News Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser coming to Walt Disney World 2021

[Sir_Cliff]

I read your original comment such that you were saying that space ships are limited in size. I realize that water based ships have many limitations, space based ships, not so much. I think that the increase in size is due to the design software that the naval architects now have that can model the stability of the ship better. Although I wouldn't want to be on one of those behemoths if it takes a 70' rouge wave on the side.

As a person very interested in Science fiction, there is no reason why the cabins would have to be so small.

It comes down to either:

1. The designers didn't understand the practical reasons why water ships are designed like they are vs space ships on size limitations. They should have done their research. Where is Rohde when you need him?

2. Disney wanted to build something as cheap as possible. All that space theming costs money. Much more that 4 walls of drywall and paint in a regular hotel room.

or more likely both.

That is quite a good point!

I think we've all kind of tacitly accepted that the rooms are going to be somewhat tight because, well, it's supposed to be like a cruise in space and cruise ship rooms are small.

The reality is, though, that none of the constraints that lead to cruise ship rooms being small apply in this case and who the hell knows how big a normal room on a starcruiser would be? No-one, because it's a made-up concept largely invented for this hotel!

So, they really could have made the rooms as large as they wanted but seemed to embrace cruise-size proportions to reduce cost. The other thing that is surprisingly small even within the context of a small room is the "window" into space.

 

[Cesar R M]

That's the vibe it gives me. A bazaar, like you would see in Morocco, but on Batuu or in Galaxy's Edge.
I found the bazaar to be one of the more successful components of GE.

Agree, the "bazaar" of Batuu looked really well.

Crunching the numbers for a trip next year. A three-night cruise on the Wish, book-ended by three nights at WDW Deluxe DVC Villas, one day at a park, and rental cars getting me to and from the airport (7 days total) costs as much for the five of us as it would for four of us to experience the lowest level offering at the Galactic Starcruiser.

Would you guys fit in these tiny cabins of the halcyon?

 

[yensidtlaw1969]

Yes there is a real lack of trying to hide the warehouse. It is visible very clearly from World Drive, and you can see the box trucks docking for the Batuu transfer. And as you say, those actually going there take a backstage view of Galaxy's Edge and past the CM parking lot.

For all the subjective issues the Starcruiser seems to have, this one seems to be perhaps the most objectively bad. How on earth (no pun intended) could they not have gone to the trouble to hide the building?

Not even THEME it . . . just HIDE it!

 

[Virtual Toad]

That is quite a good point!

I think we've all kind of tacitly accepted that the rooms are going to be somewhat tight because, well, it's supposed to be like a cruise in space and cruise ship rooms are small.

The reality is, though, that none of the constraints that lead to cruise ship rooms being small apply in this case and who the hell knows how big a normal room on a starcruiser would be? No-one, because it's a made-up concept largely invented for this hotel!

So, they really could have made the rooms as large as they wanted but seemed to embrace cruise-size proportions to reduce cost. The other thing that is surprisingly small even within the context of a small room is the "window" into space.

Totally agree. The entire concept is the “plausible impossible.” Why they chose not to use more imaginative thinking (or plain common sense) to design the cabins for true guest luxury and comfort is value engineering at best and a woefully inept design choice at worst— totally discarding the human use aspect which Disney once considered paramount. Sadly I think both mistakes are prevalent throughout the project.

Ironically it was the decision to make this a “luxury” spaceship which doomed them to fail at the scale they decided to build it at. Smaller guest rooms would have worked perfectly on a true Star Wars rebel ship or imperial battle cruiser. Follow Universal’s lead on building a familiar and wildly popular environment (HP) and you would have had a smash hit among a very broad audience. And a much better story to tell as well.

But good gravy, if you’re going to A) go for a luxury theme and B) charge luxury prices, then you’d better darn well C) deliver on what you explicitly promised.

That’s just plain old themed entertainment 101 and it’s mind boggling how wildly they’ve missed the mark.

 

[TP2000]

They really could have made this as big as they wanted to, so the fact they have squashed everything so tightly in together is an interesting choice.

Interesting is being very kind. They could have at least pushed the height of this facility up by another 30 or 40 feet while maintaining the existing footprint to create large vaulted, layered spaces. They failed to do that.

Then they cut the budget a few too many times during final development and ended up with a church basement.

I love that video and often contrast how Walt and Julie are able to get you excited with calm, clear speech and simple visual references instead of hyperventilating or wild gesticulations like the current marketers.

It really is striking how differently Walt's organization used to communicate with its audience, isn't it? No corporate buzzwords, no trendy phrases like "inclusion", just honest, intelligent, and clear language that respected the audience.

What's even more depressing is when you realize Walt, and Julie and many of the other Imagineers had nothing more than a high school diploma to their name. In that video, Claude Coats was the only one to graduate from college (USC), but he's the one they had to redub his lines for!

 

[bpiper]

This one.

View attachment 623945


Look how long and continous the "connection" hallways was.


Now check the "engineering" section..

View attachment 623946


And compare to the sideways image.

There is so much space missing that simply that shows the ship design does not even fit whats really built at all.

I can see why the hallway was cut... That would have been an expensive to build hallway but doesn't have a practical (in Disney's opinion) use.

It almost seems like the designer of the ship's look had no clue to what the actual cruiser would consist of so they went big and bold and Disney built small and dumpy. That ship's look is a classic science fiction design for a space ship.

 

[Rickcat96]

I can see why the hallway was cut... That would have been an expensive to build hallway but doesn't have a practical (in Disney's opinion) use.

It almost seems like the designer of the ship's look had no clue to what the actual cruiser would consist of so they went big and bold and Disney built small and dumpy. That ship's look is a classic science fiction design for a space ship.

Honestly, I really was hoping for this to be cool-even as a spectator (as in watch my grandkids enjoy the experience) But, I know I said elsewhere, having a hard time trusting any information coming from Disney these days.

 

[Minthorne]

My last trip to Orlando was a long weekend at just Universal with 8 rides on Velocicoaster. It did not cost me nearly $4800 and I think it probably was a lot more fun than this will be.

 

[bpiper]

Totally agree. The entire concept is the “plausible impossible.” Why they chose not to use more imaginative thinking (or plain common sense) to design the cabins for true guest luxury and comfort is value engineering at best and a woefully inept design choice at worst— totally discarding the human use aspect which Disney once considered paramount. Sadly I think both mistakes are prevalent throughout the project.

Ironically it was the decision to make this a “luxury” spaceship which doomed them to fail at the scale they decided to build it at. Smaller guest rooms would have worked perfectly on a true Star Wars rebel ship or imperial battle cruiser. Follow Universal’s lead on building a familiar and wildly popular environment (HP) and you would have had a smash hit among a very broad audience. And a much better story to tell as well.

But good gravy, if you’re going to A) go for a luxury theme and B) charge luxury prices, then you’d better darn well C) deliver on what you explicitly promised.

That’s just plain old themed entertainment 101 and it’s mind boggling how wildly they’ve missed the mark.

Just think about it. If those cabin's are luxury, what are the standard cabins like?

Those cabins would be fine for a ship's crew cabin (but not the bathroom). They would not cut it on a luxury passenger ship.

From the artwork, it looks like the cabins were always meant to be that small. From the beginning they were that size. The only value engineering was in the look of the cabins between the artwork and what was really made. They removed some of the "trim work" and theming.

I think you called it, "woefully inept design choice at worst". One of the designers had been on cruise ships and thought that all cruise ships are build the same.....

 

[Sir_Cliff]

For all the subjective issues the Starcruiser seems to have, this one seems to be perhaps the most objectively bad. How on earth (no pun intended) could they not have gone to the trouble to hide the building?

Not even THEME it . . . just HIDE it!

This, I have to say, astounds me. I took it for granted that you would only have a sense of it being a big, nondescript concrete building if you followed Bioreconstruct on Twitter. But it is quite amazing to hear the building (and boxtruck) is clearly visible to the general public driving past and also to those checking in to the hotel who are supposed to just use their imagination to pretend they're not looking at the place they will be staying. This just isn't how Disney used to do things, especially not for such a 'prestige' project like this.

I'm just so puzzled how they seem to have got so many basic things wrong apparently through sloppiness or cutting corners on a project that has so much riding on it.

 

[THE 1HAPPY HAUNT]

If you wanted to know what it was like to be a 3rd class passanger on the Titanic, this Star Cruiser Hotel is for you!

 

[TP2000]

Interesting that no images of the Captain have leaked out, nor can I find any official recent photos either.

I've been wondering about that too, but I didn't want to jinx it. Perhaps they realized Kathleen Kennedy dressed up as Captain Karen was the one thing they should erase quickly before opening? One can hope.

The SF Gate had an article today talking about how it's (a lot) cheaper to take a trip to France, including airfare, and visit DLP than it is to go to DL in California on a tank of gas and stay there:

https://www.sfgate.com/disneyland/a...-cheaper-than-Disneyland-Anaheim-16941448.php

This is just one example of how things are not right with what's happening with this company's stateside resorts, at all.

Point of correction, but they did not include a tank of gas in the total for a trip from San Francisco to Disneyland. The average price of gas in California today is $4.77 for 87 octane regular. Although the stations near Disneyland today are around $5.15 per gallon, and downtown San Francisco is around $5.05 per gallon today. (California has the highest gas taxes in the nation, plus a state carbon tax on energy.)

Driving a family the 400 miles one-way to Disneyland and back from San Francisco in a mid-size Ford Explorer that gets 30 mpg would cost about $125 in gas. That brings the difference in cost to $1,020, making a week's trip to Disneyland Paris over a thousand dollars cheaper than a week's road trip to Disneyland.

In Disneyland's defense, the park was closed by order of the Governor for well over a year; from March 13th, 2020 until April 30th, 2021. There is still pent-up demand.

 

[fryoj]

For all the subjective issues the Starcruiser seems to have, this one seems to be perhaps the most objectively bad. How on earth (no pun intended) could they not have gone to the trouble to hide the building?

Not even THEME it . . . just HIDE it!

This, I have to say, astounds me. I took it for granted that you would only have a sense of it being a big, nondescript concrete building if you followed Bioreconstruct on Twitter. But it is quite amazing to hear the building (and boxtruck) is clearly visible to the general public driving past and also to those checking in to the hotel who are supposed to just use their imagination to pretend they're not looking at the place they will be staying. This just isnt' how Disney used to do things, especially not for such a 'prestige' project like this.

I'm just so puzzled how they seem to have got so many basic things wrong apparently through sloppiness or cutting corners on a project that has so much riding on it.

Because the warehouse is just support structure for the shuttle that takes you to the starcruiser. That's the building where they house supplies and the shuttle you ride up to the starcruiser. The story isn't that you are walking into the starcruiser itself. You ever see some of the buildings at cruise ports? Some are real S*** holes. Doesn't detract from the experience once on board. There's plenty of crap to pick this apart for, this isn't one of them.

Crunching the numbers for a trip next year. A three-night cruise on the Wish, book-ended by three nights at WDW Deluxe DVC Villas, one day at a park, and rental cars getting me to and from the airport (7 days total) costs as much for the five of us as it would for four of us to experience the lowest level offering at the Galactic Starcruiser.

Now price out going on a Royal Caribbean or Carnival cruise. You can probably cruise for weeks for what your hypothetical trips cost.

 

[lazyboy97o]

It almost seems like the designer of the ship's look had no clue to what the actual cruiser would consist of so they went big and bold and Disney built small and dumpy.

You say this as though it’s two different groups.

From the artwork, it looks like the cabins were always meant to be that small. From the beginning they were that size. The only value engineering was in the look of the cabins between the artwork and what was really made. They removed some of the "trim work" and theming.

The term “concept art” is a bit of lie as it implies the art was created at the beginning during the concept development phase to guide the entire design process. While that sort of art is created, new art is created throughout the design process that reflects the current state. There are plenty of cases where the “concept art” is more an illustration of what is and not a guide. That the published art shows small rooms doesn’t mean they were always that way and it also skips over the programming portion of design where square footages are determined.

 

[mergatroid]

I've been wondering about that too, but I didn't want to jinx it. Perhaps they realized Kathleen Kennedy dressed up as Captain Karen was the one thing they should erase quickly before opening? One can hope.



Point of correction, but they did not include a tank of gas in the total for a trip from San Francisco to Disneyland. The average price of gas in California today is $4.77 for 87 octane regular. Although the stations near Disneyland today are around $5.15 per gallon, and downtown San Francisco is around $5.05 per gallon today. (California has the highest gas taxes in the nation, plus a state carbon tax on energy.)

Driving a family the 400 miles one-way to Disneyland and back from San Francisco in a mid-size Ford Explorer that gets 30 mpg would cost about $125 in gas. That brings the difference in cost to $1,020, making a week's trip to Disneyland Paris over a thousand dollars cheaper than a week's road trip to Disneyland.

In Disneyland's defense, the park was closed by order of the Governor for well over a year; from March 13th, 2020 until April 30th, 2021. There is still pent-up demand.

The rumour I've heard is that this lady will be the Captain?

 

[dreday3]

This, I have to say, astounds me. I took it for granted that you would only have a sense of it being a big, nondescript concrete building if you followed Bioreconstruct on Twitter. But it is quite amazing to hear the building (and boxtruck) is clearly visible to the general public driving past and also to those checking in to the hotel who are supposed to just use their imagination to pretend they're not looking at the place they will be staying. This just isn't how Disney used to do things, especially not for such a 'prestige' project like this.

I'm just so puzzled how they seem to have got so many basic things wrong apparently through sloppiness or cutting corners on a project that has so much riding on it.

Do you think at some point during the build, they realized this concept was going to fail, scrapped original plans, cut the cost but still decided to charge full price at first, save face/see what happens, but always had in mind they will be lowering the price?

It feels like a "oh crap, the invitations have been sent, gifts are arriving, I love my dress...I'll just marry him and divorce him later" situation.

 

[bpiper]

The term “concept art” is a bit of lie as it implies the art was created at the beginning during the concept development phase to guide the entire design process. While that sort of art is created, new art is created throughout the design process that reflects the current state. There are plenty of cases where the “concept art” is more an illustration of what is and not a guide. That the published art shows small rooms doesn’t mean they were always that way and it also skips over the programming portion of design where square footages are determined.

Ok, I could buy that the room art work was the "current state" all along instead of the initial design concept, since it fairly matches what we got, but how do you explain all the other artwork not matching reality so much? Still doesn't excuse their room size decision though.

So your saying the room artwork was current state all along but the other artwork was concept artwork?

You say this as though it’s two different groups.

Yes, the person who designed the exterior artwork of the ship and the person who designed the layout of the hotel.

If it was the same groups doing both, then they could have created another ship design that would account for the actual hotel layout.
The layout of the hotel makes no logical sense compared to the ship diagram.

 

[UNCgolf]

Do you think at some point during the build, they realized this concept was going to fail, scrapped original plans, cut the cost but still decided to charge full price at first, save face/see what happens, but always had in mind they will be lowering the price?

It feels like a "oh crap, the invitations have been sent, gifts are arriving, I love my dress...I'll just marry him and divorce him later" situation.

This is almost exactly what I think happened, except it may have happened before they even started building the structure. Fear of failure led to slashing the original plans.

 

[TP2000]

One other thing I’ve heard consistently is how bad the arrival visuals are. Not only are you basically driving around the backside of DHS/SWGE, as if you’re role playing as a DHS churro cart worker arriving for his shift, the entire concrete jail is visible on your arrival to the guard shack.

I'd worried about that.

The entrance road arriving customers will take off Osceola Parkway circles the entire facility. Plus gives a good glimpse of the backside of Batuu. These are Google Map images from March, 2021, but you can see the buildings quite clearly as you drive onto the approach road.

Google hasn't updated the actual roadway you'll take to the Galactic Starcruiser since 2015, so it's no help. But it will be interesting to see POV videos from people arriving and checking in.

I thought at the very least they’d really build up the berm but the landscaping and obstruction of the show building seems to have been cut drastically.

The trees will grow, but I wonder if the Galactic Starcruiser will still be accepting passengers by the time they grow enough to hide the warehouses from view.

 

[MurphyJoe]

Because the warehouse is just support structure for the shuttle that takes you to the starcruiser. That's the building where they house supplies and the shuttle you ride up to the starcruiser. The story isn't that you are walking into the starcruiser itself. You ever see some of the buildings at cruise ports? Some are real S*** holes. Doesn't detract from the experience once on board. There's plenty of crap to pick this apart for, this isn't one of them.




Now price out going on a Royal Caribbean or Carnival cruise. You can probably cruise for weeks for what your hypothetical trips cost.

Since you mentioned Royal Caribbean, I'm cruising with them this year. What I'm currently estimating for my final, total spend on the cruises is equal to my estimate for doing the Starcruiser (would be going solo either way). Except I'm voyaging with RC for 20 nights, not 2, and have a range of shore excursions and specialty dining booked.