My two cents. Disney should have ALWAYS understood that there would be a cap for this kind of experience in terms of new and repeat guests. They treated it like a Disney Cruise, which wasn't a bad jumping off point, but they should have understood that you get repeat cruisers because even after you have experienced all the shows, entertainment offerings, you still have the added amenities that allow you to relax and have a leisurely vacation (pool, varied dining, etc). This is even discounting the destinations, as many people sail the same ports and Castaway doesn't change much, so it's not even an issue that they just offer Batuu as the sole "port".
Ultimately they screwed themselves over with the infrastructure design of the place, so I'm afraid it will take more than just an operational change of pace to turn it around. What should have been done from the beginning is a well designed, moderate level room layout, a couple eatery options that could be considered fast casual, and the amenities that a typical guest might expect from a moderate hotel. The key here is that it would be able to be turned over for monthly "sailings" but remain at a space "dry dock" in the interim. People still pay to stay on the Queen Mary even though she is parked permanently. The ship is still in space, you still get the experience of being in the world of the story, but no storylines, no extended immersion, and free space elevator service back to your cars. Your price point reflects the added theming, but doesn't try and pretend it's a luxury resort either.
Then, once a month (or more if they even so desired) a block of a week is set aside to run the experience. This is naturally a premium experience, so price away accordingly, but people will pay for limited capacity, limited running events like this. When Starcruiser runs consistently every single week of the year, it may be a limited capacity but the exclusivity and special nature of it is all but lost. This also leaves room for a lot more updatability in terms of the storylines. Guests staying at the hotel while "docked" aren't expecting interactivity, so if the engine room is under construction updating or swapping out effects, no one is any more the wiser, unlike if that had to happen currently where you'd be missing a chunk of story. For those worried about a break in immersion when the event is running, you can elect to either just close the darn pool, or understand if people are making the choice to come specifically during the premium days, they are likely all in.
What we got instead are small, relatively cramped rooms (thematically appropriate, yes; convenient or welcoming, not so much), and slim pickings in terms of anytime dining. The experience is great, but the foresight was narrow.