Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser previewed for media

CreditWh0re said:

Well, when you pay near slave wages to most of the non-engineering crew, you do have a lot of margin left over.

I can't account for every cruise line, but I've become pretty good friends with crew working in housekeeping, entertainment and a server, from various countries, and they all do pretty well. It's a lifestyle, sure, but for one reason or another they're into it.

A coworker of mine just came back from a Virgin cruise and he told me he tried to tip the staff multiple times and they all refused and said the same thing about being well compensated. Virgin does not require tipping because of that unlike other ships.

So as for Starcruiser... My friend attended the preview the other night as a guest of a mutual friend of ours who worked on the project. My friend is not a huge Star Wars fan but does enjoy some of the movies. She said she was blown away by just the 4 hours she was there, said it was one of the most immersive and exciting experiences she's ever been a part of. I asked her that if the 4 hour preview she attend was sold as an experience, how much would she pay for it. I started with a price of $45 but she confidently said she would fork over $200 for a 4 hour visit. Again, not a huge fan of Star Wars at all, not in the group the hotel is marketed for, but had such an amazing experience that she would be willing to drop $200 just for 4 hours of it. I personally think the hype is real and honestly maybe the high price point is worth it for what you get (IF you are in the target group) and that this thing will probably be sold out for awhile. Any of the negativity I am reading in my opinion is just coming from people who are not the demographic this experience is aimed at. To which I ask, why are you reviewing it?

A lot of the negativity is certainly FOMO too. Most people can't afford this, and Americans are pretty sensitive to issues of class and equality. Everyone can't afford everything, and no one should expect that, but this being Star Wars and Disney, two things everyone seems to take some ownership of, I'm not surprised at the reaction. Doesn't mean it isn't or can't be great.

I think there are some parts of it that look absolutely amazing - Rey's "real" light saber is incredible and I was blown away by it on Tim Tracker's video. That said, I'm not really a Star Wars fan beyond being obsessed with it when I was a little kid, so I'm definitely half lost.

The experience just seems *too* immersive to me. I like to be able to kind of do my own thing when I want to do my own thing, and I get anxiety when I'm forced to interact with no way to walk away from it, and I don't think I'd do well on the Halcyon. I also like being able to see/go outside from my hotel if I want to.

Such a hard pass I can't even put it into words (I tried...)... To think you can go to Europe for 10 days, all expenses included (flight, car rentals, train tickets, amusement parks, food/drink, etc...) and still have $1-2K leftover... OR... Go roll play at Disney for two days in Orlando :P

People got their own interests/priorities, for sure... Especially here on Disneybuzz... But damn, it's just crazy. But cool for those who pay it and love it!

The thing for me is what it’s competing against. At least at this point in my and my kids lives, we can go to the parks for a week and have an amazing time and stay at a moderate hotel for that price. Maybe for an anniversary trip, but definitely not as a family.

I suppose if I was a hardcore Star Wars fanatic I'd spend the money.

Then again, as a hardcore Seinfeld fan, the Peterman Reality Bus Tour was only $37.50. And I got a pizza bagel and a bite size three musketeers.

After seeing how interactive this actually is I’m wondering if we might see a “light” version of the cruise without the role playing aspects at a lower cost. Knowing Disney they will just price the non-role playing cruise at the same rate and raise the price for the OG experience. 😂

See I think there is more likely a chance that we get the roleplaying and skip the overnight stay part of it. The roleplaying portion isn't too different from 'Sleep No More' in New York which is insanely popular and at a price point that makes sense for the experience offered. Combined with how popular escape rooms are, especially in Orlando, this is totally something I could totally see becoming an immersive offering at Disney Springs. And at a smaller scale, in a building oh say the size of Disney Quest, you could have multiple similar offerings themed to different Disney IP so your product can have a bigger reach.

The idea of escape rooms annoy me, like team building stuff on a corporate retreat. I don't think this is that at all. This is like cosplay and a renaissance faire only with costumes optional and no rubber swords.

I'm the complete opposite. I love puzzles and enjoy that there is a defined goal in escape rooms. Cosplay always struck me as lame. People dress up in costumes and pretend they are part of a make believe world? What's the point? To each his own but even at $200 per night I would be a hard pass for this experience.

99er said:

.....and at a price point that makes sense for the experience offered <snip>. so your product can have a bigger reach."

there is ZERO evidence yet that they are having any problem commanding the current price point. You don't need bigger reach when you're pulling in $500K every 2 nights. (and by definition, opening it up to the masses in a shopping mall sort of defeats the exclusivity and FOMO that drives the current price point)

Jeff said:
The idea of escape rooms annoy me, like team building stuff on a corporate retreat. I don't think this is that at all.

I am in the same boat when it comes to lame team building stuff that is forced. But after I did my first escape room with a group of friends, I was hooked. They are a lot of fun and the theming was way more than I was expecting. Some of the stuff you get to do within Starcruiser is very similar to what you would find in an escape room. I wasn't making a one to one comparison.

CreditWh0re said:

there is ZERO evidence yet that they are having any problem commanding the current price point. You don't need bigger reach when you're pulling in $500K every 2 nights. (and by definition, opening it up to the masses in a shopping mall sort of defeats the exclusivity and FOMO that drives the current price point)

What? I am not at all suggesting they are having a problem. My comment was in regards to what 'Sleep No More' costs for what you get out of it. If Disney took some of what you get with Starcruiser (the roleplaying portion) and had an additional experience that would be an evening activity that has a cost in line with what similar experiences cost (Sleep No More) I think they would hit another demographic of people that are willing to spend money, just not $5,000. Or people like me who would rather not stay in the hotel but enjoy the entertainment. The roleplaying portion of Starcruiser is literally 'Sleep No More' in the sense that it is a show happening around you, you are a part of the show. So the reach I am referring to is not only could you have a Star Wars experience, but also Marvel and other Disney IP. So again you hit another demographic of people who don't care for Star Wars but would love to have an interactive experience. If the model is successful, why the hell would you not want to try and expand on it?

Punchdrunk did a wonderful thing with SNM. I know what you said, but there's no need to go downmarket before the first one is even out of the gate. Let's be honest, guests are not paying $4K for that bed and toilet. So if you gave them another option for $100-$200 that sort of cannibalizes the original plan.

Knott's has done amazing things with Ghost Town Alive, and Disney has done some of this in the past (i forget what the Adventureland game was called), at some point this might be a stand alone thing (maybe part of the new Downtown Disney at Disneyland, or as you suggest at Disney Springs). I think that day is a ways off though.

99er said:

I think they would hit another demographic of people that are willing to spend money, just not $5,000. Or people like me who would rather not stay in the hotel but enjoy the entertainment.....If the model is successful, why the hell would you not want to try and expand on it?

Interesting you would bring this up, because somewhere in the various discussions about this it's exactly what I said I would like to do. I just don't want to pay $5,000-$6,000 for a two-night stay anywhere, but I would like to check out the make-believe-starship just to see what it's like.

They could even write it into the story, with the ship getting "boarded" by another ship.

Also a "feeling old" moment; I had my psych students play "The Viridian Room" (a classic online escape room game) as a problem-solving exercise, and none of them had any clue that live escape rooms come from this genre of games from the 90's.

CreditWh0re said:

...but there's no need to go downmarket before the first one is even out of the gate. Let's be honest, guests are not paying $4K for that bed and toilet. So if you gave them another option for $100-$200 that sort of cannibalizes the original plan.

I don't disagree but my original idea was in response to eightdotthree's comment in what we might see come down the road. My thoughts on what I would like to see Disney do with this isn't immediate but what they could expand on in the future after seeing success with Starcruiser. I think the idea of having an immersive experience that does not include a hotel stay is very much something that would fit in great with the type of crowd visiting Orlando. Escape rooms have been a hit and with Meow Wolf teasing coming to Orlando, now would be a great time for Universal or Disney to start thinking about similar immersive experiences for their properties. The IP the parks have lends itself to some crazy awesome things you could do along the lines of Sleep No More.

Omega Mart would be a hit in Orlando I bet.

I was just in Vegas and really wanted to visit Omega Mart but didn't have the time. The advertisements on the strip for it were really cool though, including the truck they had driving around showcasing it.

> I'm not bothering with any reviews until the first paid trips start returning.

Those reviews are starting to come out, including from some sources that are not known for their fawning coverage. For example, Len Testa from Unofficial Guide/Touring Plans:

Over its nearly 100-year history, the Walt Disney Company has invented several entirely new themed entertainment businesses. Released in 1928 (and introducing the world to Mickey Mouse), Steamboat Willie was the first cartoon with synchronized sound. When it debuted, the Museum of Modern Art notes, it was so groundbreaking that it “threw silent animation into obsolescence” overnight. Likewise, Disney’s 1937 release of Snow White, and its 1955 opening of Disneyland in California, were the first entries in what’s now the billion-dollar feature-length animated entertainment and theme park industries. Disney remains a leader, if not the leader, in both.

I got to experience the Starcruiser on its first-ever “voyage” with paying guests on March 1, 2022. I’ve covered theme parks for more than twenty years, and Starcruiser is so far beyond the current state of the art in themed entertainment that it deserves its own category: Starcruiser-like hotel experiences. It surely belongs on the short list of Disney “firsts.”

Setting aside the fact that Knott's might hold the claim to first theme park, that's pretty high praise. Likewise, Tom Bricker's DisneyTouristBlog:

We also won’t bury the lede. Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser is a surprising success, making the jump to hyperspace (or whatever metaphor you might fancy) from day one. With the starship Halcyon, Imagineering pushes themed entertainment into a new frontier via an intergalactic adventure that’s immersive and imaginative, bold yet bonkers. Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser is unlike anything you’ve ever experienced, I assure you. It’s also very much not mainstream, and definitely not for everyone.

Tom's pre-"cruise" coverage was skeptical, so this strikes me as a meaningful review.

RCMAC said:

Omega Mart would be a hit in Orlando I bet.

Quite prescient you are.

Area 15 just announced they are coming to Orlando in 2024