News Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Permanently Closed Fall 2023

JoeCamel

JoeCamel

Well-Known Member
_caleb said:
Of course Bob claims to have "personally approved and reviewed" each of the Star Wars films/series. That's PR, as he's the CEO of Disney.

We've seen an example of Bob's creative input into attractions:

View attachment 786822

You think Lassiter, Bob Weis, Kevin Rafferty, Kathy Magnum, et. al. aren't just nodding to shine him on, with no intention of incorporating his input?

I don't understand how folks imagine Bob Iger as some micro-managing dictator who jumps in to subvert the detailed plans of high-profile (and highly-paid) creatives across a broad scope of disciplines.
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Three of those people are afraid of being attacked or would rather be anywhere else but where they are. One is not sure
 
Bender123

Bender123

Well-Known Member
I feel like the video that started the recent discussion perfectly encapsulates my entire feeling on Disney ATM...I used to be regular here, but dropped a couple years ago. The Jenny video was a light that I should check back in.

I used to be a WDW guest once every 2 or 3 years, but havent gone in six years now. I went to DisneyLand last year and it was fun, but I also really saw the reasons I stopped going on full display. Insane prices on everything, lines everywhere, pay extra for everything and low quality on broken effects, worn down cast members and a general lack of detail that set Disney apart. The fact that I could just leave DL and go to any other place within a few minutes put everything into sharp focus. Dont want to drop $15 on a beer? Bottle Logic is 10 minutes away and 100x better. Dont want to drop $30 on a drink at Trader Sams? Go to one of dozens of much better local options for a Tiki Bar...sure, they dont have a fancy show, but I can skip that if Im getting better drinks at a quarter the cost.

Disney is a vacation I dont need or want anymore. The lack of effort by the company to justify the high costs is insulting. There seems like the foundation of creativity and care, but its all squashed by a layer of bean counters and suits that just want to pump up their own accounts.

I feel like the Disney business plan is to suck all it can from the people that come and to heck with repeat customers.
 
UNCgolf

UNCgolf

Well-Known Member
_caleb said:
I was referring to 360º/4D/multisensory theming, gamification, puzzles to solve, personalized interactions with characters, overnight stays, and variable story outcomes that depend on guest choices.
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I think that will be too expensive to work on a large scale (kind of like the Starcruiser). There are many guests that aren't really interested in that kind of experience, especially at the likely price point, but they prefer being passive in general and just watching other people take part in something not designed for them isn't going to get them to spend money. Then there are video games, which will likely always be ahead of anything a company can do in an in-person experience.

Of course there are things that can be done in a in-person experience that can't be done in a video game, but it'll cost significantly more than a game -- and that's not automatically a draw, either. There are a lot of people who would much rather play a video game version of something than try a real life attempt.
 
_caleb

_caleb

Well-Known Member
UNCgolf said:
I think that will be too expensive to work on a large scale (kind of like the Starcruiser). There are many guests that aren't really interested in that kind of experience, especially at the likely price point, but they prefer being passive in general and just watching other people take part in something not designed for them isn't going to get them to spend money. Then there are video games, which will likely always be ahead of anything a company can do in an in-person experience.

Of course there are things that can be done in a in-person experience that can't be done in a video game, but it'll cost significantly more than a game -- and that's not automatically a draw, either. There are a lot of people who would much rather play a video game version of something than try a real life attempt.
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I think the reason costs are a factor is because Disney is trying to monetize the interaction.

Personal interactions with characters used to be a key part of the themed experience, but increasingly, we're seeing Disney treat them as "attractions" (in-park meet and greets) or upcharge for them (Starcruiser).

In my opinion, the parks benefit from in-park scavenger-hunt-type games. Not only for what they provide to the folks who might be interested in doing these, but also for the sense of movement and activity they can bring to the lands in which they are set.

I especially love what the Pirate Adventure interactive set pieces bring to Adventureland. To me, this is the direction they should lean into.
  • Retrofitting set pieces into existing themed areas is relatively inexpensive
  • These games require very few CMs
  • Once they're built and tested, they seem to run smoothly
  • They are easily updated or multiplied
  • It seems to make a different kind of memorable experience for guests
  • It sells merch!
This is something I'd like to see in multiple lands, and across the parks and resorts, and it's what I mean about Starcruiser-type experiences being the the future of themed intertwinement.

In my opinion, the Starcruiser itself wasn't the only (or the best) expression of this sort of approach. But I think Disney is/was on to something with the concept.
 
UNCgolf

UNCgolf

Well-Known Member
_caleb said:
I think the reason costs are a factor is because Disney is trying to monetize the interaction.

Personal interactions with characters used to be a key part of the themed experience, but increasingly, we're seeing Disney treat them as "attractions" (in-park meet and greets) or upcharge for them (Starcruiser).

In my opinion, the parks benefit from in-park scavenger-hunt-type games. Not only for what they provide to the folks who might be interested in doing these, but also for the sense of movement and activity they can bring to the lands in which they are set.

I especially love what the Pirate Adventure interactive set pieces bring to Adventureland. To me, this is the direction they should lean into.
  • Retrofitting set pieces into existing themed areas is relatively inexpensive
  • These games require very few CMs
  • Once they're built and tested, they seem to run smoothly
  • They are easily updated or multiplied
  • It seems to make a different kind of memorable experience for guests
  • It sells merch!
This is something I'd like to see in multiple lands, and across the parks and resorts, and it's what I mean about Starcruiser-type experiences being the the future of themed intertwinement.

In my opinion, the Starcruiser itself wasn't the only (or the best) expression of this sort of approach. But I think Disney is/was on to something with the concept.
Click to expand...

Those kinds of things, absolutely -- they add stuff to do to the parks without a wait (or at least with a limited wait). The interactive wand stuff in the HP areas at Universal is another good example. I think it was silly that they removed the Magic Kingdom game without some kind of replacement.

I don't really consider that at all similar to the Starcruiser, though, and I think that will generally serve as minor secondary additions to parks.
 
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F

fgmnt

Well-Known Member
_caleb said:
Of course Bob claims to have "personally approved and reviewed" each of the Star Wars films/series. That's PR, as he's the CEO of Disney.

We've seen an example of Bob's creative input into attractions:

View attachment 786822

You think Lassiter, Bob Weis, Kevin Rafferty, Kathy Magnum, et. al. aren't just nodding to shine him on, with no intention of incorporating his input?

I don't understand how folks imagine Bob Iger as some micro-managing dictator who jumps in to subvert the detailed plans of high-profile (and highly-paid) creatives across a broad scope of disciplines.
Click to expand...
It is not that he is a micro manager of Star Wars as much as finding it fascinating he wants people to know he has an impact on it considering how bad they have fumbled the IPover the last decade.
 
asianway

asianway

Well-Known Member
Notes from Neverland said:
The last 15-20 minutes of her video basically summarize a lot of the points constantly mentioned here about Disney removing included perks and putting things behind an additional cost. Her thought is the Galactic Starcruiser is just the first public rejection against the aggressive pricing and paywalls Disney has introduced. She's not wrong.
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If only the outrage YouTube channels could make such coherent arguments, rather than crying woke on every video things may actually change
 
_caleb

_caleb

Well-Known Member
UNCgolf said:
Those kinds of things, absolutely -- they add stuff to do to the parks without a wait (or at least with a limited wait). The interactive wand stuff in the HP areas at Universal is another good example. I think it was silly that they removed the Magic Kingdom game without some kind of replacement.

I don't really consider that at all to the Starcruiser, though, and I think that will generally serve as minor secondary additions to parks.
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Well, to me, that’s what the Starcruiser should have been and what Disney should double down on. More of it in the parks (with no upcharge), and possibly again in a hotel-like application for a (more realistic) fee.
 
_caleb

_caleb

Well-Known Member
999th Happy Haunt said:
Finally finished the video, really really really well put together, especially the last 10-15 minutes. Currently at 3.1 million views! Hope people are noticing.
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Imagine if all the people who watched Jenny’s video had visited the Starcruiser! There’s definitely and audience for this insert of thing (done better).
 

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