News Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Permanently Closed Fall 2023

[Mike S]

I would disagree on the “move the series along” statement, as nothing really changed between the original trilogy and the sequel trilogy.

- The Rebel Alliance is still fighting The Empire, although the names are changed to Resistance and First Order
- The Empire/First Order builds a new super weapon with a stunningly simplistic weak point
- Palpatine gets his plans betrayed by his heir apparent (Vader in RotJ, Rey Palpatine in RoS) and winds up zapping himself in the face during a showdown in his throne room before exploding
- Just like RotJ, at the end of RoS, there’s only one Jedi left and it’s their new mission to rebuild the Order while the ghosts of dead Jedi look on in approval

There’s no growth, no progression.

In the old EU books, we had:
- infighting between multiple imperial factions for leadership after Endor until their brief reunification under Grand Admiral Thrawn

- Palpatine showing up again in a younger clone body and attempting to recruit Luke as his new apprentice.
When that fails, he attempts to transfer his soul into the infant Anakin Solo (plot point was later mined for Rey Palpatine)

- Leia crafting a New Republic while also negotiating with systems that wanted to remain totally independent after the double whammies of the failure of the Old Republic and rise of the Empire.

- Luke rebuilding the Jedi Order, but having to deal with the conflicting personalities and egos of a new batch of students who can use the Force but are lacking in discipline and discernment

- the Imperial Remnant and the New Republic forced to work together to defeat a new common threat, an extra-galactic race of invaders called the Yuuzhan Vong

- Luke’s great-great grandson, Cade Skywalker dealing with a New Sith Empire under the leadership of Darth Krayt

Not only did the ST ripoff the OT, RoS blatantly ripped off Avengers Endgame in its ending. I laughed out loud in the theater during “I am all the Sith”/“I am all the Jedi.” Special mention also goes to the blatant “on your left”/portals ripoff when Lando showed up. It was at those two moments where I realized The Rise of Skywalker was the most made by committee movie I’d ever seen in my entire life.

 

[Mickey's Pal]

They were finally able to sell it out for once.

 

[Minthorne]

A bus driver told me on the final cruise that the First Order wins.

 

[asianway]

A bus driver told me on the final cruise that the First Order wins.

Otis would want it that way

 

[Figments Friend]

I don’t think this thing made anywhere close to the merch for #4

Perhaps not at the moment, but there is a chance now that word is out that the place is closing.
Everyone who will be staying there from this point on will likely stock up on ‘Starcruiser’ branded merch to ‘flip’ / resell once the place is gone.



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[Sir_Cliff]

There seems to be a commitment hill that turns guests off at some point. Despite the success of letting guests dress up in certain situations and interactive experiences like immersive theater and escape rooms there seems to be some sort of break down when it’s done at scale. There were huge expectations for Evermore park and it’s just sort of muddled along. It wasn’t the game changer that was expected. People seem to respond the most when the commitment isn’t high, be it an hour long escape room or a free event like Ghost Town Alive.

The greedy decision to shift elements out of Galaxy’s Edge and silo them into Galactic Starcruiser, along with the arrogance regarding demand is probably the big thing that really killed this. There was no way for people to have a low barrier taste that they could easily jump into and feel they could easily bail on as well.

I find this all very interesting, and I can imagine there are a lot of people puzzling over what to make of guests' response to all these different ventures. The idea of a commitment hill certainly makes sense to me, as that's something I notice even in considering the length more than the cost of day tours when travelling. It was always hard for me to judge Galactic Starcruiser, though, as I am just not the market for it.

I guess for a company like Disney, they can offer various levels of commitment ranging from the very low for the majority of people who want to just enjoy the parks to medium for games or special events and up to whatever people will commit to for extra cash. My honest feeling is that this kind of venture is never likely to be worth it for Disney as they deal in entertaining the masses. They traditionally did that expertly by providing enough layers and details for people to explore and appreciate without necessarily feeling like just one of 50,000 or so people in the park on a given day. The way in which they took those experiences out of Galaxy's Edge and locked them behind a paywall in Galactic Starcruiser does seem like an obvious error in how all of this has played out.

I guess, though, Disney will keep trying!

 

[Animaniac93-98]

I'm curious to see where this all goes. The results of the Star Cruiser suggest full LARPing-style experiences may not be the future of major players such as Disney, though I haven't seen them come up with many other innovations as far as interactivity is concerned that seem particularly compelling. The last big one that is noticeable to me that seems to have had an impact was the gamification of some of the rides beginning with Buzz Lightyear, but even that they don't seem to have been able to take much beyond variations on shooting at things.

Think about the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando specifically.

You can buy your school robes and wands, take the train from one area to another, write a letter for the Owl Post, eat in universe foods and "cast spells" in various locations. That's about as immersive as the Starcruiser was, with the main difference being you can't stay overnight.

@lazyboy97o mentioned the time and money commitments. Wizarding World has none beyond general admission. You can do all of the above, or none at all. It's entirely up to the consumer. Even if you want to do everything, if at any point you want a break, you can leave and do something else. It's immersive, but not restrictive.

Epic Universe will have Power Bands for Nintendo and supposedly baby dragons you can adopt in the HttYD area. Each land has some sort of interactive gimmick that comes at a price, but is entirely voluntary. Universal seems to have figured out the balance of interaction and immersion for its parks while Disney struggles with weak imitations. I was honestly expecting Galaxy's Edge to be more like Wizarding World in that sense. Not just mobile games and clothes you can buy, but not wear.

 

[Figments Friend]

View attachment 717571

^the face you make when you’re 12 years old and notice the infamous Oola wardrobe malfunction in RotJ.

Okay, someone needs to have this image be their forum avatar photo from this point on….



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[Sirwalterraleigh]

Perhaps not at the moment, but there is a chance now that word is out that the place is closing.
Everyone who will be staying there from this point on will likely stock up on ‘Starcruiser’ branded merch to ‘flip’ / resell once the place is gone.



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That’s poor CMs trying to eBay supplement…

Highly doubt anyone still going on this wants that $&?!

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

View attachment 717571

^the face you make when you’re 12 years old and notice the infamous Oola wardrobe malfunction in RotJ.

…I was always a fan of a certain princess’s birth mark…

I hope there’s a parallel universe out there where it’s 1983 forever

 

[erasure fan1]

I was honestly expecting Galaxy's Edge to be more like Wizarding World in that sense. Not just mobile games and clothes you can buy, but not wear.

I think everyone did. Unfortunately so much of what people thought would be in the land was put behind a $6000 paywall. It all goes back to Disneys arrogance that all we need to do is slap the star wars name on it and BAM! Instant success.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Right. That is the point of the CP. Speaking as someone that knows a bit about Entertainment over there, not everyone is under contract to go that long and housekeeping is a constant battle to fill.

Disney is not going to rush to train and transfer CPs when it no longer benefits them to do so. They will be replacing the increasing turnover, not preventing it.

The entire point of cps is it’s the least amount of investment possible that brings additional revenue in. If one adult could manage the place…they’d have 62,999 cps there at all times…

…and isle 8 at Walgreens would be a store of its own the size of an Amazon warehouse

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

I think everyone did. Unfortunately so much of what people thought would be in the land was put behind a $6000 paywall. It all goes back to Disneys arrogance that all we need to do is slap the star wars name on it and BAM! Instant success.

What they put in there was like an expensive great wolf lodge…

They just don’t get it…

They did it to “cost control” and that was an ultimate fail.

They could have sold this…but what would it take?

How about 24 hour food/Interactive spaces?

A lightsaber…like a new invention kinda thing…training/battleground

A spaceship sim that knocks your Socks off…like a theme park grade ride system for limited access.



That’s what Star Wars NEEDED…that’s what the dreamers who are Star Wars fans conjure up.

The mind was always the key to Star Wars…they jsut don’t get it.

Adios, Bob…try to leave before it flatlines

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I was honestly expecting Galaxy's Edge to be more like Wizarding World in that sense. Not just mobile games and clothes you can buy, but not wear.

There was talk of there being a way to use the Force in the land that would have required buying something to access - so an equivalent of the Wanda in the Wizarding World - but obviously that never materialized. The droids you can build interact a little bit, but a lot of everything there falls short of what people were hoping for.

I still enjoy it overall but definitely isn't everything it could be/people wanted.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

There was talk of there being a way to use the Force in the land that would have required buying something to access - so an equivalent of the Wanda in the Wizarding World - but obviously that never materialized. The droids you can build interact a little bit, but a lot of everything there falls short of what people were hoping for.

I still enjoy it overall but definitely isn't everything it could be/people wanted.

People have been dancing around a specific word - likely because of their fandom(s) - for 4 years…

The word is “underwhelming”. We can come to a loose consensus on this.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Think about the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando specifically.

You can buy your school robes and wands, take the train from one area to another, write a letter for the Owl Post, eat in universe foods and "cast spells" in various locations. That's about as immersive as the Starcruiser was, with the main difference being you can't stay overnight.

@lazyboy97o mentioned the time and money commitments. Wizarding World has none beyond general admission. You can do all of the above, or none at all. It's entirely up to the consumer. Even if you want to do everything, if at any point you want a break, you can leave and do something else. It's immersive, but not restrictive.

Epic Universe will have Power Bands for Nintendo and supposedly baby dragons you can adopt in the HttYD area. Each land has some sort of interactive gimmick that comes at a price, but is entirely voluntary. Universal seems to have figured out the balance of interaction and immersion for its parks while Disney struggles with weak imitations. I was honestly expecting Galaxy's Edge to be more like Wizarding World in that sense. Not just mobile games and clothes you can buy, but not wear.

The Wizarding World is an example of how the public is actually driving more immersion and interactivity. Remember, the story of Hogsmead is actually that they’re letting muggles visit. Outside of Olivander’s, the land was very much design a detached, passive experience. It was the guests who showed up in costume, including black robes in Florida, and insisted they were part of the Wizarding World. Universal was smart and pivoted to embrace them, but it’s not what they expected.

While most of the Power Band activities in Super Nintendo World are open to all, the final boss battle is limited to those who have paid and done the whole experience. Expect there to be other interactive elements similarly locked behind a pay wall at Epic Universe. These elements also go beyond being disconnected events, but are now tied together into something more involved. It’s a slower step, but it is building that commitment on the back of the free and cheaper offerings.

The reactions to experiencing Galactic Starcruiser were very positive. Much more positive than I ever would have expected. But those with any hesitancy had no way to get a good taste of the experience, to build up their commitment. It was all or nothing at a very high price that was still iffy even for its positive reactions.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

As far as “commitment turn off hill”…I think it’s the schedule.

What’s great about Harry Potter? No schedule…5 minutes…5 hours…5 days…pay to play.

Mandatory attendance and time limits are perfect for a type of place…
…they’re called “prisons”

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

. It all goes back to Disneys arrogance that all we need to do is slap the star wars name on it and BAM! Instant success.

so many have adamantly claimed that this was “five dudes in the basement”…

…but even they have given up as the data piles in.

I think the most arrogant thing Disney and it’s fans that don’t have a barrier between themselves and the product they buy…has ever done…
…was try to say that Star Wars fans are stupid and/or entitled.

First…they were never stupid. Not for a second…the dumb kids never got the Buddhist esque spiritually of yoda or the primal father rub of death vader…

Second… we were NEVER entitled…we jsut all wanted the same thing: joy…and weren’t will to be shut up because of profit motive.
Somethings that’s not the final word/excuse

 

[TheMaxRebo]

People have been dancing around a specific word - likely because of their fandom(s) - for 4 years…

The word is “underwhelming”. We can come to a loose consensus on this.

Yeah, probably accurate. It's weird as in some ways the scale of the land(e) is impressive - but somehow it is impressive and underwhelming at the same time

Where as the Wizarding World like far exceeds with what it has

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Yeah, probably accurate. It's weird as in some ways the scale of the land(e) is impressive - but somehow it is impressive and underwhelming at the same time

Where as the Wizarding World like far exceeds with what it has

Perfectly stated

So I was in Anaheim august of 2019…previously planned group trip…and I really liked the Star Wars land. Only 1 ride and I thought it was novel…scenery good. But it felt like something was missing? People just assumed it was this amazing new ride…

First time to the HP lands was in January of 2020 right before the troubles started.
I was and still am floored. Not just for the original build of Diagon…but the repurpose (which got dismissed by Disney fans for decades) of hogsmeade was incredible. It just hit. Even the subdued nighttime show. So much more than it’s parts.

My first time in Orlando a year later? Well then I got the full dose of abrams land…when only the name matters.

Just don’t go anymore. Skip and the other stuff in the park. It’s just low entertainment. Not low quality…just there are better things to see and eat.