News Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser coming to Walt Disney World 2021

["El Gran Magnifico"]

because they couldn't come and go as they please.

What does that sound like to you?

No, it's totally fair because on many cruises there are 2 days at sea when you can't get off.

And that's why cruises aren't really my thing. So I exercise my right not to go on one.

Who asks a theme park to change an attraction just because their DD thinks it's like jail? Do you expect Six Flags to put in a dozen slow moving dark rides because DD doesn't like coasters?

So these plans are all finalized, yes? Maybe you can share the dinning options that will be available, or what the pool is going to be like. What does the room layout look like? The details have not been finalized....therefore nobody is asking anyone to change anything.

But there is a solution for 5 year olds who think this is jail. Or for those "who may not be avid fans." Or for you who have an aversion to L3-37.... DON'T. GO.

Solved. Really. If it's not for you. Don't go. If it's not for members of your family, don't force them to go. Just don't.

If Disney brings the "SJW Universe" into this hotel.....I won't. I'd suggest many others would be adverse to forking over a considerable amount of cash to spend 2 days engulfed in gender/identity politics and social injustice messaging.

But I suspect the real issue here is that you want a Star Wars Resort without the LARP. Send Disney a letter asking for it. Because, they're not building a 300 room hotel fully equipped with computerized LARPing stations to be the Grand Floridian of Star Wars. If they were doing that, they'd build one much, much larger.

You may suspect all you'd like. I have nothing against LARP. Nothing against Cosplay. It's dependent on the execution. And neither you nor I have enough information to determine what the ultimate result will be.

And yes. Disney could build a larger resort and dedicate a wing to the LARP community. There are many things they could do. Are you shilling for Disney? Great. I like Disney too.

 

[danlb_2000]

This wouldn't be like your regular hotel stay. It is, again, like a cruise.

So, you'd spend a few days in space, have an excursion to Batu, then once your ship returns to space port you go to your booking at the new Coronado tower. Disney would make it as seamless as possible, with you not even having to touch your luggage after you pack - you leave space room, enter hotel room, and Bam, your stuff is already there.

If you keep viewing this as a hotel, you're going to have a ton of issues related to the established hotel model. Again, this is akin to a cruise. Tell your child you're going to space for a few days.

We can keep repeating this idea that it's more like a cruise ship then a hotel, but in the end if people here are having a hard time with that idea, so will the guests. Cruise ships are an isolated experience both by design and for practical reasons. It's going to be much harder to sell the idea of going to a resort in the middle of one of the worlds most popular tourist destinations and telling people you can't visit 95% of the destination while you are there. Maybe they can get it to work, but I personally feel it's going to be a hard sell.

 

[danlb_2000]

So you're saying it would be impractical to walk from the SW hotel to SW land?

The hotel is closer to the land then the front gate of DHS, so I see no issue with being able to create a walkable connection.

 

[bclane]

The hotel is closer to the land then the front gate of DHS, so I see no issue with being able to create a walkable connection.

Walking is for beginners. The most powerful Jedi, such as myself, will Force project ourselves there (which strangely feels like walking but requires more training and concentration).

 

[xdan0920]

The hotel is closer to the land then the front gate of DHS, so I see no issue with being able to create a walkable connection.

It should really be a people mover. Walking is so not space age.

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

It should really be a people mover. Walking is so not space age.

Maybe they'll have space pods that'll just fire you out of the hotel, over the gate and landing on another guest right into the middle of the action.

 

[flynnibus]

Agreed. That’s why I said I’m surprised they didn’t just build it on a cruise ship. If it’s intended to be completely independent of WDW it could be built anywhere so why not make it “mobile”. You could vary the ports used to make it an easier getaway for people around the world. As you guys pointed out people on cruises are used to disconnecting and interacting with fellow passengers. It would have made a lot of sense.

My skeptical take is they are hedging their bets. If this concept is not as successful as they hoped for it will be very easy to convert this “resort” into a more traditional WDW hotel with views and direct access into the most popular land.

For sure.... but what I’m trying to point out is people are thinking how to adapt their wdw stay for some Star Wars. What it really is... here is the ultimate Star Wars immersion... come... experience... and here is wdw too... make a week of it. I think people are completely missing how this thing was presented and the marketing behind it.

If Disney stays with what they started with... id imagine they’d have a dvc style infomercial laying this out for people to sign up. You’d find wdw to be the follow up... not “stay at Star cruiser while at wdw”

 

[flynnibus]

The question is - is that fundamentally feasible?

There is one gigantic example of Disney attempting to make a stand-alone site that “reminded you of Disney parks”...and if failed miserably.

The other thing is...are they strengthening the IP currently to drive the demand for something so high cost and requiring “sacrifice” - in a bizarre way - to do it? Are there enough one-and-dones to drive this?

These are legitimate questions...I don’t have the answers...who knows what Disney’s datamines say? But they aren’t always right...recent events have proven that.

Sadly...I think the best IP to drive this is actually over at Universal. Never thought I’d say that.

You missed the point.... it’s not about where it was built at the end... it’s about how it’s sold and marketed. The point is you build up an idea that people say “ok, I want!!” Without even knowing where it is, or what is around it. You build up something that is so desirable, that it doesn’t need other supporting cast around it to close the deal. You sell the “must have...” and the other elements you just push off as logistics. It wasn’t setup as “now coming to wdw...”... it was setup completely as “a life experience...”

It’s the difference between what you LEAD with and sell... verse what you put in the “and on the side...” list of things to disclose. Have many of you never designed a sales pitch? It’s why you don’t lead with the price of things... you convince them they want it, then see into the price or explain how the price can be justified or handled.

Agent finishes presentation....
Customer: Oh wait... this is down in Florida not near me and I need to travel? (Sad face)
agent: oh it’s also right at wdw, so you can combine trips and experience that world class Disney product too. Make a week of it! That way you get two trips out of one plane ticket!

For those who didn’t see the survey.... Disney was eyeing those guests who stay at deluxe resorts, and are used to paying for entertainment and dining plans. The whole pricing discussion was setup by establishing “hey, you are ok with paying xxx for the Disney vacation you already know at this service level... but what if we added, this, that, abc, and xyz.... now what you be willing to pay for that kind of experience “

 

[flynnibus]

We can keep repeating this idea that it's more like a cruise ship then a hotel, but in the end if people here are having a hard time with that idea, so will the guests. Cruise ships are an isolated experience both by design and for practical reasons. It's going to be much harder to sell the idea of going to a resort in the middle of one of the worlds most popular tourist destinations and telling people you can't visit 95% of the destination while you are there. Maybe they can get it to work, but I personally feel it's going to be a hard sell.

Because you are talking to a group of people that have been conditioned by Disney “this is how you come to wdw”. You are talking to people who have a pre disposition on what vacationing with Disney is. And then, they get some tidbits of information, but are not seeing the whole pitch or presentation. They are not getting the whole story... so they are not making the leap. They hold onto what they know.

The cruise ship analogy holds here too. You take a wdw fan and tell they they should go on a cruise... and they say “wait, Disney without rides?? Why would I want to do that?” - because they are predisposed to what they think a Disney vacation means or should include. They haven’t gotten the full pitch and sell on the different type of experience... so they are trying to piecemeal tidbits together based on their expectations. This typically goes poorly.

But when someone is guided down a refined, slick sales pitch, you plant seeds, you nurture them, you layout what the ideal experience really is... and do it in a way that speaks to people’s desires.... then they can get out of their rut and see a different angle.

It’s no coincidence that many of the people who have been poo pooing the idea are also the types that say “well I don’t do cruise ships”.... and it’s not just because of the water

TL; DR - a lot of the conflict here is simple because people haven’t seen the full pitch

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

You missed the point.... it’s not about where it was built at the end... it’s about how it’s sold and marketed. The point is you build up an idea that people say “ok, I want!!” Without even knowing where it is, or what is around it. You build up something that is so desirable, that it doesn’t need other supporting cast around it to close the deal. You sell the “must have...” and the other elements you just push off as logistics. It wasn’t setup as “now coming to wdw...”... it was setup completely as “a life experience...”

It’s the difference between what you LEAD with and sell... verse what you put in the “and on the side...” list of things to disclose. Have many of you never designed a sales pitch? It’s why you don’t lead with the price of things... you convince them they want it, then see into the price or explain how the price can be justified or handled.

Agent finishes presentation....
Customer: Oh wait... this is down in Florida not near me and I need to travel? (Sad face)
agent: oh it’s also right at wdw, so you can combine trips and experience that world class Disney product too. Make a week of it! That way you get two trips out of one plane ticket!

For those who didn’t see the survey.... Disney was eyeing those guests who stay at deluxe resorts, and are used to paying for entertainment and dining plans. The whole pricing discussion was setup by establishing “hey, you are ok with paying xxx for the Disney vacation you already know at this service level... but what if we added, this, that, abc, and xyz.... now what you be willing to pay for that kind of experience “

That doesn’t negate anything I’m discussing...and opens this can of worms:

What’s the longterm sales/marketing potential of this? Are they doing the right amount groundwork to insure the demand? How “pricey” are the prices gonna be?

All valid concerns. Nothing that is locked off by their data mining and sales pitch. Have you actually heard the DVC salesman Work? They are generally terrible. Which goes to pattern...lesser quality made up for by the appeal of the “D”. That’s a common theme in parks operations...things work better than they SHOULD based on the workforce. Nobody wants to hear it...but I can’t turn experience “off”. It’s part of the equation.

I’m not speaking to “you” directly...but in general there is so much discussion friendly fire around here. Nobody wants to consider anything that doesn’t hold to a predetermined narrative. What is the harm in at least considering where it may go? That’s the whole point of a forum. The Greeks and romans told me so...

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Because you are talking to a group of people that have been conditioned by Disney “this is how you come to wdw”. You are talking to people who have a pre disposition on what vacationing with Disney is. And then, they get some tidbits of information, but are not seeing the whole pitch or presentation. They are not getting the whole story... so they are not making the leap. They hold onto what they know.

The cruise ship analogy holds here too. You take a wdw fan and tell they they should go on a cruise... and they say “wait, Disney without rides?? Why would I want to do that?” - because they are predisposed to what they think a Disney vacation means or should include. They haven’t gotten the full pitch and sell on the different type of experience... so they are trying to piecemeal tidbits together based on their expectations. This typically goes poorly.

But when someone is guided down a refined, slick sales pitch, you plant seeds, you nurture them, you layout what the ideal experience really is... and do it in a way that speaks to people’s desires.... then they can get out of their rut and see a different angle.

It’s no coincidence that many of the people who have been poo pooing the idea are also the types that say “well I don’t do cruise ships”.... and it’s not just because of the water

TL; DR - a lot of the conflict here is simple because people haven’t seen the full pitch

How about those that do cruise ships and realize that what is being used as “evidence” simply is not true?

And that those saying “take my money!!” seem to have one vacation destination on their gps?

The POINT is that we are all probably getting and missing some points based on our perspectives. That’s how a discussion works.

So please stop cutting others off and saying they are missing your points. That’s is true but your going “ole’” on some as well...it just doesn’t need to be said.

 

[flynnibus]

What’s the longterm sales/marketing potential of this? Are they doing the right amount groundwork to insure the demand? How “pricey” are the prices gonna be?

This is a time where a simple musical production selling tickets for hundreds of dollars can sell out for months in minutes. Disney won’t need years of build up to sell this idea. Disney has all the direct marketing data it needs between star wars and the P&R division. I bet Disney can sell this out for a year without ever talking to a new customer. Disney also has tens of thousands of guests in the deluxe hotel lobbies every day... people that can be taken aside for a sales pitch.

Then add in Disney showing things on ABC and it’s morning programs?? Or on the Disney channel? Do you really think it’s a real concern Disney will be late in marketing this in some way?

I doubt Disney will launch this with swge anyway... why compete with yourself for attention and distract your best talent? I foresee this as a phase 2 rollout in the year following swge. Just my opinion.

And for pricing... that’s why the pitch is important.

And besides... as locations like discovery cove prove.... you don’t need to be the biggest and highest volume product in town. In many ways, the opposite is your selling point.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

This is a time where a simple musical production selling tickets for hundreds of dollars can sell out for months in minutes. Disney won’t need years of build up to sell this idea. Disney has all the direct marketing data it needs between star wars and the P&R division. I bet Disney can sell this out for a year without ever talking to a new customer. Disney also has tens of thousands of guests in the deluxe hotel lobbies every day... people that can be taken aside for a sales pitch.

Then add in Disney showing things on ABC and it’s morning programs?? Or on the Disney channel? Do you really think it’s a real concern Disney will be late in marketing this in some way?

I doubt Disney will launch this with swge anyway... why compete with yourself for attention and distract your best talent? I foresee this as a phase 2 rollout in the year following swge. Just my opinion.

And for pricing... that’s why the pitch is important.

And besides... as locations like discovery cove prove.... you don’t need to be the biggest and highest volume product in town. In many ways, the opposite is your selling point.

You don’t have to explain to me how disney mines and uses data for planning...it’s not foreign.

I’m sure they have volumes of it. It’s the execution and longterm appeal that I question somewhat. Which again, with Star Wars; should be completely a non-factor.

My opinion of their sales is actually a lot lower than the data interpretation skills. We shall she what it looks like.

We disagree...but probably not that much in reality if we were not battling with keyboards. I’ll move on.

 

[flynnibus]

How about those that do cruise ships and realize that what is being used as “evidence” simply is not true?

Because enlarge it is still mostly true.. and still a recent change. The “people can’t get off their phone” trend precedes the proliferation of data onboard by a large amount. You don’t use recent environment changes to dismiss the human behavior that has been around for decades. The fact people can be connected now, does not change that people survived (and willingly went) without their phones... and many still do.

It’s simply hyperbole that asking people to unplug for a bit would sink this. It’s people clamoring for things to throw into the gears and hope it gets stuck.... instead of having legitimate personal concerns.

The simple solution has always been in place... you leave a number where you can be reached in case of emergency. You don’t need a cell phone 24/7 in case a meteor falls on your home while on vacation.

 

[nickys]

The POINT is that we are all probably getting and missing some points based on our perspectives. That’s how a discussion works.

That might just be the most appropriate thing said on this thread for quite some time!

That's exactly what's happening, everyone hanging on to their own perspective, refusing to even consider anyone else's and so the discussion turns into some kind of battle to be won.

One problem is that @flynnibus has some insight into the original pitch, which (most of) the rest of us don't. Added to which, he only just recently specifically said so, months after everyone is entrenched in their own opinion.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

Because enlarge it is still mostly true.. and still a recent change. The “people can’t get off their phone” trend precedes the proliferation of data onboard by a large amount. You don’t use recent environment changes to dismiss the human behavior that has been around for decades. The fact people can be connected now, does not change that people survived (and willingly went) without their phones... and many still do.

It’s simply hyperbole that asking people to unplug for a bit would sink this. It’s people clamoring for things to throw into the gears and hope it gets stuck.... instead of having legitimate personal concerns.

The simple solution has always been in place... you leave a number where you can be reached in case of emergency. You don’t need a cell phone 24/7 in case a meteor falls on your home while on vacation.

Are you saying that people by and large go data dark on the new super ships? Not true at all. And even if they were “trained”
On the fun ship in the 90s...more will fall off that training moving forward.

But to be clear...i’m not talking about teenagers on Snapchat...i’m talking a policy of Disney at this development requiring adults to go blackout 2,3,4 days at a time. I don’t see that holding or probably being implemented.

And...I don’t think this is gonna be the “murder mystery” weekend type place that it being assumed. I think it’s more going to be a restricted access hotel with a lot of upsell and entertainment potential...like a cruise ship...where you can check your email

It’s definitely interesting to see where it goes. Plans are fluid.

 

[Sirwalterraleigh]

That might just be the most appropriate thing said on this thread for quite some time!

That's exactly what's happening, everyone hanging on to their own perspective, refusing to even consider anyone else's and so the discussion turns into some kind of battle to be won.

One problem is that @flynnibus has some insight into the original pitch, which (most of) the rest of us don't. Added to which, he only just recently specifically said so, months after everyone is entrenched in their own opinion.

And I give @flynnibus full leeway because of that.

But flynnibus undoutedly has uttered “plans changed” many a time...as Martin has...

That’s not their fault...but it makes it no less real.

The PCQ can’t be ignored.

 

[flynnibus]

You don’t have to explain to me how disney mines and uses data for planning...it’s not foreign.

I’m sure they have volumes of it. It’s the execution and longterm appeal that I question somewhat. Which again, with Star Wars; should be completely a non-factor.

So what are you actually trying to say?

You question their marketing... and then say it’s not foreign after I highlight the kind of access any company would DREAM of having to their customer base...

You question the long term appeal... then say with SW it’s a non factor.

So do you have a point you actually stand behind?

Will this kind of boutique experience be viable in the long run? Who knows... but I think it’s just trying to be a contrarian to say it could fail due to execution. Because of course, that’s obvious to everyone and applies to everything.

How much of the pitch makes it to reality... we don’t know. How much of day 1 lasts till day 720? We don’t know. But instead of dooming day 1 because year 5 may not make it.... why not enjoy it for what it is?

Disney is setting off to do something at a commodity level something that has never been done before with a property as big as Star Wars. Where most of the time we are dealing with Disney doing petty crap like new dessert parties eating up viewing areas. And instead of being excited for new entertainment possibilities... people are fixated on how are they going to be able to do the same thing they did before... instead of being able to actually enjoy themselves.

The practicalities of daily life are put on hold all the time... you’ll survive... or continue to be on someone else’s hook. And other people will enjoy the,selves even if you can’t. Next man up!

 

[GoofGoof]

For sure.... but what I’m trying to point out is people are thinking how to adapt their wdw stay for some Star Wars. What it really is... here is the ultimate Star Wars immersion... come... experience... and here is wdw too... make a week of it. I think people are completely missing how this thing was presented and the marketing behind it.

If Disney stays with what they started with... id imagine they’d have a dvc style infomercial laying this out for people to sign up. You’d find wdw to be the follow up... not “stay at Star cruiser while at wdw”

I think this is the most important post in this thread. Disney is going to need to do a whole lot of marketing and really explain to people how this experience will work. They have a lot of work to do. I personally think because it is located at WDW many customers will assume it’s a Star Wars themed hotel at WDW instead of a permanently dry docked cruise ship. They will really need to explain the concept well which I’m sure they will. Just anecdotal evidence, but I know a number of regular WDW visitors who got very excited about the concept of a Star Wars resort and were excited over the concept art with the space windows and the look of the rooms. I don’t think any of them realized what this would ultimately be. I also continue to hold onto my opinion that this will not be for kids or families. This will appeal primarily to the adult fanboy demo. It’s a new approach for Disney at WDW which we haven’t seen since PI closed.

 

[GoofGoof]

You're absolutely right about this being an experiment. They likely can convert it to a regular hotel if need be, but if the boutique experience is successful, then it's going to be the first of many.

As for not building this as a ship: ships have an absolute ton of overhead not directly related to the guests, and they require a ton of capital and forethought. As for moving it from Port to Port, there's not much advantage there. A lot of people like ending where they started on cruises, and what's the point of docking at exciting locales if you're already deeply embedded in the story?

And it's already the prime tourist destination. There's a reason Orlando has grown to the entertainment powerhouse it is. People are going here anyway for WDW, might as well offer this as something new.

I wouldn't be surprised if further down the line they did make a more permanent presence on the boats. Star Wars at Sea is very, very popular, and I could see Disney investing in that.

Ships also have tons of cheap labor to offset some of those costs.

When I said moving it from port to port I meant where it starts and ends not visiting multiple ports. There would be no reason to stop mid-cruise if you can’t get off and since these would be short cruises they would likely be a cruise to nowhere that starts and stops at the same port. I meant they could offer 3 day cruises out of Miami then next month move to Galveston, then next move to Baltimore, then Bayonne NJ then go to the west coast and if desired even move to Europe or Asia. This way you make it more convenient for guests to get to. If it took off they could have multiple ships.

I’m not a huge fan of cruises at all, but for those who are would you enjoy and/or book a cruise that never left the dock? What if you got on the ship and could enjoy all the ship has to offer but it never left port. You couldn’t see outside of the ship anyway so you aren’t missing views. After 3 days you would get off and the cruise is over.