Starcruiser: What do you think it'll be used for in 5 years?

[Minnesota disney fan]

I have been reading that reservations for the SW hotel have been cancelling at a fast rate!
If that's the case even before it opens, I think they are in trouble.

 

[Goofyernmost]

That's not the point of this thread. This thread is to discuss the what-if of failure.

So there is no way it might still be used for it's intended purpose 5 years from now, because that is one possibility isn't it? The implication is that it will fail, but it is entirely possible it might work.

 

[networkpro]

IMHO, the dining room turned into a table service is a no-brainer as its already outfitted. The 100 guest rooms? On-site warehousing for Merchandise and costuming.

 

[mergatroid]

Not to mention that currently one of the most popular rides in WDW puts you in the middle of the same war that the Starcruiser will.

There's complaints about immersion and yet we get complaints now about a 'Starcruiser' in a war zone? How about Disney doesn't allow Starcruiser guests to visit Batuu instead by saying "As a 'cruise' supposedly wouldn't exist in a universe where the Empire exists, we've eliminated the trip to Batuu". I'm sure the guests would be delighted by that so as not to diminish the 'immersion'?

Alternatively of course, instead of the stay being a 'cruise', they could say you were just 'travelling' on a transport ship. If they did that though it would make the story line less realistic as what Transport ship would feature 'entertainment'? There has to be a point where common sense tells people that you can pick holes in any LARPing experience, to say otherwise is foolish. You do what you can to be immersive but accept those involved are usually adults who usually, well you know, realise it's role play and not real.

 

[Sandersfeld]

Spaceballs Land??

 

[Brad Bishop]

There's complaints about immersion and yet we get complaints now about a 'Starcruiser' in a war zone? How about Disney doesn't allow Starcruiser guests to visit Batuu instead by saying "As a 'cruise' supposedly wouldn't exist in a universe where the Empire exists, we've eliminated the trip to Batuu". I'm sure the guests would be delighted by that so as not to diminish the 'immersion'?

Alternatively of course, instead of the stay being a 'cruise', they could say you were just 'travelling' on a transport ship. If they did that though it would make the story line less realistic as what Transport ship would feature 'entertainment'? There has to be a point where common sense tells people that you can pick holes in any LARPing experience, to say otherwise is foolish. You do what you can to be immersive but accept those involved are usually adults who usually, well you know, realise it's role play and not real.

I think traveling on a Transport ship far better fits the whole Star Wars universe vibe.

Small quarters would be in order (which is what they're giving you on the Star Cruiser).
You may very well be traveling through a war zone, which I think most fans want.
Being boarded by the Empire, mercenaries, or scavengers would be expected.

The problem I see it is basic: The Cruise Ship doesn't fit the environment.

You can list all of the other rides but they still make sense in their own context.

Why not have a huge cruise ship through the jungle? Why not have a huge cruise ship through the Bayou? Why not have a huge cruise ship through a haunted house? ...because it doesn't make sense. It doesn't fit.

The boat in Pirates is part of the ride system and fits the theming of you traveling down some canal through a town. When you think of "Pirates" you're not thinking of "cruise ship" so why would you ever have a cruise ship in Pirates? Same with Star Wars: When you think of Star Wars you're thinking of a large war going amongst the stars, not a cruise ship.

Transport ship? fits.

Splitting the hotel into two parts, one Rebel, one Empire, makes sense and then do something with that (maybe one is the Death Star and the other is a Rebel base). A cruise line doesn't make sense, unless it's the worst run cruise line ever that doesn't care about its customers or capital (damage to its ship).

 

[Tha Realest]

View attachment 618903
throw in a animatronic band & i can see that work

Not sure if you've seen the recent Book of Boba Fett but this might not fit within the timeline

 

[Disstevefan1]

Again, still throwing this out there after 5 years and every Star Wars fan wants to fulfill the biggest thing about staying in a "Themed Hotel"

I think it could work as a themed hotel. It would be cool to do a split stay with a night in the Starcruiser.
I wonder if the public spaces; bridge, gift shop, etc. would be open for folks to come aboard like we are all allowed in the other hotels?

 

[GimpYancIent]

A Club 33 exclusive SW themed alcove with appropriately attired 1st Order security of course?

 

[Tha Realest]

Snark aside, I think it would be interesting to see how they could (or would) reconfigure this current set up. It wasn't designed to have many external flourishes - the current setup is supposed to lead its guests to believe they are off-world - so they wouldn't even see much of the external facade at all. It is comparatively small, so I could see there being some operational headaches in terms of staffing :: guest ratios, and doesn't have a pool. That said, it's clearly the closest DHS resort, and *could* be walkable, so that may be a future benefit?

 

[KBLovedDisney]

Starcruiser: What do you think it'll be used for in 5 years?​

 

[mergatroid]

I think traveling on a Transport ship far better fits the whole Star Wars universe vibe.

Small quarters would be in order (which is what they're giving you on the Star Cruiser).
You may very well be traveling through a war zone, which I think most fans want.
Being boarded by the Empire, mercenaries, or scavengers would be expected.

The problem I see it is basic: The Cruise Ship doesn't fit the environment.

You can list all of the other rides but they still make sense in their own context.

Why not have a huge cruise ship through the jungle? Why not have a huge cruise ship through the Bayou? Why not have a huge cruise ship through a haunted house? ...because it doesn't make sense. It doesn't fit.

The boat in Pirates is part of the ride system and fits the theming of you traveling down some canal through a town. When you think of "Pirates" you're not thinking of "cruise ship" so why would you ever have a cruise ship in Pirates? Same with Star Wars: When you think of Star Wars you're thinking of a large war going amongst the stars, not a cruise ship.

Transport ship? fits.

Splitting the hotel into two parts, one Rebel, one Empire, makes sense and then do something with that (maybe one is the Death Star and the other is a Rebel base). A cruise line doesn't make sense, unless it's the worst run cruise line ever that doesn't care about its customers or capital (damage to its ship).

You're arguing that you want 'immersion', correct? You're implying that guests are going to so immersed that they'll think "Why would a cruise be going on in a war zone"?

Well firstly, travelling at many times the speed of light means the Empire can travel trillions of miles in any direction, the number of planets in a Universe teeming with life means planets everywhere are expected to offer no cruises just in case they come across an Empire ship? Even in the good old original trilogy there were examples of leisure places. Bespin's Cloud City where Lando was based had leisure areas. There's examples of opulence in many Star Wars films with gambling, exotic dancers and leisure facilities so this idea that 'Star Cruises' wouldn't exist makes zero sense?

This accuracy with the immersion you crave, how does that fit in with the story line you want? Why would you shell out a load of money to go on a transport ship that leaves earth's orbit and enters the imaginary galaxy that Star Wars exits in? Now something as trivial as that wouldn't bother me as I know it's make believe, however you're the one setting the rules here that everything has to be logical and fit in with the 'immersion' you desire. Instead you turning up with your suitcase and travelling up to a space vehicle with a restaurant, entertainment, gambling etc for a leisurely break actually fits in more realistically than what you're suggesting does? Again I'm using your idea of strict parameters here as to what 'fits in' with what's actually happening.

Why would you be taking and paying for a 2 day stay on a transport ship leaving earth's orbit and heading into a 'war zone' as a civilian, that makes no sense? Whatever story line they go with, there has to be an element of letting go of reality and you have to accept that story lines can't always make perfect sense. You seem to be applying rules that suit the story line you prefer, whilst expecting the same rules to be relaxed and not questioned when they work against the story you've decided is better. It's far easier to just say "I think my idea is better" rather than create a whole set of rules which if followed as strictly as you want actually makes your idea harder to fit in.

The concept of paying for a leisurely 2 day cruise through space that gets caught up in a battle by accident is surely closer to what you're actually doing than leaving your job on earth to take a transport ship into a war zone is?

 

[Fox&Hound]

I could see it becoming a restaurant. That would be kind of cool.

But like some blogger said (and I completely agree) do we really want DIS to fail on this? The mentioned that the point DIS will take away from all of this is not the point we hope they will (you can't phone it in, Star Wars fans are not Star Trek fans, etc). The point they will take away is to not be ambitious and to play it safe. No one wins in that case. My apologies to whichever blogger or WDWmagic member said (I forget) that but they were spot on!

 

[FutureCEO]

firefighter testing area

 

[drizgirl]

I could see it becoming a restaurant. That would be kind of cool.

But like some blogger said (and I completely agree) do we really want DIS to fail on this? The mentioned that the point DIS will take away from all of this is not the point we hope they will (you can't phone it in, Star Wars fans are not Star Trek fans, etc). The point they will take away is to not be ambitious and to play it safe. No one wins in that case. My apologies to whichever blogger or WDWmagic member said (I forget) that but they were spot on!

It would have been cool if they had actually built the restaurant they originally planned for the land.

 

[SteveAZee]

I will stay away from the debate over whether it will succeed or not, the main thread covers that well. Let's focus on the question of what else could be done with it.

One option would be to just scale it back. Instead of the multi-day experience just make it an overnight experience. Maybe board at 5:00 PM and leave by 10:00 AM. Give some time for some activities and you get to stay in a themed environment but it still allows for park days on either side. This would allow it to function a little more like a normal hotel without having to add a bunch of amenities you would need in a normal hotel.

It would be interesting to have it accessible ONLY from Batuu. Suppose you're staying at, let's say the Yacht Club... leave an overnight bag with Bell Services, head to HS, and at the right time you get take transportation to the Starcruiser for dinner, entertainment, and an overnight stay (your overnight bad dropped off in your cabin before you get there). Next morning have a nice breakfast with some other interactive entertainment and exit back into the park. It would seem a bit more immersive than how they have it set up now.

 

[GimpYancIent]

Fail? Nah I do not see this venue actually failing but rather changing and being reinvented. To what different form and function will be pure speculation because Disney management is having difficulty planning, presenting and making this project functional now. 1 March + 60 to 90 days will do much to help see a possible future.

 

[doctornick]

Ya know, they could convert it into a “be our guest but in Star Wars” type of table service, only accessible by the shuttle craft in GE, therefore only accessible to folks inside the park. The cabin space could be convert into dining areas and there could be different dining rooms. Maybe leave the bridge for theming, maybe a kid could be selected at random from the diners to go into light speed, maybe the lightsaber training could remain as an up charge.

This will allow everyone to experience the Starcruiser AND Disney would be making MONEY!

Yeah, I would think the obvious would be to pivot to reservation only dining, lightsaber training, bat with entertainment. People make reservations and then they take transport from DHS for the requisite experience. You could still use the rooms/other parks of the ship for backstage and support for DHS if they aren’t needed/used otherwise

 

[Disstevefan1]

It would be interesting to have it accessible ONLY from Batuu. Suppose you're staying at, let's say the Yacht Club... leave an overnight bag with Bell Services, head to HS, and at the right time you get take transportation to the Starcruiser for dinner, entertainment, and an overnight stay (your overnight bad dropped off in your cabin before you get there). Next morning have a nice breakfast with some other interactive entertainment and exit back into the park. It would seem a bit more immersive than how they have it set up now.

Sort of a bed and breakfast but this would be a “Batuu and breakfast” , sorry I had to, but seriously I like this idea a lot. I like the overnight thing. This is doable/affordable by more people, I think will cost Disney less, easier for Disney to staff and operate, and I think to will make MORE money for Disney.

 

[fryoj]

I think traveling on a Transport ship far better fits the whole Star Wars universe vibe.

Small quarters would be in order (which is what they're giving you on the Star Cruiser).
You may very well be traveling through a war zone, which I think most fans want.
Being boarded by the Empire, mercenaries, or scavengers would be expected.

The problem I see it is basic: The Cruise Ship doesn't fit the environment.

You can list all of the other rides but they still make sense in their own context.

Why not have a huge cruise ship through the jungle? Why not have a huge cruise ship through the Bayou? Why not have a huge cruise ship through a haunted house? ...because it doesn't make sense. It doesn't fit.

The boat in Pirates is part of the ride system and fits the theming of you traveling down some canal through a town. When you think of "Pirates" you're not thinking of "cruise ship" so why would you ever have a cruise ship in Pirates? Same with Star Wars: When you think of Star Wars you're thinking of a large war going amongst the stars, not a cruise ship.

Transport ship? fits.

Splitting the hotel into two parts, one Rebel, one Empire, makes sense and then do something with that (maybe one is the Death Star and the other is a Rebel base). A cruise line doesn't make sense, unless it's the worst run cruise line ever that doesn't care about its customers or capital (damage to its ship).

You can take the biggest and fanciest cruise ships in the world to third world countries right now. I've taken cruises to Haiti where they had military with machine guns patrolling the fences. A cruise ship going to GE isn't that far from reality.