News Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser coming to Walt Disney World 2021

[MoonRakerSCM]

God that food hall... not a SINGLE starfield 'window' in there??? On a 'luxury' liner?

The dancing though.... yeeeeeesh, I hadn't seen that before. How many people there just moving alog with it thinking to themselves "Oh god, HOW MUCH did I pay for this??"

 

[dreamfinder912]

God that food hall... not a SINGLE starfield 'window' in there??? On a 'luxury' liner?

The dancing though.... yeeeeeesh, I hadn't seen that before. How many people there just moving alog with it thinking to themselves "Oh god, HOW MUCH did I pay for this??"

Considering how many of us were on our 4th+ voyage on my last one, I'm gonna go with not many. The Starcruiser failed because it couldn't get people onboard for their first voyage. But once people got there and saw what it really was, they loved it.

 

[OceanBlue]

God that food hall... not a SINGLE starfield 'window' in there??? On a 'luxury' liner?

The dancing though.... yeeeeeesh, I hadn't seen that before. How many people there just moving alog with it thinking to themselves "Oh god, HOW MUCH did I pay for this??"

Went twice loved every minute and by day two at times thought I was actually in space which is the craziest feeling. Paid a lot and would go again if I could.

 

[pdude81]

Considering how many of us were on our 4th+ voyage on my last one, I'm gonna go with not many. The Starcruiser failed because it couldn't get people onboard for their first voyage. But once people got there and saw what it really was, they loved it.

Plus most wouldn't understand that the dance lessons, red carpet walk, droid racing, et cetera, are often cover for other strategic activities going on during the timeline.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

Plus most wouldn't understand that the dance lessons, red carpet walk, droid racing, et cetera, are often cover for other strategic activities going on during the timeline.

Yep. I've asked people many times, who post those clips or photos, to what degree line dancing and other cheesy cruise ship activities played into their cruise experience and how they impacted the experience negatively.

No one answers, because the people judging this based on a very selective snipped of media have no idea what the actual experience is like.

When first details came out, I thought the bridge looked like a cheap Disney Quest game. I had some reservations from what we saw at the time.

However, having not experienced it personally I'm not going to go on about, or criticize things, beyond that first impression.

The people who did this are the ones whose feedback is legitimate, and by all accounts, it was an overwhelmingly positive experience.

Yet, a year later, some people still think they should review this based on a handful of photos, as if they have any idea whatsoever what it was actually like.

 

[TP2000]

The people who did this are the ones whose feedback is legitimate, and by all accounts, it was an overwhelmingly positive experience.

So why do you think it closed so quickly? And wasn't able to meet sales projections just a few months after launch?

Yet, a year later, some people still think they should review this based on a handful of photos, as if they have any idea whatsoever what it was actually like.

I have no doubt that the dance lessons are part of the storyline to be used later in the trip during the dinner floor show or something. But that's not why so many of us find the dance lessons so funny.

The dance lessons are funny and cringey because they went so cheap on so many things, and these CM's were clearly not trained and supervised correctly (that is WDW management's fault, not the CM's shown in the vids/photos).

The CM's are wearing the same cheap dental assistant uniforms that wouldn't even meet the employee dress code for Carnival Cruise Line dinner service, let alone Chandrila Star Line (the Star Wars equivalent of Cunard, not Carnival). The CM's for this "luxury" experience all seem to be about 22 years old, are perky as all hell, but are clearly not trained well in luxury hospitality or themed environments.

The dance instructor for this needs a costume that looks far more luxurious, needs a presentation and bearing that plays up that this is an elegant dance from an upscale alien culture, and needs scripted vocabulary that doesn't sound like 2020's Mall Girl From Ohio but instead sounds like Star Wars Universe Fancy Talk (I'm not a WDI script writer obviously, so get an expert to flesh that out, but WDI pays writers and designers a lot of money to create that material).

But instead of fancy and fully invested in and well managed, they offered this oddly perky performance... AMAAAAZING!

 

[kingdead]

It doesn't really matter how this was advertised because the reality is that it was priced way, way, way outside most people's budgets. They could have put out a commercial that made it seem like you would be Luke, Han, and Leia reborn but the reality is that they were asking two or three mortgage payments for 2 nights. If you have that kind of money, more power to you but even the majority of those who can vacation can't afford it.

 

[UNCgolf]

So why do you think it closed so quickly? And wasn't able to meet sales projections just a few months after launch?

I think it had a relatively limited market base in general even if price wasn't a factor, but the price point was a killer.

The quality of the experience was almost irrelevant at that price. Even if it was amazing (and most accounts say it was) there just aren't that many people who had both the desire to attend and the financial ability to do so.

Especially since some of the people who could afford it would still have to choose between it and a longer vacation, whether at WDW or elsewhere.

 

[cjkeating]

The CM's for this "luxury" experience all seem to be about 22 years old, are perky as all hell, but are clearly not trained well in luxury hospitality or themed environments.

I'm not going to comment on the Cast Members in this video as I never met them and I don't think what they were doing in this video continued as is onto the actual cruises (was this video a media preview?)

However I will just say the Cast Members on the Starcruiser were consistently several levels above the best Cast Members I've encountered at Walt Disney World and most a level above the best on Disney Cruise Line.

 

[TP2000]

I'm not going to comment on the Cast Members in this video as I never met them and I don't think what they were doing in this video continued as is onto the actual cruises (was this video a media preview?)

However I will just say the Cast Members on the Starcruiser were consistently several levels above the best Cast Members I've encountered at Walt Disney World and most a level above the best on Disney Cruise Line.

That's good to hear, and I said earlier these CM's seemed perky as all hell and very excited to be there.

It's just a shame they weren't invested in more thoroughly by Disney; they needed vastly better uniforms for a start with unique differences in uniform among the various Ops staff. And better training to use vocabulary and phrasing and to develop a bearing and stage presence that didn't make them seem as though they were College Program kids leading activities at the All Star Sports pool deck.

I'm reminded of how Tokyo Disneyland Cast Members are uniformed and trained (and then very well managed on-site to maintain training standards) to have grand and elegant bearing as they inhabit their themed spaces and operate their themed experiences for paying guests. Starcruiser should have been at a Tokyo Disneyland & DisneySea level of showmanship and CM investment, in my humble opinion.

Here's what hotel CM's look like at the check-in desks and reception lobbies of the various Tokyo Disney hotels.

And yet Disney thought they didn't have to do that for the Starcruiser??? They thought they could get away without spending that kind of money and time on the CM's or the guests that they serve, and they could pretend that on an expensive luxury cruise ship in an elegant and exotic part of the Star Wars universe the CM's could all just wear cheap dental assistant outfits.

Disney clearly did not care about these Starcruiser CM's as much as they should have. I think that's one of the reasons why the thing failed so badly and so quickly.

In other news... I hope we've all been flossing!

 

[WorldExplorer]

That's good to hear, and I said earlier these CM's seemed perky as all hell and very excited to be there.

It's just a shame they weren't invested in more thoroughly by Disney; they needed vastly better uniforms for a start with unique differences in uniform among the various Ops staff. And better training to use vocabulary and phrasing and to develop a bearing and stage presence that didn't make them seem as though they were College Program kids leading activities at the All Star Sports pool deck.

I'm reminded of how Tokyo Disneyland Cast Members are uniformed and trained (and then very well managed on-site to maintain training standards) to have grand and elegant bearing as they inhabit their themed spaces and operate their themed experiences for paying guests. Starcruiser should have been at a Tokyo Disneyland & DisneySea level of showmanship and CM investment, in my humble opinion.

Here's what hotel CM's look like at the check-in desks and reception lobbies of the various Tokyo Disney hotels.

And yet Disney thought they didn't have to do that for the Starcruiser??? They thought they could get away without spending that kind of money and time on the CM's or the guests that they serve, and they could pretend that on an expensive luxury cruise ship in an elegant and exotic part of the Star Wars universe the CM's could all just wear cheap dental assistant outfits.

Disney clearly did not care about these Starcruiser CM's as much as they should have. I think that's one of the reasons why the thing failed so badly and so quickly.

In other news... I hope we've all been flossing!

It's funny, it annoys me a lot how costuming seems to have completely given up in all areas except Galaxy's Edge.

But for the 5,000 dollar paywalled version of Galaxy's Edge they went right back to giving up.

 

[cjkeating]

That's good to hear, and I said earlier these CM's seemed perky as all hell and very excited to be there.

It's just a shame they weren't invested in more thoroughly by Disney; they needed vastly better uniforms for a start with unique differences in uniform among the various Ops staff. And better training to use vocabulary and phrasing and to develop a bearing and stage presence that didn't make them seem as though they were College Program kids leading activities at the All Star Sports pool deck.

I'm reminded of how Tokyo Disneyland Cast Members are uniformed and trained (and then very well managed on-site to maintain training standards) to have grand and elegant bearing as they inhabit their themed spaces and operate their themed experiences for paying guests. Starcruiser should have been at a Tokyo Disneyland & DisneySea level of showmanship and CM investment, in my humble opinion.

Here's what hotel CM's look like at the check-in desks and reception lobbies of the various Tokyo Disney hotels.

And yet Disney thought they didn't have to do that for the Starcruiser??? They thought they could get away without spending that kind of money and time on the CM's or the guests that they serve, and they could pretend that on an expensive luxury cruise ship in an elegant and exotic part of the Star Wars universe the CM's could all just wear cheap dental assistant outfits.

Disney clearly did not care about these Starcruiser CM's as much as they should have. I think that's one of the reasons why the thing failed so badly and so quickly.

In other news... I hope we've all been flossing!

I have to say not once when on Starcruiser did I think the uniform for the ship services cast members was an issue. On one hand I think they worked well as they were easily identifiable amongst a sea of guests wearing all types of different outfits from full on cosplay to t-shirt and jeans whilst at the same time they could quite easily stand to the side when not busy and not look out of place.

Perhaps some roles could have had a more bespoke uniform however my understanding was that most roles on the GSC were multifunctional. By nature of this being a small experience the cast could be working in the dining room, the shop, tidying the common areas, organising the transport to Battu, manning the guest services desk... I certainly saw some cast members doing 3 or 4 roles in one day. The only person I saw in a specific location was the Sublight Lounge bar staff. The Tokyo Disneyland costumes look great but these Cast Members were doing more physical work than just checking in and greeting guests and needed a uniform that would allow that.

Finally, I am assuming but please correct me you never went on GSC? As I don't think you can comment on how the cast were trained if you haven't? Off the top of my head the bartender could tell us the backstory for each drink, remembered our names and greeted us the next two times we entered, during lunch we were approached at the table to have a table cleared, asked if we wanted any more (free non-alcoholic) drinks brought to the table, asked about our characters, had conversations about what planet the cast were from, around the ship cast would approach to take an empty glass out of your hand if you were getting involved in a story moment, they all got involved in group story moments in the dining room or atrium, they played along when stuff was going on around them in the common areas, I never saw one piece of litter around the ship when the common areas are in effect one massive playground, everything was spotless. This wasn't a group of cast members who were kicking back and taking it easy.

From my experiences I'm honestly not sure what more the ship services cast could have done. If anything I think the main reason the experience was so well received (once you have been on it) was best the cast were consistently amazing. I'm not someone who can take too much of the fake happiness you get in WDW (I'm European...) and for whatever reason I didn't get any of that vibe on the Starcruiser.

 

[pdude81]

I have to say not once when on Starcruiser did I think the uniform for the ship services cast members was an issue. On one hand I think they worked well as they were easily identifiable amongst a sea of guests wearing all types of different outfits from full on cosplay to t-shirt and jeans whilst at the same time they could quite easily stand to the side when not busy and not look out of place.

Perhaps some roles could have had a more bespoke uniform however my understanding was that most roles on the GSC were multifunctional. By nature of this being a small experience the cast could be working in the dining room, the shop, tidying the common areas, organising the transport to Battu, manning the guest services desk... I certainly saw some cast members doing 3 or 4 roles in one day. The only person I saw in a specific location was the Sublight Lounge bar staff. The Tokyo Disneyland costumes look great but these Cast Members were doing more physical work than just checking in and greeting guests and needed a uniform that would allow that.

Finally, I am assuming but please correct me you never went on GSC? As I don't think you can comment on how the cast were trained if you haven't? Off the top of my head the bartender could tell us the backstory for each drink, remembered our names and greeted us the next two times we entered, during lunch we were approached at the table to have a table cleared, asked if we wanted any more (free non-alcoholic) drinks brought to the table, asked about our characters, had conversations about what planet the cast were from, around the ship cast would approach to take an empty glass out of your hand if you were getting involved in a story moment, they all got involved in group story moments in the dining room or atrium, they played along when stuff was going on around them in the common areas, I never saw one piece of litter around the ship when the common areas are in effect one massive playground, everything was spotless. This wasn't a group of cast members who were kicking back and taking it easy.

From my experiences I'm honestly not sure what more the ship services cast could have done. If anything I think the main reason the experience was so well received (once you have been on it) was best the cast were consistently amazing. I'm not someone who can take too much of the fake happiness you get in WDW (I'm European...) and for whatever reason I didn't get any of that vibe on the Starcruiser.

I don't remember there being flashy uniforms on any other cruise ship I've been on.

 

[GimpYancIent]

Regardless of reviews, pictures, videos and experience commentary the bottom line that is glaring / most impactful is bookings. People spoke with their wallets and use of their time with the Star Cruiser experience dropping to the bottom of things to do. It was not sustainable long term, mostly due to pricing which even the most glowing reviews stated it was pricey, and now it is history. Of interest for the future is what will happen to the derelict structure?

 

[ᗩLᘿᑕ ✨ ᗩζᗩᗰ]

How many guest stay rooms could they theoretically fit into the current Dinning Hall?

 

[cjkeating]

How many guest stay rooms could they theoretically fit into the current Dinning Hall?

Unsure but with 100 rooms sleeping mostly 4 or 5 and a few larger suites and assuming the rooms are never all full I’d expect it can seat 200 comfortably with room for more as required. Remember there was 2 dinner sittings each evening.

 

[dreamfinder912]

Unsure but with 100 rooms sleeping mostly 4 or 5 and a few larger suites and assuming the rooms are never all full I’d expect it can seat 200 comfortably with room for more as required. Remember there was 2 dinner sittings each evening.

200 seems about right. The atrium has a capacity of 400ish. I want to say 414 but I can't remember why that number comes to mind. Each cabin can't be full. There were people in the last few cruises who tried to add another name to their reservation, like a third or fourth to their cabin and couldn't because the ship overall was already at capacity.

 

[TP2000]

Josh D'Amaro just went on CNBC this weekend to explain that the reason Galactic Starcruiser was a giant failure was because the customers simply didn't understand it. We were all simply too stupid to understand their vision and their brilliance with the Galactic Starcruiser.

“It was difficult to explain to the public. I think it was incredibly brave for us to move into this space. And this, to me, says Imagineering is still at its best today.” - Josh D'Amaro discussing Galactic Starcruiser on CNBC, April 7th 2024

If only we understood it all. If only we listened to them, and rewatched the marketing videos with Ann Morrow and that young man from The Goldbergs several more times, we could have understood their brilliance and Imagineering prowess.

It's not them, it's us. We're the problem. Let's just hope that Mr. D'Amaro and the WDI team gives us all a second chance to redeem ourselves. Can all of us lifelong Disney fans please commit to trying harder? We owe it to them, apparently.

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/04/07/disney-parks-are-its-top-money-maker-its-spending-to-keep-it-that-way.html

 

[rd805]

Josh D'Amaro just went on CNBC this weekend to explain that the reason Galactic Starcruiser was a giant failure was because the customers simply didn't understand it. We were all simply too stupid to understand their vision and their brilliance with the Galactic Starcruiser.

“It was difficult to explain to the public. I think it was incredibly brave for us to move into this space. And this, to me, says Imagineering is still at its best today.” - Josh D'Amaro discussing Galactic Starcruiser on CNBC, April 7th 2024

If only we understood it all. If only we listened to them, and rewatched the marketing videos with Ann Morrow and that young man from The Goldbergs several more times, we could have understood their brilliance and Imagineering prowess.

It's not them, it's us. We're the problem. Let's just hope that Mr. D'Amaro and the WDI team gives us all a second chance to redeem ourselves. Can all of us lifelong Disney fans please commit to trying harder? We owe it to them, apparently.

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/04/07/disney-parks-are-its-top-money-maker-its-spending-to-keep-it-that-way.html

had nothing to do with the cost, right Josh? lol

 

[Andrew C]

Josh D'Amaro just went on CNBC this weekend to explain that the reason Galactic Starcruiser was a giant failure was because the customers simply didn't understand it. We were all simply too stupid to understand their vision and their brilliance with the Galactic Starcruiser.

“It was difficult to explain to the public. I think it was incredibly brave for us to move into this space. And this, to me, says Imagineering is still at its best today.” - Josh D'Amaro discussing Galactic Starcruiser on CNBC, April 7th 2024

If only we understood it all. If only we listened to them, and rewatched the marketing videos with Ann Morrow and that young man from The Goldbergs several more times, we could have understood their brilliance and Imagineering prowess.

It's not them, it's us. We're the problem. Let's just hope that Mr. D'Amaro and the WDI team gives us all a second chance to redeem ourselves. Can all of us lifelong Disney fans please commit to trying harder? We owe it to them, apparently.

https://www.cnbc.com/2024/04/07/disney-parks-are-its-top-money-maker-its-spending-to-keep-it-that-way.html