Was the Star Tours rework a success for Disney?

[MattC]

I love the new Star Tours. The queue is one of the best to me, but I love Star Wars. So a little biased. I have noticed the same thing that some of you have mentioned, low wait times. Anyone know a CM or is there a CM on here that could give some stats on people per hour? Seems to me it may have a high capacity.

 

[fosse76]

It was no doubt a great overhaul, and something that the attraction desperately needed. Star Tours is now a top notch attraction once again.

However, I notice that people rarely talk about it on the forums, and it doesn't really seem to have done much for attendance for either the attraction or the park.

So do you think that the Star Tours II rework was a success for Disney? How does this shape these types of major refurbishments going forward. Do Disney get the same kind of buzz from a major rework VS a new attraction. We have a similar deal coming soon with Test Track 2.0, and then potentially Imagination. Would you prefer to see an old attraction be demolished, and something entirely new built instead?

I don't. I was there the day it re-opened, and it was clear that management delusionally believed the ride would have Harry Potter-type waits because they had an expansion queue set-up in the backlot. It was clear it had not been used and I found it extremely funny. I don't think the wait on opening day exceeded an hour, and that was during the first day of Star Wars weekends!

 

[ChrisFL]

Or to maybe come back another day and try again? And once they do, to tell their friends back home (or online) about it?

OMG, you can't factor that in! It doesn't fit on a spreadsheet!




Sorry, had a TDO moment there...

 

[ChrisFL]

You know what I would love?

I'd love for an insider at Disney or Lucas to ever come forward and anonymously reveal what's kept Star Wars from becoming a full "land" at DHS. It would be MARVELOUS there.

For years, I've gone back and forth wondering if Star Wars would be a good fit for Tomorrowland...and it's really not. But it could be a marvelous and immersive land at DHS.

I run my own aquaculture business. I am by no means a big deal, but I do a good business. If someone wanted to start up an operation to compete with mine nearby, I'd pull out all the stops in upgrading my facilities with the latest advancements. I'd go all out. 80% of it for good business sense, but 20% just because I'm not the kind of woman who lets someone come in and steal her thunder without one hell of a fight.

It BOGGLES my mind that Disney did not immediately begin Star Wars immersive land at DHS the day after they heard about Universal building a Potterland in Orlando. They could have had a Star Wars area opened right around the time that Universal opened Potter...because I can't imagine Disney doesn't have spies that tell them what rivals are building.

It just amazes me that Disney allowed Potterland to be built without Disney creating a new "land" of its own to usurp its thunder. A highly immersive, large-scale, Star Wars land at DHS would have stolen Potter's glory. The Star Wars fan base is much bigger and people have literally been waiting for this for decades.

I am fascinated by the mystery of why this has never happened.

Is it George Lucas who is preventing it?
Is it that Disney just wanted to be cheap and not spend any money, hoping Potter would fail?

Coke is the biggest soft drink company in the world. Pepsi will never beat Coke. It's just not going to happen. But Coke does not ignore Pepsi. Whenever there's a new flavor of Pepsi coming out, Coke has something new and in many ways better to counter it.

I'm so puzzled why Disney does not behave this way too. They just sort of let Potterland happen, and did nothing to really compete with it or usurp it. I wonder why.

There has to be a business decision for this. I just can't figure out WHAT it is.

I agree with all of this.

Really, SOMETHING new in DHS to distinguish the outside of the attraction, besides moving the queue and some plants around...tear down that ugly Studio eatery next to Star Tours and expand that area to include stuff like the cantina, maybe a death star virtual tour and dark side propaganda presentation (with cookies!).

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

I was a little disappointed with it. I think the original was better for its time. My issue is that, with Star Wars, they could have delivered a next-generation ride experience to rival Spider-Man or Harry Potter at Universal. Those are still the best modern theme park attractions and Disney has done absolutely nothing to challenge them. Star Tours 2 is very much recycled from the old ride. I'll probably get torn apart if I say it was done on the cheap, but it kinda was...

 

[the-reason14]

It's definitely an improvement but it's still pretty boring. I went last year I believe around star wars weekend and I think it had just opened. The longest I saw the wait was about 45 minutes, thank the good Lord I didn't waste but 5 minutes top standing in line for it because it really is worth just that and barely imo.

 

[flynnibus]

I think it's a good attraction... Just not a great one. I made sure I went to Dhs on my last trip to see it.. But i didn't leave thirsting more.

Not sure if others make that same detour, but I doubt the average guest rides again and again to see the variations.

 

[Bairstow]

The thing that bugs me about Star Tours 2 is that there are too many Star Wars characters.
I know that sounds crazy, but let me explain: The original attraction concept was to bring guests into the Star Wars world, which it did, but by showing things we hadn't seen before in the movies. Other than the death star trench run, most of the attraction took place in situations and environments not shown in the movies, and even then, there were no familiar characters other than the two droids. The absence of these characters wasn't glaring, but it had to be intentional and I think it added to the immersive effect of the attraction. Now it's the exact opposite- you're constantly running into characters from the movies doing the same stuff you saw in the movies. The effect makes the Star Wars "universe" seem that much smaller.

 

[ShookieJones]

I havent set eyes on it yet, but my family loves star wars and st is always stop on our trips. We are very pumped to see st2 in September.
With all that being said it was a fail as far as Disney promoting it properly.
To be honest if I wasn't a complete wdwmagic geek and on this site every 5 seconds I probably wouldn't know the first thing about this attraction or the refurb!
As a matter of fact I dont think I would know there is anything other than the mk and resort pools at wdw.

So it probably speaks more to the over all failure of promoting the other parks in general.

 

[Californian Elitist]

I like the new Star Tours but honestly, I seriously miss the original version, especially RX-24! I'm happy the old spiels are still in the RDCT firework show, brings back great memories.

 

[c-one]

Yeah, I'm gonna go with marketing as the problem. Not just that it wasn't advertised enough -- maybe it was! -- but I think what aspects of the experience were "plussed" got muddled in the message. To the average Joe it might seem that it's the same old ride, plus you have to wear those dorky glasses now. I'm not sure the answer, to be honest, of getting people to realize that this is much more than new glasses or even just a new film.

I do think it would have helped to make more changes to the outside of the ride and its surrounding area. If not an entire Star Wars Land, that part of the park could benefit from some small-to-medium-scale placemaking to make it more immersive in the Star Wars universe. That's one area where the "studio backlot" conceit is really not working for the good of the park, especially since it was hardly changed from the original Star Tours era.

 

[scpergj]

My wife and son really enjoyed it the first time, and have ridden it every time we go into the Studios now, where before they only rode it very occasionally. I can't ride it (couldn't ride Body Wars either, must be something about the simulators), and our daughter doesn't like it (we all rode the old version together once before the refurb...and I confirmed I just can't ride them!), but like I said, my wife and son really enjoy it. For them it is a big hit...and it keeps us in the park a bit longer than we used to stay.

 

[Prototype82]

I could ride this thing over and over again. It is that good. I personally think it's what any refurb should strive to be. The wait however wasn't as long as I had imagined to see. (Though I did enjoy the easy line) The reactions around me the 5 times I rode it were always enthusiastic and priceless. But I think the reason it's not an hour-long wait is that it's a single room motion simulator ride. Stationary rides aren't as big of sellers compared to something with lift like Soarin' or a coaster like Aerosmith. You see the same thing from the Mission Space centrifuge. It's a phenomenal ride yet people are never lined up clear out the door for it. I think these kinds of rides when done well are incredibly underrated and I think thats exactly what Star Tours 2 and Mission Space are.

 

[menamechris]

I love the refurb. I think it was a silent success, as many others have said. Just for me - I rarely rode Star Wars prior to the refurb. Now I do make it a point to ride each time I go to DHS.

The refurb was long overdue, and I think that's why there has been no buzz or boost in attendance from it. It is simply what it should have been for many years. One of my friends recently visited from out of town - and I mentioned that Star Tours had been redone in 3-D. Her response? "Cool, about time..." I think average guests had seen the need for an update for years...so why should Disney be congratulated when they are simply bringing an 80s attraction up to today's technology and standards?

 

[Thrill Seeker]

I can tell you first hand it was a big success. The park didn't have a huge boost in attendance, which is most unfortunate, but the ride itself is extremely successful and popular. If you take capacity into consideration, there are many days where if Star Tours capacity matched TSMM, we would have a longer wait time. Star Tours actually has the highest hourly capacity in the entire park and one of the highest in all of WDW.

The problems with Studios as a park can't be fixed by one, or two or even 3 fairly new attractions. It needs a DCA style extreme makeover to find it's identity. As it is, the park is basically the place Disney puts attractions and properties that don't really fit in the other parks.

 

[Stellajack]

By and large, I think the average WDW guest is looking for something completely new and unique, not simply a new coat of paint on an old house.

Who and what is an average WDW guest? What about the "above average WDW guest"? WDW guests are from across the globe and many are there for the first time. Let's not count Star Tours down and out just yet. Simulator rides can be found in most "thrill-ride" parks (ie., Busch Gardens, Six Flags, Univ-Orlando-yes I think so) in just about every state and are nothing unique to most of us; but, Star Tours is quite an exhilarating experience (both the old and the new version) for us. We enjoy this attraction several times each visit. Does this make us below average guests (loaded question)?

There are differing opinions on all of WDW's parks, but there are still thousands and thousands of guests who are here seeing and experiencing these for the very first time. This is one of my greatest enjoyments at WDW--sharing the attractions and experiences with 'first time above average WDW guests'.
My DH spent many hours in a flight simulator as an Army aviator (helicoptor), and he particularly enjoys this DHS attraction-old or new. To me, he is the most above average man I have ever known!

 

[wiigirl]

It was a great, but much overdue overhaul. It made what was a "Do if we have time" attraction into a "Do a couple of times every trip" attraction. IMHO it was a slightly better than lateral move for DHS.

Totally agree....long overdue and needed.

 

[StupidJudy]

Well when I went in January the wait time was always about an hour, where as before I rarely saw it above 20 minutes (granted I never visit Disney in the summer). So I don't know about overall park attendance, but attraction attendance does seem to have risen!

 

[baymenxpac]

aren't refurbs like the one star tours received a very cost-effective way to appeal to/maximize revenue from return guests?

for example, they may not make the attendance needle move, but if i'm on my upteeth trip to epcot and i've grown conditioned to stay only 3 hours in future world, maybe with a refurbed imagination and test track, i don't blow by those two attractions. in that extra hour, maybe i buy an extra soda or water. or eat a meal at electric umbrella or somewhere in world showcase when i may have gone back to my room and made a meal in my DVC kitchen with food i bought off property.

you would think if disney views every soda purchased at uni lost revenue, then they would surely see how easily refubs could pay for themselves just by stretching the average returning guests day out. or am i simplifying the issue too much?

 

[MarkTwain]

I think it was a very successful overhaul from an artistic point of view. It may even be one of the most successful ever improvements to a ride (up with there with 2007's Haunted Mansion), in the kind of way that Walt would unanimously and indisputably improve an attraction when he was alive.

The lack of success in attendance, I think, has to do with two separate truths: that in the end, it was only a refurbishment, and not a new attraction (although it was a very good refurbishment), and that the average guest simply doesn't know it happened. WDW didn't really market it anywhere besides on Orlando billboards, even while Disneyland was releasing those funny Darth Vader commercials. If Disney wants guests to acknowledge a new attraction, then they need to advertise them (even though we all know how much they prefer the smiling kids staring at Magic Kingdom fireworks for everything...).