News Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser coming to Walt Disney World 2021

[flynnibus]

She introduces things so a wider audience can fully understand her point of view rather than rushing into it

The statement was "she needed four hours to comprehensively cover everything she observed (in one trip) " - The truth is, that's not the truth. Do you dispute the conflict in this statement?

. And provides a conclusion. Maybe you are a person who can't recognize that. If you don't need it, or want it, cool?

Mentioning tiktok hurt you that much? Did I ever say she didn't provide a conclusion?

Have you tried staying on point? Or is that generalizing when you keep responding to things that aren't there?

 

[celluloid]

The statement was "she needed four hours to comprehensively cover everything she observed (in one trip) " - The truth is, that's not the truth. Do you dispute the conflict in this statement?


Mentioning tiktok hurt you that much? Did I ever say she didn't provide a conclusion?

Have you tried staying on point? Or is that generalizing when you keep responding to things that aren't there?

Two things.

1. "She needed" was not said by me, but it is valid. She made the video. She took the time she wanted to discuss in detail that she felt fit to explain her experience. You can say you don't need to watch that much. That is fine.
Your critiqued her opening and closing durations.

Notice a pattern of a attacking the creator of the video has been everything you post? Like, if we re-read everything you post you blame her for being bad form.

There is a pattern of it is everyone else here when you post.

2nd. Mentioning tiktok generation does not hurt me at all. I was just pointing out how going back to generalizing like that just makes you come off as closed minded and hating again.

Are you here to tell us what she did or did not observe?

 

[flynnibus]

Two things.

1. "She needed" was not said by me, but it is valid. She made the video. She took the time she wanted to discuss in detail that she felt fit to explain her experience. You can say you don't need to watch that much. That is fine.
Your critiqued her opening and closing durations.

Again, stick to what was said - justifying it or not wasn't the discussion.

Notice a pattern of a attacking the creator of the video has been everything you post? Like, if we re-read everything you post you blame her for being bad form.

Maybe you should go back to the posts and re-read... because the pattern here is you responding to stuff you are pulling out of the air instead of what was actually said.

2nd. Mentioning tiktok generation does not hurt me at all. I was just pointing out how going back to generalizing like that just makes you come off as closed minded and hating again.

Funny... I'm the one pointing out the issues with the content by specifics... yet you are the one labeling with generalizations and then trying to say I'm the one generalizing?

Are you here to tell us what she did or did not observe?

Deju Vu.

You seem incapable of actually engaging on what was said vs whatever you seem to dream up. I'm not playing. EOL

 

[celluloid]

Again, stick to what was said - justifying it or not wasn't the discussion.

Maybe you should go back to the posts and re-read... because the pattern here is you responding to stuff you are pulling out of the air instead of what was actually said.

Funny... I'm the one pointing out the issues with the content by specifics... yet you are the one labeling with generalizations and then trying to say I'm the one generalizing?

Deju Vu.

You seem incapable of actually engaging on what was said vs whatever you seem to dream up. I'm not playing. EOL

Well. There. There it is.

It is not you, it is just...everyone else.

 

[_caleb]

Saying it shuttered because people did not "buy it" or get the value of it and that Disney shuttered it is not mutually exclusive to it not going forward into something else.

Right.

As far as your last sentence...these kinds of shows and things are typically a part of the theme park experience. And sadly were left out of Galaxy's Edge since day one.

I'm not talking about the aspects of the Starcruiser that are typically part of the theme park experience. I'm a regular parks visitor and participant on a WDW discussion board– you think I don't know what's typical to the theme park experience?

I'm talking about the elements of the Starcruiser that aren't typically part of the theme park experience, like the degree of gamification, interactivity, role-playing, etc. Surely you can recognize that there was something novel about what Disney did here.

Much of it was indeed rumored to have initially been planned for inclusion in Galaxy's Edge. I, for one, would like to see them follow through with that and implement them in the parks. Specifically, the "reputation score," some actual gamification, being sent on "missions" (beyond crate scanning) by characters, etc.

People are fine with the value of the theme parks in comparison, as they have worked for many decades.

Are they? Do tell! LOL.

Interactive immersive shows have also successfully existed for longer.

I'm aware of (and have experienced) some of these: mystery dinners, escape rooms, Medieval Times, MagiQuest, etc. Some that have lasted many years don't seem to be much better than this was in terms of quality. Perhaps lower pricing = lower expectations.

Disney knows what can work pretty well about it, they have done it in varying degrees in the parks, resorts and shows for a long time. What they know for now is the value proposition was not enough from the audience.

Oh, they've learned a whole lot more than that! If you watched Jenny's video, you'll know that she pointed to things like Phineas and Ferb's Showcase Adventure (2012), Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom (2012), A Pirate's Adventures: The Treasures of the Seven Seas (2013), and the Legends of Frontierland (2014) interactive games as being playtests for the Starcruiser. These were all included in park admission, but added a level of interactivity that was pretty innovative at the time. Those playtests must have revealed strong and broad appeal and high enough guest satisfaction that Disney thought they could charge a premium for an exclusive (and two-night) version themed to Star Wars.

But you'll notice the Starcruiser didn't include animated set pieces like those games featured. Seems like another strike against the Starcruiser.

For many decades the theme parks have had people meet characters, and explore stories in various intimate ways, including moments like Olivanders and building a light saber with great success.

Yes, the lightsaber build/ritual at Savi's workshop is one of the few interactive things that did make it into SW:GE, and it's a pretty big upcharge at $250!

When I was a kid, we were regulars at Knott's Berry Farm. Despite being the ugliest, least-convincing dummy I'd ever seen, Old Sad-Eye Joe in the ghost town jail somehow always knew my name. And that made a lasting memory!

In my opinion, the Starcruiser was a pretty big innovation in the same vein. It included a degree of complexity (technological, logistic, and storytelling) that hasn't really been done before on this scale and for general audiences. Maybe it was just ahead of its time, or maybe there just isn't the market for it. But I think Disney was on to something, and I'd like to see more of it down the road (at a lower cost, that is).

 

[flynnibus]

Maybe it was just ahead of its time, or maybe there just isn't the market for it. But I think Disney was on to something, and I'd like to see more of it down the road (at a lower cost, that is).

maybe the future should be something like shared resources.

Take for instance the dive experience at the living seas. This would never be feasible as a stand alone experience... but because it's something that can intercut with other assets... it's something that has lived on for decades while only a tiny fraction of WDW guests could ever actually experience it.

Imagine if there were a way to run starcruiser like events or sequences using shared infrastructure... but the special event elements brought a bunch of additional things that are exclusive to the event.

The tradeoff is always about opportunity cost of the shared infrastructure or asset... but maybe is a strategy to make more baby steps (almost a hybrid or extension of some of the prior playtests) vs trying a full stand-alone experience.

One thing we can count on... low volume or more exclusive = higher price. And people will pay if its something they want...

 

[_caleb]

maybe the future should be something like shared resources.

Take for instance the dive experience at the living seas. This would never be feasible as a stand alone experience... but because it's something that can intercut with other assets... it's something that has lived on for decades while only a tiny fraction of WDW guests could ever actually experience it.

Imagine if there were a way to run starcruiser like events or sequences using shared infrastructure... but the special event elements brought a bunch of additional things that are exclusive to the event.

The tradeoff is always about opportunity cost of the shared infrastructure or asset... but maybe is a strategy to make more baby steps (almost a hybrid or extension of some of the prior playtests) vs trying a full stand-alone experience.

One thing we can count on... low volume or more exclusive = higher price. And people will pay if its something they want...

Yes, I like the way you put that-- shared resources. In another thread (I think) I mentioned how much I like the Pirate Adventure scavenger hunt not only for its fun gameplay, but because if the ambience/kinetic energy its interactive set pieces bring to the land. Even those who aren't playing can appreciate those scenes, sounds, and effects.

Honestly, I could see this being a good way to get Starcruiser-like premium (paid) interactivity into SW:GE. People playing the game could run around on in-story missions, while everyone else enjoys watching them and/or the effects of their gameplay and interaction The Millennium Falcon's engines, droids moving through the land, audio cues, etc. And the whole thing would also serve as an advertisement for the game.

 

[MrPromey]

Really.. you see me literally quoting her verbatim... and you think I haven't watched the video? You may want to try a bit harder before you pull the trigger.


I think maybe you like her video because like her, you seem willing to talk authoritatively about something before you actually know (or possibly care..) that you are in fact wrong. So... birds of a feather?



I made the comment because so much of her 'brand' as you call it is incorporating styles, presentation, and language to appeal to a younger demo... while also not really having the same history with Disney as many other sources... and frankly she relies on connecting with people rather than making a piece of journalistic integrity or professional tone.


My god... instead of trying to look at things that 'kind of look alike' and thinking they are alike, try looking at what I'm basing my statements from. You will find the difference if you actually cared to try.

Sorry, being as how you hadn't yet updated your stance on not watching and were still whining about how you can't stand her, I mistakenly took that to mean you were still not watching and were instead, quoting from other posters since that is still what you were stuck on talking about.

After all, it's not like she's never come up on these forums before.

Sorry my mind reading wasn't up to your standards.

I realize you would be happier if she had stated "in my opinion" before everything she said that was an opinion (which was nearly all of it) but it's not like you do that much here, either so as for that "birds of a feather comment".

Also, I never said anything about her "brand". You're confusing me with someone else, completely.

And the reason I mistakenly got the impression you hadn't watched it still was mainly due to this in your post I was replying to:

I've not really heard any highlights from this video from posters here that make me go 'wow, that will be worth hours of my time'. And I'm the kind of person surrounded by bookshelves and watches dozens of hours of documentaries a week. I'm an information sponge. But I can't stomach someone who can't meaningfully differentiate between their opinions and actual assertive facts... nor one who doesn't know their own limits. And I certainly don't need hours of recap of history - I was already here.

So maybe instead of trying to pull a "gotcha" on me, try writing more clearly and/or honestly...

 

[MrPromey]

maybe the future should be something like shared resources.

Take for instance the dive experience at the living seas. This would never be feasible as a stand alone experience... but because it's something that can intercut with other assets... it's something that has lived on for decades while only a tiny fraction of WDW guests could ever actually experience it.

Imagine if there were a way to run starcruiser like events or sequences using shared infrastructure... but the special event elements brought a bunch of additional things that are exclusive to the event.

The tradeoff is always about opportunity cost of the shared infrastructure or asset... but maybe is a strategy to make more baby steps (almost a hybrid or extension of some of the prior playtests) vs trying a full stand-alone experience.

One thing we can count on... low volume or more exclusive = higher price. And people will pay if its something they want...

I really don't understand why they didn't do that with this from the start.

Maybe they thought they kind of were by dumping people in the park for a few hours as part of their stay but from the looks of it, there wasn't much exclusive hapening in the parks other than the qr code scanning and the ILL passes.

 

[cjkeating]

I honestly don't understand how she ended up in that booth for dinner.

a) those two booths (the one she was in and then the booth on the other side) are the worst seats in the house so likely were kept empty unless the ship was full
b) the booths are designed for a group, I'd guess 6 people and she was travelling in a 2 so not the matching table to party size
c) there was likely space on the main floor if they wanted to, my cruise was sold out and there was still plenty of space between tables, it wasn't a Disney Wish dining room situation

Honestly it feels like something I'd do to an annoying customer in some of the front line jobs I've had for my own personal amusement.

 

[rio]

Minus the 30mins of background recap... and nearly hour of her analysis at the end. And a massive portion of her experience recap is literally her just retelling about her stay. I mean a vast majority of the video is a video format Trip Report... not hours of analysis on Disney's good or bad. It's why I say it's not as great as everyone fawning over it is.. It's like trying to find a needle in a haystack to get to her actual points of substance.

I'm amazed the tiktok generation found anything in the videos. I guess her time markers save her and them...

You might want to learn about something called a subathon. Basically, viewers on Twitch will keep donating to a streamer to make them stay live. True people pop in and out of the stream, but there's a rather fanatical fanbase devoted to watching extended portions of them. Most of the viewers are Millenials/Gen Z, but Gen Z probably makes the majority. Ludwig's made the NYT for going for 31 days https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/18/style/ludwig-ahgren-twitch-livestream.html.

 

[flynnibus]

Yes, I like the way you put that-- shared resources. In another thread (I think) I mentioned how much I like the Pirate Adventure scavenger hunt not only for its fun gameplay, but because if the ambience/kinetic energy its interactive set pieces bring to the land. Even those who aren't playing can appreciate those scenes, sounds, and effects.

Honestly, I could see this being a good way to get Starcruiser-like premium (paid) interactivity into SW:GE. People playing the game could run around on in-story missions, while everyone else enjoys watching them and/or the effects of their gameplay and interaction The Millennium Falcon's engines, droids moving through the land, audio cues, etc. And the whole thing would also serve as an advertisement for the game.

I think what describe is a bit more line uni has done with the wands. Which imo has gotten to the point of distracting… but clearly it’s very successful for what it is and the target demo loves it.

I was thinking more along the lines of how do you get such investment of resources sustained… without trying to walmart the experience to pump thousands through? And that’s why i was thinking more along the lines of reuse of resources. Where for certain hours of the week a space is used differently… or staff run a different more personalized experience for a finite group, etc. how to scale down, but still be worthy, etc.

How tours are done is another parallel to this concept… obviously an interactive experience is not nearly as passive as a tour… but it’s an interesting concept to play with and think through what kinds of gaps or spaces could be used in this way…. Verse building a full separate facility you want to run full time.

 

[flynnibus]

So maybe instead of trying to pull a "gotcha" on me, try writing more clearly and/or honestly...

Here’s a thought… instead of trying to personally attack someone… stick to the content and you won’t have that problem.

 

[flynnibus]

I really don't understand why they didn't do that with this from the start.

Maybe they thought they kind of were by dumping people in the park for a few hours as part of their stay but from the looks of it, there wasn't much exclusive hapening in the parks other than the qr code scanning and the ILL passes.

I can see why someone would argue why going to sw:ge would be a ‘no brainer’ part of the experience… but honestly when that portion was revealed I was actually disappointed. It was too easy of a crutch and I thought it would be a significant break in the continuity of the environment being spun up for the experience.

And then when the actual unique elements were weak… it was a 1-2 punch.

When the concept was initially briefed to you… you could see this as s kind of experience you could have put anywhere… it didn’t need wdw next door. But what they did ultimately almost set themselves up for all the wrong guest expectations of it being a star wars hotel…, and forever were trying to get back out of the hole they dug themselves.

They fumbled the attempt at going full time experience… but i think many would agree they’ve been pretty successful with the few hour side adventure. Let’s hope they don’t give up and maybe find some happy inbetween.

Imagine being about to replace the part of someone’s vacation they spend now doing minigolf or a tour… with some awesome 8hr immersion experience.

 

[MrPromey]

Here’s a thought… instead of trying to personally attack someone… stick to the content and you won’t have that problem.

Wow, talk about, how did you put it? Oh, "birds of a feather"!

Your hypocrisy really does provide some unintended humor around here.


You ready to get back to the "content" now or do we want to keep talking about why you watched the video and then wanted to keep pretending you weren't going to in both threads?

Personally, I'm ready to move on but if you're enjoying this, we can continue.

 

[MrPromey]

I can see why someone would argue why going to sw:ge would be a ‘no brainer’ part of the experience… but honestly when that portion was revealed I was actually disappointed. It was too easy of a crutch and I thought it would be a significant break in the continuity of the environment being spun up for the experience.

And then when the actual unique elements were weak… it was a 1-2 punch.

When the concept was initially briefed to you… you could see this as s kind of experience you could have put anywhere… it didn’t need wdw next door. But what they did ultimately almost set themselves up for all the wrong guest expectations of it being a star wars hotel…, and forever were trying to get back out of the hole they dug themselves.

They fumbled the attempt at going full time experience… but i think many would agree they’ve been pretty successful with the few hour side adventure. Let’s hope they don’t give up and maybe find some happy inbetween.

Imagine being about to replace the part of someone’s vacation they spend now doing minigolf or a tour… with some awesome 8hr immersion experience.

I can understand that trying to do certain things in public mixed space might be difficult, especially with characters, since regular guests would be drawn to it but they could have converted a supply closet* in the park into some secret place you have to find - maybe that could have been what the QR code scanning got you, like an access code or "digital key" that let you have a surprise encounter.

Something really simple like that would have made the time in the park really tie into what was going on in the ship and even enhanced the "adventure" side of things by making it feel like more was actually going on around all these "clueless tourists".

I could see there being red tape for this - was the Starcruiser part of parks or resorts? If resorts, would they have had to lease a space from parks to allow this (?) - that sort of stuff but as a guest, nobody cares about the self-imposed issues Disney might create for themselves with organizational structure.

What you're describing seems like a more elaborate version of what Universal has (sort of) been trying with the themed escape rooms. In this case, a 6-8 hour experience including the dining would be really cool and would lend itself to a lot more things they could do.

Obviously, the fishbowl nature of it being a space ship made the idea of the Starcruiser an easier overnight thing to pull off than most stories but by ditching the stay they would:

• Elimiate scheduling challenges for the actors
• Eliminate the whole issue with rooms (so many headaches solved here)
• Be able to bring the price down, opening it to a much wider pool of guests (but still be able to attach premium pricing)
• Making it an easier sell for people not wanting to comit to two and a half days of something they're not sure they'll enjoy
• Be able to cycle a lot more guests through**
• Offer a much wider range of experiences with more than one running next to each other at the same facility
• Be able to swap out themes a lot more easially

I mean, hindsight is always clear but it's really hard to guess what they were doing with this from the start - creating something they couldn't duplicate, having something they (allegedly) knew wouldn't be profitable - like what was their end-game with it other than it being something flashy to show the world they were still capable of "innovating"?

If that last part was it, the closer casts a shadow over that effort.

It would be interesting if they could learn the lesson from this and do something like you're suggesting though. Something like that could be duplicated across all resorts worldwide, maybe even on cruise ships and in other tourst areas they don't have a full theme park presence in.

*or whatever - just a little spot behind a door somewhere.
**With a staggered start time, they might even be able to overlap groups depending on how it's setup.

 

[_caleb]

or staff run a different more personalized experience for a finite group, etc. how to scale down, but still be worthy, etc.

I mean, I'm really glad they don't, but they could easily charge for the pirate scavenger hunt. Charge a nominal fee, and you get to keep the treasure map and win a prize for completion. I know the set pieces cost some money, but I think those are literally run by one CM.

But you make a good point about how the wands at WWoHP can sometimes create traffic issues for those not participating. In my opinion, they need to add more wand-interactive things so there isn't a queue to do each of the few. It's not as fun to just take a turn making the thing do what you just watched others kids do a dozen times in a row. Also, many of those require CM babysitting.

I can understand that trying to do certain things in public mixed space might be difficult, especially with characters, since regular guests might be drawn to it but they could have converted a "supply" closet in the park into some secret place you have to find - maybe that could have been what the QR code scanning got you, like an access code or "digital key" that let you have a surprise encounter.

Yes, I think this sort of thing would be great--a secret room/lounge/booth at Oga's or a basement where rebels/resistance meet.

I was actually thinking that catwalks, balconies, and rooftops of SW:GE would be perfect for this (I know, they weren't designed for guest access). But if they were, the premium-access interactive experience could have that shared resource of energy, movement, and set pieces.

 

[TP2000]

I watched this video in its 4 hour entirety last night, after several people in the Disneyland forum raved about it and said I should. I fully expected to start skimming after a few minutes, but suddenly I looked up at the clock and an hour had already gone by. I was hooked. The video is very well done and fascinating. This young lady is sharp as heck!

So much has already been said about it, and there were so many parts that were new information to me, but one thing that absolutely infuriated me was...

Miss Nicholson's explanation of how at several times during her Starcruiser experience, the product she specifically paid for either failed or never arrived or was defective. And so she went through the approved channels via Guest Services or a 1-800 number to report the problem and ask for a fix or a refund. And she was repeatedly denied refunds or replacement merchandise after speaking to Disney customer service reps, reminded that she didn't read the fine print and thus Disney owes her nothing, or was simply ghosted by Disney over their own errors. Until... after exhausting all normal service solution options, she posted about the problem/defect on Twitter and then because she has a few hundred thousand followers suddenly a Disney rep was calling her personal cell phone to apologize and set up an immediate solution. That's utter crap on Disney's part!

The Disney reps contacting her via Twitter days/weeks after her problem was ignored by Disney's regular and traditional customer service channels were routinely gushingly polite, and suddenly went over and above to please her. She got a replacement droid sent to her via overnight FedEx with a bunch of free swag added, as one example.

She paid over $6,000 for a 2 day stay for her and her sister, and Disney could not, or would not, fix the obvious errors or broken merchandise during and after the cruise. But suddenly when she posts on Twitter with a high follower count, Disney assigns a personal shopper to her to send free replacements and love gifts to her.

If she was Jenny Nicholson a dentist from California on the Galactic Starcruiser with no Twitter account, she's SOL with Disney.
But once she notifies Disney she's Jenny Nicholson a blogger from California on the Galactic Starcruiser with 350,000 Twitter followers, Disney does a 180 and starts kissing her behind and reversing their prior customer service decisions?

This is unacceptable behavior and policy on Disney's part. If the massive failure of the Galactic Starcruiser proves anything, I'm glad it could prove that.

 

[TP2000]

For those concerned about the 4 hour run time on this video, I completely understand. When I heard this was a 4 hour review video, I laughed and thought "No way in hell...". And I'm retired and live a life of decadent relaxation.

But I'm glad I was convinced to watch it. That said, and especially because most of us here are already familiar with the Starcruiser concept and product overall, you can really get a good chunk of her overall thesis and sound reasoning just by watching the last 12 minutes of the video labeled "Part XX: You've Been Robbed".

I keyed it up here. Take 12 minutes and watch, and ponder our future as fans of "Disney" under this current leadership.

 

[brideck]

I can see why someone would argue why going to sw:ge would be a ‘no brainer’ part of the experience… but honestly when that portion was revealed I was actually disappointed. It was too easy of a crutch and I thought it would be a significant break in the continuity of the environment being spun up for the experience.

I actually really enjoyed the trip to Batuu part of the Starcruiser, even though I'd been to GE a couple times before. The cast in the park treated you differently when they saw that you were on a cruise, which helped keep the immersion of the experience.

On one of the other points, although I don't recall any cruiser-specific missions in GE where super-visible stuff happened (a la the various Epcot games over the past 20 years) there definitely were more that interacted with the environment. I distinctly remember ones where we interfered with the giant engine at Ronto Roasters and made something silly happen in the back room of the Toydarian's shop. Not sure if any of those have migrated into the standard GE missions now that the Starcruiser's gone or if they're just unused now.

It's also the only time that I've ridden Smuggler's Run and felt like the story mattered at all because they tied it in nicely to the plot unfolding on the ship.