News Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Permanently Closed Fall 2023

[Big T 1963]

with all this money wasted we all could've got a free genie+ pass for the day
with our admission and a bottle water

 

[erasure fan1]

no, SW is a strong brand. a convention is a very different thing than booking a Disney vacation. SW Celebration also doesn't happen every year so it is a special thing, not applicable in this situation, but does lend to show the strength of the fan base and brand.

Yes, Solo had a bad release strategy and internal issues with the film. Not indicative of the brand itself. Anyone who actually watches Solo knows it's one of the better films they made.

GE Cali opened 2nd. People knew what it was, they didn't need to rush to it opening day. Is it not popular?

People seem to think that when something doesn't work out in the SW world that it's all doom and gloom. I don't find that to be true

I think you are missing the point. Yes star wars is still a big name that can have huge brand power. But that name alone isn't enough. You need quality products. You can't tell me that galaxys edge has the same quality its fans expect, over Potter. Or that the star cruieser didn't feel like a cheap star wars knock off. My whole original point was that Iger said, all I need to do is email it's open, and people would be lined up for miles. Galaxys edge opened in May 2019 in Disneyland, 3 months before world. And it was a ghost town. He believed that the star wars name was enough, and it wasn't.

 

[SteamboatJoe]

This is true. The people who spend $3,000 a night on hotel rooms generally aren’t the “going to disney world” type. I mean there are a few of them obviously, but not enough to sustain an entire hotel.

Correct. People with that kind of money aren't going to go see imitations of world destinations, they just go to the real thing. Sure they'll stop at WDW once or twice to experience the fantastical but thats not enough to keep something like this project afloat. In going for a consumer who isn't really that interested in them, they are alienating their bread and butter. WDW is too busy and expensive is a very real narrative.

 

[Smiley/OCD]

The problem was the experience. It wasn’t Star Wars. I would have paid the money and wanted to but once I saw it was Disney Star Wars I wasn’t interested. Nothing felt like the George Lucas Star Wars with Vader and company.
Everyone knew not using those characters was a mistake.

Obviously not everybody…

 

[SteamboatJoe]

I think you are missing the point. Yes star wars is still a big name that can have huge brand power. But that name alone isn't enough. You need quality products. You can't tell me that galaxys edge has the same quality its fans expect, over Potter. Or that the star cruieser didn't feel like a cheap star wars knock off. My whole original point was that Iger said, all I need to do is email it's open, and people would be lined up for miles. Galaxys edge opened in May 2019 in Disneyland, 3 months before world. And it was a ghost town. He believed that the star wars name was enough, and it wasn't.

The mindset was and seemingly is Disney/Star Wars/Marvel geeks are suckers that will go to anything related to their fandom, will pay anything, and will love it regardless of quality.

 

[JAN J]

You're right there weren't enough of us. But I still see that as a marketing issue. Before the first cruises in March 2022 my spouse and I were cooking up ways to make fun for ourselves, assuming the performers would only really interact with kids. And the marketing, promotional materials, and concept art all pointed that way. We were shocked with how spectacular it was. Before the end of the first day we'd already decided the dates for our second go-round. It shouldn't ever have been allowed to exist in anyone's mind as a hotel. It isn't. It's a 45 hour LARP-y fever dream. I wouldn't pay 6k for a hotel with no spa or kid free areas, and I don't blame people for their avoidance. Most people genuinely didnt know what this really was. That's 100% Disney's doing.

I think people understood from all the reviews that it wasn't a hotel, but a fully immersive Star Wars experience. And that it was a blast.

Honestly they could have themed it to anything else: Anything Marvel, other Star Wars lore, Pandora, something brand new, it still would have flopped.

I am glad you managed to go 3 times. Most people / families have a hard time, if possible, to save $5k - $6k for a couple days.
Over $15k - $18k for 6 days vacation it's just impossible for most.

At that price point, it's doomed to fail. You will get the really rich to go once, the super fans that will save to go once, the very few that might be both and will go a few times... But the pool will run dry. It's too small a group, you can't sell that expensive a product every couple of days and expect it to sell out forever. You don't see Ferrari trying to sell SF90 spiders at the same pace as Toyota sells Corollas and RAV4s. They would go under in no time.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

The scale of the entire operation was too small for them to make enough money...I believe it was just an experiment to see what they could get away with... and what people were willing to pay.. they will now take all they have learned and use it to create the next thing with all of the information they have amassed... People will pay 5k for a tiny, ill-appointed cabin if they have televisions for windows...and a lackluster banquet hall can be a luxurious dining room if you tell people it is in outer space...Hopefully they have learned that they can do better, and the Disney brand deserves better.

Experiments don’t involve this kinda public embarrassment with one of the planets most recognizable brands

The smoking cabanas behind space mountain was an “experiment”

 

[Incomudro]

I don’t experience anything close to what I consider luxury accommodations at Disney.

I usually stay at a Grand Villa at Boardwalk and can’t seem to get working refrigerators or rooms without something broken.

I just pay the price because it’s close to the parks.

I can go to the Four Seasons but then I can’t walk to Epcot.

Disney can get away with this because of the parks.

It is what it is.

You get more luxury at the Grand Villa Boardwalk than this offered.
I agree you can get more luxury for less in other places for lower prices.
As you stated though, the walk into Epcot is part of the luxury.
As we see - Disney only got away with this particular offering for about a year and a half.

 

[JoeCamel]

For me, this will always be the defining image of this entire debacle:

Josh holding the tiny Playskool “lightsaber”.

See, it’s like that Star Wars thingy!

View attachment 717352

Josh gets upset when you call his sabre tiny.......

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

You get more luxury at the Grand Villa Boardwalk than this offered.
I agree you can get more luxury for less in other places for lower prices.
As you stated though, the walk into Epcot is part of the luxury.
As we see - Disney only got away with this particular offering for about a year and a half.

That’s all “gimmick”…not luxury. It was never luxury and never will be.

Paying for the gimmick and some solid construction is fine. That’s what we pay for…but no illusions

 

[Smiley/OCD]

I'm pretty sure she got promoted after working on Starcruiser, I think she is like the VP of Blue Sky development or something

She’s painting the salt mine in Tiana…

 

[JoeCamel]

She’s painting the salt mine in Tiana…

Oh, I didn't catch that before. The CM's assigned to Tiana's ride will be sent to the salt mine to work.....
Nice Disney

 

[Dizknee_Phreek]

I'm a 2nd generation SW fan. My dad introduced me to the OT as a young kid, so I grew up with it. Dad had read Heir to the Empire, and I tried to read it in 2nd grade...I didn't get far before I realized it was beyond my comprehension lol. Regardless, I loved the characters at an early age and wanted to know more about their stories.
I still love the OT, but the overall brand has been cheaped for me since Disney's takeover. So I wouldn't consider myself part of the target audience for the cruiser to begin with. Even still, I would've been more interested if the pricing had been better, the OT characters were involved, it wasn't as interactive (I know that was supposed to be part of the draw, but for an introvert it's a no-go) and if it had a more classic Star Wars feel rather than a direct Fifth Element ripoff. The cruiser characters just looked...bad. Classic SW characters, even the aliens, were believable. It's just mind boggling to me how the Disney that used to create high quality experiences backed by extensive research and attention to detail has come to this.

 

[twilight mitsuk]

I think you are missing the point. Yes star wars is still a big name that can have huge brand power. But that name alone isn't enough. You need quality products. You can't tell me that galaxys edge has the same quality its fans expect, over Potter. Or that the star cruieser didn't feel like a cheap star wars knock off. My whole original point was that Iger said, all I need to do is email it's open, and people would be lined up for miles. Galaxys edge opened in May 2019 in Disneyland, 3 months before world. And it was a ghost town. He believed that the star wars name was enough, and it wasn't.

While hagrid‘s motorbike had 10 hour waits

 

[SamusAranX]

I’m still thinking about just how bad of a Disney Parks failure this is…probably the worst since the OG DCA?

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

In those tight pants, it doesn’t leave much to debate.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I think you are missing the point. Yes star wars is still a big name that can have huge brand power. But that name alone isn't enough. You need quality products. You can't tell me that galaxys edge has the same quality its fans expect, over Potter. Or that the star cruieser didn't feel like a cheap star wars knock off. My whole original point was that Iger said, all I need to do is email it's open, and people would be lined up for miles. Galaxys edge opened in May 2019 in Disneyland, 3 months before world. And it was a ghost town. He believed that the star wars name was enough, and it wasn't.

While hagrid‘s motorbike had 10 hour waits

FOP had 4 hour waits

Did tron? I know it’s VQ now…but it doesn’t seem to be be overrun as you would expect. 3 hour wait for splash in 92

I’m not saying that because there’s anything wrong with tron…it’s a good middling coaster that fits Disney parks…but perhaps the “trust” in what Disney builds is waning? Especially in Orlando?

That is NOT good…because trust is what gets people and gets a lot of them back

 

[MrPromey]

... People will pay 5k for a tiny, ill-appointed cabin if they have televisions for windows...and a lackluster banquet hall can be a luxurious dining room if you tell people it is in outer space...Hopefully they have learned that they can do better, and the Disney brand deserves better.

Apparently people won't, at least not out of a global population in numbers that approach 300 parties a week or this thing wouldn't be closing, right?

Seems to me Disney got that message loud and clear which is why they're not even bothering to try retooling or making permanent adjustments to pricing.

 

[FigmentFan82]

I think you are missing the point. Yes star wars is still a big name that can have huge brand power. But that name alone isn't enough. You need quality products. You can't tell me that galaxys edge has the same quality its fans expect, over Potter. Or that the star cruieser didn't feel like a cheap star wars knock off. My whole original point was that Iger said, all I need to do is email it's open, and people would be lined up for miles. Galaxys edge opened in May 2019 in Disneyland, 3 months before world. And it was a ghost town. He believed that the star wars name was enough, and it wasn't.

no point is being missed. merch sells. fans show up. tickets sell.

harping on Disland's opening won't change how big SW is

 

[FigmentFan82]

GE isn't reliant on an opening weekend box office.

also, people seem to enjoy GE, cuz they like themselves some star wars stuffs