STAR WARS: GALACTIC STARCRUISER Official Information & Questions Thread

[JoeH91]

Has anyone seen or heard when booking for October/November will become available ?
We are planning a 2 week trip around then Resort hopping, but until we have the GS bit locked in we don't know what dates to book, very frustrating... lol

 

[DisWelly]

It's not just the price that doesn't appeal to me. It's the 'being locked in a warehouse for 2 days' thing. The mere knowledge that you can't leave because it's immersive makes me want to have a panic attack. The venue is big, but just popping out for a walk or a cup of coffee is necessary for sanity.

Also, I'm not a huge Star Wars nerd but this doesn't look like Star Wars to me. Some of the characters don't look right. They're just people wearing body paint. It feels more like a fan convention than something that has coat thousands of dollars.

 

[New Mouse]

I think your biggest problem here is that Disney isn't hiring movie or even Broadway level talent to writem act, or choreograph this thing. It's a plussed up murder mystery weekend because of the sets/technology, but beyond that it seems like it would get stale very quickly.

 

[_19disnA]

Strange that Disney wouldn't have a dedicated reservation number for those wanting to spend $5,000+ for this 2 day stay. Having you wait for hours on hold to spend that kind of money seems like poor planning by Disney.

 

[MomOTwins]

Well, I watched the videos and am processing. Better than I thought in a lot of ways but far worse in other ways.

• The spaceship interior itself looks good to me—so much so I think they must have changed the lighting or paint or something in response the fan reaction to the disastrous preview video a while ago (the bridge in particular looks much more “star wars-ish” now)
• I like what they did with batuu. It does seem they created value and a unique experience above and beyond what you get with an ordinary park ticket.
• I am disappointed with the scheduled activities like lightsaber and bridge training which look underwhelming. The larping stuff looks much more fun.
• The importance of “data pads” is not good for me. We don’t let our kids have phones and I don’t like using mine on vaycay if I can avoid it.
• This confirmed to me this is not good for my family. Me and my twins would love it as we are very into this kind of larping. Our youngest with autism would get overwhelmed with the flashing red lights and alarm sounds everywhere for story moments, and it is a shame you seem to be herded in groups with no apparent downtime or self-directed alternative activities he could opt to do instead. Wish it was more like Disney cruise line where family members can split up and do different things based on their preferences.

Very grateful to Disney and Dis team for allowing us to “see before we buy” with this media preview. I can tell for a lot of people this would be a vacation of a lifetime. If I had no kids I would do it in a heartbeat. Juggling my familly’s needs and the cost of 5 people, I very much doubt we will ever do this.

 

[Peach026]

So excited! After three hours total (hold plus booking) we are set to go in August for my son’s 8th bday. The CM was SO good! We even got the captains table!!!!!

 

[sophy1996]

Strange that Disney wouldn't have a dedicated reservation number for those wanting to spend $5,000+ for this 2 day stay. Having you wait for hours on hold to spend that kind of money seems like poor planning by Disney.

They do have a special Starcruiser line. After the first booking window, up until they opened the new booking window recently, it’s been pretty easy to speak to someone without excessive waits.

 

[macnbc]

Has anyone seen or heard when booking for October/November will become available ?
We are planning a 2 week trip around then Resort hopping, but until we have the GS bit locked in we don't know what dates to book, very frustrating... lol

Word I’m hearing from travel agents is that October-December have opened up for Club 33 members this week and should open up for general public a week later. So: “soon”

 

[Grumpy by Birth]

What is the price for this again?

Your first born child OR AND a kidney.

Fixed it for you.

 

[JFox]

[*]This confirmed to me this is not good for my family. Me and my twins would love it as we are very into this kind of larping. Our youngest with autism would get overwhelmed with the flashing red lights and alarm sounds everywhere for story moments, and it is a shame you seem to be herded in groups with no apparent downtime or self-directed alternative activities he could opt to do instead. Wish it was more like Disney cruise line where family members can split up and do different things based on their preferences.

I read something that indicated you don't have to participate in everything or anything. Sure, for the story to make sense follow the itinerary. I would book for my kids to enjoy the step by step experience while I enjoy time just being there relaxing, enjoying the resort and trying the food options while the story happens around me.

 

[MomOTwins]

I read something that indicated you don't have to participate in everything or anything. Sure, for the story to make sense follow the itinerary. I would book for my kids to enjoy the step by step experience while I enjoy time just being there relaxing, enjoying the resort and trying the food options while the story happens around me.

That would make it better. I guess I should keep watching this thread. The video did give the impression you needed to be following your group on your storyline and keeping to a schedule, but maybe that was just because that is what the bloggers wanted to do. Would be interested to see what activities you can do on your own.

 

[ImprovGal]

I think your biggest problem here is that Disney isn't hiring movie or even Broadway level talent to writem act, or choreograph this thing. It's a plussed up murder mystery weekend because of the sets/technology, but beyond that it seems like it would get stale very quickly.

I find your claim interesting, considering the project's Creative Director was recently accepted into the Main Company for one of the most highly regarded narrative improv theatres. There's certainly high quality talent behind this project.

 

[macnbc]

That would make it better. I guess I should keep watching this thread. The video did give the impression you needed to be following your group on your storyline and keeping to a schedule, but maybe that was just because that is what the bloggers wanted to do. Would be interested to see what activities you can do on your own.

One of the bloggers commented on how they went to the "climate simulator" for a breather and stumbled into a quiet story moment of their own. It's definitely set up so you can still get an immersive experience regardless of how strictly/loosely you follow the itinerary.

 

[Nice Work Pal]

You don’t have to participate in anything, you can sit in the sublight lounge and get sauced all day if you’d like. The more you chose to do the more “immersive” (already sick of that word) the story. Day 1 is intro and a dinner show with Gaya…for some reason they chose to cram 90% of the story into day 2.

I give this 2 years tops before they start advertising separate pieces because they aren’t booking enough of the full experience. The dinner show will probably turn into a hoop Dee do review type deal and they’ll probably bring “off worlders” for other activities like lightsaber training (the free one outside Star tours is a better experience) shooting stuff on the bridge etc.

 

[tehSAC]

I’ve watched Craig’s video and a couple others from media preview day. I’m a huge Star Wars fan but this just doesn’t “work” for me. It’s too cringe, too much activity, and it just doesn’t have the Star Wars feel to me. The price point has kept me away already but these previews keep me further away.
I do understand you don’t have to do anything, you can just go and enjoy the ambiance, but that seems like a waste of money too. This seems too forced to me, not immersive.
I’ll give it time, maybe they tweak over the next few months, but right now the value isn’t there for me.

 

[JFox]

My mother asked me about GS, she had no idea what it was. This is how i described it to her; It's an interactive cruise taking place at a themed resort set in the Star Wars galaxy. While on the cruise you have the option to participate in the story happening around you. Included in the cruise are themed food options and an excursion to another planet. I finally said, it is not a trip to Disney World, meaning you would not set foot in any of the other parks between check in/out.

 

[Lar6767]

After seeing the videos from the media event it's a disaster which is why Disney is pushing for only positive reviews and the vloggers are shouting down any negative comments. Locked down in spartan, claustrophobic accomodations, pushed, pulled and bullied by the staff and transportation in the back of an enclosed truck. It's basically $6,000.00 to spend two days in space jail. It's not in any way Star Wars but SW adjacent and like all Disney SW a cheap looking ripoff like Buckaroo Banzai or Galaxina. The topper is that, technology wise, what they've come up with boils down to getting back into the Hydrolators and hanging out in the lobby which looks like an updated Sea Base Alpha. If we all just avoid this maybe we can force the change to IV, V and VI we all want.

 

[Jennasis]

If I may offer a small defense of things...what we've seen from the vlogger/media preview was a story that was 2 days worth crammed into 4 hours and presented chronologically out of order (as was explained by the CM at the start of the video if you watched Tim Tracker's).

Also, you aren't locked in. If you need to leave, nobody is going to stop you. The doors aren't locked. You want to go for a walk, or drive to MK nobody is going to say you can't.

That said, the market this is aimed for seems to be SO niche that I don't see how it sustains as a model. You have to be an SUPER Star Wars fan, an extrovert, and have ridiculous disposable income. I don't see how casual Star Wars fans or those who don't like it at all could begin to enjoy this. If you aren't into the role playing or audience participation stuff I can see this being a VERY uncomfortable vacation experience.

 

[Lar6767]

Some of the vloggers received the two day experience so some have posted about the full experience. I understand that if there's an emergency they will let you out but if the cruisers are taking it seriously, which they would if they are willing to pay that much for it, then they are in for the duration. In addition, it is space jail since the ship is boarded by the First Order and the story progresses from there.

 

[ak517]

That said, the market this is aimed for seems to be SO niche that I don't see how it sustains as a model. You have to be an SUPER Star Wars fan, an extrovert, and have ridiculous disposable income. I don't see how casual Star Wars fans or those who don't like it at all could begin to enjoy this. If you aren't into the role playing or audience participation stuff I can see this being a VERY uncomfortable vacation experience.

I agree that it is niche, but I don’t believe you have to fall into all of those categories to want to participate in this. I am interested in Star Wars but by no means an expert and I am fully an introvert, but I love interactive games and immersive theater. As such, after seeing the Disney bloggers in the 2-day voyage (AllEars and The Dis specifically), I am significantly more intrigued and more likely to pay in for this than I was during the traditional promo material. There is definitely a specific market for this, but I don’t think it is so niche that they will run through the market in a year.

Further, they will likely append story lines or completely revamp in a few years, or even change menus seasonally, to keep people coming back. I see it as a Michelin dining experience, it will never be the same twice even if it’s still in the same space. Though, all of this is speculation and I could eat my words in 3-5 years!