Was the Star Tours rework a success for Disney?

[wdwmagic]

It was no doubt a great overhaul, and something that the attraction desperately needed. Star Tours is now a top notch attraction once again.

However, I notice that people rarely talk about it on the forums, and it doesn't really seem to have done much for attendance for either the attraction or the park.

So do you think that the Star Tours II rework was a success for Disney? How does this shape these types of major refurbishments going forward. Do Disney get the same kind of buzz from a major rework VS a new attraction. We have a similar deal coming soon with Test Track 2.0, and then potentially Imagination. Would you prefer to see an old attraction be demolished, and something entirely new built instead?

 

[bethymouse]

Wow! I guess the Star Wars Weekend folks talk more about the attraction than anyone else. Very good question. Some people say it's better ( I do). IMHO, DHS could use a complete makeover in some areas as discussed extensively here on these forums. I'm not sure if I'd want to see any old attractions demolished, just rethemed and then use the "extra" space to build new attractions- hence FLE.

 

[NYwdwfan]

It was no doubt a great overhaul, and something that the attraction desperately needed. Star Tours is now a top notch attraction once again.

However, I notice that people rarely talk about it on the forums, and it doesn't really seem to have done much for attendance for either the attraction or the park.

So do you think that the Star Tours II rework was a success for Disney? How does this shape these types of major refurbishments going forward. Do Disney get the same kind of buzz from a major rework VS a new attraction. We have a similar deal coming soon with Test Track 2.0, and then potentially Imagination. Would you prefer to see an old attraction be demolished, and something entirely new built instead?

From your lips to TDO's ears!!!!

The ride is lightyears better than what it was before, but it does always surprise me there is never much of a long wait. I guess it may be in part due to some people being unable to stomach simulator rides?

 

[ulto22]

I think it was a successful overhaul, but I do not think that it is bringing in extra guests. When I was there at Star Wars weekends last month, the line wait time was still about average to what the old attraction was. For the most part, I don't think it got the grand "Come see our newest attraction" promotion that most new rides and refurbs get.

 

[Nemo14]

From your lips to TDO's ears!!!!

The ride is lightyears better than what it was before, but it does always surprise me there is never much of a long wait. I guess it may be in part due to some people being unable to stomach simulator rides?

I agree - not everyone can handle the simulator rides. And perhaps a lot of people think it's just the same old ride. As far as the Test Track refurb is concerned, I'm excited about it, as are many people here, but do we really represent the average park visitor? Perhaps not.
Now if they would only bring Imagination back to its previous level of fun!

 

[Uncle Lupe]

I think the update was awesome and long overdue. The park has changed so much from when it was first installed. When we rode the wait was never more then 5 minutes. The crowd focus is on Toy Story, RnRC and ToT. You will never get the same hype for an overhaul vs a new build.

 

[Master Yoda]

It was a great, but much overdue overhaul. It made what was a "Do if we have time" attraction into a "Do a couple of times every trip" attraction. IMHO it was a slightly better than lateral move for DHS.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Hhhmmm...well...

Last night I was watching some new show (forget the name) that was about these guys coming into these hard-hit housing market areas, picking up homes cheap at auction, then "flipping" them. As they walk thru their new purchases they have a little number in the corner of the screen that goes up or down according to the pluses or minuses of the house. This number reflects the estimated profit or loss value for the house after you subtract the amount the house cost. So they're walking thru this one house and a buyer pokes his head into an attic. He got all excited over the apparently new air conditioning unit & duct work then proclaimed it would add however many thousands in value to the house. I disagree. A new a/c unit doesn't necessarily add value; it simply keeps the value from being lower because the a/c is old & needs to be replaced.

This is exactly what it feels like the Star Wars 2.0 has done. Perplexing, really, because I thought the attraction was really rich and enjoyable in it's new state. I was pretty surprised the lines weren't longer and there wasn't more demand. It's a great attraction. Definitely bringing it up to par with modern attractions and the types of experiences guests have grown to expect was the right thing to do. Buuuut, judging by the lack of demand ~still~ it's more like the new vs. old a/c unit on the flip house. It doesn't seem to have added anything all that grand in terms of demand but it did keep the attraction from continuing to be a rusty old negative. At the very least, it keeps DHS from sporting an embarrassing eyesore.

Still, I've been confused about the lack of lines here since we first experienced the new version. Seriously. It's strange to me that lines remain so long at the other big 3 attractions while you can walk right onto ST2.0, often with the ride vehicle not full. I don't know all the stats, tho. Does this thing have a large guest per hour count in comparison to TSMM, RnRC, & ToT???

 

[NYwdwfan]

I agree - not everyone can handle the simulator rides. And perhaps a lot of people think it's just the same old ride. As far as the Test Track refurb is concerned, I'm excited about it, as are many people here, but do we really represent the average [park visitor? Perhaps not.
Now if they would only bring Imagination back to its previous level of fun!

That's a good point - there is nothing on the outside to distinguish it from the former version, is there? There may be those who just think it's the tired old ride they went on as a kid and walk straight past.

 

[Master Yoda]

Hhhmmm...well...

Last night I was watching some new show (forget the name) that was about these guys coming into these hard-hit housing market areas, picking up homes cheap at auction, then "flipping" them. As they walk thru their new purchases they have a little number in the corner of the screen that goes up or down according to the pluses or minuses of the house. This number reflects the estimated profit or loss value for the house after you subtract the amount the house cost. So they're walking thru this one house and a buyer pokes his head into an attic. He got all excited over the apparently new air conditioning unit & duct work then proclaimed it would add however many thousands in value to the house. I disagree. A new a/c unit doesn't necessarily add value; it simply keeps the value from being lower because the a/c is old & needs to be replaced.

This is exactly what it feels like the Star Wars 2.0 has done. Perplexing, really, because I thought the attraction was really rich and enjoyable in it's new state. I was pretty surprised the lines weren't longer and there wasn't more demand. It's a great attraction. Definitely bringing it up to par with modern attractions and the types of experiences guests have grown to expect was the right thing to do. Buuuut, judging by the lack of demand ~still~ it's more like the new vs. old a/c unit on the flip house. It doesn't seem to have added anything all that grand in terms of demand but it did keep the attraction from continuing to be a rusty old negative. At the very least, it keeps DHS from sporting an embarrassing eyesore.

Still, I've been confused about the lack of lines here since we first experienced the new version. Seriously. It's strange to me that lines remain so long at the other big 3 attractions while you can walk right onto ST2.0, often with the ride vehicle not full. I don't know all the stats, tho. Does this thing have a large guest per hour count in comparison to TSMM, RnRC, & ToT???

From my understanding ST does have a very good guest per hour number. Shutting down/opening up simulators also allows for a very adjustable capacity.

 

[wdwfan4ver]

Star Tours: The adventure Continues is one of my favorite attractions at DHS, but I don't think is the success Disney hoped in terms of bringing in guests that were not fans of the original Star Tours.

I don't think Disney didn't a good job letting people know about Star Tours adventures continues outside of the internet based on when I was there last year in terms of people that are not fans of the original Star tours. The 2nd problem is it being a simulator ride. The problem with that type of ride can be motion sickness, but the person also could have a bad back, or fibromyalgia.

It really depends on the attraction for if an old attraction be demolished. The Backlot Tour is something that being demolished would be better off than having it rethemed. Imagination is something that shouldn't be demolished at all as an example.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

WHOA..WHOA..WHOA!!! Something just caught my eye here........

We have a similar deal coming soon with Test Track 2.0, and then potentially Imagination. ?

What is "Potential" for this?....I'm intrigued..

 

[Animaniac93-98]

The ST update, though great, was still done to a ride that was fairly popular and did not really change what the ride's basic offering was. It's still the "same" ride really, in that you sit in a simulator and watch a SW movie. Trying to convince the average public that the change in movie is so much better is kind of a hard thing to do. Pushing the 3D element when so many lackluster 3D movies are sold in regular theatres probably doesn't help either.

But wasn't it said here that, unlike pre-redo, they're using all 6 simulators regularily? I'm sure people still appreciate the update.

 

[MagicMike]

I think the Star Tours rework was much needed, for both the ride & Disney Hollywood Studios, and it turned out fantastic. The queue looks great and the film/3D quality is superb, but the overall changes didn't spark many strong feelings among guests. The problem may be that the ride was more simply "caught up" to the other similar attractions currently running that utilize a combination of 3D and simulator (The Amazing Spiderman or The Simpsons Ride at Universal).

Not saying that every thing Disney does has to be "groundbreaking" but that is what, I think, many people expected. When you are Disney, working with a property like Star Wars that has such a strong fan base, it would be difficult to completely satisfy with a refurbishment.

 

[Todd H]

Love the new version! I ride it at least 5-10 times when I'm there. They did a great job improving what I thought was a pretty average ride.

 

[Lee]

In most cases, plussing or refurbishing an attraction will not generate a really noticable increase in attendance.
(There are exceptions, such as Space Mountain in Disneyland.)

I think it's mostly a case of it being just the same ride, only better.
(Mansion, Pirates, Hall of Presidents, Star Tours, MK's Space Mtn.)
New attractions can be marketed and sold to returning and first time guests much easier. Guests will book a trip to see "new" much faster than they will to see "better".

I am certainly not advocating tearing down a bunch of attractions and replacing them when a good refurbishment is all that is needed. However, if increased attendance is the primary goal, a new attraction is the clear way to go.

 

[GLaDOS]

Personally I think the ride lost a lot of charm and excitement with the change over, but I know most disagree with me on that one. With that said, the 3-D, new queue area, and new projection system are impressive.

Creative choices aside, however, I think the ride, if it can be called a success, is only a lukewarm one. Aside from its first week during SWW, it hasn't really received massive lines or all that much buzz. I don't know if it's because it's in the fan's WDW whipping boy park (DHS) or what, but it's just never really brought up in conversations. On top of that, it did nothing to shake up the DHS/DAK attendance in the way I thought it would.

Personally, I think the reason it wasn't a resounding success is the same reason why John Carter crashed and burned: Marketing. If you weren't a Star Wars or Disney super fan, you would have had no idea Star Tours was getting a massive upgrade. There was no marketing push outside of a few mall tours in Florida. Coming from someone who lives further north, there was nothing but the same old "Disney Parks" commercials playing before/after its opening. Star Wars is a massive property, and telling people you've got a new and improved Star Wars ride is going to at least peak someone's interest and maybe get them to make a trip.

And I hate to bring Universal up, but just look at their marketing campaign for Transformers the Ride in Hollywood. I see commercials for it on YouTube, IGN, and they even had one during the SUPER BOWL for crying out loud. They're showing people they have an incredibly popular franchise on showcase with a new ride, and from all signs the campaign was a rousing success.

I think WDW/Disney marketing needs to realize that they need to differentiate their adds and start showcasing their actual offerings.

And I think it's interesting you bring up TT, because it's kind of a different situation. TT was an insanely popular ride till the day it closed for the refurb. but the sponsor wanted something new, so they're funding it. It probably isn't going to change the dynamic of Epcot or the resort at all.

Now, JII is a different story. But until they announce that, I'm just going to continue to assume it won't happen.

Great topic, BTW.

 

[Bairstow]

Jim Hill has talked about this one a lot.
From Disney's perspective, the Florida version of Star Tours 2 was definitely not a success, as it barely moved the needle in terms of attendance.
He also pointed out that this is probably because Disney didn't bother to advertise it on the East Coast like they did in California; over here Disney World's ad campaigns are focused on generic footage of outdoor rides at all the parks.

In the end, Disney expected people get excited about their swapping out one video tape in the ride for a different video tape when no one knew it happened in the first place. You can hardly blame the public.

 

[flynnibus]

It brought new life to an aging attraction - but it was more like giving a terminal cancer patient a heart transplant. Works, but still doesn't change the ultimate path/destination.

I think the v2 has been far more well received in DL. Yes it has less capacity, but seems to sustain longer waits than the average DL attraction.. keeping it right up near the 40+min line where most DL attractions can't.

 

[Bairstow]

One of the differences may be that because Disneyland is to some extent an "overgrown local park," a lot of frequent guests will be happy to ride Star Tours 2 over and over, as it's one of the few experiences that will probably be a little different almost every time.

On the other hand, the average MGM guest is only there for one day, so one ride on Star Tours 2, no matter which combination of scenes she sees, is enough. Ride it, be done with it, get on to Tower of Terror for your one day there.