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0:00 Last Time on WDW News Tonight
1:21 Opening
1:53 Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser ‘Never Made Money,’ Had Lower Average Occupancy Than Expected
6:03 Tom Weighs in on Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser
11:45 Bob Iger and Josh D’Amaro Discuss Robotics Future with Bruce Vaughn and Disney Imagineering After BD Droid Playtest
13:14 New Disney’s Wilderness Lodge Loungefly Backpack and Acorn Mug Arrive at Walt Disney World Resort
14:06 https://beourguestvacations.com/wdwnt
14:37 Winter Arrives at Disneyland With Snow Caps Added to Sleeping Beauty Castle
15:18 Indiana Jones Adventure Set to Close for Refurbishment Again in November
15:40 Disneyland Magic Key Settlement Money Expected in Spring 2024
17:49 New Mini Figure of Grand Emporium Window Display Coming Soon to Tokyo Disney Resort
18:47 Sign-off
20 Comments
Blue people are not the real characters. or even close. I think if people are paying that kind of money. They want original characters.
Something maybe even broader than saying the Hotel should have been original trilogy, is this failure as an indictment on the overall Lucasfilm brand image. I think many people have passionate thoughts on the direction of lucasfilm and how lucasfilm impacted this experience and Galaxys Edge as a whole.
If you think of all the lucasfilm projects that were failures this year, it was this hotel, Indy 5, Willow, and Ashoka (really huge drop in viewership there at the end). And everyone loving to hate on anything that lucasfilm puts out is I think having an affect on the perception of the product, beyond whether its actually quality or not. it has become a youtubers way of making a living bashing Disney and lucasfilm.
I think if Disney wants to update this experience the first thing they should do is by cleaning house at lucasfilm. It is my belief they interfered with Imagineering on this (and who knows contributed to the marketing failure). Star Wars used to be such a popular IP but increasingly all the "fans" I know are just indifferent now. Its a shame such a great experience was shuttered, but I think bigger forces are to blame than even simply the price.
Slight suggestion, when y’all reference a video that y’all took, could you post the link at the top of the screen so it is easy to find? I want to watch them but I always forget after the news video to go find it, and sometimes when I try to find it I never know exactly what to look for. 12:42
My son kept yelling "Hey Mickey!" I mean it is shaped as a Mickey head, so "Hey Disney!" doesn't come as naturally.
To be very honest, I've never been interested in the star cruiser experience, nor has any of my family. BUT we've heard nothing but amazing reviews about the entire experience. I hope Disney finds a way to make it more affordable for the average family.
Absolutely loved the cruiser!
I am baffled about the assessment concerning graduate school elimination. Aren't those people the ones who could afford this experience? That seems confusing because so many people attend graduate school now for multi-disciplines.
I went twice. I absolutely loved it. I think it's hard to understand why it was worth the money until you go. Unfortunately, I'm not sure how to convey that. People who haven't gone are often very negative and loud about it. If it re-opened (as is) I would find a way to go annually. My 76 year old mother who is not a Star Wars fan thought it was the best vacation ever. My concern is that if they do reopen, Disney will cut expenses in the form of cutting cast members, actors or crew, and those people key to why the experience was so amazing.
I loved the idea of it, but never got to go. I’m very introverted/shy so struggled with the idea that I could participate. I’m glad they’re asking about whether people are introverted/ extroverted. Wish they had a differentiator for people who want smaller doses of interaction.
I think also the fact that it was 2 days. Most people want to go for a week vacation. They may not want to pack up twice to change hotels. That was what I heard from friends and family.
I've been in the hospitality business for over 30 years. If that 70% occupancy number is anywhere near correct-they are not making a profit. And occupancy was not going up, in fact it was declining. So, pull the plug, take the write off, and learn from the experience.
I’m not a Star Wars fan but I do appreciate what Disney’s done with it in the parks. It’s one of my favorite lands at WDW. If they turned this hotel into some show and dining experience then I’d do it!
I am a picky eater and I was worried I would not be able to eat the “Star Wars “ food and be hungry for two days. On the cruise ships my least favorite part is trying to find something that sounds like I would like it. There’s always the backup of a steak or chicken. I didn’t know if that would be available on Star Cruiser.
I think I heard something which might be of some use to the star cruiser conversation. I was with my family and we were going to Hollywood studios and my dad wore the band you used for the staircusier this cast members recognized the band and basically the summary is that if you used words like hallway instead of cordoor you would get yelled at by management.
Tom, don't sidestep the Original Trilogy argument when it comes to both Starcruiser and Galaxy's Edge. Let's be fully objective here and hold Disney's feet to the fire more; the people hate the ST. Nobody likes those awful characters and stories. This space cruise had the stench of Kathleen Kennedy's Lucasfilm all over it, along with the absurd pricing. I'm sure there were elements that were fun in person, but it had no appeal to true, hardcore SW fans. Now if only they could knock down GE and build Hoth/Tatooine/Bespin across half of Studios as originally planned.
What does a graduate degree have to do with anything??
What I think might be interesting is if Starcruiser took a lesson from Delusion, which is an immersive theater experience in SoCal. They run an approximately 60-minute show for small groups of 10 people that actually move you through a space in a wonderfully immersive experience that I just need more of in the world! They start a new group every 10 minutes, so its not super high capacity, and it's scripted so there's very little room for personalization/role play with, but this model does let them get about 60 people an hour, at ~$120 per person.
I've never been on the Starcruiser unfortunately, but depending on the layout of the Halcyon, I could see perhaps having at least two/three scripted stories running at a time (Rebellion/First Order/Bounty Hunters) and blocking the stories to where no group runs into each other in the same space/room, except perhaps in specific times for story beats. The small group size keeps things intimate (to make-up for sacrificing personalization/role-play) and I think it would be a great spiritual continuation of the original vision of the Halcyon that is slightly more affordable to a larger audience.
The lack of profit was likely largely part of the depreciation plan. If they depreciated the cost of the building on an accelerated schedule (2 years instead of 15-30 years) (there were news articles that they did) that would easily explain the books being in the red.
Tom, like many other SW fanatics, my wholehearted wish is that Disney/LucasFilm and Star Wars would embrace the Original Trilogy more, and would reconsider retheming the Galactic StarCruiser as the Tantive IV, escaping the Empire’s Star Destroyer Devastator…
Knowing the odd deal Disney made w/George Lucas, that he’d retain some amount of control over the OT storylines, I’m sure some accommodations could be made for us diehard OT fans that would absolutely love to see more immersive adventures into Lucas’ vision.
Went in February 2023 and it was the most amazing experience of my life. Will be missed and never forgotten. May the stars light your way.
If this was done properly and professionally, it would still be around. I feel, as do many people I speak to, that Disney has started to look for the “quick buck” rather than do it right. It shows in everything that they have done since the Millennium Celebration ended. The days of being able to spontaneously just go to Disney are gone. The trill of not planning out your trip and just seeing stuff, gone. The idea of it being a “place for everyone”, gone. The Disney that I grew up with, gone.
I know that the parks are supposed to be “ever changing”, but you have to pay attention to the customers. You are not going to get everyone to like Disney, that’s an impossible task. What you should be doing is, at the very least, keeping the customers you have happy. So many of the changes towards the technology side, and I do not fear technology, have alienated many of the die-hard nostalgia seekers. I want the park to be free from outside influences, namely my phone. Leaving the phone in the room while visiting the parks is impossible now. With all the things you need your phone for in the parks, it’s crazy. I would frequently leave my phone in the room safe to disconnect, no longer an option.
Star Wars is kind of a niche product, to make it successful in this type of environment…probably would have been better to do theming and offer an area of the resort with the interactive experience. The “all or nothing” aspect was a deal breaker for many, myself included. It’s my vacation, not the company’s. I should be able to decide on my experience, which is why we never went.
I feel that if Disney doesn’t find its old appeal soon, it will forever be playing catch up with Universal. Not an easy thing for this lifelong Disney fan to say. Since my first trip in 1975, all other theme parks were compared to that experience and, to date, none have yet to surpass it. Universal is getting close to equaling that experience, they’ve made mistakes along the way too and that’s why they’re not yet equal. As soon as they are, it won’t be good for Disney.