GimpYancIent
Well-Known Member
You are correct but it is taken for granted Chewbacca, Rey and other characters will appear mingle and interact so not really a discussion point. But you throw Jar Jar in there too, you must be really upset.
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News Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser coming to Walt Disney World 2021
- Thread starter wdwmagic
- Start date
You see mask-on Kylo and Rey fight for two seconds? That's 1. something you should get for free for going to the park 2. going to give people Rise of Skywalker flashbacks... that's right, you just paid thousands of dollars to remember Rise of Skywalker...
(before you get mad at me for bringing up the movies there ABSOLUTELY is going to be a fight in this hotel about Last Jedi and someone is going to be shanked with an LED light saber)
GimpYancIent
Well-Known Member
Wendy Pleakley
Well-Known Member
This brings up an interesting point.
Will this attract the fans who are really really really angry at the new movies and seem more obsessed with complaining about Star Wars rather than finding enjoyment in it?
I don't think this will ultimately be an issue. This will be its' own thing with minimal ties to the larger story. Plus the new movies very much have an original trilogy aesthetic so this will feel like classic Star Wars to a degree. If this were a Naboo StarCruiser it would have a very different feel.
They could probably honestly make this like Star Tours and just mix and match eras randomly, and people wouldn't care that much. Heck, you could even throw in a wormhole, say the ship time travelled and hey, Darth Vader is here now. That's more Star Trek than Star Wars but it would be a workaround to mix things up. Then again, the target audience might not be into that.
GimpYancIent
Well-Known Member
Hell have a gladiatorial combat pit, guests can helmet and armor up, be armed with lightsabers designed to sustain impacts and not break (there are lightsabers manufactured for actual full contact combat), not cheap but for the price being paid for this experience why not! Then have the guests that are inclined toward such aggression have at each other for 3 bouts of 3 minutes each. A panel of Star Wars characters determine the winner. Give the declared winner a Pin, Badge, Medal or something.
MrPromey
Well-Known Member
The thing that's confused me a little about this from the start is that Disney was taking what is essentially a mass market brand (Star Wars) and building this super-exclusive expensive thing around it that would be intentionally exclusionary not just in price but in availability and plopping it down in the busiest resort in the world.
They're pointing a spotlight on something most people will never get to do, even if they want to.
Now that more details have begun to emerge, who the potential audience they're planning to cater to seems to whittle down even more. The matrix of people who can afford this, who want to do this and who will be impressed and happy with the specific offerings seems limited.
So why even bother?
I'm now starting to think that our guest-centric approach to looking at this whole situation is entirely out of wack for how Disney may be approaching it and I think that they'll treat this like Disney+ where they will publicly not talk about the profit it is or isn't making and instead frame success on other metrics they probably won't want to discuss because it would tip their hand on a marketing strategy most consumers don't recognize.
We like to think sometimes that we know better than Disney, one of the largest and most successful brands on earth, how to market something when in truth, we're usually talking more about what we, ourselves want.
It's true, on the Florida property, we've seen them cheap out again and again. We've seen them cut things back, take away experiences to lock behind pay-walls, try to make cupcakes seem like luxury, etc. but this clearly isn't that.
It's not a simple money grab.
I think Disney may be playing a longer game with this offering which of course is still about money and market position but not the way we're all talking about.
There is what I found to be a really interesting book that discusses in detail, a tactic in retail that is used again and again to establish price and "value" for products where no obvious existing pricing might apply. Think the biggest burger at McDonalds or the top-end Lexus with all the features at the highest price but also think about really, really top of high end luxury purses, $500 cups of ice cream fearting toppings like gold flakes, maybe a solid gold Apple watch - things that almost nobody buys but that play an important role in the marketing strategy of the company offering them. Disney is no stranger to the practice at the McDs and Lexus level and this may be them toying with the the gold flake topping level:
Bob may not be a theme park guy but obviously, he knows a thing or two about retail. This may be a play intended to boost overall resort attendance, create a new frame of reference for what the high price of a vacation with Disney can look like and to also try to promote the notion that Disney is the premier destination in Florida - all without having to do major additional work in the existing parks or resorts to make that case.
The way they want to frame this - not as a resort, not as an attraction but completely as an "experiment" with no frame of reference for outside observers to compare it to makes me lean strongly towards this notion.
It's really kind of a genius move, if so, because they're creating a path with this that their competition can't really follow them down no matter how many e-ticket caliber attractions said competition adds.
This does nothing to improve the resort for average guests but it has the potential to benefit Disney quite a bit by clearing the runway for future price increases and ending all debate about who is on top in central Florida.
In the grand scheme of things, this specific offering being a financial success or failure may, for Disney, not even be relevant.
Certainly, with the botique nature of this offering, 100% occupancy isn't going to result in business-changing success so what other reason would there be for them to lean so heavily into something that, by its very nature has no real growth opportunity for them?
They're pointing a spotlight on something most people will never get to do, even if they want to.
Now that more details have begun to emerge, who the potential audience they're planning to cater to seems to whittle down even more. The matrix of people who can afford this, who want to do this and who will be impressed and happy with the specific offerings seems limited.
So why even bother?
I'm now starting to think that our guest-centric approach to looking at this whole situation is entirely out of wack for how Disney may be approaching it and I think that they'll treat this like Disney+ where they will publicly not talk about the profit it is or isn't making and instead frame success on other metrics they probably won't want to discuss because it would tip their hand on a marketing strategy most consumers don't recognize.
We like to think sometimes that we know better than Disney, one of the largest and most successful brands on earth, how to market something when in truth, we're usually talking more about what we, ourselves want.
It's true, on the Florida property, we've seen them cheap out again and again. We've seen them cut things back, take away experiences to lock behind pay-walls, try to make cupcakes seem like luxury, etc. but this clearly isn't that.
It's not a simple money grab.
I think Disney may be playing a longer game with this offering which of course is still about money and market position but not the way we're all talking about.
There is what I found to be a really interesting book that discusses in detail, a tactic in retail that is used again and again to establish price and "value" for products where no obvious existing pricing might apply. Think the biggest burger at McDonalds or the top-end Lexus with all the features at the highest price but also think about really, really top of high end luxury purses, $500 cups of ice cream fearting toppings like gold flakes, maybe a solid gold Apple watch - things that almost nobody buys but that play an important role in the marketing strategy of the company offering them. Disney is no stranger to the practice at the McDs and Lexus level and this may be them toying with the the gold flake topping level:
Priceless: The Myth of Fair Value (and How to Take Advantage of It)
Bob may not be a theme park guy but obviously, he knows a thing or two about retail. This may be a play intended to boost overall resort attendance, create a new frame of reference for what the high price of a vacation with Disney can look like and to also try to promote the notion that Disney is the premier destination in Florida - all without having to do major additional work in the existing parks or resorts to make that case.
The way they want to frame this - not as a resort, not as an attraction but completely as an "experiment" with no frame of reference for outside observers to compare it to makes me lean strongly towards this notion.
It's really kind of a genius move, if so, because they're creating a path with this that their competition can't really follow them down no matter how many e-ticket caliber attractions said competition adds.
This does nothing to improve the resort for average guests but it has the potential to benefit Disney quite a bit by clearing the runway for future price increases and ending all debate about who is on top in central Florida.
In the grand scheme of things, this specific offering being a financial success or failure may, for Disney, not even be relevant.
Certainly, with the botique nature of this offering, 100% occupancy isn't going to result in business-changing success so what other reason would there be for them to lean so heavily into something that, by its very nature has no real growth opportunity for them?
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Building on this, I wonder if Disney sees this as an opportunity to see just how far they can take "Disneybounding"--in other words, having guests pay to essentially be cast.
flynnibus
Premium Member
Except they are not. You won’t see this thing overshadow the parks in marketing or focus.
Disney has far more expensive and exclusive offers that you don’t see paraded around or on the front page of the website.
mass market? Have you checked out the costs of doing sw celebration? Or how about those D23 packages?
as to the rest… why did disney do adventures by disney? Why do they get into cruise ships in the first place? Why did they try disney quest?
the way this this was initially presented…it could have been anywhere.
MrPromey
Well-Known Member
That's a tricky one because you can control cast in a way you can't control high-end paying guests... A castmember can't say "" if someone asks to get their picture taken with them. A $2k a night guest - who's stopping them?
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MrPromey
Well-Known Member
Look at the (free) national media attention they got just by showing the starting price before bookings have even opened.
Heck, look at all the free national attention they've been getting since this was originally announced how many years ago? The Bobs doing interviews talking about this crazy experiment?
Every time they say anything about it or release a piece of concept art or show a photo, articles hit all over - not just on Disney and Star Wars fans sites.
You're telling me that's coincidence? You think that doesn't help prop up attention for the entire Florida property and to a lesser degree, the Disney brand in general?*
I am not saying it's going to overshadow the parks. You're creating a straw-man by even suggesting I am.
And you're absolutely right, they have other stuff but what kind of hoopla can you attach around a VIP tour or some obscure thing they offer in another part of the world?
And yes, Star Wars is absolutely a Mass Market Brand. That you would even try to suggest that it isn't is laughable. The shows on Disney+ are mass market. The movies are mass market. The toys are mass market. The t-shirts at Target and Walmart are mass market.
The attractions themselves in the parks are certainly not intended for only a niche market, are they?
The only reason there are even so many people talking about this in this thread is because Star Wars as a brand is Mass Market.
If this were an exclusive offering themed around say, Fantasia 2000, specifically (you know, the sequel) how much do you think anyone would be talking about it even if it was 4x more limited and exclusive? (and this from a person who likes Fantasia 2000, btw)
Why do you think that Adventures by Disney's never gotten this sort of attention?
Have you ever been to a Star Wars Celebration? I have. A four day ticket is less than the price of two days in the parks and half of what makes it a big deal is what the paying guests show up with, themselves.
Nice try but try again.
As to the rest, why do you pick your nose with your right hand instead of your left? Why do you prefer coffee over tea (or visa-versa)?
I've learned my lesson about your non sequitur debating tactics. If you want to state how any of what you just mentioned is related and relevant to this discussion go for it and we can talk about it but I'm not responding to baited open questions where you'll abandon the conversation again after I try to take you serious and waste my time trying to respond in good faith to each random thing you've thrown out.
I respect you but I'm not falling for that stupid trap from you a second time in this discussion.
*You can think I'm crazy or conspiratorial for thinking this is orchestrated but again, it's a tactic right out of the luxury brand playbook. Speaking of books, the one I made reference to in the previous post has case studies with real national brands doing it, marketing experts discussing it, and references to the psychological studies that show even though everyone thinks they're too smart to fall for it when they learn about it, almost all of us nearly always do.
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I'll go when there's a discount and it's only $4,000! It'll be a bargain!!!
flynnibus
Premium Member
media attention is not the same thing as
“pointing a spotlight on something “
Anything star wars is going to get attention period. That doesn’t establish their marketing strategy for the thing.
I am not saying it's going to overshadow the parks. You're creating a straw-man by even suggesting I am.
your whole post was a setup to tear it down.
What makes hollywood or alaska obscure? Or the panama canal?
They aren’t obscure- but they crazy expensive experiences disney offers without supporting your contrived concepts.
Let’s not forget disney has been thinking about non theme park experiences and immersive experiences for some time.
star wars is - but that doesn’t make all things star wars mass market. Just like the kinds of packages disney spins up for people at celebration and other events are not ‘mass market’.
Using your logic disney should only ever market star wars things at mass market prices? What the hell are those life sized outfits doing in the disney shops?
Mainly because ABD goes into existing markets/spaces... rather than create something stand-out/new. New always gets more eyeballs and discussion.
And the point is look at the offers ran with those events… not mass market.
Baiting? They expose how your logic and justification do not hold up.
All of those initiatives where about taking the disney brand and market expectations and applying them to new spaces to expand their portfolio. All PREMIUM priced things as well. None of which were about the hypothesis you presented about testing customer price points for theme parks.
not everything is about the theme park.
I’ll say it again… as pitched… it didn’t even have to be at wdw…. This kind of immersive experience product is not about the theme parks.
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JoeCamel
Well-Known Member
matt9112
Well-Known Member
Its a bus....a themed bus...
matt9112
Well-Known Member
Cabana and aventura are price wise akin to disneys value. Most of the time. Surfside and dockside undercuts all of disneys offerings minus camp sites. As both resorts are under 100 a night.
matt9112
Well-Known Member
Fair but hardly justification lol. You can wait. No need to blow it all in fake space now.
Well, the cruiser is in a different galaxy. But, it's from long, long ago, so the light of that galaxy might be getting to us just now.