News Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Permanently Closed Fall 2023

[JD80]

Two major fail points are basically 1) it cost way too much. 2) it stole a lot of aspects from SWGE.

 

[larryz]

Can you make this into a 2.5hr video on youtube. I hear that's how you get all the credibility these days..

Pro tip -- watch the video at 1.5 speed.

 

[larryz]

I’m indifferent to her… frankly i have zero interest in her opinion because she is just one random person to me. I listen to her experience - but her evaluation is pretty much just one customer’s opinion IMO. What i spoke up about is people putting her video up as some masterpiece of takedowns. It’s not.

Well, if she didn't get the experience that she was promised or expected, that's not an opinion... that's a data point.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

I don't have data but I do know several people who did it multiple times. I will say most of them are you get people (individuals or couples) would could sit the cost

I think the price point and that they never tried different options, just the one experience. I know a lot of people, including mys of who would have loved to do like a "day cruise" but just couldn't commit to multiple days and thousands of dollars for something I am not sure I would have loved (as I am very introverted)

Maybe the rumors of them looking to do some thing with it would be for enabling different options and storylines and experiences at different price points

I know people who loved it and instantly bought a second trip when the closure was announced.

The cost split amongst four adults was within reason for some people, just not enough people.

I saw it as something I didn't think I'd love either, but would consider giving it a try under the right circumstances.

I wonder how much money they were bleeding and whether or not they could have kept it open long enough to build sufficient word of mouth.

At the price, it was something I imagine most people would have to consider as something they could plan for 2-3 years in the future. Just like a regular Disney cruise or WDW trip, it's not something a lot of people can do on a whim.

It came and went before enough people could make a long term plan to do it.

 

[asianway]

Kevin Perjurer’s excellent FastPass video is rightly held out as the gold standard for theme park documentaries (web series or not). It amassed a ridiculous 20 million views despite its length since it premiered almost three years ago.

Nicholson’s video has been out a week and a half, is twice as long, and already has a third the views.

Dismiss her all you want; that’s your prerogative. But these are ridiculous numbers and it is penetrating into the broader culture in ways few works have.

She may only speak to her own experience - which she reaffirms often in the video! - but she also has a megaphone to 1.1M followers who vibe with her deep dive long form videos.

Just imagine if Disney wasn’t buying off the majority of the other people with a pulpit.

BRB I’m working on my 4 hour video about Mickey Mouse butter. Seems there’s a market for this sort of thing

 

[UNCgolf]

Which is why it will be interesting to see if the repetitious Haussmann facades in the new Potter land do anything for fans.

I'll be surprised if the land itself is anywhere near as popular as Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade, attraction aside.

 

[UNCgolf]

I was told that they knew it couldn’t be profitable at that price point.

I assumed this was the case since they didn't even attempt to offer discounts/cut the price, but I think that means they really failed from a design perspective. They should have known there simply wasn't a large enough audience at that price point, regardless of how good the experience was -- it sounds like the whole thing needed a complete rethink to allow a lower price.

 

[ConfettiCupcake]

High guest satisfaction scores makes a lot of sense to me here. The barrier to entry was so high that this experience must have had an unusually high number of people coming in already passionate and loving it, needing to be in that state of mind to even book. I’d guess much fewer people were coming in neutral unlike a regular hotel.

 

[DHSfanatic]

Ooooh. Which part is that?

It's pretty much throughout her video. Near the end (maybe 20 mins from the end?) she talks for a few minutes about what she sees as the lack of integrity of people who get comped and never give a review that isn't entirely laudatory. Her points seemed well taken to me, but then hers was the first video of this type that I've ever watched.

 

[DHSfanatic]

I assumed this was the case since they didn't even attempt to offer discounts/cut the price, but I think that means they really failed from a design perspective. They should have known there simply wasn't a large enough audience at that price point, regardless of how good the experience was -- it sounds like the whole thing needed a ground up rethink to allow a lower price.

My reaction, as well. Looks like a classic case of a flawed design that is recognized as a flawed design but that gets too far down the line for pulling the plug or engaging in a redo to be politically possible.

 

[DHSfanatic]

I know people who loved it and instantly bought a second trip when the closure was announced.

The cost split amongst four adults was within reason for some people, just not enough people.

I saw it as something I didn't think I'd love either, but would consider giving it a try under the right circumstances.

I wonder how much money they were bleeding and whether or not they could have kept it open long enough to build sufficient word of mouth.

At the price, it was something I imagine most people would have to consider as something they could plan for 2-3 years in the future. Just like a regular Disney cruise or WDW trip, it's not something a lot of people can do on a whim.

It came and went before enough people could make a long term plan to do it.

Good point, although I'll venture the guess that the fall off in bookings despite what appear to have been very strong internal and external reviews might have led them to conclude that good word of mouth wouldn't be enough to save them.

 

[TheCoasterNerd]

OK, can nobody here just admit it was a massive, stupid miscalculation, and failed miserably…?!?!?!
WTH…?!?!?!?!?!

I definitely didn't forget which thread I was in and think you were talking about Tiana's before crafting a long and detailed response before realizing my error. Not I. I'd never!

 

[flynnibus]

I mean, the video has 5+ million views in a week. If that's not effective mass communication, I don't know what is.

It means it strikes an itch for the masses - There are flat earth videos with millions of views too... that doesn't mean anything about the credibility or validity of the content.. It means it fits the machine well and it scratches some itch in the viewer base. Mr Beast videos gain millions of views a day... it means they are entertaining - not that he is doing anything functionally sound.

Compare that to the bizarre PlanDisney podcasts that the Mouse puts out themselves and averages 5k viewers. And that Jenny (rightfully) mocked.

Again, how dumb someone else is doesn't make what you have to say somehow stronger or more believable. This point is irrelevant.

Honestly, I hope the final part is what people pay the most attention to...in which she argues that the Starcruiser going down is the canary in the coalmine for Disney's current Spirit Airlines-esque business model for the parks. It's a pretty devastating rundown of everything Disney has paywalled in the last five years.

You mean the portion where she tries to call out the droids tests she calls 'code for we built this to impress shareholders'? Any long term Disney fan should recognize these kinds of experiments and R&D as Disney has been doing it for decades.. not some short term quip.. it's just another example of how she's not really that informed. Or all her going on about 'it would just cost a little bit extra' - Does she know why those choices were made and under what obligations? no.. she just goes on like most customers do when they lose something or don't get what they expected... It's just the business being cheap or whatever. It's not really inspiring dialogue here... it's just the same old whining from one side and talking like they know what's really going on. They don't. They're just upset with the product... fine.. but don't talk like you know what's really going on. And then her 'analysis' of the timelines, etc... it is again, all speculation with only a sliver of the real information.

It is again, a recap of stuff mashed up with gap fillers made up, quips to stroke emotions, and not actually breaking new details or credible insights.

As to her spirit airlines line... maybe she should have been hanging out on WDWmagic all these years when all that has been gone over extensively where Disney moved from inclusive customer service to pay-to-gain a long time ago. And really Starcruiser really isn't about just moving things to a paywall... it was literally an attempt at creating a new kind of experience besides a theme park.

Starcruiser was in development long before we knew the cuts to GE were happening. They were testing pricing concepts all the way back in early 2017 with guests... so work had been ongoing for a long time before that.

 

[flynnibus]

Kevin Perjurer’s excellent FastPass video is rightly held out as the gold standard for theme park documentaries (web series or not). It amassed a ridiculous 20 million views despite its length since it premiered almost three years ago.

Nicholson’s video has been out a week and a half, is twice as long, and already has a third the views.

Getting picked up in the news and picking catchy topics does wonders doesn't it?

Dismiss her all you want; that’s your prerogative. But these are ridiculous numbers and it is penetrating into the broader culture in ways few works have.

It's called '15mins of fame'. You can point to her # of views, yet no one has been able to point to any new message or contribution she's made to the collective about the project.

She may only speak to her own experience - which she reaffirms often in the video! - but she also has a megaphone to 1.1M followers who vibe with her deep dive long form videos.

Let me know when your extended family quotes her before buying their next trip....

 

[flynnibus]

Let's not forget... youtube counts a view if you watch 30 seconds or more... how many of those people who clicked over from national media coverage do you think actually substantially watched a 4.5hr video?

 

[Supreme Leader]

OK, can nobody here just admit it was a massive, stupid miscalculation, and failed miserably…?!?!?!
WTH…?!?!?!?!?!

It was clearly a failure since it....closed.

 

[TeriofTerror]

It means it strikes an itch for the masses - There are flat earth videos with millions of views too... that doesn't mean anything about the credibility or validity of the content.. It means it fits the machine well and it scratches some itch in the viewer base. Mr Beast videos gain millions of views a day... it means they are entertaining - not that he is doing anything functionally sound.


Again, how dumb someone else is doesn't make what you have to say somehow stronger or more believable. This point is irrelevant.



You mean the portion where she tries to call out the droids tests she calls 'code for we built this to impress shareholders'? Any long term Disney fan should recognize these kinds of experiments and R&D as Disney has been doing it for decades.. not some short term quip.. it's just another example of how she's not really that informed. Or all her going on about 'it would just cost a little bit extra' - Does she know why those choices were made and under what obligations? no.. she just goes on like most customers do when they lose something or don't get what they expected... It's just the business being cheap or whatever. It's not really inspiring dialogue here... it's just the same old whining from one side and talking like they know what's really going on. They don't. They're just upset with the product... fine.. but don't talk like you know what's really going on. And then her 'analysis' of the timelines, etc... it is again, all speculation with only a sliver of the real information.

It is again, a recap of stuff mashed up with gap fillers made up, quips to stroke emotions, and not actually breaking new details or credible insights.

As to her spirit airlines line... maybe she should have been hanging out on WDWmagic all these years when all that has been gone over extensively where Disney moved from inclusive customer service to pay-to-gain a long time ago. And really Starcruiser really isn't about just moving things to a paywall... it was literally an attempt at creating a new kind of experience besides a theme park.

Starcruiser was in development long before we knew the cuts to GE were happening. They were testing pricing concepts all the way back in early 2017 with guests... so work had been ongoing for a long time before that.

To be fair, I believe her point about the paywall was about the multiple things that had been promised and advertised for SW:GE but never materialized - until they suddenly showed up in the Starcruiser.

 

[larryz]

It was clearly a failure since it....closed.

And... it is still closed, yes?

With that being the case...

 

[Purduevian]

It's called '15mins of fame'. You can point to her # of views, yet no one has been able to point to any new message or contribution she's made to the collective about the project.

There was a lot of new information for me personally. I've watched 3 other influencers experience on the Star cruiser, followed these boards since early on, ect.

I learned from her video:

• How the game is supposed to work with trust scores and the AI Chat
• The game experience inside the park
• That for some people the game just flat out does not work
• First time I saw the AI room robot basically fail
• How terrible some of the seats were in the dining room for the show
• How discouraged she was from dressing up and going all in on a character
• How confusing and bad the booking process was

I'm sure all this information was out there, but for as someone as tapped into the WDW resort, her experience was super eye opening to me. All the other videos I saw as basically all highlights of things going well and "if you can afford it, its worth it"

 

[Ayla]

Let's not forget... youtube counts a view if you watch 30 seconds or more... how many of those people who clicked over from national media coverage do you think actually substantially watched a 4.5hr video?

I can say with certainty, ZERO.