News Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser coming to Walt Disney World 2021

[flynnibus]

Well fair enough. If you, or someone, has had more info then great. But I don't think many people discussing this here and now have, we're just speculating. For fun!

Since you are just speculating... understand others are more clear on what is their thoughts vs what they are sharing.

Personally, I hope it would include significant exclusive access to the park. I don't want my experience via "NextGen" (what is that anyway?) to be just at the end. That's just a "Bye, off you go now", not a "Wow, this is all part of the story".

This was specifically asked - and the answer was not ONLY the resort guests in the park. So I would expect the SW:GE portion to be a __continuation__ of your resort experience... not part of it per say. Of course this could change vs what they were proposing.

And anyway, it might somewhat ruin it if you're back in ordinary clothes, and having to carry stuff like passports, air tickets and so-on, which you can't just leave with bell services.

I think you are too fixated on where the transition happens. This won't be a cold hand off.

The point being the correction was that this was not sold with the idea that SW:GE was your backyard for the stay.. You are on a transport ship was the story.

 

[flynnibus]

A better description would be a murder-mystery dinner. One that's two and a half days long in a remote bed & breakfast.

Yup... this isn't a 'show' you goto and go home. This is a destination upon itself, that is also an overnighter.

 

[larryz]

I dnot see this including tickets in standard base price. Too many annual passholders and people that will be at WDW longer than a week requiring longer stay tickets. Lots of variables.

I can see it including exclusive admission to SW:GE during planned StarTours events... and then you walk out at the end of your experience with your Galactic Citizen's hat, shoulder bag, and a 3-day park hopper so you can experience the rest of WDW.

And, of course, you'll need a place to stay, and they'll be happy to arrange that for you...

 

[njDizFan]

Because with a resort, you come and go as you please and you're just you, a guest at a hotel. On a cruise ship, when you're out at sea, you can't come and go as you please. You're stuck there on the ship and all your food and entertainment (as well as lodging) comes only from the ship.

The SW Resort isn't just lodging. It's an experience which happens to provide a place to sleep during the two and a half-day experience. You don't leave the resort except to extend the experience in SWL. You don't eat anywhere or get your entertainment anywhere except from the resort and SWL.

And you're not you. You're a citizen of a galaxy far away and long ago. You play a role. And you don't interact with any other WDW guests except the other 299 (a guess) people in the SW Resort who are also citizens of a galaxy far away.

A better description would be a murder-mystery dinner. One that's two and a half days long in a remote bed & breakfast.

Great analogy, and I think that is where the struggle will be for Disney. How to market this experience and have people wrap their heads around this non-resort-resort.

The LARPing crowd and the prototypical SW crazed fan(think Big Bang theory characters- tech millenials, single, lots of discretionary income) will get it and pay whatever the cost. The parent of 3 who is being bugged by his 10 year old to go to the Star Wars hotel may not understand why it's costing 5 figures.

I think overall it's a great idea and will be the future of the industry. I would be all in if it was LoTR themed.

 

[larryz]

I think overall it's a great idea and will be the future of the industry. I would be all in if it was LoTR themed.

The success or failure of this venture might well enhance Disney's motivation to come to an agreement with the Tolkein rights holders.

 

[21stamps]

Because with a resort, you come and go as you please and you're just you, a guest at a hotel. On a cruise ship, when you're out at sea, you can't come and go as you please. You're stuck there on the ship and all your food and entertainment (as well as lodging) comes only from the ship.

The SW Resort isn't just lodging. It's an experience which happens to provide a place to sleep during the two and a half-day experience. You don't leave the resort except to extend the experience in SWL. You don't eat anywhere or get your entertainment anywhere except from the resort and SWL.

And you're not you. You're a citizen of a galaxy far away and long ago. You play a role. And you don't interact with any other WDW guests except the other 299 (a guess) people in the SW Resort who are also citizens of a galaxy far away.

A better description would be a murder-mystery dinner. One that's two and a half days long in a remote bed & breakfast.

Right.. a resort, themed,and interactive, probably close to all-inclusive.. it’s not actually a cruise ship.

I think people can grasp the concept and still call it a resort.

 

[21stamps]

Great analogy, and I think that is where the struggle will be for Disney. How to market this experience and have people wrap their heads around this non-resort-resort.

The LARPing crowd and the prototypical SW crazed fan(think Big Bang theory characters- tech millenials, single, lots of discretionary income) will get it and pay whatever the cost. The parent of 3 who is being bugged by his 10 year old to go to the Star Wars hotel may not understand why it's costing 5 figures.

I think overall it's a great idea and will be the future of the industry. I would be all in if it was LoTR themed.

Maybe you guys have less faith in humans than I do.. I don’t think it’s so difficult to understand. I also don’t think it will be too difficult to market effectively.

 

[Astro_Digital]

The Pop Century plus Park Hopper pass stretches my finances to the limit, this maybe great but I will never be able to afford it. I can envision Disney starting at $1000.00 a night, it will always be sold out and of course the prices will keep rising.

 

[trainplane3]

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[CaptainAmerica]

Great analogy, and I think that is where the struggle will be for Disney. How to market this experience and have people wrap their heads around this non-resort-resort.

The LARPing crowd and the prototypical SW crazed fan(think Big Bang theory characters- tech millenials, single, lots of discretionary income) will get it and pay whatever the cost. The parent of 3 who is being bugged by his 10 year old to go to the Star Wars hotel may not understand why it's costing 5 figures.

I think overall it's a great idea and will be the future of the industry. I would be all in if it was LoTR themed.

A few things.

1. I don't think they need the parent of three who is being bugged by the 10 year old to get it. Star Wars is so powerful and their fanbase is so rabid that Disney will have no trouble whatsoever keeping this place filled even without the soccer moms.

2. I can't imagine that this place will be very big. It's not going to be like Pop Century with 3,000 guest rooms.

 

[21stamps]

A few things.

1. I don't think they need the parent of three who is being bugged by the 10 year old to get it. Star Wars is so powerful and their fanbase is so rabid that Disney will have no trouble whatsoever keeping this place filled even without the soccer moms.

2. I can't imagine that this place will be very big. It's not going to be like Pop Century with 3,000 guest rooms.

We’ve had this discussion before.. leave the soccer moms alone.
They’re going to be there, with their kids.
Deal with it.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

We’ve had this discussion before.. leave the soccer moms alone.
They’re going to be there, with their kids.
Deal with it.

I think you'll be surprised, especially when you consider the fact that pricing will skew more towards a per-person model than a per-room model. It'll simply be too expensive for families to send the whole clan if only one or two of the family is that into Star Wars.

My boss is a great example. Mom, Dad, Son, and Daughter. Son is the only one into Star Wars. If they're going to take him, they're going to do a special trip just Mom and Son or Dad and Son. They're not going to do both parents and Daughter, because the price-to-value ratio isn't there for them.

I think of it like Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. BBB would be a lot less popular if they made you pay for makeovers for mom, dad, and brother every time you wanted to sign up sister.

 

[21stamps]

I think you'll be surprised, especially when you consider the fact that pricing will skew more towards a per-person model than a per-room model. It'll simply be too expensive for families to send the whole clan if only one or two of the family is that into Star Wars.

My boss is a great example. Mom, Dad, Son, and Daughter. Son is the only one into Star Wars. If they're going to take him, they're going to do a special trip just Mom and Son or Dad and Son. They're not going to do both parents and Daughter, because the price-to-value ratio isn't there for them.

I think of it like Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. BBB would be a lot less popular if they made you pay for makeovers for mom, dad, and brother every time you wanted to sign up sister.

I agree with that, if the entire family isn’t SW fans. If it’s a 2-3 day thing, half of the family could be at another resort and meet up after.

 

[punkabella]

I think @CaptainAmerica is onto something. I will soon have a family of five, and my husband and I love the idea of this type of resort, but can only see it as a special event type of ordeal, where my husband would take our son for a father/son extended weekend trip. I'd love to go as well, but with two younger kids in tow, it's not going to happen.

 

[flynnibus]

I think you'll be surprised, especially when you consider the fact that pricing will skew more towards a per-person model than a per-room model. It'll simply be too expensive for families to send the whole clan if only one or two of the family is that into Star Wars.

This kind of delta I would expect to be at the paid experiences - not at the room level. They were very clear in the introduction - they want to be an experience for EVERYONE, with people being able to ramp up or down their individual participation. I would expect more the cruise ship model... you expect to pay X amount to cover the room.. and your per person costs will be another dimension that the total will always be X or greater.

Where it gets harder is if you have a family like 5 or 6 people... and not everyone is interested. Do you really get 2 rooms when not everyone is equally into it?

Disney KNOWS they are a 'whole family' destination... they aren't going to bank on the idea that the default is to split up your family... they want the whole group.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

This kind of delta I would expect to be at the paid experiences - not at the room level. They were very clear in the introduction - they want to be an experience for EVERYONE, with people being able to ramp up or down their individual participation. I would expect more the cruise ship model... you expect to pay X amount to cover the room.. and your per person costs will be another dimension that the total will always be X or greater.

Oh, I sure hope not. That would be a HUGE turn-off for me. It's like the idea of paying for parking at a deluxe resort. Psychologically, it just feels so much worse to pay $800 for a room and another $200 for experience than just paying $1,000 for the all-inclusive experience.

Disney KNOWS they are a 'whole family' destination... they aren't going to bank on the idea that the default is to split up your family... they want the whole group.

Isn't the idea of this new 360-degree experience (or whatever they're calling it) that it doesn't have to be at Walt Disney World? They could put a Star Destroyer in Las Vegas or a Mon Calamari cruiser in Branson.

 

[njDizFan]

Maybe you guys have less faith in humans than I do.. I don’t think it’s so difficult to understand. I also don’t think it will be too difficult to market effectively.

Well if this thread is any indication, I would beg to differ. This is a board of Theme park fans and many are still not understanding the need to stay inside the resort. This is not a really well themed hotel room, I think that is obvious but many here are not grasping that basic information.

 

[Notes from Neverland]

The comparisons to this hotel being like a cruise are really good, but I also like comparing it to a Murder Mystery. All of the activities are contained within, minus venturing out to Galaxy's Edge. This won't be complicated once details are revealed. Right now, it's only complicated because everyone is basing their assumptions off of very, very little.

 

[flynnibus]

Oh, I sure hope not. That would be a HUGE turn-off for me. It's like the idea of paying for parking at a deluxe resort. Psychologically, it just feels so much worse to pay $800 for a room and another $200 for experience than just paying $1,000 for the all-inclusive experience.

I still believe it will be quoted very much like cruises. You don't have a fixed per person price per say... you have a pricing model that is highly dependent on dates, room, and the size of your party. The net result is a room at a certain date is going to cost at least X.. if you have 2 people, or 3... your cost is going to be AT LEAST X. But your real cost is going to something greater than X depending on your party's makeup.

They may simplify it to simply be a model ... $1000/night based on double occupancy and add additional guest charges up to the room limit of 4.

But I think the one thing that should be expected is... expect a pricing model like a cruise where people AND rooms matter.. not just a room. I do believe they are going more for the 'all inclusive with upcharge' model and not the a-la-carte model.

Isn't the idea of this new 360-degree experience (or whatever they're calling it) that it doesn't have to be at Walt Disney World? They could put a Star Destroyer in Las Vegas or a Mon Calamari cruiser in Branson.

The concept... not necessarily this example of it. I will say tho, that the way it was pitched, it could have been anywhere.... only when they added the 'exclusive perks' for SW:GE did you get any anchoring of the idea to WDW. It was very much a sales pitch that was 'focused inside' and not simply as a 'base of operations from where you go and do lots of other things'

 

[flynnibus]

Well if this thread is any indication, I would beg to differ. This is a board of Theme park fans and many are still not understanding the need to stay inside the resort. This is not a really well themed hotel room, I think that is obvious but many here are not grasping that basic information.

I think the solution is easy... you don't sell it with WDW. Now many people immediately connect Disney == WDW... but the cruise ships is an example of how you pitch a Disney quality experience that isn't predicated on WDW plus something else.

When they sell it as a Star Wars real life experience... enter the universe... live the life... meet the people... and AVOID mentioning WDW or where it is.. until the very end. Or location/WDW is only in the follow-up pitches that build upon the initial impression.. That's how you help break the idea of 'a star wars hotel'.

You gotta sell people on the idea of a real life star wars experience.. and they buy into that.. and then AFTER that.. you say "yes, you can add this onto your WDW vacation or do it on its own... its in Orlando, etc"