t been specified, it couldn’t have been cheap. The main issue here was that instead of everyone lauding the show, a lot of attention was on these barges and how ugly they were in the lagoon. At the end of the day, was a temporary nighttime show really worth garnering a bad aesthetics rep?

Animal Kingdom’s Kite Tails

Disney KiteTails at Disney World’s Animal Kingdom was a daytime show at Disney’s Animal Kingdom that ran for one year during the resort’s 50th anniversary. It ended in September 2022.

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KiteTails

The kite-focused show took place in the Discovery River Amphitheater and was quite the spectacle among famous Disney soundtracks while watercraft pulled the kites, but there was one big problem…WIND.

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KiteTails

Wind is unpredictable and can be a pain. The show suffered from sudden drops, erratic kite movements, and full-on cancellations when the wind couldn’t cooperate. The show at its best was tons of fun and was great in theory, but mother nature is unforgiving sometimes.

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KiteTails Viewing Area

The amphitheater still exists so maybe we’ll see a spiritual successor one day.

The Enchanted Tiki Room: Under New Management

DON’T MESS WITH A GOOD THING! The Enchanted Tiki Room is a staple at Magic Kingdom, but it’s had its rough past. Once Tropical Serenade (a replica of Disneyland’s Enchanted Tiki Room), the attraction became The Enchanted Tiki Room: Under New Management in 1998.

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©Disney

The show featured Iago and Zazu and all of the same audio-animatronic birds, flowers, and Tiki gods alongside a new story. Fans weren’t in love with the new show, and many considered it disrespectful to the classic attraction. 

So when the theme park gods VENGEFULLY caused a small fire that broke out in the attic of the attraction in 2011 that ultimately closed it down, fans of the original weren’t exactly shedding tears. The attraction reopened later that year as Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room and was much more like the original.

Disney went back to the original after the Iago animatronic was deemed too expensive to fix. All in all, the whole “Under New Management” experience was a mess.

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Enchanted Tiki Room

Did you get to experience any of these Disney offerings? Share your experiences in the comments below and continue to follow us right here at DFB for more Disney World updates, tips, reviews, and fun tidbits!

Disney World Announces What’s Next For Star Wars Hotel

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The post Disney Spent Billion on a New Hotel and 3 Other WILD Investments We Still Can't Comprehend first appeared on the disney food blog.

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