News Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser coming to Walt Disney World 2021

[nickys]

Nobody seems to be asking the most important question, will the rooms have AC?

Careful now. We don't want to open another can of worms and make @The Mom mad.

Although this thread is in danger of getting badly de-railed already, so why not! It would have to be a special sort of air conditioning to work on a space ship though, not you run-of-the-mill type of a/c. Don't want to break the immersion by having air con units everywhere.

 

[GoofGoof]

The cell phone debate is over. Nobody with any level of insider knowledge has implied that they are even considering not allowing cell phones. One poster suggested it would ruin the immersion. If that’s true, be prepared to have your immersion ruined. Same goes for cameras (which for a lot of people are also phones).

Ignoring the “cell phone” kerflufle for now because it’s a canard, but on the point of immersion and the overall design of the resort...

Taking into account the WDI info we’ve seen leak on the bootstrap immersion experiences that they’ve been playtesting and designing, along with the Research papers on dynamic story adjustment options driven by a “dungeon master” gaming engine, I just can’t buy that this is not an immersive environment in its own right - more equivalent to a boutique park than a hotel.

The resorts as they stand are fancy places to sleep - not designed to spend *inordinate* amounts of time in. Wilderness Lodge - though I’ve never stayed there - is still my favorite resort to soak in. That said, there’s not enough to do there to entice me away from hopping a bus back to MK after grabbing lunch and enjoying the atmosphere for an hour or so. Likewise, I’ve never spent more than a half day at most in my home resort with the parks nearby and a park hopper for the day on my wrist.

But this environment isn’t a hotel - it’s an experience. From every official detail we’ve seen leaked, presented at trade conferences or passed along from insiders, it’s not a hotel in the strictest sense of the word. Sleeping is not the primary function of its construction.

The Star Wars Resort is the mythologized 5th Gate. Comparing its potential amenities to Contemporary is the wrong frame of reference IMHO.

I agree this is going to be a different animal than any other existing WDW resort.

We all may be reading a little too much into the concept art and released information.

From the front page:
According to a post on the official Disney Parks Blog, "This location will allow the experience to be seamlessly connected to the highly-anticipated Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, enabling guests to fully immerse themselves in the story of Star Wars."

Information on the new resort is scarce, but Disney says "Families visiting this destination will board a starship that comes alive with characters and stories that unfold all around them during their voyage through the galaxy – and every cabin window has views of space! Guests visiting the multi-day adventure will also be welcome to participate as a resident of the Galaxy by dressing in Star Wars-inspired attire."

A lot of people are reading into that and assuming it will be a 24/7 type experience, but just because they offer the ability to experience stories doesn’t necessarily mean that you will be dedicated to that all day during your stay. They could still utilize all of the technology that was leaked but apply it to several 1 or 2 hour experiences vs a continuous story line. I think it will be extremely difficult to maintain a continuous plot. It would be really cool to experience but everyone involved would need to buy in. If someone who plays a key role decides to bail and visit Mickey at MK then the story has a hole. It’s much easier to get the participants to agree to be part of a finite story or several stories throughout the day. Maybe 2 hour stories that start at 9am, noon, 6pm and 10pm. The first 3 could begin with or include a meal and the 10pm story could be more adult oriented. I’m not talking Westworld adult oriented but perhaps no kids under 16 and the story has more advanced plot lines. Depending on how many rooms there are they may also need to break people into smaller groups too. If the story involves helping Ackbar defend against a star Destroyer attack (like concept art below) you can’t have 100 people crammed on the bridge.

We also know some of the stories will probably involve guests going into Galxies Edge to do something. They wouldn’t want a pack of 100+ people going there at the same time to perform a task. I think small groups work best. Maybe each experience is offered multiple times a day and you sign up for which one you want to do.

I have no inside info on this, but I just think it will be difficult to pull off the continuous story for all guests. Even if they break it into several available stories a day it’s still way more immersive than any other hotel.

 

[danlb_2000]

Not only do I not believe they would ban phones, I would not be the least bit surprised if the provided an app that is part of the experience.

 

[imarc]

Not only do I not believe they would ban phones, I would not be the least bit surprised if the provided an app that is part of the experience.

Clearly an app that turns your phone into a tricorder... for full immersion.

 

[GoofGoof]

Clearly an app that turns your phone into a tricorder... for full immersion.

That’s Trek...not Wars. If we are crossing IPs I hope they add those food replicators from Star Trek to the rooms. That would be cool.

 

[Maerj]

Not only do I not believe they would ban phones, I would not be the least bit surprised if the provided an app that is part of the experience.

Exactly. I think that the people will be able to choose the level of immersion that they are comfortable with. If you want to use your cell phones, fine. If you don't want to dress up in costumes, great. But if you do, the option will be there. They can't force you to participate if you don't want to.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Clearly an app that turns your phone into a tricorder... for full immersion.

vader's disappointed

 

[jakeman]

That's not a joke.

It's my job to empower those around me to do their jobs and collate the results of their work to my superiors.

If I've done such a bad job at managing that my subordinates can't function for a week and my superiors can't go that length of time without an update and neither party can work through a temporary crisis, then I'm not doing my job.

 

[flynnibus]

A lot of people are reading into that and assuming it will be a 24/7 type experience, but just because they offer the ability to experience stories doesn’t necessarily mean that you will be dedicated to that all day during your stay. They could still utilize all of the technology that was leaked but apply it to several 1 or 2 hour experiences vs a continuous story line. I think it will be extremely difficult to maintain a continuous plot. It would be really cool to experience but everyone involved would need to buy in. If someone who plays a key role decides to bail and visit Mickey at MK then the story has a hole. It’s much easier to get the participants to agree to be part of a finite story or several stories throughout the day. Maybe 2 hour stories that start at 9am, noon, 6pm and 10pm. The first 3 could begin with or include a meal and the 10pm story could be more adult oriented. I’m not talking Westworld adult oriented but perhaps no kids under 16 and the story has more advanced plot lines. Depending on how many rooms there are they may also need to break people into smaller groups too. If the story involves helping Ackbar defend against a star Destroyer attack (like concept art below) you can’t have 100 people crammed on the bridge.

Again.. the cruise analogy fits. It's a captive environment, with lots of options available to you to participate in throughout the day. Just because it's a 4 day cruise, doesn't mean it's 4 day long activities. But the friends you made on day 1... can circle back to you throughout the cruise. So imagine short adventures/stories... that can be pieces or tangents off a longer story arc.. and accomplishments or elements may 'follow you' throughout. So you have an experience that isn't just 15 different things over 3 days... but a continuity over multiple days made up of possible optional tangents, but held together by a larger story framework.

All people need to think about is the things like the interactive games done in the parks.. or on the ships. Those are examples of elements where people may go in and out freely of the game.

Then think about large scale elements.. like imagine being at dinner and a major piece of the story develops while at dinner as part of the show. There, a large amount of people can be 'shown' the piece at the same time.. and other large groups can be served the same thing without conflict but at a slightly different time. (again, think the two shifts like you have on rotational dining).

Disney was very clear they knew they needed to offer the ability for people to engaged or disengage to the level of THEIR comfort. It's not some dinner show that never lets up over the full duration.

 

[imarc]

Well that joke didn't go over well.

 

[GoofGoof]

Again.. the cruise analogy fits. It's a captive environment, with lots of options available to you to participate in throughout the day. Just because it's a 4 day cruise, doesn't mean it's 4 day long activities. But the friends you made on day 1... can circle back to you throughout the cruise. So imagine short adventures/stories... that can be pieces or tangents off a longer story arc.. and accomplishments or elements may 'follow you' throughout. So you have an experience that isn't just 15 different things over 3 days... but a continuity over multiple days made up of possible optional tangents, but held together by a larger story framework.

All people need to think about is the things like the interactive games done in the parks.. or on the ships. Those are examples of elements where people may go in and out freely of the game.

Then think about large scale elements.. like imagine being at dinner and a major piece of the story develops while at dinner as part of the show. There, a large amount of people can be 'shown' the piece at the same time.. and other large groups can be served the same thing without conflict but at a slightly different time. (again, think the two shifts like you have on rotational dining).

Disney was very clear they knew they needed to offer the ability for people to engaged or disengage to the level of THEIR comfort. It's not some dinner show that never lets up over the full duration.

I think we are both saying basically the same thing. It seemed from posts here that a lot of people were thinking of this more in terms of a multi-day experience that starts at check-in and ends at check-out. One long story with a beginning and an ending. They would need to make it possible for people to come and go at different times since everyone won’t check in and check out on the same day. There will be an overarching theme of being on a space station in the SW Universe, but where our opinion’s differ is I think the individual “stories” that unfold would have to be more of a series of one offs than part of a multi-day plot line. They may share certain elements or characters but for example, you can’t have a story on Wednesday based on information you would have gained during a story on Tuesday since not all guests would have been at the resort on Tuesday. Same day might be possible.

 

[nickys]

I thoug

I think we are both saying basically the same thing. It seemed from posts here that a lot of people were thinking of this more in terms of a multi-day experience that starts at check-in and ends at check-out. One long story with a beginning and an ending. They would need to make it possible for people to come and go at different times since everyone won’t check in and check out on the same day. There will be an overarching theme of being on a space station in the SW Universe, but where our opinion’s differ is I think the individual “stories” that unfold would have to be more of a series of one offs than part of a multi-day plot line. They may share certain elements or characters but for example, you can’t have a story on Wednesday based on information you would have gained during a story on Tuesday since not all guests would have been at the resort on Tuesday. Same day might be possible.

I thought it was the case that everyone would check in and out at the same time. Like a cruise. That's been the suggestion right from the beginning.

 

[flynnibus]

I think we are both saying basically the same thing. It seemed from posts here that a lot of people were thinking of this more in terms of a multi-day experience that starts at check-in and ends at check-out. One long story with a beginning and an ending. They would need to make it possible for people to come and go at different times since everyone won’t check in and check out on the same day. There will be an overarching theme of being on a space station in the SW Universe, but where our opinion’s differ is I think the individual “stories” that unfold would have to be more of a series of one offs than part of a multi-day plot line. They may share certain elements or characters but for example, you can’t have a story on Wednesday based on information you would have gained during a story on Tuesday since not all guests would have been at the resort on Tuesday. Same day might be possible.

We start together.. and then diverge. I do think this will be an experience that starts at check-in and ends at check-out - by 'coming and going' I mean enaging or not INSIDE the experience. Not heading off to the MK, etc. Anyone who does that is missing the point and is better off hoping for an All-Stars Star Wars Edition hotel.

And if you wanted a fixed start/end type experience WAS one of the topics Disney was surveying guests over. So the idea of 'not all guests would have been at the resort' is tied to that model. If you are part of a wave of guests that are all sync'd... you can do that, and people will have more.. or some will have less... depending how much they engage.

At the time it seemed like the 'set length, everyone sync'd' model was the pitch... but they were weighing those points with their focus groups and survey respondents. To see if they would be interested and based on all that.. what they'd be willing to pay.

The survey that went out (and what is made this public in the first place) was heavily focused on gauging customer willingness to pay and interest in certain elements.

 

[21stamps]

We start together.. and then diverge. I do think this will be an experience that starts at check-in and ends at check-out - by 'coming and going' I mean enaging or not INSIDE the experience. Not heading off to the MK, etc. Anyone who does that is missing the point and is better off hoping for an All-Stars Star Wars Edition hotel.

And if you wanted a fixed start/end type experience WAS one of the topics Disney was surveying guests over. So the idea of 'not all guests would have been at the resort' is tied to that model. If you are part of a wave of guests that are all sync'd... you can do that, and people will have more.. or some will have less... depending how much they engage.

At the time it seemed like the 'set length, everyone sync'd' model was the pitch... but they were weighing those points with their focus groups and survey respondents. To see if they would be interested and based on all that.. what they'd be willing to pay.

The survey that went out (and what is made this public in the first place) was heavily focused on gauging customer willingness to pay and interest in certain elements.

No one will see or step outside for whatever length of stay is determined?

 

[MisterPenguin]

No one will see or step outside for whatever length of stay is determined?

Probably. It's not a hotel, it's a two-day LARP.

 

[GlacierGlacier]

That’s Trek...not Wars. If we are crossing IPs I hope they add those food replicators from Star Trek to the rooms. That would be cool.

*Woooosh*

 

[GoofGoof]

I thoug


I thought it was the case that everyone would check in and out at the same time. Like a cruise. That's been the suggestion right from the beginning.

We start together.. and then diverge. I do think this will be an experience that starts at check-in and ends at check-out - by 'coming and going' I mean enaging or not INSIDE the experience. Not heading off to the MK, etc. Anyone who does that is missing the point and is better off hoping for an All-Stars Star Wars Edition hotel.

And if you wanted a fixed start/end type experience WAS one of the topics Disney was surveying guests over. So the idea of 'not all guests would have been at the resort' is tied to that model. If you are part of a wave of guests that are all sync'd... you can do that, and people will have more.. or some will have less... depending how much they engage.

At the time it seemed like the 'set length, everyone sync'd' model was the pitch... but they were weighing those points with their focus groups and survey respondents. To see if they would be interested and based on all that.. what they'd be willing to pay.

The survey that went out (and what is made this public in the first place) was heavily focused on gauging customer willingness to pay and interest in certain elements.

Probably. It's not a hotel, it's a two-day LARP.

I hadn’t heard that they decided on a set number of days and that everyone would check-in and check-out at the same time. I guess that would solve the problem of continuing the story over multiple days.

 

[danlb_2000]

No one will see or step outside for whatever length of stay is determined?

Even if they were considering going this path I personally can't see them doing that.

 

[GoofGoof]

Even if they were considering going this path I personally can't see them doing that.

At a minimum you will be allowed into Galaxy’s Edge.

If this is the model they decided on I’m surprised they didn’t just build it as a cruise ship. Then they could move it around to different ports.

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

Conceptually....an interesting idea.

If I'm going just with the Mrs..... or a few friends......yeah....sounds interesting. I'm trying to reconcile this with taking the kids. Here's how I think the conversation will go.

Me: Good news baby..we're going back to Disney for (length of stay undetermined)

5 Y/O Daughter: (Smiles and Giggles) Great!...Can we go to Boneyard and Eat Breakfast with Stitch..and go to the Magic Kingdom?

Me: Well honey it's not going to be that kind of trip.

5 Y/O Daughter: (Confused look)...huh? (muttered under her breath)

Me: Yeah honey we're going to a new hotel. It's Star Wars. You like Star Wars. You've seen it on the Disney Chanel and we watched the movie at home.

5 Y/O Daughter: (Smiles and Giggles) Oh yeah!....but can we go to the Magic Kingdom and have dinner at the Beauty and Beast Restaurant.

Me: No honey. Once we check into the hotel....we're not allowed to leave.

5 Y/O Daughter: You mean like jail?