News Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser coming to Walt Disney World 2021

[JMcMahonEsq]

Not a single WDW hotel is worth the current price, and I’ve stayed at all those built before AoA and absolutely love AKL, Beach (although it’s really declined), and Orleans.

Is that coming from the vast number of empty rooms that are sitting unreserved at WDW?

Seriously statements like this without any data or support are just meaningless. Hotel rooms and Disney products are not commodity’s on an exchange with a set market value. The hotels and experiences are “worth” whatever the market will bear, and whatever people will pay. YOU might not find value in on site properties right now as compared to cost. But if they are selling, it means the market does. And in the end that makes the hotels “worth” the price right now objectively, even if it’s against someone’s personal opinion

 

[LovePop]

I know there is a lot of frustration around Disney and their upcharging + lessening of product and service; however, I genuinely don't think that they would be charging what they are charging if this experience isn't going to be operating at a high caliber (immersion, roleplaying, food/beverage, performance, etc, etc).

Disney has made recent decisions that aren't favorable or are flat out terrible, but the pricing on this experience means it has to deliver, even if its only for the first few months to attain favorable reviews. Disney World DOES know how to do resort hotels. And I'm willing to bet that, despite the terrible marketing, this experience will deliver (or will eventually deliver) something that reflects the asking price.

Otherwise...and I don't have to tell you all, guests will gladly have at 'em with their thoughts.

"Disney World DOES know how to do resort hotels." That is completely true. However, Disney has never pulled a promo video about a hotel (or cruise) due to bad reception before. And then, they didn't do a better promo to replace the pulled one, and then they put out a even cheaper promo with the girl and the ipad, and then they avoid mentioning the hotel in the TV commercial that they promised they would mention.

Disney has done well in immersion, food, and performance, but by the efforts of the entire WDW. That is, you go enjoy a character meal at GF, or a show at DHS, or enjoy the feel of Tomorrowland, which is accomplished by different hotels, restaurants, and parks. Disney has never tried to do it all in a small space 24/7. And Disney has only done role playing briefly, in Galaxy's Edge, that ended up in failure, so there is no evidence to believe that Disney will be any good at role playing. The role playing will mostly be done by 58 young people from the Disney College program, the same people who serves food at the Pop Century food court, people with no previous acting experience or intentions.

 

[LovePop]

Is that coming from the vast number of empty rooms that are sitting unreserved at WDW?

Seriously statements like this without any data or support are just meaningless. Hotel rooms and Disney products are not commodity’s on an exchange with a set market value. The hotels and experiences are “worth” whatever the market will bear, and whatever people will pay. YOU might not find value in on site properties right now as compared to cost. But if they are selling, it means the market does. And in the end that makes the hotels “worth” the price right now objectively, even if it’s against someone’s personal opinion

They must be having a "vast number of empty rooms that are sitting unreserved at WDW" right now because they just dropped a resort discount yesterday that tied up the website so much you have to wait an hour. I waited an hour and saved $1260 for my next trip! Now I just hope I don't have to cancel it due to virus.

 

[CaptinEO]

Remember when they said that GE was going to have droids and characters running around? If we are to use GE as any proof of how that turned out, I expect to see a quarter of the amount of what is shown in the concept art for this. There really isn't much in GE sans a few stormtroopers and Rey and Chewie. There is no way that this experience will have more than that.

Yep! I was never a skeptical person with Disney until GE and the 5 years of promises that turned out to be nothing.

This has all the same warning signs of GE, including relying on concept art only a few months before opening.

 

[larryz]

In keeping with the Star Wars theme there is always hope.

Ask the Georgia football team about Hope...

 

[LovePop]

I still say that the biggest problem for the Starcruiser is that its cheapest room costs as much as the most expensive, presidential suite of the Poly, which also includes concierge food all day.

"The King Kamehameha Presidential Suite is a two-story beauty with two bedrooms, two and a half baths, a great room, a service kitchen, and hardwood flooring with tropical area rugs throughout, at 1,863 square feet. The master balcony has views of the castle, lagoon, and marina."

So the Poly can only sell one presidential suite while the Starcuriser can sell a 100 tiny rooms at the same price? Where is the customer base coming from?

 

[Cesar R M]

Not a single WDW hotel is worth the current price, and I’ve stayed at all those built before AoA and absolutely love AKL, Beach (although it’s really declined), and Orleans.

Ironically.... the next day you wrote this.. "discounts" for the hotels were announced.
With 20%, 15% and 10% reductions for Deluxe, Moderate and Values.
It's more hilarious when you read between the lines where the discounts are approximately between 50 to 100$ per day for Deluxe, 20 to 25$ for moderates and 5$ for values per day.

 

[Cesar R M]

We just stayed at Riviera. Beautiful DVC resort. We enjoyed it. Did you all know that it was announced at or around the same time as Tron and Guardians rides? 2017. Riviera was completed in 1 1/2 to 2 years. It's going on 5 years and Disney can't even complete a single ride between Tron and Guardians. Seriously. ***??? A ride takes longer than a hotel, several restaurants, skyliner, etc.?????

Speaking of the Rivera.. the more I see pictures of it, the less it seems to fit with the "Rivera" looks.
They just slapped that and called it a day.

 

[larryz]

Ironically.... the next day you wrote this.. "discounts" for the hotels were announced.
With 20%, 15% and 10% reductions for Deluxe, Moderate and Values.
It's more hilarious when you read between the lines where the discounts are approximately between 50 to 100$ per day for Deluxe, 20 to 25$ for moderates and 5$ for values per day.

It's ok, because they'll make those discounts back in the overnight parking fees.

 

[mightynine]

Ask the Georgia football team about Hope...

I wasn’t expecting a WDWMagic/SEC Shorts crossover….

 

[larryz]

I wasn’t expecting a WDWMagic/SEC Shorts crossover….

 

[M:SpilotISTC12]

How many times have you been to GE? I don’t think I have ever been to GE on either coast (thought to fair all my experience except 2 are in WDW) when I haven’t seen or interacted with characters. Storm troopers, Rey, chewie, Kilo Ren. Hell even in merchandise shops I have had CM’s not breaking character when selling items or soda grenades. Is it like being in a LARP, no, but those character interactions have occurred every time I was there.

I've been to both coasts. FL pre-pandemic and post and DL last month.

I'm talking more or less about seeing Star wars characters or aliens within the crowd adding to the realism of the land. Seems opposite of the hotel concept art. The hotel art shows a lot of characters and Droids. Saw more in FL than CA but it was a couple stormtroopers and Chewie and Rey. Spent a good 3 hours in the land each time. Saw more from a far than mingling among the crowd even pre-pandemic. DL was just stormtroopers mingling in the crowd.

My point is it wasn't an overwhelming amount of star wars type characters (Not talking CMs at the shops and soda stands in character). The hotel needs a lot of characters and/or Droid within the crowd to make it feel real. Otherwise it looks a sterile space asylym.

 

[orion54]

Speaking of the Rivera.. the more I see pictures of it, the less it seems to fit with the "Rivera" looks.
They just slapped that and called it a day.

Very true but yet still completed before Tron and Guardians. Seriously, Disney thinks attractions are a 5 to 10 year event apparently. Maybe they shouldn't have chased away so many engineering and design people to Universal.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Very true but yet still completed before Tron and Guardians. Seriously, Disney thinks attractions are a 5 to 10 year event apparently. Maybe they shouldn't have chased away so many engineering and design people to Universal.

Universal let go a bunch of their engineers due to the pandemic. There numbers didn't go up taking on everyone let go by Disney.

 

[orion54]

Universal let go a bunch of their engineers due to the pandemic. There numbers didn't go up taking on everyone let go by Disney.

I'm talking back over the years before the pandemic.

 

[mergatroid]

I still say that the biggest problem for the Starcruiser is that its cheapest room costs as much as the most expensive, presidential suite of the Poly, which also includes concierge food all day.

"The King Kamehameha Presidential Suite is a two-story beauty with two bedrooms, two and a half baths, a great room, a service kitchen, and hardwood flooring with tropical area rugs throughout, at 1,863 square feet. The master balcony has views of the castle, lagoon, and marina."

So the Poly can only sell one presidential suite while the Starcuriser can sell a 100 tiny rooms at the same price? Where is the customer base coming from?

I'm guessing those that hire the Presidential suite at the Poly are doing so for the view, the luxury and the location near the MK. They're paying for the quality of the room itself. These are very likely rich people who want the best and don't mind paying.

I'm guessing those that go to Starcruiser are Star Wars fans who want an experience rather than a luxury room. Many of them probably wouldn't stay in the Presidential Suite at the Poly but will pay for the Starcruiser because they're hoping to enjoy the role play rather than the 'luxury' of the hotel. Again just a guess but I think it's two different markets being tapped here.

 

[TP2000]

Yep! I was never a skeptical person with Disney until GE and the 5 years of promises that turned out to be nothing.

This has all the same warning signs of GE, including relying on concept art only a few months before opening.

When the real thing looks like a Hampton Inn, you should probably go with the concept art.

This hotel was supposed to open last year. Either there really is some great interiors yet to be seen, or the Hampton Inn elevator lobby and Star Trek III knock-off bridge they chose to show on national TV really is about as good as it gets.

What I wonder is how much panic the Captain Keevan reaction created? Was she going to be a hologram in the lobby as concept art suggested? And now that everyone puked over the thought of Kathleen Kennedy injecting herself into the hotel as a smirky Karen who is supposed to be the "captain", do they try and change her image elsewhere?

Or is it too late for these types of changes, and all they can do now is get ready to comp a bunch of cocktails and swag to the angry and underwhelmed customers arriving seven weeks from now?

 

[TP2000]

So for those who stated that the cancellations were not really a thing, did anyone check out the blogmickey site today? They had some pretty clear evidence there are plenty of cancellations.

The availability on December 14th, as their cringey pre-opening videos were ciculating around the Internet...

And then here is the availability for those months as of January 6th...

Now, I think that one other blogger who apparently flunked high school statistics who claimed that this proves that "50%" of reservations had been cancelled is still very wrong. We don't know if these dates are now open because 15% of people cancelled and there's a few new reservations open, or if 50% of people cancelled and the hotel is only half full this year for Easter vacation.

But what is readily apparent is that there have been noticeable cancellations. That's not a good sign.

Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Availability Nearly Wide Open One Month After Opening

Walt Disney World news, photos, and reviews! We provide you with daily news from the Walt Disney World theme parks and beyond

blogmickey.com

 

[matt9112]

So for those who stated that the cancellations were not really a thing, did anyone check out the blogmickey site today? They had some pretty clear evidence there are plenty of cancellations.

The availability on December 14th, as their cringey pre-opening videos were ciculating around the Internet...

And then here is the availability for those months as of January 6th...

Now, I think that one other blogger who apparently flunked high school statistics who claimed that this proves that "50%" of reservations had been cancelled is still very wrong. We don't know if these dates are now open because 15% of people cancelled and there's a few new reservations open, or if 50% of people cancelled and the hotel is only half full this year for Easter vacation.

But what is readily apparent is that there have been noticeable cancellations. That's not a good sign.

Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Availability Nearly Wide Open One Month After Opening

Walt Disney World news, photos, and reviews! We provide you with daily news from the Walt Disney World theme parks and beyond

blogmickey.com

I agree. The truth is somewhere in the middle. Obviously theres statistically no way each one of these days are open by 1 or 2 reservations only as some here have suggested but its also clearly not half empty.

 

[CaptinEO]

When the real thing looks like a Hampton Inn, you should probably go with the concept art.

This hotel was supposed to open last year. Either there really is some great interiors yet to be seen, or the Hampton Inn elevator lobby and Star Trek III knock-off bridge they chose to show on national TV really is about as good as it gets.

What I wonder is how much panic the Captain Keevan reaction created? Was she going to be a hologram in the lobby as concept art suggested? And now that everyone puked over the thought of Kathleen Kennedy injecting herself into the hotel as a smirky Karen who is supposed to be the "captain", do they try and change her image elsewhere?

Or is it too late for these types of changes, and all they can do now is get ready to comp a bunch of cocktails and swag to the angry and underwhelmed customers arriving seven weeks from now?

I agree, it just looks like a standard hotel with weird 1960s military computers that don't look like Star Wars.

Lucasfilm is ran so poorly these days, as is Disney Parks. I don't know who's at fault but it's probably both. Neither of them understand the source material or fan base.

If you want to make your own scifi characters and story go ahead, but don't name it after another series it has little to do with.

A blue alien space captain that looks like a character out of Playhouse Disney from the early 2000s does nothing for me. She looks like a Super Star Limo Cast Member.

Stop labelling space fantasy as Star Wars. You can't make your own crap up and add a lightsaber and tell me its Star Wars now and that suddenly I'm supposed to care about it.