Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser

[Tbad556]

Considering they crammed all the fun bits that are supposed to take up 2 days into 4 hours, they probably had a lot more fun with this than paying guests are going to and even then the reviews i'm seeing sort of amount to "There's a lot of individually cool things, but for the price, I don't know that I can personally say I recommend it yet".

Doing this 4 hour media thing was genius from Disney's perspective though. Bloggers probably thought they would get a free stay and now they actually have to pay if they want the full experience, which tbh, most probably will for the sake of youtube clicks.

Circling back to this, the more I read, the more I feel like it actually just highlights the weak points of the hotel. It feels like the 4 hour media thing kinda got to see all of the stuff that's worthwhile. They ate & drank, engaged in story bits, saw the big finale, saw the lounge show, did the lightsaber training, experienced the bridge, etc. It makes me feel like this didn't need to be two days long whatsoever. I gladly would've taken the 4 hour version at a more reasonable price.

 

[Allison]

Circling back to this, the more I read, the more I feel like it actually just highlights the weak points of the hotel. It feels like the 4 hour media thing kinda got to see all of the stuff that's worthwhile. They ate & drank, engaged in story bits, saw the big finale, saw the lounge show, did the lightsaber training, experienced the bridge, etc. It makes me feel like this didn't need to be two days long whatsoever. I gladly would've taken the 4 hour version at a more reasonable price.

This honestly makes me wish they’d condense the dinner show + finale into one bookable experience alone for a more palatable price.

 

[PerezDC]

No lie, some of that 'acting' had me cringing so hard that I looked like this.

 

[SeventyOne]

This is the type of free marketing that Disney loves. If all I saw was that TikTok i'd think it's amazing.

To paraphrase a friend on Twitter, this experience looks best in short, professionally produced cutaways. So what did WDW think they would accomplish letting crappy amatuer cell phone videos that show how cheap and cheesy things can get be put online? I feel like Marketing shot themselves in the foot with this preview.

 

[Milla4Prez66]

The Defunctland video on this in a few years is going to be great.

 

[HandsomePete]

Also while I'm at it, in another thread you said Disney's stronger than ever, and when I said they are not at capacity you rebuked it. Well in the Feb conference call Chapek said



Also stating they're suffering from staffing shortages which cuts capacity. So yes, I was right. This makes me wonder if you are being intentionally disingenuous or you have no idea what you're talking about.

Lol, what? I read the thread on Twitter, you didn’t add anything.

We were talking about the opening of one All-Star not opening because demand in the Value segment is down (fact, with no groups) or staffing (everyone is struggling, duh). At no point did I ever say was they were operating at 100% capacity, you just took that on some sort of weird tangent. And let’s be honest, you’re having to paraphrase what I said because you can’t just quote it like:

“Disney's secretly doing better than 2017, 2018, and 2019 and just not telling anyone. Also capacity is the same not due to staffing." Sure thing, and you're saying I'm the not living in reality?

When, yeah, they actually *were* “secretly” doing better than 2017, 2018, and 2019 with respect to what I was talking about.

I’ve said it before so I don’t mind saying it again, but it’s obvious that I live rent-free in your head for some reason… I would think that the other mods would have a word with you about trolling at some point because otherwise this is a cool place.

 

[Freak]

Hmmmmm…..should I spend my $6000 on spending two days at this wanna be Star Wars resort with a cheesy dinner show or do I want use that as a down payment on a new car?

Man this is such a difficult choice.

 

[PerceptiveCoot]

$6000 to cuddle Grogu, maybe.

 

[HandsomePete]

I have..a lot of thoughts. And initially, I was very much on the negative bend, but now? I...think there's a lot of potential. A lot of things that need to be drastically fixed, but a lot of potential. I genuinely wonder how long until a pricing re-structure takes place to reduce prices and add single-individual rates. I'll probably compile later more properly once I get a proper lay of the land, but I'm not as against it as I was eariler today.

Yeah, so while my opinion is obviously worthless since I got to do it for exactly $0.00, I’ve gone from thinking it was a complete waste of capital with multiple massive flaws to something that kind of makes sense - if you’re in that stratosphere of Disney spending, which there are a lot of people but I am not one of them - and is pretty fun.

I have in fact recommended it to one person who was interested and asked my opinion, but this person also is a VIP Tour regular at both Disney and Universal so he/she is in a different spending realm than most of the rest of us.

I would not recommend it to someone putting it in a credit card or someone who has the budget for one trip and would be choosing this over a different, more robust trip instead of just being able to do both things. Context is important.

 

[deadbydawn]

I will say, the the show with Kylo and Rey saber dueling is EXACTLY what should be a part of Galaxy's Edge. Something like that should've been there from day one (the stunt bridges were even designed as a part of the land) and it would be something I would stop and see every time I visit.

Unfortunately now we'll never get that.


Also, since you are basically being fully immersed in Star Wars, you'll likely forget fairly quickly since there's a lot going on in a short period of time.

This was my first thought upon seeing the finale show today, too. Sidenote, I understand this is new but Rey switching lightsabers from the flashy igniting one to the combat one was rough on the videos I saw.

 

[Imagineer83]

For what its worth, my initial take is:

1) Lightsaber training should have been in the park as an Olivanders type experience and setup

2) Lounge singer, dining and finale show should have been a diner theater priced similarly to Hoop-Dee-Doo Review

As for the experience itself, my initial impression was:

1) The finale was poorly executed. **SPOILERS** Cool effects with the force stuff but cheesy script and bad fight choreography. Needs more moments like when Kylo uses the force on Rey. WHY is Kylo Ren walking around with a LIT lightsaber on his belt? And WHY do the lightsabers NOT cut anything they hit in the set? (aka don't choreograph the sabers to lay flat on the railing like a sword fight!). And don't get me started about the 'real' lightsaber trade out. The space fireworks were just way too cheesy for me and seemed very forced from "A Disney cruise MUST have fireworks!". WHY oh WHY do we even hear the firework blasts!? The finale show is just not up to the standard of Disney theater. Lots of easy fixes here, so hopefully this gets worked out with time.

PS: Why oh why did Disney marketing give away the big 'surprise' ending to the media? This is worse than movie trailers that spoil the movie. They literally gave away the $6000 story to influencers. All they had to do was stop the show at "Get ride of them all!". Leave us all in suspense and wanting more.

2) Why can everyone see into the helm from the atrium? Doesn't that ruin the story? Curious to see how this plays out on the actual cruise

3) The set design looks uninspired and generally bland

4) The actors seem to be doing a great job and are pretty convincing

However, with all that said, the overall experience honestly looks better than I was expecting. Definitely doesn't look worth the price, but I think Disney is on to something here. They took a huge swing at trying to reinvent themed immersive experiences. It isn't close to perfect but, the price point and the finale were the only flat out complete misses to me. Granted, two HUGE misses though. The individual story elements and game play seem decent. With Disney set on putting all these immersive experiences behind a pay wall, it really should of been a 4hr experience that costs around $300 a person. Run it three times a day (Breakfast, Lunch and Diner). Start the experience with the meal and let the action unfold from there.

Finally, I think Alicia hit the nail on the head. If I am paying $6000 I want to see and experience everything. The fact that you have multiple story paths for this over priced experience but only single outcome story's in the park is just a slap in the face to all consumers. However, I think a lot more people would be willing to pay around $300 for a 4hr experience they can do multiple times with multiple outcomes. Although, the price of admission to Batu should have included a lot of these interactive experiences...

 

[Jerroddragon]

Watched some video's

1) In no....and I mean no way is this worth the price. I don't care if you have fun this is not worth more then a Theme Park visit.
2) The LightSaber training is cool and should be in the parks
3) The games look fine but literally think they look about as advance of the games you can play in Super Nintendo land for much...much cheaper
4) The lightsaber fight is cool but...wish they had more for the price
5) I can't wait for kids to get in this and do stupid things and have some funny videos

Honestly for the price things i'd want more are better sets, better rooms, more to do and the things you do need to be top of the line, more entertainment and think they need more droids along with a price cut....but yeah this is about what I thought it would be. No idea how you can spend that much money on this, if you can spend this much maybe think of donating to charity or just something better with your money.

 

[Tobias]

This was my first thought upon seeing the finale show today, too. Sidenote, I understand this is new but Rey switching lightsabers from the flashy igniting one to the combat one was rough on the videos I saw.

Yeah, the lightsaber switch is not well planned. To have the switch done like that and to have it done immediately after the reveal of the lightsaber draws everyone's attention towards it is just bad stagecraft/choreo.

And yes, there is an attempted distraction with the chandelier dropping. But considering in the videos only a few people turn towards it when it does drop (while most everyone is still looking at Rey...), that's not an effective distraction by any means. They would've been better off having some blaster fire or force pushing shenanigans to cause Rey to duck, providing a more natural move which doesn't tip off a switch is happening.

 

[PerceptiveCoot]

Yeah, the lightsaber switch is not well planned. To have the switch done like that and to have it done immediately after the reveal of the lightsaber draws everyone's attention towards it is just bad stagecraft/choreo.

And yes, there is an attempted distraction with the chandelier dropping. But considering in the videos only a few people turn towards it when it does drop (while most everyone is still looking at Rey...), that's not an effective distraction by any means. They would've been better off having some blaster fire or force pushing shenanigans to cause Rey to duck, providing a more natural move which doesn't tip off a switch is happening.

The show from the media event was much better:

 

[Legacy]

There are some elements I am, admittedly, intrigued by. However, the lack of “down time” in the whole thing—more than the overarching “cheesiness” of so much of it—is a major major turn-off. I don’t want to LARP. I want some form of relaxation when I go on vacation.

Honestly, if I could visit with the same potential for casual interactivity with the cast but without an expectation/requirement to do all the other “story” things, I’d probably be willing to pay upwards of $2k for a couple of nights. The problem is that there is nothing to do apart from the story stuff. I have no interest whatsoever in the bridge and the lightsaber training, and that stuff is the bulk of the time soak on day 1.

And, I get it. If there is a pool or a spa, adults won’t care about the story—and the story is the point. The story is what justifies the cost of the cast. If guests aren’t playing the game, then anyone can work there.

Almost all of the reviews are from people with a vested interest in playing along; their audiences want to see them play. But most parents (and most childless adults) are likely going to be less impressed.

 

[Skold]

Unbelievable...

Sabacc tables, dinner club with a singer, the ending lightsaber duel, roaming droids. These were all supposed to be in SWGE to begin with. For free (or as part of your day ticket).

I hope this bombs if only because if it doesn't, we can kiss good-bye to any extras and any details in parks.

Yeesh.

 

[Nick]

There are some elements I am, admittedly, intrigued by. However, the lack of “down time” in the whole thing—more than the overarching “cheesiness” of so much of it—is a major major turn-off. I don’t want to LARP. I want some form of relaxation when I go on vacation.

Honestly, if I could visit with the same potential for casual interactivity with the cast but without an expectation/requirement to do all the other “story” things, I’d probably be willing to pay upwards of $2k for a couple of nights. The problem is that there is nothing to do apart from the story stuff. I have no interest whatsoever in the bridge and the lightsaber training, and that stuff is the bulk of the time soak on day 1.

And, I get it. If there is a pool or a spa, adults won’t care about the story—and the story is the point. The story is what justifies the cost of the cast. If guests aren’t playing the game, then anyone can work there.

Almost all of the reviews are from people with a vested interest in playing along; their audiences want to see them play. But most parents (and most childless adults) are likely going to be less impressed.

I simply don't think the average person who will stay here knows what they are signing up for. From all accounts, the story begins before you even board and is constant for two days from 7:30am until 11pm. And they are constantly in character AND in story, so maybe you want to grab a coffee or an alcoholic drink to just take a break mid-day, right? Too bad. Story will still pop up around you and you will still be talked to in the context of the story.

I do commend them for making the story so constant, but it's going to wear people out quick. It does seem like they delivered at least on making a living LARPing hotel, but also, most of this was promised to actually be in SWGE (Dinner Lounge, Finale Show, Missions playing out on Batuu, etc) which would've been much more palatable.

I hope this bombs if only because if it doesn't, we can kiss good-bye to any extras and any details in parks.

If this does exceedingly in GSATs and demand, as I said earlier, be prepared for an Avengers Quinjet hotel out in Disneyland.

 

[HandsomePete]

I skimmed some videos to see how things looked and had some thoughts:

1) I'm honestly shocked that they've allowed this much video to be posted of the place. I was fortunate to get to see the Yoda thing - the videos on Twitter ruin it. One of my biggest tests of whether an attraction/show is good enough is "can you just watch a YouTube video of it and be good" and frankly, at this price point, the fact that you can now just watch videos of almost everything changes a lot. This is a big fail on Disney's part, as if they didn't understand the value of what they're selling. Maybe they figured that the public is just going to shoot videos of everything, but still.

2) I haven't read/watched everything, but I’m a little surprised people haven’t pointed out just how important the Play app is to the experience. Perhaps that’s because they’re actually getting paraded around? There really needs to be pre-arrival communication on that because otherwise you end up with things like that one girl with the fluffy hat on Twitter (the thread was posted here) being confused about scheduling. I don't have a Twitter account or else I'd DM her to say something, but a lot of the questions and confusion there could be solved with basic communication about when things will show up in the itinerary: a time for Oga's will show up, and you can change it. They will get her into the build-a-lightsaber thing if she wants. But at this price point it's on Disney for there to not be pre-arrival confusion.

3) I caught one person in the DisUnplugged video saying she was denied entry to something. That wasn’t the case for us (they were probably trying to avoid accidentally angering the wrong person - not me obviously, but you never know if you're denying the kid of an SVP or something) but people will need to either commit to splitting up and not all doing the same thing or playing off of one phone and saying that when you run into the door enforcement. Another point that needs to be communicated, but there's a weird "do you break character and tell people how things work or do you never ever break character" dynamic there.

4) Another thing that I don’t know will pop in reviews - this is the first experience in/around a theme park where English fluency is absolutely a necessity. You can go on rides and not understand the dialogue but still get the gist - if you don’t understand English here, the whole thing is pretty much toast.

There are some elements I am, admittedly, intrigued by. However, the lack of “down time” in the whole thing—more than the overarching “cheesiness” of so much of it—is a major major turn-off. I don’t want to LARP. I want some form of relaxation when I go on vacation.

I honestly think the LARP-ing bit with die out pretty quickly. The initial wave of hardcores will dress up, but it's going to settle into people in t-shorts and shorts. They'll still try to sell $150 outfits but ..... just no.

If this does exceedingly in GSATs and demand, as I said earlier, be prepared for an Avengers Quinjet hotel out in Disneyland.

You're not wrong and they'll definitely come up with something to say that it's getting great scores, but one quirk is that they're really going to have sample size issues. 100 rooms x 15 "voyages" a month = 1,500 potential responses, so they're going to need to basically send surveys to everyone to get enough to publish monthly updates.

 

[Nick]

What Was Promised for Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge Now Sits Behind a $6,000 Paywall

Walt Disney World news, photos, and reviews! We provide you with daily news from the Walt Disney World theme parks and beyond

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[fryoj]

It's funny how quick the impression has gone from "there's going to be nothing to do" to "there's too much to do."

Presentation of this is going to be difficult. It is NOT a hotel, and that's what a lot of people assumed. It is a LARP experience where you are going to be expected to keep up. There's not enough areas to just ignore it and chill out. The one's who expect/want the "Star Wars Grand Floridian" are going to be the loudest screamers on this.

It's good that there's a lot to do, but the multiple storylines is going to be a problem. "Oh you got to see the Yoda projection? I just got to lock up some stormtroopers." They really needed it set up so you could do all of the storylines. The amount of repeat business to see all of the storylines this is going to get is going to be almost nil. But clearly 2 days isn't enough to do all of the storylines they plotted out. An extra day with one not going to Batuu *might* be a fix for that, but that becomes a problem with not having enough lounge/tune out areas on the ship. Alternating half the guest's Batuu day might help some, but people aren't going to be able to focus on this for 3 days. In that respect the 2 day experience is probably right, but that takes us back to having "too much to do".

There's plenty of people hating on this just to hate on it. Either it's because it's Disney, it's not what they wanted, or whatever. They would have hated it no matter what. I give them about the same amount of credit as the vloggers who got the free stay and won't tell what they really think.

The price is obviously insane. That's going to blunt any good this might be. That's the lens everyone is viewing it though and it's a fair criticism. This is going to be absolutely eviscerated by paying guests. A lot will be because it's not what they expected. It's not a $3,000 a night hotel. There will be plenty of great reviews too, but a lot of that will be trying to justify to themself how much they paid. Overall though, I wouldn't want to be at GS on this deal. Those people are going to get murdered.

I'm not sure what the right price point would be. You can't compare it to any hotel. You aren't paying for a room. You are paying for a 2 day story experience. I can't think of anything like this to make a fair comparison. I think half the current price and people wouldn't be complaining as much, but that almost seems "too cheap" when compared to the rest of Disney's overpriced offerings. Hell, just the meals for a family of 4 on this probably is $500-$1,000 in Disney restaurants. I think expanding it to 3 nights at a $4-5k total price is getting closer, but that runs into the other problems. You have to disregard the "I wouldn't pay $300 for this" crowd. Some people aren't going to be in to this at all. Honestly, I have no interest in this. I'm a Star Wars guy, but I'm not extroverted enough to do an experience like this, so even free I'm out. But I can at least try to be objective about what they have going.