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

[TP2000]

I just think that management has blown it on this. From the looks of it, the Star Cruiser was done cheaply enough that they won't lose much by shutting it down in a few years.

What an interesting topic! I just read through the five pages here while enjoying a nightcap (Rye Manhattan, extra bitters), and I'm surprised no one has mentioned this already. I think in five years the Galactic Starcruiser will be:

A Corporate Retreat/Team Building Experience! A Star Wars themed version of the old Disney Institute programs.

Themed ostensibly to Star Wars (which every middle-aged, upper-middle manager in America is familiar with). Corporate retreats and team building experiences are held there. Groups of upper-middle managers and lower-level executives are sent up to the Starcruiser to team-build for future growth, also known as "Ideation" and "Thought Showers", where you "Deep-dive into high-level learnings", and "operationalize" the latest "best-of-breed robust solutions" for "high-wall challenges from key stakeholders". Or whatever pukey and meaningless corporate jargon the upper-middle managers are using in 2027.

A full menu of offerings is available, depending on the wishes of the client's senior executives who want to put their upper-middle managers through sheer HR hell. These Galactic Starcruiser Team Building activities will only benefit the neurotic supply-ordering tendencies of the office support manager Cheryl, while the rest of the salaried team self-medicates at the bar and updates their resume' once they return to earth. But that's not TDO's problem, and the clients pay in advance.

But at least when Cheryl gets back to the office, she will streamline Post-It ordering like she's on fire.

Team-building can be light saber training to establish trust, or Sabacc tournaments after a 30 minute lesson to help sharpen team communication around inane processes, or ship-bound murder mystery games to "break down silos" and prove that Todd in Accounting is a real jerk. Or, lighter experiences can be curated for teams who may have done well; like Kamino Sushi classes, or on-board day spa treatments, or Cantina Karaoke. Or any combination thereof.

Heck, even a "Moment With Gaya, 4:15 to 4:30" is possible, if your corporate budget is big enough.

Experiences can be curated to start at six hours with a lunch, on up to a full 36 hours with an overnight stay including five meals and a no-host bar (where participants start plotting their company resignation). Expect to pay through the nose for this regardless of the length of time, but because it's charged off to corporate in Atlanta a surprising number of mid-sized businesses east of St. Louis and south of Richmond will actually do this.

Problem solved, Chapek! You're welcome in advance!

P.S. I'm kind of serious here. They could turn this into a Star Wars themed Disney Institute for awful corporate retreats.

 

[jloucks]

Six Flags used to be a pretty good set of theme parks. Not back in the early 200s but going back to the 1970s. They're now the discount park. They're the Walmart of theme parks. You don't really want to go but, yeah, you'll go because your cousin is in town. That's how it is now. It's not how it used to be. They've had decades of "We're the discount park!" crap where they just added coaster after coaster with no theming (the originally had theming), and now? They're kind of a crappy regional theme park with decent sized coasters. Not the best coasters, but what do you expect from a discount chain?

- I still think Disney has shown, through their actions, that they're not really intent on paying for street performers in their parks. They've got rid of quite a few of them in recent years and used COVID to do some of that. Galaxy's Edge was supposed to be teeming with them but, outside of the first month or so, they seem to be mostly missing. I think you can extrapolate from that that you'll likely have something akin to a meet & greet with Vader or whomever at the hotel and then there'll be the necessary employees to make things work (like manning the attractions (light saber training / bridge) or staffing the bar / dining room / kitchen. Sure, maybe in the first month or two they'll do something more elaborate, but, long term, they're just not committed to that idea (as seen by their own history).

So, as a decade+ season pass holder at Six Flags over Texas, I feel compelled to reply. Again

The coasters are world class at Six Flags. Many of the biggest, fastest, tallest records are, or recently were Six Flags coasters.

Tallest Roller Coasters in the World

#1 Falcons Flight - Six Flags Qiddiya - Coming Soon
#2 Kindga Ka - Six Flags Great Adventure
#5 Superman Escape from Krypton - Six Flags Magic Mountain. Also one of the fastest I believe.

And then there are largest wooden coaster, largest fastest hybrid coaster, largest loop, there are TONs of other records in Six Flags Parks. The Texas Giant, which was once a record breaking wooden coaster, and now is a hybrid, is spectacular.

To imply they are in any way discount coasters ignores the amazing spectacles many of them are.

They are the best coasters, on average, of any park chain, in my opinion based on records and firsts.

That all being said, Six Flags Over Texas, and most Six Flags Parks (they are all a little different) don't want to invest in customer service at all. It is atrocious on almost all levels. I mean suck-tastic.

So, to work in a "you are correct" I will say, If you average in customer service with coasters, you end up with a mediocre park.

I know you were referring to Disney when you referenced street performers, but I will bring this back to Six Flags with how they have, over the decades, continued to defund live performances/performers. They seem to want to pour all their performer budget into haunted houses (that they charge a premium for) and abandon free classics.

Oh, and the Haunted Houses are world class as well.

Universal had some great ones too.

I thought all the coasters in Uni and WDW where meh. They were fine, but could not compete with Six Flags.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

They really do get it right.

If I want a REALLY good steak, I'll do it myself. If I'm being lazy and still want a good steak, Texas Roadhouse is my go-to.

What amazes me is how some restaurants had it right for a long time (like the quality of Texas Roadhouse "right") and just fell by the wayside over the years (not as good / seems like it's more expensive than it needs to be for what you're getting):
- Longhorn - used to be my go-to 20years back. Last time I went it was a miserable cut of meat (like an end cut where they would rather try to sell it as a full-blown rib-eye steak instead of just eating the cost on one bad cut. Imagine your ribeye sitting there in front of you and it's about 1/2" tall on one side and tapers off to nothing on the other side. Still full price. One of those, "I feel dumb paying for this." - and I never went back. that was probably 2008 or so)
- Outback - they used to do a great job seasoning their steaks. Now not so much. It's not horrible but it's not great or even good. It's OK. It's my fallback to if Texas Roadhouse is full. I can always find a seat at Outback (which tells you something - literally it can be across the street and you can have Texas Roadhouse with a line out the door and Outback have plenty of seating available).

What kills me about this is: Cooking a steak isn't hard. It basically comes down to:
- a decent cut / not a sloppy end cut - sell that at a discount if you want
- seasoning (salt & pepper if nothing else - here's where they miss it)
- just cook it right

I think for most of this the push for profits supersedes the desire for producing a quality product. If you remove seasoning you save a few ¢s per order... If you sell cuts of meat that really should be scrap for full price then you've reduced your loss. None of this has an immediate effect so, on the books, it looks really good. The beancounters can show how they saved money and increased profits. What they fail to show is how customers start falling off the vine because the impact of their cost-savings won't really be seen for months or years.

And... I'm going to bring this back around to Disney here: I think it's a problem that so many corporations have: They're not focused on making a quality product but making the most profit. In Disney's case they believe that they can charge a premium and deliver a sub-premium product. People will pay, anyway!

It actually goes back to why I stopped going to Disney. My regular pattern was: Have an annual pass, visit whichever parks I liked, each night have a good, sit-down meal at one of the restaurants either in the parks or at the resorts. Le Cellier was one of my favorites and I remember the last time being in there (around 2014, I think) looking at the bill, understanding I'm paying a premium for eating inside the parks, looking at my paper napkins (they used to be cloth), considering the steak/meal I had, which was "ok" and thinking, "this is stupid. All of the other meals during that same trip had been the same: you could see where the budget was cut (no more cloth napkins, service and food was sub-par, and the expense had risen. I remember sitting there thinking, "I guess I'm done eating at Disney / maybe going here." On paper, to Disney, my meal looked fantastic. Look at all of those cuts in costs to Disney. No more laundering cloth napkins, cheaper cuts of meat, less seasons, lower service AND I paid MORE! <- That was surely a win on the spreadsheet! Someone got their bonus that day.

I have noticed the same trend in retail clothing. Stores selling utter garbage garments through nonsense marketing, and sneaky sales gimmicks.

Sadly, I think we're seeing this trend...all across this country. A great many people seem to have lost all grasp of reality.

 

[bustamelon]

Dance and dessert parties of course.

 

[DfromATX]

I'm not one of them, but I think there are plenty of rich people, Tim Trackers, and super fans who will pay. I don't even like Star Wars, but I'm ok with this. If people want to spend their time and money there, so be it. It doesn't really affect me. However, I was hoping to see Genie+ fail because that affects my experience.

 

[DugLovesU]

I know - "It's still yet to open!" and "Disney could turn it around!"

I think this thing is flawed from the get-go:
- it doesn't make sense. It makes sense on the surface until you realize:
- Guests aren't looking for a "cruise" in space.
- Why would you take a cruise that went anywhere near a war zone?
- On a normal cruise ship it may take me a week or more to explore the entire thing. If you look at the size of the Star Cruiser it's essentially the size of a large city. This building is the size of a very small hotel. I can't help but think that your brain is going to map it out as: The 12 rooms for guests are over there. There's the "bridge". There's the light saber training. There's the lounge. There's the dining area. That's it. It's going to be painfully obvious that this is like the opposite of the Tardis where it's actually tiny on the inside compared to the (supposed) outside (the giant ship they're saying you're on).
- done on the cheap
- Capt. Karen
- They'll be using technology of the past (because Star Wars IS in the past) like the iPhone or iPad you bring with you.
- when enter a port, you'll be transported by box car to a theme park that has sort-of Star Wars in it. You know you're in a theme park.

I think other realities will be:
- Disney isn't big on paying for actors to LARP (see Galaxy's Edge which was going to be so immersive with such people)

My guess is that this entire thing is management driven: "We bought Star Wars! We have to make money with Star Wars! Get Kennedy on the phone!"

Instead of an Imagineer driven thing which I think would have caught the #1 problem: No one really want to take a Star Wars space cruise. What they want is to be on a battleship on one side or the other blasting away. If you look at other interviews with Imagineers like Rhode, they always seem to catch these kinds of flaws and say things like, "Well, in this situation, if you think about it, you'd expect X, not Y," and you're left with, "That's both genius and incredibly obvious!" and that's where the brilliance is!

Left to the imagineers, I think we would have gotten a much better Star Wars land where we could have had interactive simulators (all battling in the same space) including the Millennium Falcon, X-wing, Y-wing, Tie-fighters, etc. How cool would it have been if it were all just a constant battle and you got to get in line to play until you were either hit or some time limit expired. You could have the Imperial side of the land (maybe you were "transported" to the Death Star) or the Rebel side (on one of the ships just on the other side of some planet).

Instead, (management), we got:
- $200+ droid building
- $40+ Star Wars drinks at a bar
- Expensive Star Wars plush / T-shirts
- 2 rides, one which isn't talked about much any longer.
- kind of an empty desert land
- a tiny "Star Cruiser" hotel at $6K/stay (not quite 48hrs)

I just think that management has blown it on this. From the looks of it, the Star Cruiser was done cheaply enough that they won't lose much by shutting it down in a few years. There's no fancy ride mechanism to simulate a shuttle to Galaxy's Edge. Nope. Just a box truck. Easily used for transporting plush.

...and that's leads to the subject of this post: I think, 5 years out, we're likely to see the Star Cruiser become long-term (because there's a road in the way) back-stage storage.

The few who will try it at $6K/stay (min) aren't likely to be repeat customers. The average Disney guest really is priced out of this one. The offerings for the $6K/stay (min) look pretty weak. Also, this isn't a park that they've invested $$B into. In that situation (like DCA) they pretty much have to redo it. This? It's a small building that can easily be repurposed for storage.

I'd guess that they'll try to rework it once or twice in that 5 years but, ultimately, they really don't want to spend the money on it. They really just want people to hand over $6K/stay (or more). I think that management sort of just expects people to do this because: Disney and Star Wars.

When Universal wanted to transport people, they build the Hogwarts train and it's an experience. Disney? They decorate the inside of a box car. This tells you what they think: You love them. You'll pay. Doesn't matter what they do.

I find the responses on this thread amusing-but there's no way this is turning into a backstage storage building. Disney has been hyping the Star Cruiser so much that it's "Too big to fail" at this point.
It will do well at first as the vloggers and the SW Geeks (those with money anyway) will definitely want to try out this one-of-a-kind experience. Though after a year or two I see things becoming a bit more dicey when it comes to filling rooms.
My take is that the mistake Disney made with Star Cruiser is putting too much emphasis on characters from the most recent films in the franchise-Rey/Finn/Poe/Kylo/etc. Frankly those characters are not nearly as popular as the ones from the truly iconic original trilogy-Luke/Leia/Han/Vader and the rest.
I suspect that in the not too distant future we will see a reworking of the Star Cruiser theme to feature more of the classic Star Wars characters. If that doesn't work then we may see a lowering of prices by at least a small amount. And if THAT doesn't work-well-the bus drivers still need a new break room, don't they?













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[Tha Realest]

Disney has been hyping the Star Cruiser so much that it's "Too big to fail" at this point.

'

I agree that it represents a major new revenue stream for the company. However, I am not sure "has" is the right word - "had" is probably more appropriate. They've basically stopped promoting this thing in any way or fashion since mid-December.

 

[DugLovesU]

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 can't wait to read the first report from a guest who escapes from Batuu to check out "For the First Time In Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along" or "Beauty & The Beast Live On Stage".

 

[DfromATX]

I agree that it represents a major new revenue stream for the company. However, I am not sure "has" is the right word - "had" is probably more appropriate. They've basically stopped promoting this thing in any way or fashion since mid-December.

Yeah, what's up with that? Why haven't we been seeing much on it? Any theories on that?

 

[Tha Realest]

Yeah, what's up with that? Why haven't we been seeing much on it? Any theories on that?

The general consensus is that the poor reception to the early promotional stuff was adversely impacting bookings. presumably they've tabled everything and are reconfiguring their efforts, possibly to coincide with the "maiden voyage" in a few weeks?

 

[Brad Bishop]

Yeah, what's up with that? Why haven't we been seeing much on it? Any theories on that?

I think there are several things at play:
1) Everything they've shown so far has been ridiculed. If they show more, they'll get more ridicule.
2) It's probably best to leave the remaining customers a bit in the dark about the experience rather than have them influenced by ridiculed from YouTube. Just sort of "ride it out and hope for the best".
3) They don't actually have anything great to show. What they've shown us so far was "the best" and that's where it is. Now what do you do?
4) By riding it out, they're hoping that the vloggers save them with telling the world how awesome everything is. "Look at all the merch you can buy! I bet you can't wait to try this exclusive "Dark Side" cupcake! They have a commemorative, limited edition, pin for each customer! This new "Saber Drink", filled with vodka, citrus, and glowing cubes is fantastic - a bit pricey at $45, but you get to keep the limited edition plastic mug!" <- Really, like it or not, that vlogger stuff saves them from having to advertise themselves and is bound to drive sales.

One thing that was missing in their promos, which may have better sold it, was if they shows people being "put in the action". Like the kid from Goldbergs having a drink and then Kylo cuts through the hull and Storm Troopers march in and arrest everyone. Not sure where you go with that, you know, other than to Disney Jail, but I think the idea itself - just some kind of fun/exciting interaction with other characters would have gone a long way. The fact that there have been no Star Wars characters in any of the promos makes me think, "limited to no Star Wars character interaction on the Star Cruiser and your best bet for this is other LARPers joining in and staying in character (which actually would be pretty great IMO - the LARPers do it for the love and stay true-to-form). Still, missing characters from the ads doesn't bode well if you're looking for character interaction when it should be, if it's included, one of the top things they're playing up.

 

[DfromATX]

I think there are several things at play:
1) Everything they've shown so far has been ridiculed. If they show more, they'll get more ridicule.
2) It's probably best to leave the remaining customers a bit in the dark about the experience rather than have them influenced by ridiculed from YouTube. Just sort of "ride it out and hope for the best".
3) They don't actually have anything great to show. What they've shown us so far was "the best" and that's where it is. Now what do you do?
4) By riding it out, they're hoping that the vloggers save them with telling the world how awesome everything is. "Look at all the merch you can buy! I bet you can't wait to try this exclusive "Dark Side" cupcake! They have a commemorative, limited edition, pin for each customer! This new "Saber Drink", filled with vodka, citrus, and glowing cubes is fantastic - a bit pricey at $45, but you get to keep the limited edition plastic mug!" <- Really, like it or not, that vlogger stuff saves them from having to advertise themselves and is bound to drive sales.

One thing that was missing in their promos, which may have better sold it, was if they shows people being "put in the action". Like the kid from Goldbergs having a drink and then Kylo cuts through the hull and Storm Troopers march in and arrest everyone. Not sure where you go with that, you know, other than to Disney Jail, but I think the idea itself - just some kind of fun/exciting interaction with other characters would have gone a long way. The fact that there have been no Star Wars characters in any of the promos makes me think, "limited to no Star Wars character interaction on the Star Cruiser and your best bet for this is other LARPers joining in and staying in character (which actually would be pretty great IMO - the LARPers do it for the love and stay true-to-form). Still, missing characters from the ads doesn't bode well if you're looking for character interaction when it should be, if it's included, one of the top things they're playing up.

Ha ha I can see dfb doing that with the "Dark Side Cupcake." I guess that's what we have to look forward to pretty soon and I bet for a while that's all it's going to be about. I wonder if they will get to stay for free. Come to think of it, I think the only advertisement I've seen had that Goldberg guy, but I can't remember what it was I was watching. Oh well!

 

[mergatroid]

I can't wait to read the first report from a guest who escapes from Batuu to check out "For the First Time In Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along" or "Beauty & The Beast Live On Stage".

Well if they do it will be their choice. I mean if you want immersion then don't leave Batuu and complain about it later. That would be as stupid as me going to Halloween Horror Nights and leaving the park to go to Cowfish for a burger, then complaining that the Cowfish staff weren't scaring me and ruining the immersion before returning to HHN.

I suppose Disney could have CM's stopping Starcruiser guests leaving Batuu for their own good except that would be illegal, so what are you going to do?

 

[Brad Bishop]

I suppose Disney could have CM's stopping Starcruiser guests leaving Batuu for their own good except that would be illegal, so what are you going to do?

Nooooo... Storm Troopers stop them if they try to leave.

Honestly, if they did a decently themed New Order jail, people would line up to be arrested by the storm troopers and spend the night in Dark Side Jail. I'm not kidding.

 

[mergatroid]

Nooooo... Storm Troopers stop them if they try to leave.

Honestly, if they did a decently themed New Order jail, people would line up to be arrested by the storm troopers and spend the night in Dark Side Jail. I'm not kidding.

Sounds a good idea that

 

[mysto]

They could use it for adult entertainment. The expense of hiring 20 actors to play Leia would probably cause Cheapek to revert to "plan break room" though.

 

[mikeanabean]

I think this will be too big to fail. If after a few years it does not work out they will re theme the place and try that. I can't see them ever closing it. It won't be a place for the regular visitor due to the price and I think that want they want.

 

[FettFan]

I'd guess that they'll try to rework it once or twice in that 5 years but, ultimately, they really don't want to spend the money on it. They really just want people to hand over $6K/stay (or more). I think that management sort of just expects people to do this because: Disney and Star Wars.

My guess is that, if it flops as is, Disney will lean hard into expansion.

They'll redub it "Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser and Resort", build an additional annex featuring 200 "Value Resort" rooms that wouldn't be as elaborately themed (i.e. no "port hole" windows looking out to a GFFA projection, and a second queen bed in place of the sleeping bunks). This annex would largely function as a standard hotel, with a lot of the activities (Lightsaber Training, Droid Racing, Sabacc, etc.) made available to the Value guests at an additional charge. They would still have free access to DHS by way of the shuttle truck.

 

[DfromATX]

My guess is that, if it flops as is, Disney will lean hard into expansion.

They'll redub it "Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser and Resort", build an additional annex featuring 200 "Value Resort" rooms that wouldn't be as elaborately themed (i.e. no "port hole" windows looking out to a GFFA projection, and a second queen bed in place of the sleeping bunks). This annex would largely function as a standard hotel, with a lot of the activities (Lightsaber Training, Droid Racing, Sabacc, etc.) made available to the Value guests at an additional charge. They would still have free access to DHS by way of the shuttle truck.

That’s actually a GOOD idea and too bad they didn’t do that to begin with.

 

[sedati]

Level it and turn it into the only two things a true Star Wars fan apparently cares about- a pool and a ramp (Biggest pool in the galaxy! Filled entirely with fanboy tears!)