Travellers and Star Wars fans hoping to experience a night spent in a galaxy far, far away will need to act quickly. Walt Disney World in Florida is to close its recently opened Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser hotel.
The ultra-luxury experience-led hotel opened to great acclaim last March, with two-night stays costing $6,000 for a family of four.
Now, the media giant and entertainment company has confirmed that the Starcruiser cabins will take their final voyage from September 28 to 30, closing just before the company celebrates its 100-year-anniversary on October 16.
No reason has been provided for the hotel's closure, but Disney chief executive Bob Iger announced in February that the company would aim to reduce costs by $5.5 billion, Reuters reported.
While a family of four checking in for an intergalactic experience can expect to pay almost $6,000 for a two-day stay, families of three are looking at $5,299 and two-person stays start from $4,800.
Travellers hoping to stay in the hotel's premium Galaxy Class Suites or two-bedroom Grand Captain’s Suites have to pay even more.
The lofty rates include all food and soft drinks, valet parking and entry to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Before the hotel's launch, Disney described the experiences as “part live immersive theatre, part themed environment, part culinary extravaganza, part real-life role-playing game – and yet so much more”.
With only 100 rooms, the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser hotel accounted for less than 0.5 per cent of Disney's inventory in the Florida area, Reuters said.
Travellers who had voyages booked beyond September 28 will be offered the chance to move their bookings to a new date before the hotel closes. New bookings are currently unavailable.
A Disney spokesman said the Star Wars hotel experience was “praised by our guests and recognised for setting a new bar for innovation and immersive entertainment”, adding: “We will take what we've learnt to create future experiences that can reach more of our guests and fans.”
The company also made the news this week when it announced it has dropped plans to relocate 2,000 California employees to a new $86 million campus in Florida. News of both the hotel's closure and the move away from the company's new campus comes as Walt Disney Co is embroiled in a high-profile debate with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.
The fight between the Florida politician and the company began over a new conservative education law, which Disney criticised. It evolved into a feud about land and tax revolving around Walt Disney World's 25,000-acre plot.
Cracks in the Wall
Ben White, Pluto Press
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Top New Zealand cop on policing the virtual world
New Zealand police began closer scrutiny of social media and online communities after the attacks on two mosques in March, the country's top officer said.
The killing of 51 people in Christchurch and wounding of more than 40 others shocked the world. Brenton Tarrant, a suspected white supremacist, was accused of the killings. His trial is ongoing and he denies the charges.
Mike Bush, commissioner of New Zealand Police, said officers looked closely at how they monitored social media in the wake of the tragedy to see if lessons could be learned.
“We decided that it was fit for purpose but we need to deepen it in terms of community relationships, extending them not only with the traditional community but the virtual one as well," he told The National.
"We want to get ahead of attacks like we suffered in New Zealand so we have to challenge ourselves to be better."
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Top financial tips for graduates
Araminta Robertson, of the Financially Mint blog, shares her financial advice for university leavers:
1. Build digital or technical skills: After graduation, people can find it extremely hard to find jobs. From programming to digital marketing, your early twenties are for building skills. Future employers will want people with tech skills.
2. Side hustle: At 16, I lived in a village and started teaching online, as well as doing work as a virtual assistant and marketer. There are six skills you can use online: translation; teaching; programming; digital marketing; design and writing. If you master two, you’ll always be able to make money.
3. Networking: Knowing how to make connections is extremely useful. Use LinkedIn to find people who have the job you want, connect and ask to meet for coffee. Ask how they did it and if they know anyone who can help you. I secured quite a few clients this way.
4. Pay yourself first: The minute you receive any income, put about 15 per cent aside into a savings account you won’t touch, to go towards your emergency fund or to start investing. I do 20 per cent. It helped me start saving immediately.
MATCH INFO
Day 1 at Mount Maunganui
England 241-4
Denly 74, Stokes 67 not out, De Grandhomme 2-28
New Zealand
Yet to bat
The specs: Fenyr SuperSport
Price, base: Dh5.1 million
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 800hp @ 7,100pm
Torque: 980Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 13.5L / 100km
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
'My Son'
Director: Christian Carion
Starring: James McAvoy, Claire Foy, Tom Cullen, Gary Lewis
Rating: 2/5
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Kibsons%20Cares
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Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
The%20specs%3A%20Taycan%20Turbo%20GT
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The five pillars of Islam
The biog
Favourite colour: Brown
Favourite Movie: Resident Evil
Hobbies: Painting, Cooking, Imitating Voices
Favourite food: Pizza
Trivia: Was the voice of three characters in the Emirati animation, Shaabiyat Al Cartoon
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Abu Dhabi traffic facts
Drivers in Abu Dhabi spend 10 per cent longer in congested conditions than they would on a free-flowing road
The highest volume of traffic on the roads is found between 7am and 8am on a Sunday.
Travelling before 7am on a Sunday could save up to four hours per year on a 30-minute commute.
The day was the least congestion in Abu Dhabi in 2019 was Tuesday, August 13.
The highest levels of traffic were found on Sunday, November 10.
Drivers in Abu Dhabi lost 41 hours spent in traffic jams in rush hour during 2019
Naga
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