Is Disney's New 'Star Wars'-Inspired Hotel Turning Into A Flop?

[Dcgc28]

Inevitably, they will lower the price when the super-fans are broke…..
But they will also get rid of alot of the cosplay elements also…

It cannot continue at the current price….anyone who thinks it can does not understand basic pop culture society…

No way this place will even be able to get people at regular hotel rates in 10 years….

I don’t agree with your last sentence. But if that’s true they’ll just rework it into whatever is popular then and continue to influence pop culture followers to come stay there.

 

[xipotec]

I don’t agree with your last sentence. But if that’s true they’ll just rework it into whatever is popular then and continue to influence pop culture followers to come stay there.

Thats possible, or abandon it all together….
I look at it this way….

How many SW fans do you know?
Subtract how many could afford it.
Subtract How many would do it more than once.
And add how many new fans will be created that satisfy the above in the next ten years….

To me, thats a rapidly declining number.

 

[New Mouse]

This post doesn't make sense to me. Everyone on the fake cruise is in first class. There is no steerage at StarCruiser and therefore no one dies on StarCruiser when it fake falls apart in the galaxy.

I've said this before on other threads. StarCruiser is not my idea of a good time. I do not like the idea of an itinerary based vacation. Plus, it appears to be a murder-mystery style hotel and experience over several days. I must be a bad Star Wars fan because it doesn't interest me at all. I too think the experience is expensive. But, honestly, I don't know why it would be an inexpensive vacation given the fact that Disney is expensive vacation in general (StarCruiser or otherwise) and this particular hotel's staff and labor costs are going to be higher given that there are fewer guests and the staff (at least some) are paid actors.

IMO it shouldn't be expensive because this is along the lines of the quality Disney used to offer at regular prices.

 

[Dcgc28]

Thats possible, or abandon it all together….
I look at it this way….

How many SW fans do you know?
Subtract how many could afford it.
Subtract How many would do it more than once.
And add how many new fans will be created that satisfy the above in the next ten years….

To me, thats a rapidly declining number.

No argument that at its current price point there’s no way they can sustain for 10 years.

But Star Wars is growing in popularity, I think people will be surprised how many young fans there are over the next 5-10 years with all the D+ stuff. They missed a lot of the “lore” so to them the new stuff is the lore.

If they were to lower to moderate pricing one day, which I agree with you if you argue that they won’t, they could keep it relatively full in my opinion. But short of that, I tend to agree with you that this is a huge money grab that Disney likely will abandon and blame something going on in society at that time.

 

[SteveAZee]

It's possible it will be a flop. It's possible it will go on for many years making a ton of money. Reality will probably be somewhere in between, but I have no data to back it up nor does anyone else but Disney, and even for them it's probably too early to know. Disney has tried some things and flopped (Disney Institute, for example) but I think it's good that they do try new things in the hope that something will catch on. Doubtless they will retool if bookings start falling off. It did surprise me when they just stopped DME... not even test the waters to charge for it rather than leave it as a free service. I do get the sense there's a lot of dislike (dare I say, hate) for this hotel... I'm guessing because it's expensive, which generally means exclusive, and people don't like being excluded from things, even if they'd never actually book a room in the first place.

 

[KayMichigan]

I agree that after a while they'll drop all the role playing and it'll just be a regular themed hotel. If families spend thousands of dollars to go to Florida they won't want to spend two days cooped up in a hotel, with rare gasps of fresh air here and there. They'll go to HS and Batuu if they want a Star Wars fix and they won't be tied to an itinerary.

I've been a SW fan since 1977 and i have zero interest in the hotel. Even if I had the money, nothing of what I've seen appeals to me. I'm not a live action role player type person and that seems to be mostly what the hotel is centered around.

 

[DisneyMama811]

They say with cruiseships, you should not go for the maiden voyage

I think we learned that with Titanic

 

[TiggerBouncy]

Thats possible, or abandon it all together….
I look at it this way….

How many SW fans do you know?
Subtract how many could afford it.
Subtract How many would do it more than once.
And add how many new fans will be created that satisfy the above in the next ten years….

To me, thats a rapidly declining number.

Rethink your math.
At 100 rooms, or 18,000 guests a year and an estimated number of fans in the tens of millions based purely on the box office sales.... If we assumed only the big fans - we will low ball that at 5 million and everyone went, and no one was born or ever became a fan of the show, it would be booked for over 500 years.

We know not everyone will go. Lets give it a nice low number. Lets say that only 5% of the big fans go. That's still booked for over 15 years.

Again, assuming that they do not make any new movies that cause new fans to become interested in the franchise and they are heavily invested in Star Wars. Any belief that they will not get at least 30+ years out of this with only minor refurbishments is missing the math.

 

[Kbrb]

It was always a risky move by them, not only do you have to have a super fan but also a super fan with huge amounts of disposable income. Even then how many will go back?

I always said they should have just refurbished or built at existing hotel around star wars. Then print the money. Imagine say a Pop sized hotel but with starwars theme. Much like paris did with the avengers hotel.

If universal are smart they will see this mistep and do a hogwarts theme hotel, offer experiences ontop if you have to

 

[gorkt]

Looking at the availability for the rest of the year, it's pretty open. I'd say that this means that it is either overpriced, or the experience they are providing is not as appealing to some folks. I actually briefly considered it, since my family is a bunch of role playing fans and we do really like Star Wars, but it was expensive and sounds exhausting to work into a longer trip. I would not be surprised if they changed the range of services to include a more open relaxing type of experience for those who are more inclined to relax and enjoy, and not really role play. Or have some one night stays in order to get people a taste of the hotel for a more affordable price. I would rather just tour Batuu to get my star wars fix.

 

[john7994]

I think aside from price, and we have talked about it amongst our Star Wars fan friends, its the LARPing element that is the main detractor from going. For those already on the fence because of the element of role-playing, I think the price just knocks them off. I agree with others, I think it would be far more commercially successfully as a heavily themed resort with ancillary activities in the background. I applaud Disney for giving it a shot and taking a chance - but perhaps one step too far in the Galaxy far far away.

 

[xipotec]

Rethink your math.
At 100 rooms, or 18,000 guests a year and an estimated number of fans in the tens of millions based purely on the box office sales.... If we assumed only the big fans - we will low ball that at 5 million and everyone went, and no one was born or ever became a fan of the show, it would be booked for over 500 years.

We know not everyone will go. Lets give it a nice low number. Lets say that only 5% of the big fans go. That's still booked for over 15 years.

Again, assuming that they do not make any new movies that cause new fans to become interested in the franchise and they are heavily invested in Star Wars. Any belief that they will not get at least 30+ years out of this with only minor refurbishments is missing the math.

I disagree on two points. I do not think it has revisits value at this particular price point.

I would say less than 5% revisits.

Unfortunaly , as a SW fan. I think we are seeing the end of the fandom. Right now, the only new fans rabid enough to match the older fans, are the children of older fans…so that does not count toward increasing guests….

Star Wars fandom is dying my friend, their light is all but extinguished in the universe.

Kids are just not interested in it anymore outside memes …..again, unless their parents were.

I think it will be viewed a bit like cowboys and indians in about 10 years, maybe Howdy Dudy..

 

[CmdrThor]

Looking at the availability for the rest of the year, it's pretty open. I'd say that this means that it is either overpriced, or the experience they are providing is not as appealing to some folks. I actually briefly considered it, since my family is a bunch of role playing fans and we do really like Star Wars, but it was expensive and sounds exhausting to work into a longer trip. I would not be surprised if they changed the range of services to include a more open relaxing type of experience for those who are more inclined to relax and enjoy, and not really role play. Or have some one night stays in order to get people a taste of the hotel for a more affordable price. I would rather just tour Batuu to get my star wars fix.

How do you figure it is "pretty open"? Because most dates over 2 months from now have at least one cabin available? It could be 95% booked which I am sure would be ideal for Disney. Perhaps late August / September are only 50-75% booked, but those months also historically are low crowds for Disney. It will be interesting to see if these dates sell out as they get closer. Until they start running promotions, I think we can assume it has been sold out or very close to being full.

Having been on the journey, I don't think they will change much of it for a long time. Possibly minor story elements will change, but they invested a lot into these new characters and the story. The timeline also has to match up with the timeline of Batuu which for now is Rey and Kylo Ren. Do you think they are getting rid of the TIE Echelon and all of the other theming putting Batuu in the between movie 8 and 9 timeframe? I don't see it happening.

For me personally, I am already looking at when my next voyage will be. Maybe February 2023. I now know of the other story lines that I can decide to explore more on the next trip. My son still 100% will be "For the Order" though hah.

It's pretty hilarious reading the predictions of people who have not taken this journey. Disney hit it out of the park and I think 90+% of people will love it. Maybe half or so will want to go again within 2 years. That's plenty of demand to keep the ship full for a long time. It's quite small.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

I disagree on two points. I do not think it has revisits value at this particular price point.

I would say less than 5% revisits.

Unfortunaly , as a SW fan. I think we are seeing the end of the fandom. Right now, the only new fans rabid enough to match the older fans, are the children of older fans…so that does not count toward increasing guests….

Star Wars fandom is dying my friend, their light is all but extinguished in the universe.

Kids are just not interested in it anymore outside memes …..again, unless their parents were.

I think it will be viewed a bit like cowboys and indians in about 10 years, maybe Howdy Dudy..

Well, we will agree to disagree. I think Star Wars Fandom is still alive and well based on the numbers for Kenobi, and the last few movies, not to mention the amount of money Disney is putting into the franchise.

Kenobi scored 11.18 Million viewers in the US alone, only counting TV's (not including mobile devices) on it's opening weekend. I did not watch it on it's opening weekend, but I did watch it later. There are certainly others like me.
Nielson Kenobi ratings

The movies have done very well - the last one over 500+ million in box office. If they end up making that new trilogy, it could bring in a whole new crowd. Disney certainly seems to think it's going well, and they have even hinted at possibly building a second one.

Give me your data that says star wars is dying? It doesn't seem to match any of the real world figures. I will take hard data over "I think people don't like it because myself and my friends don't".

As for the starcuiser:
According to CEO Bob Chapek, “Guest ratings for this immersive experience, which opened March 1st, are incredibly high, and in line with our best-in-class offerings.” In the call, Chapek claimed that Disney expects to see “100% utilization” of this experience, meaning a completely booked next few months. This is in line with what the CEO has said in the past.

Chapek on the Galactic Starcruiser

 

[gja360]

I disagree on two points. I do not think it has revisits value at this particular price point.

I would say less than 5% revisits.

Unfortunaly , as a SW fan. I think we are seeing the end of the fandom. Right now, the only new fans rabid enough to match the older fans, are the children of older fans…so that does not count toward increasing guests….

Star Wars fandom is dying my friend, their light is all but extinguished in the universe.

Kids are just not interested in it anymore outside memes …..again, unless their parents were.

I think it will be viewed a bit like cowboys and indians in about 10 years, maybe Howdy Dudy..

I am part of the 501st ( a star war costuming group) I can tell you by the number of appearance requests we are getting from Libraries, schools, and fund raising walks that Star Wars is not dying at all... If anything we are getting more requests due to the new shows that are coming out

 

[gorkt]

I'd say the availability is pretty open compared to what the expectations were. The chatter was that this would be completely sold out even at a high price point, and I can book pretty freely until the end of the year. I just think this experience is too limiting to appeal to many star wars fans out there.

 

[New Mouse]

How do you figure it is "pretty open"? Because most dates over 2 months from now have at least one cabin available? It could be 95% booked which I am sure would be ideal for Disney. Perhaps late August / September are only 50-75% booked, but those months also historically are low crowds for Disney. It will be interesting to see if these dates sell out as they get closer. Until they start running promotions, I think we can assume it has been sold out or very close to being full.

Having been on the journey, I don't think they will change much of it for a long time. Possibly minor story elements will change, but they invested a lot into these new characters and the story. The timeline also has to match up with the timeline of Batuu which for now is Rey and Kylo Ren. Do you think they are getting rid of the TIE Echelon and all of the other theming putting Batuu in the between movie 8 and 9 timeframe? I don't see it happening.

For me personally, I am already looking at when my next voyage will be. Maybe February 2023. I now know of the other story lines that I can decide to explore more on the next trip. My son still 100% will be "For the Order" though hah.

It's pretty hilarious reading the predictions of people who have not taken this journey. Disney hit it out of the park and I think 90+% of people will love it. Maybe half or so will want to go again within 2 years. That's plenty of demand to keep the ship full for a long time. It's quite small.

You can't hit it out of the park if its not affordable to 80% of your population. Hitting it out of the park is the demand for something like Jedi Training Academy.

To be honest I also don't celebrate this extreme upcharge level of immersion when Disney used to pride itself on every cast member immersing themselves to this level.

 

[RamblinWreck]

Have we talked about how Disney is doing paid focus groups for past guests to figure out why this thing is doing so poorly?

They seem very concerned.

 

[john7994]

Have we talked about how Disney is doing paid focus groups for past guests to figure out why this thing is doing so poorly?

They seem very concerned.

Did Disney say thats why they were doing that? There are other reasons (and smart ones), especially on a new product, to want to have feedback from those that actually were involved in the experience. As it is an immersive experience with lots of moving parts and multiple story lines, I don't think they would just send out a typical survey.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

Have we talked about how Disney is doing paid focus groups for past guests to figure out why this thing is doing so poorly?

They seem very concerned.

They never said the survey's were because it was doing poorly. In fact, according to any public statements from Disney, it's going well (better than they expected) and they are happy with the results. There are even rumors of them doubling down and building a second one based on the results they have had so far. You wouldn't build another if you thought it was doing poor.

it's standard practice to run focus groups on any new product to see where improvements can be made.

I'd say the availability is pretty open compared to what the expectations were. The chatter was that this would be completely sold out even at a high price point, and I can book pretty freely until the end of the year.

Compared to WHOSE expectations? Who made this chatter? Disney or the internet? Disney never expected to have every single room filled completely 2 months in. From every investor statement I have seen for the past few years, Disney had reasonable expectations that just like any new product, it would take time for the idea to develop and spread. They have always said they expect it to take 1-2 years before it will hit it's prime. They are doing something more or less completely new in the marketplace, and new ideas always take time to hit their prime spot. Just like they did not roll out Disney+ with expectations of 200+ million subscribers in a month, the same is true with the Halcyon.

By every indication from Disney, the Galactic Starcruiser is meeting and/or beating their expectations. The fact that the internet had unreasonable expectations about availability can't be controlled. That's what happens when you have millions of sofa-seat investors who all think they are experts at marketing and business, but really don't know anything about it.