Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser

[Brian G.]

You joke…

At least that'll go from 4-12 before outright closing up shop.

 

[Grabnar]

You joke…

Absolutely not joking, they've gotta be on the chopping block, right? I'd set it up as an HHN pop-up space so that I wouldn't have to keep retheming the Coconut Club every year

Either that or a Preview Center...

 

[Nick]

DVC tower probably gonna be announced within a year or two of closure with the whole thing being demolished.

 

[OrlandoGuy]

Can’t say I really care because I never saw myself doing this, but I do think people in both the dancing-on-the-grave and the genuinely sad camp are missing the bigger picture. This was a unique and first-of-its-kind experience at this scale. The first iteration in the innovation pipeline is rarely successful. If Disney (or someone else) can figure out how to take what worked here, streamline it, and make it more accessible, then the whole venture will ultimately have been worth it to some degree.

I think the problem was always that what this brought to the table didn’t really correspond with Star Wars. Given how successful it was from a satisfaction standpoint, I have no doubt someone will figure out the right application eventually.

 

[Brian G.]

Can’t say I really care because I never saw myself doing this, but I do think people in both the dancing-on-the-grave and the genuinely sad camp are missing the bigger picture. This was a unique and first-of-its-kind experience at this scale. The first iteration in the innovation pipeline is rarely successful. If Disney (or someone else) can figure out how to take what worked here, streamline it, and make it more accessible, then the whole venture will ultimately have been worth it to some degree.

I think the problem was always that what this brought to the table didn’t really correspond with Star Wars. Given how successful it was from a satisfaction standpoint, I have no doubt someone will figure out the right application eventually.

Best Case: They integrate it into Galaxy's Edge.

Cheap Case: All-Star Star Wars

Worst Case: Gone Forever

 

[Mad Dog]

and....WDW attendance has appeared to nosedive the last month....so future SW Hotel bookings might have been 'projected' to drop drastically. Get out while the getting is good. This might be a tough year for Orlando theme parks. Covid money gone, and customers dissatisfied with the direction, cost and operational, parks/hotels have taken in the last couple of years.....and economic uncertainty, actual or imagined, looming in people's minds.

 

[OhHaiInternet95]

and....WDW attendance has appeared to nosedive the last month....so future SW Hotel bookings might have been 'projected' to drop drastically. Get out while the getting is good. This might be a tough year for Orlando theme parks. Covid money gone, and customers dissatisfied with the direction, cost and operational, parks/hotels have taken in the last couple of years.....and economic uncertainty, actual or imagined, looming in people's minds.

I think the parks are going to wish they could just fast forward to '25 lol. Going to be same situation as pre-Hogsmeade.

 

[queenmetroid]

I'm still tempted to experience this before it's gone and then be one of those people who got to do an almost apocryphal Disney experience that will be spoken of in hushed tones 30 years from now.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Can’t say I really care because I never saw myself doing this, but I do think people in both the dancing-on-the-grave and the genuinely sad camp are missing the bigger picture. This was a unique and first-of-its-kind experience at this scale. The first iteration in the innovation pipeline is rarely successful. If Disney (or someone else) can figure out how to take what worked here, streamline it, and make it more accessible, then the whole venture will ultimately have been worth it to some degree.

I think the problem was always that what this brought to the table didn’t really correspond with Star Wars. Given how successful it was from a satisfaction standpoint, I have no doubt someone will figure out the right application eventually.

These experiences exist all over, just Disney fans don’t pay attention to them. Excited to do Sleep No More in august

 

[Rhian]

I’m pretty sure I already know the answer but: Disney doesn’t offer a discount on your second (and beyond) visit, do they? After several months it’s clear comments about GC lean towards an overall great experience usually followed by some variation of wanting to go back but not at that price point.

Welp went right past that didn't they?


Legit question: Did they ever make tweaks to the pricing, experience, or make any large changes based on feedback? I'm not surprised they're closing it except I didn't think it'd be this soon. I thought we'd see more gradual changes or adjustments before they decided to shut it down. Even something like middle-of-the-week daytime experiences for guests.

I hope parts of this makes it back into GE as some of the original complaints about this experience wehn it was announced was because they should have been part of the park.

 

[Clive]

These experiences exist all over, just Disney fans don’t pay attention to them. Excited to do Sleep No More in august

Punchdrunk is probably the only theatrical company that has figured out how to do these types of experiences at a larger scale at an acceptable price point. Other companies have experimented with more linear productions that don't quite produce the same level of agency or discovery. That has come with significant compromises, including a lack of spoken dialogue (outside of a few select moments) and an inevitable reality where only some guests get to experience the most special moments (a problem that also existed with Starcruiser).

If you all are genuinely interested in learning more about how immersive theater is crafted and how it has evolved over the past several decades, I really encourage you to check out the Punchdrunk Encyclopedia. It's been very illuminating.

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Punchdrunk is probably the only theatrical company that has figured out how to do these types of experiences at a larger scale at an acceptable price point. Other companies have experimented with more linear productions that don't quite produce the same level of agency or discovery. That has come with significant compromises, including a lack of spoken dialogue (outside of a few select moments) and an inevitable reality where only some guests get to experience the most special moments (a problem that also existed with Starcruiser).

If you all are genuinely interested in learning more about how immersive theater is crafted and how it has evolved over the past several decades, I really encourage you to check out the Punchdrunk Encyclopedia. It's been very illuminating.

Not just Punckdrunk but Meow wolf is showing how these large installs can be done.

 

[Clive]

Not just Punckdrunk but Meow wolf is showing how these large installs can be done.

I think Meow Wolf exists in a different category until they introduce live performance. Right now, it's a deeply immersive experience, but it's not theater in the way that Punchdrunk shows or the Starcruiser stuff are.

 

[Nick]

This experience cost too much to run, plain and simple and at it’s price point, it was never going to be something they could get repeat business out of.

 

[OrlandoGuy]

These experiences exist all over, just Disney fans don’t pay attention to them. Excited to do Sleep No More in august

Okay, I’ll take your word for it but let’s be honest…having Star Wars and Disney attached opened it up to a whole new level of exposure. Which is why I said in the post you quoted, “This was a unique and first-of-its-kind experience at this scale.” Scaling up an existing product to a mass market still puts it at the beginning of the product innovation timeline.

 

[viking_wizard_eyes]

Will go down as one of Disney’s all-time “It was a good idea, in theory” moments.

 

[Nico]

I also want to remind people that these gigs were incredibly difficult for the cast. I’m thinking about the one cast member who quit a while back and posted about it on tiktok. Can’t be easy to be a business that has a failing financial model and is psychologically taxing on its employees.

 

[Legacy]

This was a surprise to wake up to. I’m amazed they didn’t announce it with a Friday news dump.

 

[Wigglepebbles]

It lasted one barely two years…
See y’all at Epic Universe!

 

[Parkscope Joe]

Okay, I’ll take your word for it but let’s be honest…having Star Wars and Disney attached opened it up to a whole new level of exposure. Which is why I said in the post you quoted, “This was a unique and first-of-its-kind experience at this scale.” Scaling up an existing product to a mass market still puts it at the beginning of the product innovation timeline.

Very fair, at this scale. But it's not like Disney came up with this idea whole cloth, they based it on real things already existing like the Harry Potter LARP in Poland. But I bet a Meow Wolf or Sleep No More does just as much, if not more, business than SWGC does and they didn't figure that out. Ultimately the problem was the price because Disney can't control costs.