News Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Permanently Closed Fall 2023

[James Alucobond]

If there's any casual takeaway from this failure (because I'm not at all convinced anyone in WDI or Burbank has learned their lesson yet), I would hope that Disney could at least stop releasing concept art to the public that is wildly inconsistent with the reality they end up building.

Not gonna happen since monetization of concept art is essentially the whole game of D23.

 

[Smiley/OCD]

If there's any casual takeaway from this failure (because I'm not at all convinced anyone in WDI or Burbank has learned their lesson yet), I would hope that Disney could at least stop releasing concept art to the public that is wildly inconsistent with the reality they end up building.

For example, what they announced in the first WDI concept art released for the Starcruiser made it look impressive, with a big scale and huge windows out into space, droids roaming the lobby, a robot bartender, an interior that actually reflected the exterior shape of the ship etc.,...

But the actual reality was a mostly windowless room with a value engineered aesthetic and no continuity to the rest of the "ship"...

Agreed. But if it's any consolation, even the table service dinner show they once announced for GE ended up being small and lame on the Starcruiser. So at least you weren't missing some grand dinner show if you didn't want to pay $5,000 for the Starcruiser.

What they announced would be in Galaxy's Edge as the table-service dinner show...

But the actual reality of what they put behind a $5,000 paywall on the Starcruiser was just SciFi theme night in a church basement...

So the good news here is, for all those Star Wars fans who couldn't stomach the huge price tag for the Starcruiser... at least you didn't miss much!

But seriously, Disney's marketing team and WDI team need to stop releasing concept art on future projects that is wildly inconsistent with the actual product they are going to offer to customers. It's not a good business practice in the Internet age, and it makes people not trust you.

Not to highjack the thread, but this is EXACTLY why I don’t believe the Tiana art…

 

[FettFan]

Build a cool indoor space pool…

Throw in some hover chairs and it can be the Wall-E hotel.

 

[TP2000]

Well we know there weren’t that many at all…

And I would argue (and I would be right) that those were Disney fans and the blogosphere…

Which is a huge example of why iger’s echo chamber leads to bigger problems.

Exactly. Quantifying feedback from amateur bloggers shilling for comped dinners and room upgrades is not a good business strategy.

If everything is "AMAAAAZING!", then nothing can actually be amazing.

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

If there's any casual takeaway from this failure (because I'm not at all convinced anyone in WDI or Burbank has learned their lesson yet), I would hope that Disney could at least stop releasing concept art to the public that is wildly inconsistent with the reality they end up building.

For example, what they announced in the first WDI concept art released for the Starcruiser made it look impressive, with a big scale and huge windows out into space, droids roaming the lobby, a robot bartender, an interior that actually reflected the exterior shape of the ship etc.,...

But the actual reality was a mostly windowless room with a value engineered aesthetic and no continuity to the rest of the "ship"...

Agreed. But if it's any consolation, even the table service dinner show they once announced for GE ended up being small and lame on the Starcruiser. So at least you weren't missing some grand dinner show if you didn't want to pay $5,000 for the Starcruiser.

What they announced would be in Galaxy's Edge as the table-service dinner show...

But the actual reality of what they put behind a $5,000 paywall on the Starcruiser was just SciFi theme night in a church basement...

So the good news for Star Wars fans who couldn't stomach the huge price tag for the Starcruiser... at least you didn't miss much!

But seriously, Disney's marketing team and WDI team need to stop releasing concept art on future projects that is wildly inconsistent with the actual product they are going to offer to customers. It's not a good business practice in the Internet age, and it makes people not trust you.

I don’t disagree with how disappointing this actually ended up being versus the concept art, but it doesn’t matter if the end product looked exactly like the concept art, this thing was never going to stand the test of time at that price point. That was where the real ****-up was. Who the heck at Disney crunched the numbers and thought that there existed enough people who would be willing to pay that price point to sustain a hotel like this for decades?

 

[TP2000]

I don’t disagree with how disappointing this actually ended up being versus the concept art, but it doesn’t matter if the end product looked exactly like the concept art, this thing was never going to stand the test of time at that price point. That was where the real ****-up was. Who the heck at Disney crunched the numbers and thought that there existed enough people who would be willing to pay that price point to sustain a hotel like this for decades?

Agreed. The failure of the Galactic Starcruiser came down to a list of failures all along the way from its development through to its post-opening steady state. All of those reasons have been discussed here, often by folks who really know what they're talking about.

I'm just trying to be optimistic and give Disney's executive leaders the benefit of the doubt that they'll learn something (anything!) from this latest Billion dollar failure.

At this point though, I think it's time to seriously ask "Who the hell is running this company's theme park division???" The Loss column the last few years is getting alarmingly long, and much of it can't be blamed on Covid; Pixar Pier, Harmonious, KiteTails, WDW's 50th, Galactic Starcruiser, Villas at Disneyland Hotel, San Fransokyo Square, Genie+ Lightning Lane A La Carte, mandatory and consistent smartphone use to maneuver through the parks, etc., etc.

There aren't enough Wins in the other column to outweigh that growing list of failures or customer-unfriendly decisions. I've gotten a few very good chuckles out of this Galactic Starcruiser news the past 36 hours, but looking deeper it's concerning that these failures keep happening. And sometimes the latest failure costs them a Billion bucks.

Who the hell is in charge and why are they so bad at it?!?

 

[JIMINYCR]

Well we know there weren’t that many at all…

And I would argue (and I would be right) that those were Disney fans and the blogosphere…

Which is a huge example of why iger’s echo chamber leads to bigger problems.

The SW fan base is extensive which was what Dis was counting on. What they didn’t count on was how many would actually travel to WDW and spend multiple days and big bucks for the experience they were offering. There’s a huge difference in how many tickets get sold for a movie and merch vs a guest experience of that type. The “If we build it they will come “ didn’t pan out. Good try though. DS and I would have done it.

 

[TP2000]

So in summary here, Disney just wasted a Billion dollars in park investment at WDW, a property that has four parks that all still desperately need additional expansion and added capacity in the form of actual rides and attractions. Poof! A Billion bucks for WDW is now vaporized!

At some point, someone besides Bob Chapek needs to be held accountable. We can't keep blaming everything on that one guy, no matter how clueless and generally unlikable he may have been.

 

[the.dreamfinder]

Agreed. The failure of the Galactic Starcruiser came down to a list of failures all along the way from its development through to its post-opening steady state. All of those reasons have been discussed here, often by folks who really know what they're talking about.

I'm just trying to be optimistic and give Disney's executive leaders the benefit of the doubt that they'll learn something (anything!) from this latest Billion dollar failure.

At this point though, I think it's time to seriously ask "Who the hell is running this company's theme park division???" The Loss column the last few years is getting alarmingly long, and much of it can't be blamed on Covid; Pixar Pier, Harmonious, KiteTails, WDW's 50th, Galactic Starcruiser, Villas at Disneyland Hotel, San Fransokyo Square, Genie+ Lightning Lane A La Carte, mandatory and consistent smartphone use to maneuver through the parks, etc., etc.

There aren't enough Wins in the other column to outweigh that growing list of failures or customer-unfriendly decisions. I've gotten a few very good chuckles out of this Galactic Starcruiser news the past 36 hours, but looking deeper it's concerning that these failures keep happening. And sometimes the latest failure costs them a Billion bucks.

Who the hell is in charge and why are they so bad at it?!?

As longs as the profits flow to Burbank, they don’t care.

 

[brb1006]

All that money spent to constructing The Galactic Starcruiser should had been spent to give the entire Imagination Pavilion a proper reimagining!

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

The SW fan base is extensive which was what Dis was counting on. What they didn’t count on was how many would actually travel to WDW and spend multiple days and big bucks for the experience they were offering. There’s a huge difference in how many tickets get sold for a movie and merch vs a guest experience of that type. The “If we build it they will come “ didn’t pan out. Good try though. DS and I would have done it.

In most cases…the sw fanbase with means to pay are Gen Xers…

…but I can’t imagine what the problem could potentially be there? I’m gonna call Scotland Yard

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I don’t disagree with how disappointing this actually ended up being versus the concept art, but it doesn’t matter if the end product looked exactly like the concept art, this thing was never going to stand the test of time at that price point. That was where the real ****-up was. Who the heck at Disney crunched the numbers and thought that there existed enough people who would be willing to pay that price point to sustain a hotel like this for decades?

That was my initial take too…

100x365 (or 180)x ___ number of years?

That must have been “new math”

 

[Figments Friend]

My questions are:
1. Have they been losing a LOT of money?
2. Have they been breaking even?
3. Have they simply been NOT making as much as they wanted?
4. At this point, have they recouped their investment?
Inquiring minds..... you know the rest.

Answers -

1. Yes.
2. No.
3. Yes.
4. With merch sales included, possibly.

As Obi Wan likes to say…
“From a certain point of view…”


-

 

[CinematicFusion]

In most cases…the sw fanbase with means to pay are Gen Xers…

…but I can’t imagine what the problem could potentially be there? I’m gonna call Scotland Yard

It wasn’t a Star Wars experience… it felt nothing like the original trilogy. That’s what everyone wants. Universal didn’t make the world of witchcraft and then kick out all original characters.
Screw Disney for destroying Star Wars. Last Jedi was such a joke, everything went downhill once that movie was released.

 

[brb1006]

Mickey's Marijuana Adventure

I like it.

Considering he and his friends has spent 16 years hosting preschool animated shows (Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Mickey and the Roadside Racers/Mickey's Mixed Up Adventures, Mickey Mouse Funhouse, and recently started vlogging with Mickey & Me) for Disney Junior.

The cancellation of "House of Mouse" has really took a toll on him and his pals. Since the show alongside "Mickey, Donald, Goofy The Three Muskateers" was one of the last times Mickey and Friends were actually aimed at General Audiences.

You wonder why he and his friends started acting crazier and goofier in the Paul Rudish shorts? Well he needs something to keep himself going until Disney someday decides to actually revisit "House of Mouse".

Only a select few people at Disney knows this and has since been sent to "Disney Jail".

 

[Incomudro]

I don’t disagree with how disappointing this actually ended up being versus the concept art, but it doesn’t matter if the end product looked exactly like the concept art, this thing was never going to stand the test of time at that price point. That was where the real ****-up was. Who the heck at Disney crunched the numbers and thought that there existed enough people who would be willing to pay that price point to sustain a hotel like this for decades?

It would have had a chance to do far better if it looked like the concept art.
Sure, it would have still had problems - and likely a limited lifespan.
But if it had a wow factor like the concept art?
It certainly would have been better received.

 

[wdwfan4ver]

Agreed. The failure of the Galactic Starcruiser came down to a list of failures all along the way from its development through to its post-opening steady state. All of those reasons have been discussed here, often by folks who really know what they're talking about.

I'm just trying to be optimistic and give Disney's executive leaders the benefit of the doubt that they'll learn something (anything!) from this latest Billion dollar failure.

At this point though, I think it's time to seriously ask "Who the hell is running this company's theme park division???" The Loss column the last few years is getting alarmingly long, and much of it can't be blamed on Covid; Pixar Pier, Harmonious, KiteTails, WDW's 50th, Galactic Starcruiser, Villas at Disneyland Hotel, San Fransokyo Square, Genie+ Lightning Lane A La Carte, mandatory and consistent smartphone use to maneuver through the parks, etc., etc.

There aren't enough Wins in the other column to outweigh that growing list of failures or customer-unfriendly decisions. I've gotten a few very good chuckles out of this Galactic Starcruiser news the past 36 hours, but looking deeper it's concerning that these failures keep happening. And sometimes the latest failure costs them a Billion bucks.

Who the hell is in charge and why are they so bad at it?!?

Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser was approved by Chapek when he was chairman of the parks and resorts.

The catch there is did Kathleen Kennedy have any role with Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser considering it has the same timeline issue as Galaxy's Edge did. I am mentioning this because it has been confirmed in the past that Kathleen Kennedy was involved in Galaxy's Edge.

There is a loss you didn't mention. NBA Experience at Disney Springs. What made this a loss is Disney teared down Disney Quest with the new building in its place being designed for NBA Experience. Although Disney blamed covid for NBA Experience, NBA Experience based on what I read had problems even before Covid and Iger was person who wanted NBA Experience in Disney Springs.

 

[LSLS]

I don't know?

I will say, look how popular Halloween Horror Nights is at Universal. Look how popular Halloween in general is across the US.
I find it hard to imagine that a hotel themed to HM or ToT at Disney (let's say a regular hotel with options discussed in this thread, bars, dinners, etc, not immersive role-playing like they tried) would NOT be a popular option for families, adults, just overall Disney Parks fans. If it was priced right.

I think what you described would do well. But I think doing a star wars hotel in that way would do as well or most likely even better had that been what was done. Just to be clear, I'm all in for a haunted mansion hotel, I just hope they learn from this cruiser.

 

[Br0ckford]

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.

one heck of an expensive experiment. Money and embarrassing. Maybe one day they will admit the ST was

 

[TheMaxRebo]

The SW fan base is extensive which was what Dis was counting on. What they didn’t count on was how many would actually travel to WDW and spend multiple days and big bucks for the experience they were offering. There’s a huge difference in how many tickets get sold for a movie and merch vs a guest experience of that type. The “If we build it they will come “ didn’t pan out. Good try though. DS and I would have done it.

Do you think if they put something like this in Las Vegas like Universal is doing with the HHN experience it would have done better?