Star Wars All-Inclusive "Star Ship" Resort?

[Nubs70]

If all of you time is dedicated to the event, when will the guest have time to buy merch?

 

[RoysCabin]

Interesting concept. Despite being an enormous Star Wars fan/geek as a kid, I can't say it's what I'd want out of a vacation nowadays, but if this does come to pass with all the features being mentioned, it'll certainly put things in a very different direction.

The only catch I keep running into when thinking about Star Wars themed lands/hotels/etc. is that I don't think Star Wars is a 1:1 comparison with Harry Potter as it pertains to creating themed areas based on them. Potter is well suited for a theme park experience in a way that very few other properties are: it's a mostly self-contained world (the action is typically confined to being in and around the general vicinity of Hogwarts), it's exploration-heavy, it comes complete with distinct and oft-visited locations (shops, businesses, eateries), specific food and drink items direct from the books, events and rituals that can be acted out (Quidditch, Sorting Hat scene), etc. etc. etc. If I could think of other properties that share these qualities, I'd probably say something like a Star Trek experience on the Enterprise or another starship (which has been attempted on some level before), or perhaps the Shire from The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings would serve as a closer comparison.

Star Wars, as a property, really isn't built the same way. While it certainly has its share of interesting locations most of the time the action doesn't stay in one place for very long, which means you don't get the chance to feel a high level of familiarity with these places that help when designing a themed area. Really, outside of a couple places like Mos Eisley cantina it's really not as interested in world building the same way a property like Potter is.

Does that mean the park and hotel concepts for Star Wars won't work? Absolutely not saying that, but you can't just assume the feel and style of Wizarding World can be copied very easily when the properties involved are very distinct from one another in terms of what they offer vis a vis a physical theme park experience. I'd say Disney started out smart by not trying to directly ape a location direct from a Star Wars movie for SWL, and they're clearly going all-out with it, but again, not a 1:1 comparison to be had with Potter.

 

[Casper Gutman]

Disney largely is just giving people what they want. Think about it objectively. When Frozen's music comes on, does it NOT get cheers and screams from all the little girls that still love the movie and are hearing it for the millionth time?

When I was at DL last year watching WoC, the opening strains of "Let It Go" got widespread groans and even a few boos (not from me, by the way).

 

[Casper Gutman]

I disagree. You may think location doesn't matter, but it does, particularly with current demand for Disney Parks. Back in the 90s, WDW didn't have the crowds of today. It's supply and demand. People pay current prices and they are still booked.

Disney is more popular than ever and they pretty much can do whatever they want with pricing. They are probably going to increase costs even more to control demand.

Arguing that the improvements have been lacking is a separate issue that I actually agree with almost entirely. It doesn't mean Disney World is awful now...but it means they could have improved a lot more than they have. However, I'm still perfectly happy to pay the prices of today.

I never said location doesn't matter. I said that the location in no way makes the current prices reasonable.

As to the hotels always being booked, our insiders can address that. Whether they are overpriced, however, is a separate issue from whether people will pay. A man dying of thirst might pay $100,000 for a glass of water, but it doesn't mean that glass of water isn't overpriced.

In regards to being willing to pay the modern exorbitant prices, it's your money. But it really isn't that hard to get to MK from other hotels, and WDW isn't going to make the changes it desperately needs to make if people keep hurling cash at it while it dumbs down its product. Believe me, ten years ago I would NEVER have considered staying off-site, but having done so, man, it's so much nicer.

 

[MisterPenguin]

To me, LARPing is not far removed from building couch cushion forts.

Yeah, I know! It's great!

Prices are most likely based on double occupancy.

This is the kind of thing that cruise lines do, which is maddening to me when I travel solo with family members who are paired up.

Cruise lines will advertise "only $700 per person!" (based on double occupancy). This means that for a single individual, it costs $1,400. It costs the couple $1,400, too, but if they both work, it's more affordable to them as they each pay $700.

So, when the survey mentions "$1,000 per person!" If that's based on double occupancy, like the cruise lines do, then for a single person in a room, it will cost $2,000 because it assumes two people in a room even if there is only one. For a couple in a room, it is also $2,000, but their advertisement of "$1,000 per person!" is true.

It's hard to find a fair way to price this for an individual v. a room of four adults. If they both pay the same amount, then they are using up the same amount of lodging space, but, the group of four is using up four times the other resources of the events (food, character interaction, etc...).

A fairer way to do cost would be to cost the room and the personal experience separately. [Which is exactly what happens at conventions.] So, e.g., if they price the room at $400 per night and then the ticket for the experience at $200 per person, then for a single individual, they'd pay $1,000 and two couples would pay $1,600.

On the subject of LARPing
I have to assume that guests wont get to pick a side. Everyone will be Jedi because robes are easier to handout than stormtrooper costumes. There has to be a distinction between this and Jedi Academy though. I still think it should be a PG-13 experience.

People keep assuming that the role-playing and events will be all dark side v. light side. That's way too complicated to do in a two-day experience. Plus, from my D&D experience (and from City of Heroes MMORPG), when you let people chose dark, evil, or villainous personas, they just act like jerks and then it's no fun for everyone. I'm pretty sure that, based on my experience of large interactive events, that everyone will be a passenger on a star-ship cruise liner and there will be opportunities to help or be selfish without hand-waving a journey to becoming a Jedi or Sith. Or something similar.

 

[Casper Gutman]

The pitch is you top off your experience with a visit to the SWL with 'exclusive' extras that normal park goers don't get. So it's not about visiting SWL as part of the story, as much as your de-embarcation day thing, etc.

The idea is you get extra perks for SWL as part of your stay.

And the best part is, since it's only two nights, it lets you experience all the SW content and then spend several nights at an off-site or Universal hotel!

Disney may want to reconsider that bit.

 

[seascape]

And the best part is, since it's only two nights, it lets you experience all the SW content and then spend several nights at an off-site or Universal hotel!

Disney may want to reconsider that bit.

Two nights at Star Wars and 7 or 8 at Copper Creek for us. Universal maybe 1 night if and when I break down and go there.

 

[flynnibus]

If all of you time is dedicated to the event, when will the guest have time to buy merch?

They'll be there

Again.. cruise ships have this all figured out.. even under the constraint they can't sell while in port, etc. Jokes aside.. merchandise I'm sure will be a HUGE portion of this.

 

[flynnibus]

Star Wars, as a property, really isn't built the same way. While it certainly has its share of interesting locations most of the time the action doesn't stay in one place for very long, which means you don't get the chance to feel a high level of familiarity with these places that help when designing a themed area. Really, outside of a couple places like Mos Eisley cantina it's really not as interested in world building the same way a property like Potter is.

I think everything outside the movies pretty much proves the opposite. You give examples of the other universes, but really don't justify how they are different. The HP universe is the same as our world... just the HP movies stayed in England, yet reference (and travel) to far off places. The pre-queue proved this when it was based in America.. AND a different time period.

Much in the StarWars universe happens within a single location... just the movie plots often jump between planets. You don't have to relive the full trilogy in a single travel experience.

By making this a Star Cruiser concept.. they already bound the edges of what you are supposed to believe you are within. The CHARACTERS are will the variety will come in, and the plots that each character may be going along is how you can tie in different regions/etc without actually trying to force them in as a real place to visit.

Your argument if you stayed true would tell us 'why would anyone care about a desert planet?' after we watched EP IV. Yet, every story told afterward introduces new characters, new ships, new locations... and we don't go "ok, thats cool, but we're not on tatooine anymore.. this isn't star wars to me"

 

[flynnibus]

When I was at DL last year watching WoC, the opening strains of "Let It Go" got widespread groans and even a few boos (not from me, by the way).

Has it been long enough that we drop the charade of you actually being a new member?

 

[flynnibus]

And the best part is, since it's only two nights, it lets you experience all the SW content and then spend several nights at an off-site or Universal hotel!

Disney may want to reconsider that bit.

You're mashing things together just to be contradictory. Disney's concern needs to be
- cannibalization of its own product instead of growth
- establishing a critical mass to ensure guests travel to the location

Disney already has the 'what else will I do during my vacation week' covered with everything else it's doing in Orlando. That's not StarCruiser's "problem" to solve.

No one say "Keys to the Kingdom is cool... but people travel for a week to Orlando... not one day. They should make it longer"

 

[PorterRedkey]

I'll put it this ways. I'm looking at an early June vacation with my wife and two kids. I was looking at 8 night stay in 3 hotels in Costa Rica. From the ocean up into the mountains. With air flight out of Orlando, an SUV for the 8 days and free breakfast at all the hotels, it comes to $3600. Add in other meals and activities I'm looking at probably $1500. Most of the attractions where I want to go are free, hiking etc. Volcanoes, hot springs, jungle, lots of wild life, true tropical environment along with the usefulness of showing the kids what things look like outside of the US. Also I'm sure we'll enjoy ourselves. Maybe I'll get to fight a street monkey? Maybe we'll get attacked by giant jungle bugs? Never know what fun a waits on these tours.

For $5,000 I choose Costa Rica hands down.

When you bring the whole family along you do have to think about bang for the buck.

I had a monkey jump on my head in Belize, but he was friendly.

I value "real" travel experiences, but I think there can room for a one-time experience like this. And like I said it's only $2000 for me and my wife instead of the $5000 a family of 5 would pay. That is why I think this experience may price out the families. And I am guessing that families are what this type of experience should attract. Still in the early stages it seems.

 

[danlb_2000]

Yourself.

There were 10 years between full motion Star Wars movies. Force Awakens is Episode 7, 10 years after Episode III.

That means 10 years between Star Wars crazed fans getting a movie.

You original post said that there had not been a movie since Revenge of the Sith, that was clearly an incorrect statement this my confusion.

 

[Casper Gutman]

Has it been long enough that we drop the charade of you actually being a new member?

I honestly don't know who you think I am, but yes, I am a new member. I've been reading these boards for years, so I'm familiar with many of the personalities - I know who the trustworthy insiders are, for instance.

If you want to say something to me, please do so without this passive aggressive stuff.

And the crowd reaction to "Let it Go" is true. Maybe it was an unusual crowd, but it made me chuckle.

 

[rushtest4echo]

If anyone ever did this with Star Trek though, on a Disney level, I may choose to live there though...

You could do that for 5-6 hours in Vegas during the height of Star Trek: The Experience back in the mid 2000's. Have a bite at Quark's, see a museum-like exhibit that covered the ships, species, and timeline of the Star Trek universe, ride a transporter to the bridge of the enterprise-D, board a shuttle craft and fight Klingons. Then have a drink or two before being assimilated in a 4-D theater. Lots of shopping too. Frankly, it was the most tightly integrated themed space in the amusement industry for its time. Every bit as good and impressive as Potter on a smaller scale. Truly a shame that it was sequestered behind the strip at that awful Hilton. I still wonder what could have been if they built the exact same thing at Disney, Universal or even on I-Drive. I'm confident that it would still be open and very popular today.

 

[Kamikaze]

If anyone ever did this with Star Trek though, on a Disney level, I may choose to live there though...

Yeah, there are Trekkies, but it would never work on this level.

 

[Captain Neo]

This just doesn't feel like Disney to me. A bit of an overstep in my opinion. I wouldn't be opposed to a Value resort themed to Star Wars, but I feel they are going too far at this point. It just doesn't feel like classy Disney anymore.

uhh what? This is being pitched as a premium experience which Disney back in the day used to be known for. Disney was never supposed to have "value" resorts on property and you want them to just dump their most valuable IP in some cheaply themed rooms? That would be a great way to trash the brand. Thank God you aren't making business decisions for Disney!

 

[dothebrdwalk]

uhh what? This is being pitched as a premium experience which Disney back in the day used to be known for. Disney was never supposed to have "value" resorts on property and you want them to just dump their most valuable IP in some cheaply themed rooms? That would be a great way to trash the brand. Thank God you aren't making business decisions for Disney!

k bye

 

[KrzyKtty]

You could do that for 5-6 hours in Vegas during the height of Star Trek: The Experience back in the mid 2000's. Have a bite at Quark's, see a museum-like exhibit that covered the ships, species, and timeline of the Star Trek universe, ride a transporter to the bridge of the enterprise-D, board a shuttle craft and fight Klingons. Then have a drink or two before being assimilated in a 4-D theater. Lots of shopping too. Frankly, it was the most tightly integrated themed space in the amusement industry for its time. Every bit as good and impressive as Potter on a smaller scale. Truly a shame that it was sequestered behind the strip at that awful Hilton. I still wonder what could have been if they built the exact same thing at Disney, Universal or even on I-Drive. I'm confident that it would still be open and very popular today.

I missed it. I was a young broke married mom back in the mid 2000.

Now I am a married mom, but not broke!

 

[rushtest4echo]

And the best part is, since it's only two nights, it lets you experience all the SW content and then spend several nights at an off-site or Universal hotel!

Disney may want to reconsider that bit.

So, you think Disney creating an ADDITIONAL 2 DAY EXPERIENCE, coupled with an overhaul of the Studios with at least 5 (maybe 6 or 7) new attractions, transforming Animal Kingdom to a proper full day park, a major attraction at Magic Kingdom and a likely overhaul of EPCOT over the 5-6 years is going to result in people leaving WDW?

You're essentially asserting that Disney creating an experience outside the typical 4-6 day visit is going to result in people choosing to spend less time there- especially at hotels?

Whatever you're drinking- I don't want it. Drunkenness can't even account for logic that bad.