News Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser to permanently close this fall

[lazyboy97o]

I know I already responded to this, but I'm surprised they didn't attempt to "synergize" the Halcyon into Mando, Book of Boba Fett, or literally any other Star Wars media to come out recently was a stupid decision on both Lucasfilm and Disney's part.

One of the biggest problems with the parks is that despite being a cash machine it is not trusted as an organization and it has no culture of trust within. Everything is second guessed and moves like a turtle stuck in molasses. Even if they started working on a Mandalorian update as soon as the show hit we’d still probably be a few years out from it showing up. Frozen Land will be opening at Hong Kong Disneyland a decade after the film was originally released.

 

[MagicHappens1971]

One of the biggest problems with the parks is that despite being a cash machine it is not trusted as an organization and it has no culture of trust within. Everything is second guessed and moves like a turtle stuck in molasses.

I don't really understand this within the company, WDI should work with WDAS/Pixar/Lucasfilm/Marvel/Etc while projects are in production to get a move on projects for the parks if they're going to keep this IP integration machine up.

 

[Mike S]

One of the biggest problems with the parks is that despite being a cash machine it is not trusted as an organization and it has no culture of trust within. Everything is second guessed and moves like a turtle stuck in molasses. Even if they started working on a Mandalorian update as soon as the show hit we’d still probably be a few years out from it showing up. Frozen Land will be opening at Hong Kong Disneyland a decade after the film was originally released.

And the main ride is still just a clone of the overlay we got in Epcot just with better heads for the animatronics lol

Or is it not? I can’t really figure it out

 

[MagicHappens1971]

And the main ride is still just a clone of the overlay we got in Epcot just with better heads for the animatronics lol

Or is it not? I can’t really figure it out

We don't know much about the attraction aside from the improved AA's, and probably improved scenery as well. I'd figure the Oaken's coaster will probably be the bigger draw anyway.

 

[TheIceBaron]

At Hollywood Studios today, Mando and Grogu walking around attracted quite the crowd on not even a busy day. Much more than Rey or Kylo (or even Chewie) do lately. I think it’s time to let the sequel trilogy die or at least make room for other Star Wars eras in more aspects of the parks.

I think if they could do rotating era overlays in SWGE and any other planned future areas that would make the lands more versatile and boost attendance.

 

[kingdead]

Disneys biggest problem with this project (pricing aside) was that there was nearly zero marketing, and the marketing that was done was poor.

It’s so disappointing to see one of the most ambitious projects to come from Disney (WDI) in recent years be shuttered. It’s also a shame to see the most service driven product produced by DPEP in years shuttered.

All jokes aside from those on here who have hated this from day 1, closing this is not a win for Disney fans.

The price was always going to kill the marketing. The added customers would have been offset by the bad publicity of "there's a special Star Wars experience in Disney World... it's great... and you have to be super rich to ever afford it." The Disney and Star Wars brands aren't Patek Philippe, they're not supposed to be exclusive based on wealth. In reality, you have to pay to play, but that's not the image they want to promote.

It's especially unhelpful when everybody in the regular park is sweaty, cranky, and stuck in a 2 hour line between a crying toddler and a guy wearing a shirt with "She Wanted the D" on the back. Oh, for only $2k more a night I can do the actual good part! That's good to know! Next time, I'll have an entirely different life path and choices so I can afford the good experience!

 

[Jrb1979]

I don't really understand this within the company, WDI should work with WDAS/Pixar/Lucasfilm/Marvel/Etc while projects are in production to get a move on projects for the parks if they're going to keep this IP integration machine up.

I agree with you. The problem seems to be as many have said those at the top don't understand the parks.

 

[NobodyElse]

There have been plenty of creative ideas regarding how to potentially salvage this wreck.

Casino. Never happen, but it would make the most money. I'm sure a local tribe would be happy to perform some sort of sacred land-swap to accommodate this.

If they wanted to, they could probably milk this some more by offering a "Limited Time Experience" featuring characters / story from the original trilogy. Then rinse and repeat with other scenarios. It could then "Glow Away Forever" several times...

The short day trip plans for a meal / drink / shopping experience made sense, but then what about all those unused hotel rooms? Obviously it would be time for Disney to finally explore the wonderful world of "by-the-hour" room rentals.

 

[larryz]

The short day trip plans for a meal / drink / shopping experience made sense, but then what about all those unused hotel rooms? Obviously it would be time for Disney to finally explore the wonderful world of "by-the-hour" room rentals.

Finally, a custom-made venue for Star Wars-themed "Escape Room" experiences... up to 100 at a time!

 

[MrPromey]

They also put nearly zero effort into consumer education for this project, so many people would've done this if they knew what it was...

I'm not so sure about that.

Plenty of people knew exactly what it was and wanted to do it but had to opt for things like paying mortgages and giving their kids braces instead.

Plenty of people who could afford it and understood what it was were entirely turned off by the roleplay/LARP aspect of it.

I know I sure was.

In terms of advertising and consumer education beyond what they did, what do you think they should have done?

This was not a mass product. A national advertising campaign for something with such low potential volume wouldn't have made sense.

How do you think they could have done better advertising and educating people on it? How much should they have spent in marketing?

I think they came up with a "neat" idea and completely missed the mark on the needed sweet spot between consumers who were into Star Wars, into the idea of a LARP/Roleplay experience centered around Star Wars, and who could afford to do this at the prices they were charging.

To me, they made something that there was no practical way to sustain. That doesn't mean it was necessarily bad*, just not well thought out from an operations/management perspective.


*As someone who this offered zero appeal to and who never did it, I have my opinion but I'll fully admit there is a bias since this didn't appeal to me as soon as I saw more details of what this was going to be, even before the pricing came out.

 

[MrPromey]

I don't really understand this within the company, WDI should work with WDAS/Pixar/Lucasfilm/Marvel/Etc while projects are in production to get a move on projects for the parks if they're going to keep this IP integration machine up.

The challenge there is what if the movie doesn't do well, or even worse, bombs?

I mean, Dinosaur was tied to a movie. It opened before the movie and how many people today even realize a movie had anything to do with it?

In the same park, Tough to Be a Bug was also tied to a movie and opened before that movie. The ties to that movie are a whole lot harder to miss because of how it was done but that didn't go on to be one of Pixar's hits, commercially speaking.

Imagine if they'd broken ground on something for Strange World prior to release in an attempt to quickly tie in with that one.

That said, they should be hitting the ground running to make something happen the moment they realize they have a hit if their goal for future attractions is 100% movie-based IP.

 

[JoeCamel]

ohh they play the long game........

They were so PO'ed with the Spikes/Buzzy debacle that they built a honey trap.
This opened this under the guise of being a failed vision while hiding the trap they were setting for Patrick, such a tempting target as the shuttered Star Wars hotel to be explored. They might even snare Adam with this gambit.....

I can't wait for the next act in this drama, such fine storytelling and masterful manipulation it restores my faith that Imagineering had died.....

 

[Screamface]

There have been plenty of creative ideas regarding how to potentially salvage this wreck.

The core issue as I see it is that they compromised on the hotel rooms. They decided everyone would be too busy LARPING and barely be in them. So made them too basic.

Maybe there's a way with stripping back a lot of the role-play stuff it could work as a budget hotel.

 

[WorldExplorer]

Is the ship shuttered after a bit over a year in canon too now?

 

[MagicHappens1971]

Is the ship shuttered after a bit over a year in canon too now?

The ship actually gets destroyed shortly after the 275th Anniversary Voyage (the one the story is set in) in canon.

 

[some other guy]

The ship actually gets destroyed shortly after the 275th Voyage (the one the story is set in) in canon.

DEEPEST LORE

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

featuring Kylo and a little boy dressed as a First Order Lt, could've helped as well.

Because if there’s one thing that’s going to get me on a vacation, it’s knowing that my little boy can role play as a space nazi!

 

[FettFan]

The ship actually gets destroyed shortly after the 275th Anniversary Voyage (the one the story is set in) in canon.

Please tell me that the Yuuzhan Vong sacked it, loaded it full of captured space-yuppies, and sent it crashing into a Star as a sacrifice to their pantheon of gods.

 

[AshaNeOmah]

A billion dollar price tag? That seems impossibly high.

If I scribble the basic numbers on the back of my napkin I get
100 rooms at 100% occupancy at highest rate = 100×365×2500 = $91250000

$91m max revenue per year. The operational costs must be astronomical, somewhere in the tens of millions. If it's $40m your perfect case theoretical maximum return is 5.125%. In real life much lower. That doesn't warrant a fairly high risk investment. Unless the vast majority of the cost are development costs that can be shared between several similar or identical experiences. (SW hotels in Anaheim and Paris, or Marvel role playing hotels etc)

Am I missing something with the $2500? Double occupancy for a room is closer to $5000. So you'd have $182M as your floor for revenue if 100% occupancy was met every voyage. You'd might get to $200M with other purchases onboard.

 

[Bocabear]

The core issue as I see it is that they compromised on the hotel rooms. They decided everyone would be too busy LARPING and barely be in them. So made them too basic.

Maybe there's a way with stripping back a lot of the role-play stuff it could work as a budget hotel.

I feel like it is definitely that but not just the rooms... There would need to be a luxury wing to the hotel...an indoor Space Pool and recreation center. People need down time in Space too..It can't be about shooting lasers and light saber play the entire time.....
The main lobby and atrium needed to be more beautiful, larger, loftier spaces to overcome the perpetual night that the guests find themselves in while in the hotel... If the back story is this was a grand cruising ship, then it should not look like a cargo ship...it should have luxe accommodations...it should be a WOW! the second the shuttle doors open... not ...Oh...ok..... Between the videos we saw of the final product and the reviews, we said no way... A large part of that was based on what we all saw...when the "set" for this Star Wars Hotel is that underwhelming, why would we pay those prices to stay in a windowless box?