Imagine if Universal were to do the same thing with Harry Potter World? Have guests ride the Hogwarts Express, stay overnight at Hogwarts, eat in the great hall, interact with characters, use wands for magic stuff, etc. Could be a slam dunk if they figured out how to make it more affordable than the Star Cruiser. Granted, you get a lot of that experience already just by going to the park.
Great idea. Your comment made me think….There is definitely something about this gamification hotel (or immersive camp) concept that is stellar; I agree with your take. I’d love to send my kids on a 3 day immersive camp experience w HP or SW.
I can fly from Canada to Florida, stay 2 weeks, go to all the disney parks + universal + aquatica + seaworld, and go to plenty of restaurants for just over half the price of this one experience. The price is definitely not worth it. At all.
Wow really?? I’d actually love to do that lol I may be a kiddie adult but a vacation just for theme parks would be SO fun to me! Way more fun than whatever the hell THIS is supposed to be lol
For you, I’m sure that’s the case. but you can’t speak for those diehard Star Wars fans who just want the experience of being in that space and being part of there own Star Wars adventure.
Having ACTUALLY been there now, I think it was TOTALLY worth it. It had been open 2 months by the time I got there and found out some had already been back FOUR times by the time I arrived. Now, lol, I think those are clearly the Club 33 type people; so, that doesn't really count. lol. But, I WILL do it on my next trip to Disney....that I do yearly. We also had 5 people in the smaller cabin and we had no issue since it was really just for sleeping. I had a bunk and it was just as comfortable as any other Disney resort bed I have ever been in. And my friend that stayed on the murphy bed said it was fine. If you were to break down a resort stay per day cost. Meal plan for 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, and 2 dinners.......tickets, per person, to Hollywood studios. Lightning Lane cost plus the extra cost for RoR. Transport to the Starcruiser AND the airport......which, for our trip accounted for $750 per person per day.....it's not crazy far off a regular Disney trip. But, with the immersion that you get, it's....so far for me going every year for 20+ years....is the best Disney experience I've had.
15 annual passes or 2 nights at the star cruiser…. I honestly think dropping $1,000 a day for 2 days at galaxy’s edge on lightning lanes, lightsabers, food, droids, merch, etc would be more fun. Not to mention way less expensive…
I think your point about introverts is spot on. This sort of interaction was just too exhausting for me. I did a few missions and spoke to a few characters, but it might be telling that the only characters that knew me by name for the whole cruise were the bartenders in the lounge.
Aside from the price (which really is astronomical for most people), my biggest issue is that it seems like a cross between those corporate "ice breaker" games you're forced to play at work sometimes, and Dave & Busters-level games with the SW logo slapped on. It looks like more of the same of what you get in Smuggler's Run, and as much as it breaks my heart to say this as a life-long SW fan, that ride was a once-and-done for me. The set was awesome, but the ride itself was little more than a lame game. And above all, rather than focus on the original trilogy that everyone loves and that even the most pedestrian fans would know and understand, Disney instead chose to double-down what are arguably the most divisive and poor files of all of them. Just imagine how much more impressive and fun it would have been to have your ship suddenly boarded by Vader, or have Han or Luke show up to help with a mission. IMO Disney blew it here. I don't see a lot of repeat-business potential, and my prediction is that within 2 years this will downgrade to just another luxury hotel with most of the live interactions cut to save money. Oh, and one other potential issue. If you think bad behavior in the parks was bad before, be prepared for it to ramp up when someone's dropping $6k for a 48-hour experience and they aren't happy about something. The entitlement will be through the roof. What we're seeing right now in these videos are comped experiences where attendees are there free. I suspect the levels of enthusiasm will lower once it's their own money.
This. All of this. Imagine the Karens demanding to "speak to someone" because little Jae-Lynn and Bry-anne didn't get the experience that Mama told them they were going to have.
I never really thought of that. Not really a big SW fan and wasn't planning on ever staying here but you are right. The entitlement will be through the roof and I wouldn't be surprised if fights broke out often in this hotel 💀
Also imagine a gang of 3-5 yr. olds trapped for 2 days with characters that are freaking them out, food they can’t/won’t eat and no outdoor time. Because mom & dad wanted to experience Star Wars and didn’t have anyone to watch them. You know it’s going to happen.
"Some people would rather spend that money on a luxury vacation to Japan", Yep that's the category I'd fall under 100%. The main turn off for me is the 2 days without sunlight for 6,000$, I'd walk out on the 3rd day blinded and disoriented by the sun, that's not the way I'd want to end a vacation.
im pretty sure that's what that "climate simulator" room is for, (a sitting area with a giant window ontop letting in real sunlight)...........though i doubt that room is gonna fix the claustrophobia some people are gonna have with this thing
@@dapperloser3025 I think I saw mentioned on another video that the "Climate Simulator" is really for the smokers who do this, since there are no more traditional escapes to take care of that while here. (though that post said it was open to the (real) sky, not a clear window as a roof) So if that's true, non-smokers probably would not want to go out there for sun if it also meant potentially dealing with cigarette smoke.
Right?! My husband is a submariner. He spends Months without sunlight. That kinda makes it suck for me (though there is a Galaxy's Edge visit included). I need some sun!
Except it's really not unless you choose to do that - you're going to probably want to take at least three hours if not more in Hollywood Studios, to do planetside missions on your "shore excursion." Plus there's an "Atmosphere simulator room" that may or may not be open-topped. Plus....well, it's Disney. I'm pretty sure that if you really need some air and the garden won't do they'll be happy to start up one of the old Minnie vans they probably keep around for emergencies and let you get a breath and bite at Disney Springs before you jump back in.
What a bummer. When I heard it’s like a “Star Wars cruise ship” I’m thinking lots of places to eat, maybe dancing, shows, some relaxing experiences, etc. Two days playing non-stop games with a bunch of strangers sounds terrible to me ☠️
An absolute nightmare. Lol. Molly on AllEarsNet got interrupted during her dinner for another part of the “game”. After paying $6000 when do people get to eat or sleep??
I feel like Disney should add a separate “Earthling menu” to the starcruiser that is available upon request. The food definitely seems like it isn’t for everyone, but at the same time, I think the look of the food is important to the immersion; it’d look weird if I went to the starcruiser and saw pizza and hotdogs lining the buffet tables. If they did an earthling menu, they could keep normal food (burgers, chicken fingers, hotdogs, etc) all listed on it, and keep the starcruiser’s default menu free from all these normal foods. Doing this could protect the immersive experience by keeping the normal food “hidden”, and it would also allow guests to have the option to have food they enjoy/feel comfortable eating.
I mean, kind of the point of immersion type experience is to try new things. However, as the used to be picky kid (literally only ate fruit salad for a week on one WDW vacay way back) I don’t disagree. “Earthling menu” is cute 🥰 and they could maybe just do something slightly different with the baseline normal foods ie take the kids hot dog and have colored condiment options or a SW vehicle shape bun somehow. Idk. But I like it lol
Thank you. You are the only vlogger to provide an honest, balanced review and evaluation. In my opinion, this experience is not a vacation - it’s a job.
Don't say they're the only ones to give an honest review cuz they're not. You can compliment them without discrediting other people who are good too like super Carlin Bros
@@DFBGuide you guys are absolutely amazing hardworkers with wonderfully entertaining and informative videos. Been watching your videos for yeeeeeears planning my first Disney trip!
This really seems like it would have been more of an amazing park attraction that you can spend hours inside of interacting in the immersion rather than a resort. As fantastic as it looks, as much as I would love to check it out, there's no way I would spend anywhere near that much money on this. If I found $6,000 free money in an alleyway, I can think of 100 other better things I would do with it. Even at half the price tag for 2 nights is outrageous. & the rooms look like a tiny box.
This video has helped me better understand what this experience actually is-essentially you are playing a Star Wars RPG in real life. That actually sounds kind of fun, but I agree with others here that it’s just too expensive at this point for me and probably many other Star Wars fans. In the meantime, though, thank you DFB Guide for the review and for doing a good job of breaking down the pros and cons.
Glad we cancelled our reservations today ! This is not Star Wars and has nothing to with price. More like “frontier in tomorrow land “ and this the only unbiased channel . Everyone is just repeating Disney script like bunch of sheep 🐑. Our opinion.
I recently cancelled my reservation but I’m still interested! I’m just mentally exhausted from life events to be spending 2 days playing escape room games with strangers, as a solo goer,with few options to just be a fly on the wall. its just a lot to expect of a person spending 6k for 2 days. I am not really a game playing enthusiast but I am a Disney enthusiast and want to see how they pull it together. I’m interested in the food and expected more for the foodie in me. Thank you for the review because it made me interested in future planning. But for now the perfect Disney day is enjoying the flower and garden festival at Epcot.
I went to a mediaeval banquet once for the staff Christmas meal. (From the UK so it was in a genuine setting). It was pretty obvious some people had decided they weren't going to like it before they went. Same for any fancy dress party. If you're the type of person who throws themselves into a new situation it might be for you.
Honestly, this isn’t a bad idea on paper. Ppl love immersive experiences and having the ability to choose your missions/loyalties. However, I don’t think this should’ve been a $6,000 2-day experience. This could’ve just been a smaller experience at Disneyland. I feel like Disney put too much faith into this and it won’t pay off.
After seeing how many CMs are part of the experience the price makes a bit more sense. For a hotel of only 100 rooms that's a lot of employees to pay per customer.
There'd be a lot more positive buzz about this if it actually reflected more of what everyone loves about Star Wars. For $6k+ and Disney labeling this as the "Ultimate" Star Wars experience, it is a MAJOR let down to any and every Star Wars fan that this doesn't even cover any recognizable facet of the films from the characters to even just the feel of the environment. How can you even have an "ultimate" Star Wars experience without Luke, Leia, Han, Vader, Obi Wan, Yoda, Jabba, Lando, Boba Fett, Admiral Ackbar, etc?! Heck, I bet people would even get more of a kick out of interacting with Jar Jar vs any of these made-up characters. So $6k for cramped Ikea-esque rooms, no recognizable characters, elementary-level escape rooms (with someone guiding you through it all no less), a giant Space Invaders video game, and... SPACE BINGO?! Really Disney? It's also extremely disappointing that seemingly everything contained in this voyage are all things we were promised to get in GALAXY'S EDGE without the several thousand dollar paywall it's now locked behind. I guarantee, if Disney actually gave the fans what they want - experiences that span ALL of Star Wars and not just their sad sanitized version of it - there'd be a LOT less complaining about this regardless of the price.
I agree with what you say. There is something I want to say though. I understand (but don’t agree with) why they don’t put more recognizable characters. Those characters are not going to be around forever. But while I don’t like it more generic but Star Wars theme characters are more easy to swap out and replace. It also allows for changes if the series changes in the future. But in the end I agree with you. What I said is just money money talk. Not really let’s give the fans what they want.
Everything about Star Wars is not about the main characters. Also, as Star Wars moves forward there will be new characters. You probably haven’t noticed, but Luke Leia Han, Vader, Obi Wan, and Yoda are all dead in the Star War saga. The story has literally moved forward in time. This is why, at least right now, the story the Galactic Cruiser is deal with Rey, the First Order, the themes that are in the Star Wars movies and streaming shows NOW. In the streaming shows they are reviewing the history of the Star Wars saga, but Star Wars has literally moved to the next generation, and I’m sure they will introduce many new characters going forward. This has to happen, because in order for Star Wars to stand the test of time, the Star Wars universe must be more important than any character or group of characters. I think that some people just like to complain and that would be the case no matter what. They literally go through life trying to find things to be butt hurt about. That’s unfortunate, but fortunately, this is not about them. Yes, it is expensive AF, but it is obviously worth it for many people just to be in that space and experience, even being a bit player, in the Star Wars universe. I will definitely be going, most likely on a special occasion like my birthday, with all my friends who love Star Wars, some with their middle school age kids who love it too. This would be perfect for them. I”m sure that over the years, the experience at the Galactic Starcruiser will improve as park collects more data on what people prefer (through the app and the information gathered by the crew) and with the coming of actual A.I. droids (it coming, particularly now that Tesla is working on it). More stories lines from the coming movies and steaming shows will be incorporated. More interactive activities will be incorporated. I would love to participate in a light saber dueling competition, although they would need to have people sign a release and have the appropriate safety equipment, but these are taking place already. There are actual business dedicated to the sale of dueling lightsaber, teaching people how to duel and having competitions. So it wouldn’t be anything new. There is actually a pattern for how to do it. It’s a great idea, and I’m sure it will improve over the years, and maybe the price will come down a bit, particularly if they replicate it by offering other Star Cruiser experiences under different names and levels (same quality though). Look, it’s pretty obvious that this is not for everyone. But, for me, right now,....I want to go!! I have seen several videos about it and it just makes me all the more excited about going and participating in this adventure. It’s even making me bone up on my Star Wars terminology.
@@frankwilliams3036 I agree. I also expect it to expand and the story change. They might open a more immersive ‘land’ than just galaxy’s edge. I don’t understand why people are complaining about the experience when it’s clearly a great one, the price I understand. I’m expecting great things moving forward because new Disney attractions have ALWAYS improved over time.
Why is it Micky Mouse and Cinderella are reoccurring characters in the Disney franchise? Does Luke, Han, Princess Leia, and other canonical characters in Star Wars universe have the same notoriety as Micky and Cinderella in Disney? Would Disney take a risk to put Micky and Cinderella sealed behind the Disney vault because they'll not trendy for the next generation? Sounds like Disney is making Star Wars more complicated than it is when George Lucas have the rights to it. Disney could of just keep the legacy characters from Star Wars like they have with their legacy characters like Micky and Cinderella. Bringing back older audiences with their children to experience the magic and fun of the characters they loved to the next generation. As Micky and Cinderella continue to make appearances in Disney World. Why not every year the Galactic Starcruiser Hotel is set in different time periods of the Star Wars universe? One year with Darth Vader and Luke then the second year with Rey and Kylo. Is it really difficult to make this hotel attractive to Star Wars fans and the regular Disney goers? The hotel is shutting down in the fall of 2023 for unforeseen time to get the Star Wars RPG theme hotel right.
I’m a Star Wars nerd. I would entertain spending that kind of money on a 2-day all inclusive at Cloud City or a few other locations to relax, eat, drink, and shop all star wars. I think AJ was right that this is just a play cruise with a star wars overlay. Doesn’t feel authentic Star Wars to me.
but disney doesn't want old school star wars nerds... they want disney star wars nerds... and here i ask myself, looking at toy sales and the likes... do those fans even exist? guess we'll see...
Yes. I am a fan since 77 and whilst some play acting might be fun for awhile, I would also like some " adult downtime " sipping cocktails in an elegant lounge; having a five course meal; perhaps sharing a table with some SW characters for an amusing chat. And I would also love a pool and spa. You can't play all the time. I miss the old convention experience where you could meet other fans and connect but the scenario Disney has planned doesn't seem to allow for that. Cloud City was one of my favorite locations.
Patiently waiting for Universal to come along and do something like this for Harry Potter... which I believe would have NO problems selling out years in advance...
It would be so cool, staying in the actual castle, like them building a legit castle. Imagine you can take the boats across the lake to the castle, take the train, you get to stay in the dorms, the pictures move, the staircases move. You go into the great hall to dine with everyone and you see the ceiling change, you could play Quidditch the actual way, with a Zip Line and some fancy set-up it's not out of the realm of possibility. You can have wand duals, secrets about the school you have to find, you can see all the teacher's different offices like Dumbledore's ect. I've always wanted to stay in the Slytherin Dorm myself, you can get sorted if you want and your whole castle stay experience determines on the House you get put in.. or you can have a similar experience if you know what House you're in already and or not want to get Sorted.. You can actually participate for the House Cup points and stuff. honestly, there'd be so much potential for that, it's honestly surprising that no one has even thought of trying to create that.
The big issue is, when Batu was first introduced and discussed, much of the elements now placed behind a gigantic pay wall were supposed to be included in Batu/Galaxy's Edge.
I've been following Jenny Nicholson's tweets leading up to her trip and it seems bonkers for regular non-press guests. They've double booked times in her pre-assigned schedule with seemingly no way to change it, and cast members haven't been able to answer any of her basic questions. For a $6000 luxury experience, Disney should be bending over backwards to make sure every customer is satisfied to the best of their abilities and it definitely seems like they're not.
Double-booked as in "You need to do something in Section A AND be in Section K at the same time" and just went "Eh we'll go with whichever she picks and the other will just have to sit around bored and waiting"? Ooooooof.
Like they used to bend over backwards for every guest throughout DW? I can’t stand how Disney is charging so much more for everything while cutting so much from any experience. This cruise thing looks like a flop that I’ll be able to feel in Missouri. Great idea. Worst price period. I’ll bet when this thing starts to tank next year rather than lower the price and cut a couple things to make it manageable cost wise for themselves they will make the cuts but charge 50% more. The shark like behavior of this corporation is astounding. I almost hate that I love going to DW these days. Thank god I have family in both DW and universal to hopefully get those family discounts. Lol
Seems great for someone who is an extreme Star Wars fan, loves to act and interact in a story, and who has a lot of money to spend on it. Wish Disney just created an extremely well themed Star Wars hotel. Taking place throughout the whole timeline, not just episode 7, 8, and 9. Would love to stay in a themed hotel where I'm not bound to partaking in a story or activities all day.
Very fair review, thanks! I think it looks fun enough, but for the originally -rumored price or $2-3k, not 5-6. As much of a Star Wars fan as I am, I just can't justify this.
Agree, I would do this as an add on for my son and I if it was a $3k add on. For $5k, its a hard pass, and my son would literally love it to be IN a video game/movie/theme park ride!
@@haileyshannon7548 Star Wars has become a Star Trek set with characters that a kid can talk to with the story from a Disney Movie - Star Trek is too deep/real/mature for anything Disney is doing.
@@MagicCookieGaming That hasn't been true of Star Trek since Enterprise, arguably even before that if you really like DS9. Modern Star Trek is every bit as dumbed-down, immature, and badly written as Disney's Star Wars.
I appreciate this honest review. I have been watching the reviews from others invited for this week's review guests and most of them are obvious Disney shills, repeating the same talking points about how great every aspect of the experience is. Thank you for your objective review.
Introverts, good news! I've been playing stuff like Dungeons and Dragons since I was a kid, and am introverted. Create a character, it doesn't have to be super deep, you don't need to know all the lore, if all you really want to do is play Han Solo with a different name, do it, be whoever seems like the most fun. The whole thing is a live action role playing game, and trust me when I say, most of us role players are pretty shy in real life. Just embrace the silliness, and have fun.
i actually had the oposite reaction as an introvert. You are required to talk and interact with people in person ALL THE TIME in order to get the best experience. I get really drained with constant in person interaction and having to talk to people all the time. This is a true introverts nightmare.
I think Disney completely missed the boat on the marketing for the Galactic Starcruiser. From the time they announced it years ago, it was marketed as a Star Wars themed hotel with immersive elements. They should of marketed it as a massive 2 day Star Wars themed immersive escape room type experience that also has food and a place to sleep when not playing the game.
So the 6k price tag is for a 2 day interactive play, something my wife would absolutely hate this. Sounds very cool, but my family could go just about anywhere for that price tag.
0:08 'hate' is a strong word here. I think 'confused' would be a better way to frame it because they're asking us to pay the same for a 2-night hotel experience as we would for a 6-night Aulani stay. And for what? What is the price really representative of?
To be fair, for this specific thing I think I would say hate is a pretty accurate word since people are disgusted by the price and can’t believe they’re still sticking with the ST as the theming instead of OT which is timeless and easy to bring everyone together with. Even the prequels have more fans than the ST nowadays lol
One issue that you did not mention - and may only be apparent to the hardcore SW fans - the experience is entirely based on the Disney Sequel trilogy, which has proven to be far less popular than the original trilogy of films which have timeless appeal. You will not see any sign of the Empire, Rebellion, Luke Leia or Han, and this will have a profound impact on the appeal to many fans of the original trilogy.
Yeah, her theory about what's behind "the hate" seems completely unaware of what's really going on with what she sees as "Star Wars fandom." Could be diplomacy seeing that Disney comped this experience, or could be honestly unaware. Either way, impossible to seriously discuss the whys without acknowledging Disney "broke" what they thought was an unbreakable property they payed $4 billion for, and are trying to monetize it as if they didn't.
@@la_scrittice_vita I agree. The original trilogy is fantastic. It is beyond iconic. I thought the sequel trilogy had a decent start, but quickly turned into a giant narrative mess.
Yep I agree ever since Disney went woke with the sequel trilogy Star Wars went down the tubes. Only fools would pay that much money to not even see Darth Vader.
Yes! I was thinking the same thing. Though the price tag is prohibitive, it would be much more justifiable to me if one of the adventures was to escape being chased down a corridor by Darth Vader á la Rogue One final scene. Or navigating through an asteroid field with Han Solo at the helm of the ship. Or being recruited by Leia to join the Rebellion. Gosh! The possibilities!
German here. I would NEVER EVER pay that much for any event. Our 2 week summer holidays this year in Croatia, for six people, full accomodation and every possible attraction, eating great fresh food and everything included didn't cost 6000$.
The big problem that Star Wars fans have with what we’ve seen is that everything shown in the promo material does NOT look like Star Wars. The bridge looks more Star Trek or generic Sci-Fi thank Star Wars. They KNOW what it should look like - ROTR is flawless at capturing that look and feeling. This isn’t it.
The Halcyon represents a part of galactic life that has always been in the background but rarely featured on-screen. The Canto Bight scenes in Episode VIII may be the closest. But if you look you can see echoes of the Tantive IV (another non-warship capital ship) and Cloud City (another civilian facility). The Halcyon looks far more like those settings than anything in Star Trek. If your idea of a Star Wars aesthetic is the beat-up, cobbled-together look of the Rebellion and the Resistance, maybe this can broaden your horizons.
First impressions is this is a 2 day Secret Cinema experience. I went to the Empire Strikes Back event they hosted in 2015 and it was £75 each ($100ish). Even factoring in maintenance, extending the experience, paying staff, I can't possibly see the $6000 price tag being justifiable, no matter how exciting it looks. Especially when some things SC did look better than these clips.
Thank you so much for touching on the introvert thing!! I also didn’t realize it was so individually immersive that your group could have totally different experiences! That’s so cool!!! Thank you for always being honest about your thoughts on things!
A someone who is disabled, please don't use the term differently abled in place of disabled. Disabled is not a negative term, and a lot of disabled people do not like these kinds of alternative made up terms because they actually imply that disabled is negative or bad.
It's sad that many of the "activities" and character interactions on board this exclusive ship were originally designed and planned for guests at Galaxy's Edge. At GE everyone could enjoy, but now only a very select few families could be a part of what was supposed to be part of your park entrance fee to Hollywood Studios. To me, the interior looks like Seth McFarlane's TV show "The Orville". I find it interesting that AJ pointed out how "generic" this storyline and experience can be. As a life-long SW fan, I can honestly say that this is NOT SW at all. I hate to sound so negative, but it is unfortunate that Disney thinks this is the future. Again, Disney has lost its cutting-edge vision for attractions and has just recreated a very expensive dinner party. Very sad!!!!
Yeah, much as I love the idea of this existing as an add-on, I'd rather everybody be able to get a day pass to this level at GE and just needing to shell out extra to sleep, eat, and breathe it for three days straight.
@@Eternaldarkness3166 Well...I mean...it's a LARP. Logically, you can't be in two places at once and people in other places need to be able to do things without you. There's also a narrative throughline - several - that evolve in response to guest's performance in the game. Even if you were to try to do an identical repeat experience by getting into the same storyline twice, you can't because other people are needed to trigger everything. And as a writer myself, having these background events and other people doing things around adds an essential element of 'life' to the events that you just can't get from a static ride or show. It's not for everyone, I readily concede that, but it's just a part of the structure that not being able to do it all is an element you have to accept. (Plus, of course, you can always compare notes with other guests/players to figure out what's going on. In fact, that's likely also intentional - you're not intended to be able to solo anything.)
My biggest concern is: where are the main caracters of this universe? When I saw the review videos yesterday I just saw Chewbacca, Ray and Kylo for a short time. Where is Darth Vader, Luke, Mando, Boba, Han, Leia, Fin, etc… I know these CMs are doing their best to bring new caracters but I am paying 6000 for 2 nights of Star Wars!!! I want to see these guys!! I wanna interact with them not a random luggage guy! With all respect.
A great review! I love Star Wars and I love unique food. I love D&D and MMORPG, but I think it’s not worth 6000 bucks. I think I would rather do Galaxy’s Edge for a day, play SWTOR and D&D and try new restaurants all over the world. Thanks for the video!
The room is literally like camping in a tent. Cramming my family of 5 in there would be reallllly tight. 😬 It’s also a real shame that kids miss out on so much. I think they really missed the mark with not making it more kid friendly.
I think it’s looks super fun! There’s just no way that $6000 is justifiable. I can have a super nice 7 day stay at Walt Disney World and enjoy all the parks, food, and souvenirs for that price.
Great review, the only disagreement I would have is regarding your statement that the games are more important than the theme. For a die-hard Star Wars fan, it is very likely that all you're going to see are the things that are wrong with the theme. I understand that we should all be able to choose our attitude and enjoy, and that is certainly possible, but for $6k, as you said, you want it to be everything you expect and more. Star Wars fans want it to be Star Wars, otherwise, it isn't worth it. The truest thing you said is that you have to check your expectations at the door. I think non-Star Wars fans might enjoy it MORE than Star Wars fans.
Why do people seem to hate this? Well, let me shed some light on that subject: - It's a "Star Wars" experience that solely focuses on the Disney sequel trilogy. Specifically, just between Episodes 8 and 9 (the worst of the movies). - As you said, it's basically just an Escape Room/Interactive Game/LARPing situation. One that is basically an overlay that could apply anywhere and on anything. - The absolute cheapest all-in price for one person for the Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser Experience is $5,000.00. Of which, it's promoted primarily for upper-class individuals and families. - Despite the price, there are no luxury or premier materials, items, and experiences. The rooms are small and the food is plain and okay. - What you, other media personnel, and special VIP guests experienced this week was the absolute best this experience will ever be. It was the Grand Opening. Disney pulled all the stops.
All of these points are made in the video (sans the sequel trilogy), but to your point -- my main take in the video is that this is made for gamers. If you love experiential story activities, you'll like it. But -- as I also said in the video -- this is a template that could have any good vs. bad overlay and it would work.
@@DFBGuide Another real issue is truly how immersive breaking the pepsi shirt guy can be, which for 5k a pop it wouldn't have hurt Disney to include 2 sets of clothes for each guest within the deal, thereby increasing the amount of costumed guests and the levels of immersion too.
The hate stems from Disney ignoring the original trilogy AND Disney promising everything interactive in Galaxy's Edge then changing course to nickel and dime by charging people what they originally promised for free in Galaxy's Edge in a "resort experience".
I've watched several of the media preview reviews and this was both the most in depth and the most balanced. I appreciate the review. I will say, I am more positive on the whole thing now, but the cost is still just way too high.
I think part of the issue for many fans (aside from the price) is that the theming is out of step with what is currently popular in Star Wars, much like Galaxy's Edge itself and that makes the idea of booking this experience far less desirable. If you're hoping to bump into the Mandalorian, Boba Fett, Ashoka Tano, Grogu, Luke Skywalker or R2-D2 you won't be afforded that opportunity here (and how many kids and their parents wouldn't jump at the opportunity to go on a mission with the Mandalorian and Baby Yoda and then experience light saber training with Luke Skywalker or Ashoka?). And price is always going to be a major sticking point. We're doing back-to-back cruises over 7 nights (four of those on the DIsney Wish) for what two nights would have cost on Galactic Starcruiser (and both cruise staterooms have a balcony to enjoy those amazing ocean views). Disney may want to consider moving away from the (mostly) all-inclusive model to more of an ala carte experience to allow for flexibility in pricing since that $6000 is a starting price. By the time you factor in airfare, transportation to Disney, items from the gift shop and other items not included with the experience, the price tag will climb significantly.
The minute the NBA Experience was announced we predicted it would be a cataclysmic failure. It was. Here's our prediction for the Galactic Star Cruiser. It will work for the fanatic Star Wars fan for a few months. The allure of the immersive interactions will fail for the "normal" guest and the experience will revert to a standard Star Wars/space themed hotel at a vastly reduced cost without all the immersion and the Atari-like video game events. It will become a Grand Floridian - but in space - by 2023...
This is such a great video and it feels very truthful. It helps put the mind a bit more at ease. I got my next Disney adventure coming up in April. Once I get back from that I’m gonna plan and book an experience for this. Thank you Aj and thanks to the DFB teams. One piece of advice that I always took from your videos is to keep an open mind. Every time I’ve been lucky to visit the Disney parks, an open mind has made experiences fun, even when things don’t go as planned. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 you guys rock!!!
This is like having Mickey Mouse entertain you at breakfast and then follow you around for the next 2 days. At some point you will be punching Mickey in the nose.
Not if there's a Babe underneath that looks like Beyonce ...... OK , I admit You're right , there isn't a Babe underneath that looks Beyonce ..... Just gotta' hope this "Babe" doesn't look like Brock Lesnar ......
For me Galaxy’s edge and the star cruiser just didn’t impress me too much it was awesome seeing the Millennium Falcon but as far as other parts of this land it missed out on giving fans something they have seen in the movies. That’s why I feel at universal they did such a great job of immersion with hogsmeade and Diagon alley. These are things fans have seen and are familiar with and by far exceeded my expectations I could spend all day at Diagon alley and all I would pay is admission to the park. I’m a Star Wars fan but unfortunately the land and star cruiser are a big miss for me 😢
This is why Universal's Harry Potter sections worked and Galaxy's Edge doesn't do it for me. Universal did an excellent job recreating places from the Harry Potter series that fans know and love. Disney created something new that fans had little to no attachment to but were told it's part of the Star Wars universe so you try to go along with it, but it's hard because there's no connection. The interior of the Falcon is amazing, because it's the Falcon and it's something fans have a strong connection to and is something that fans want to see and explore.
AJ! I watched all the StarWars Cruiser/Hotel vids that dropped day 1. I subscribe to some of the most followed TH-camrs, IMO your vid actually gave me a clear understanding of the hotel. It provided knowledgable information, neither promoting or bashing just facts. A lot of take aways that I didn't get anywhere else. Outstanding! You and the DFB team are social media superstars. 🌟💫✨
Thanks for one of the most honest reviews to come out today. Though I'm really looking forward to your follow up. Will be very interesting to see what, if anything, is different during the non press invite trips.
I just still feel that $6000 is way overkill for the cost of this...plus them charging you for extras like alcoholic beverages for $15-$25 a pop. That's kind of insulting to many middle class people who are excited to experience something like this. I might spend $2000 at the most. In fact, $2000 per person could still get the crew paid and offer a good time. Was the trip to Batuu really that immersive compared to some of the rides they designed at Galaxy's Edge? You think Disney could have put more effort into the actual experience for what they are charging people and it's less expensive to get into Galaxy's Edge. Put some of those actual ride transports into the hotel so at least you are moving and feel the experience and not just watch monitors. Beyond all that, I would like to see the behind the scenes of all the workers who put this show on and serve the guests. Surely, the captain doesn't wear all that blue makeup for 2 days straight? Do they get days off? How do they rotate out? Inquiring minds want to know. lol Again, thank you for the video experience but it's still too rich for my blood. Pricing needs to be adjusted and maybe some of the food improved. I just think after all the heavy enthusiasts, media, and rich people get through with this, it will fade out and go bankrupt. I hope I'm wrong.
I enjoyed the Sequel trilogy just fine, but I think it was a MASSIVE mistake not to set all of Galaxy's Edge in the Original Trilogy. So much more potential. Also, with all of the deepfake technology, they could include OT characters on the holograms and it will look and feel real.
I think they should have set it after return of the Jedi, and during the mandalorian period, because that's probably Disney's most popular star wars thing and what they are promoting currently, and it would be pretty easy to put it in without it interfering with canon.
@@lemoncakeslemonade5430 I agree, I think that it's weird to set a cruise story during one of the galactic wars. "Cruise gone wrong" just seems too stressful.
As a true Star Wars fan of 45 years, what I have just seen is nothing short of a travesty. And to think that I once believed that the last 3 "movies" were the worst thing that Disney could do to the franchise. Charging people $6000 for this is absolutely criminal.
This seems like an honest review, and I appreciate that. Honest in saying it’s not for everyone. That people who aren’t into interacting won’t find it as enjoyable. I like the escape room analogy. It makes it easier to understand. I think you are correct that the $6,000 price tags, and whether it’s worth it is going to be vastly different for different people. One item I will disagree with. I don’t think this is for hard core Star Wars fans. Why? Well, have you see the reviews for The Book of Boba Fett? The reviews for most Disney Star Wars movies? Hard core Star Wars fans (myself included) are notoriously picky and will over analyze every single detail. I don’t think this is for them. It is for the “Disney” Star Wars fans, the ones who love everything Disney puts out, and oh yeah that now includes this property called Star Wars. Also, for the Disney fans who make it their life’s goal to buy and do everything Disney (if that floats your boat, and you have the money, who am I to criticize). Which comes to the best point you make. You say this is a template. It’s about the adventure. It can be made to fit any IP or fan base. It doesn’t have to be Star Wars. It’s like those people who are into LARP. LARP can fit any genre, and if it makes you happy, more power to you.
Exactly. And thank you for weighing in on whether or not you think it's for dedicated Star Wars fans. I worked hard to get a good cross section of opinions, but the more the better.
I do think it's interesting that the Halcyon has a long history which includes visits by Anakin and Padme, Han and Leia, etc... It makes me wonder if they might have different scenarios set in different timelines in the future? It would certainly be a way to bring people back for multiple voyages and tap some of the fan base that is not into the newer movies. Can you imagine if they did a cruise with Mando and Baby Yoda onboard?
I would consider myself a pretty die hard Star Wars fan. I’m very torn on everything I’m seeing but the price tag immediately puts me off. I also feel like for me there just seems to be not enough here to make it feel like Star Wars. It looks like a nice Space themed experience with some Star Wars elements thrown in. But take out some of those elements and you could have a Buzz Lightyear Space Command hotel, lol. There should be more characters roaming like some protocol droids (C3-P0) walking around. Have some Mandalorian type characters or other bounty hunters walking around. Instead it’s about 10-15 random characters and 70% of them don’t look like they belong in Star Wars. The cruise director character for example. Nothing about the way that character is dressed looks like Star Wars. Even the regular cast member costumes don’t look like Star Wars. I was watching a video of bridge training and it was being done by this random looking cast member (I’m sure she’s amazing) that didn’t even remotely look like she belonged there. IDK, I hate being a Debbie downer because I was so excited for this and it just isnt what I wanted.
They should have just made a regular Star Wars themed hotel with a normal price point compared to other Disney hotels. Could have sold tons more rooms and been booked solid for years. And people could leave if they wanted to go to the parks.
Anyone go to church “ lock ins “ back in high school.. they would lock you in a building with enough activities to last all night .. as a teenager you had all the energy to stay awake all night but you did it to enjoy all the new experience.. racket ball at 2am ? That sounds fun . In this Hotel I would feel Forced to stay awake to experience everything I could .. sleeping would just be a wast of money… after the first day you would feel it was a job to be active enough to enjoy the experience. Nice video
I wish Disney put this amount of money & thought into Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge instead of the hotel. Before GE was finished I was hoping to walk into Tatooine with characters roaming organically. I was hoping for Mos Eisley Cantina with characters & music accurate to the movie. A food establishment where I can sit down & order blue/green milk & unique food instead of getting all of those things from separate quick service locations. After seeing this video I see that it could have all been done very easily. They obviously had the money & the space to make it happen. The ROTR attraction is cool, but after doing it once or twice it’s stale in my opinion. I would have preferred that effort be put into making the land itself more authentic feeling. That’s just my opinion though. The current land leaves a lot to be desired for me personally.
This was truly an excellent review of this experience. Kudos !!! The price point, however, is absolutely ridiculous. Not sure what Disney was thinking.
I feel like this definitely ISN'T an accessible experience for everyone. I have a kiddo who has high anxiety and gets overstimulated. I wouldn't take her here until she can manage that better. It's definitely NOT for folks who suffer from conditions like PTSD, etc. Now, I can take my kiddo to the parks or on dcl since they have lots of accomodations for that, but this experience? It seems like it would need a warning label for folks who have other concerns. Otherwise you'd end up leaving early or staying contained to your room (is there even room service as an option?).
If a kid melts down because they didn't get invited to a mission, I wonder how the cast members will handle that, too. Will they adjust their storyline so the kid can join that game?
Cool review, the best about the Starcruiser that I've seen. Not going 2 nights for any amount of money, sounds exhausting, and I'm exhausted after doing nothing all day. However, wouldn't mind paying a reasonable amount to be there for an hour or two, like an escape room experience. It's a 2 hour experience got stretched into 2 days. But again, awesome review, the best voice and content.
I am a big LARP person and this is honestly a dream come true. However, it only being 2 days long and seemingly a lot of people to get in your way sounds problematic slightly. But I'm hoping once this is around for a year or two Disney will add a longer stay. I'd pay 10k for a 4 Night experience. All inclusive or not. I wouldn't bring my family though 🤣 this would be like a mommy's weekend thing. 🤣
Honestly, I don't think this is for little kids at all. Make sure the kids are old enough to really "get it" and play along. Younger kids could get tired, cranky, bored, restless, or scared by all of it.
This looks like a very interesting expirence (though I can't decide whether or not it feels like starwars) and I hope kinda hope to be able to do it before some of that immersion gets stripped away but I think chopping this expirence up into separate pieces might have been the way to go. 1) a starwars hotel. Nothing crazy just a new deluxe hotel with a star wars theme (maybe the halocene broke down on batuu so now they're just operating as a hotel). Keep the atrium and lounges, upgrade the cabins. This could also allow for a really cool exterior you can view from galaxies edge. 2) Disney could pilot a new type of expirence here. Keep the extra rooms but make expirences available for all guests. Wanna do lightsaber training?* Wanna get constriped into the first order/ resistance for an hour or two? You can maybe there is an upcharge maybe it's just really hard to get into but you can do it. This has the added bonus of letting disney decide the number of guests any one expirence should have at a time. 3) lastly you let anyone make reservations at the dining room. You can serve a lot more people that way. Disney could probably still get their 6k if you wanted to do EVERYTHING but people can pick and choose. *side note: the lightsaber training looks terrible (the one for little kids in Hollywood studios looks better for crying out loud) and is probably the only thing I was really disappointed to see when everything was actually shown.
Imagine being able to walk around the emperors throne room from Return of the Jedi, or the Cloud City catwalk where Vader told Luke he was his father… This experience could be so much more.
It’s $6k because it’s a one and done Disney knows this once everyone’s done it they’ll change it to an actual hotel with an optional add on to do missions or they’ll convert the missions and games to shows/performances at an extra charge
They should’ve done this in the first place. It should’ve been a normal hotel with an add on to do the missions and interactive activities. Then people can still enjoy the SW aesthetic as part of their vacation but fine tune the experience for their family.
Middle of the climactic mission on day one, a 6 year old kid who's been 3 times with rich parent ruins it by immediately pointing out the solution and tells you you should have chosen rebels.
What a well done and informative video! Thank you for putting this out, it answers so many questions. The "is it worth it" question will always be subjective, but this video takes away a lot of speculation.
I think the ultimate question is, is it worth it? That answer is truly in the eyes of the person that is having the experience. Luckily, my family are not Star Wars people so this is a non issue and we won't be going. From what was shown, it does look pretty cool. I was surprised by that.
Terrific video from a trusted source. It completely validated my concerns and showcased the cringe that was expected. The value is not there. I can have fun anywhere. Paying $6k I expect far more than fun. Hard pass from this fan.
Thanks for your clear and unbiased review. Some TH-camrs were just gushing about every little thing. One woman named Molly was showing off her room and said....this bathroom is huge , it’s actually it’s the size of a closet and she could hardly fit in it. I’ve never seen her channel before and never will again because her information cannot be trusted. Others did the same. It’s good to know who can be trusted.
AJ, I think you are right. Those that do not know anything about Star Wars, or all they know is Disney Star Wars, will love this. Since that is all they know, this will enjoy and be able to interact with it, I am sure. Otherwise, nope.
And for those who are not invested in Star Wars there won't be an overwhelming desire to divert their vacation fund to a 48 hour experience that can be spent elsewhere for a longer vacation.
AJ you are literally the best TH-camr! Thanks for the breakdown and for making it easy to understand! Also thanks for explaining how introverts will handle this, I too am an introvert. 😀
My boyfriend loves Star Wars and cosplay but has said he would HATE this. It just looks cheesy and dumb. Even though we could afford it, we’ve been planning a normal trip to WDW to Galaxy’s Edge to build lightsabers and ride the rides and stay in a regular hotel where we can relax at night.
For 6K I expect a full size re creation of Mos Isles complete with every star wars character and the complete freedom to explore the entire town while interacting with guests and actors. And I know I’m just echoing what everyone else is saying, but for the price Disney is asking you can LITERALLY do absolutely anything else on the planet and be treated as royalty.
Well done, comprehensive review, but you fail to discuss one major thing: those life-long die hard fans you mention overwhelmingly don't want to be immersed in a sequel trilogy experience - they want ORIGINAL TRILOGY CONTENT! This is one more example of Disney pushing their films as the main Star Wars lore and minimizing the movies that made the franchise so successful in the first place. And it's not just the characters that are present in this experience: Star Wars differentiated itself from all other science fiction of its time by creating a used universe look and feel. This experience looks clean, sanitized and generic. In other words: lame and boring. Definitely not worth the price tag. Hard pass.
u said it great. theres virtually zero nods to episodes 4 thru 6 which made this franchise what it is. the aesthetics on this ship are not Star Wars at all, and I also do not like these characters Disney made to run the show on this thing
Thank you for being honest about being able to do this for free. I look forward to watching the paid experience but this looks better than what Disney promos provided and give you an idea what to expect.
not having any sunlight for 2 days kind of creeps me out a little bit. Sounds interesting though! I'm not the biggest star wars fan nor have I ever played an escape room game so I really cannot imagine the experience lol
Imagine if Universal were to do the same thing with Harry Potter World? Have guests ride the Hogwarts Express, stay overnight at Hogwarts, eat in the great hall, interact with characters, use wands for magic stuff, etc. Could be a slam dunk if they figured out how to make it more affordable than the Star Cruiser. Granted, you get a lot of that experience already just by going to the park.
Great idea.
Your comment made me think….There is definitely something about this gamification hotel (or immersive camp) concept that is stellar; I agree with your take. I’d love to send my kids on a 3 day immersive camp experience w HP or SW.
Same to Pandora-them hotel- get dropped by RDA to a building modify after a home tree, see the colorful view at night, sleep amoung the Navi
@@jarrodjob a 3 day 3000 dollar truly all inclusive harry potter experience would get a lot of buy in
@@Dewlone All inclusive would mean meals and butterbeer.
Now that I would be all in for!
I can fly from Canada to Florida, stay 2 weeks, go to all the disney parks + universal + aquatica + seaworld, and go to plenty of restaurants for just over half the price of this one experience. The price is definitely not worth it. At all.
Wow really?? I’d actually love to do that lol I may be a kiddie adult but a vacation just for theme parks would be SO fun to me! Way more fun than whatever the hell THIS is supposed to be lol
@@kaylasilverstein4137 kiddie adult and fan of theme parks here checking in to say i agreee!
For you, I’m sure that’s the case. but you can’t speak for those diehard Star Wars fans who just want the experience of being in that space and being part of there own Star Wars adventure.
@@frankwilliams3036 agreed.
Having ACTUALLY been there now, I think it was TOTALLY worth it. It had been open 2 months by the time I got there and found out some had already been back FOUR times by the time I arrived. Now, lol, I think those are clearly the Club 33 type people; so, that doesn't really count. lol. But, I WILL do it on my next trip to Disney....that I do yearly. We also had 5 people in the smaller cabin and we had no issue since it was really just for sleeping. I had a bunk and it was just as comfortable as any other Disney resort bed I have ever been in. And my friend that stayed on the murphy bed said it was fine. If you were to break down a resort stay per day cost. Meal plan for 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, and 2 dinners.......tickets, per person, to Hollywood studios. Lightning Lane cost plus the extra cost for RoR. Transport to the Starcruiser AND the airport......which, for our trip accounted for $750 per person per day.....it's not crazy far off a regular Disney trip. But, with the immersion that you get, it's....so far for me going every year for 20+ years....is the best Disney experience I've had.
15 annual passes or 2 nights at the star cruiser….
I honestly think dropping $1,000 a day for 2 days at galaxy’s edge on lightning lanes, lightsabers, food, droids, merch, etc would be more fun. Not to mention way less expensive…
think about how many hours you can do on a VIP tour for that kind of money
How much was an annual pass and was there a monthly pass too ?
I think your point about introverts is spot on. This sort of interaction was just too exhausting for me. I did a few missions and spoke to a few characters, but it might be telling that the only characters that knew me by name for the whole cruise were the bartenders in the lounge.
It IS telling: you spent way too much time at the bar. Call your AA sponsor, honey.
And most big Star Wars fans are introverts.
Aside from the price (which really is astronomical for most people), my biggest issue is that it seems like a cross between those corporate "ice breaker" games you're forced to play at work sometimes, and Dave & Busters-level games with the SW logo slapped on. It looks like more of the same of what you get in Smuggler's Run, and as much as it breaks my heart to say this as a life-long SW fan, that ride was a once-and-done for me. The set was awesome, but the ride itself was little more than a lame game. And above all, rather than focus on the original trilogy that everyone loves and that even the most pedestrian fans would know and understand, Disney instead chose to double-down what are arguably the most divisive and poor files of all of them. Just imagine how much more impressive and fun it would have been to have your ship suddenly boarded by Vader, or have Han or Luke show up to help with a mission. IMO Disney blew it here. I don't see a lot of repeat-business potential, and my prediction is that within 2 years this will downgrade to just another luxury hotel with most of the live interactions cut to save money.
Oh, and one other potential issue. If you think bad behavior in the parks was bad before, be prepared for it to ramp up when someone's dropping $6k for a 48-hour experience and they aren't happy about something. The entitlement will be through the roof. What we're seeing right now in these videos are comped experiences where attendees are there free. I suspect the levels of enthusiasm will lower once it's their own money.
Hard to argue anything you just said.
This. All of this. Imagine the Karens demanding to "speak to someone" because little Jae-Lynn and Bry-anne didn't get the experience that Mama told them they were going to have.
I never really thought of that. Not really a big SW fan and wasn't planning on ever staying here but you are right. The entitlement will be through the roof and I wouldn't be surprised if fights broke out often in this hotel 💀
Also imagine a gang of 3-5 yr. olds trapped for 2 days with characters that are freaking them out, food they can’t/won’t eat and no outdoor time. Because mom & dad wanted to experience Star Wars and didn’t have anyone to watch them. You know it’s going to happen.
@@Ultimatecruegirl And if a cast member breaks character to appease them, everyone ELSE will be furious.
"Some people would rather spend that money on a luxury vacation to Japan", Yep that's the category I'd fall under 100%. The main turn off for me is the 2 days without sunlight for 6,000$, I'd walk out on the 3rd day blinded and disoriented by the sun, that's not the way I'd want to end a vacation.
im pretty sure that's what that "climate simulator" room is for, (a sitting area with a giant window ontop letting in real sunlight)...........though i doubt that room is gonna fix the claustrophobia some people are gonna have with this thing
Plus there’s a visit to batuu
@@dapperloser3025 I think I saw mentioned on another video that the "Climate Simulator" is really for the smokers who do this, since there are no more traditional escapes to take care of that while here. (though that post said it was open to the (real) sky, not a clear window as a roof)
So if that's true, non-smokers probably would not want to go out there for sun if it also meant potentially dealing with cigarette smoke.
Right?! My husband is a submariner. He spends Months without sunlight. That kinda makes it suck for me (though there is a Galaxy's Edge visit included). I need some sun!
Except it's really not unless you choose to do that - you're going to probably want to take at least three hours if not more in Hollywood Studios, to do planetside missions on your "shore excursion." Plus there's an "Atmosphere simulator room" that may or may not be open-topped.
Plus....well, it's Disney. I'm pretty sure that if you really need some air and the garden won't do they'll be happy to start up one of the old Minnie vans they probably keep around for emergencies and let you get a breath and bite at Disney Springs before you jump back in.
What a bummer. When I heard it’s like a “Star Wars cruise ship” I’m thinking lots of places to eat, maybe dancing, shows, some relaxing experiences, etc. Two days playing non-stop games with a bunch of strangers sounds terrible to me ☠️
100% agree.
Yeah I have to agree
An absolute nightmare. Lol. Molly on AllEarsNet got interrupted during her dinner for another part of the “game”. After paying $6000 when do people get to eat or sleep??
The rooms look uncomfortable too. For this much money I want to sleep well darn it!
Agree with all of you !!!
I feel like Disney should add a separate “Earthling menu” to the starcruiser that is available upon request. The food definitely seems like it isn’t for everyone, but at the same time, I think the look of the food is important to the immersion; it’d look weird if I went to the starcruiser and saw pizza and hotdogs lining the buffet tables. If they did an earthling menu, they could keep normal food (burgers, chicken fingers, hotdogs, etc) all listed on it, and keep the starcruiser’s default menu free from all these normal foods. Doing this could protect the immersive experience by keeping the normal food “hidden”, and it would also allow guests to have the option to have food they enjoy/feel comfortable eating.
I mean, kind of the point of immersion type experience is to try new things. However, as the used to be picky kid (literally only ate fruit salad for a week on one WDW vacay way back) I don’t disagree.
“Earthling menu” is cute 🥰 and they could maybe just do something slightly different with the baseline normal foods ie take the kids hot dog and have colored condiment options or a SW vehicle shape bun somehow. Idk.
But I like it lol
YES YES YES and coffee maker in room
tbf Earth doesn’t exist in Star Wars lore
So the kids menu seemed to be a bit more familiar.
@@xm2785 true 😂
Even if it’s not “earth” just some name that signals this separate menu has normal food lol
Thank you. You are the only vlogger to provide an honest, balanced review and evaluation. In my opinion, this experience is not a vacation - it’s a job.
I very much appreciate your kind words. We worked very hard to make sure this was honest and useful.
@@DFBGuide the honesty is VERY much appreciated. There’s a reason y’all are so popular here.
Don't say they're the only ones to give an honest review cuz they're not. You can compliment them without discrediting other people who are good too like super Carlin Bros
@@DFBGuide you guys are absolutely amazing hardworkers with wonderfully entertaining and informative videos. Been watching your videos for yeeeeeears planning my first Disney trip!
This really seems like it would have been more of an amazing park attraction that you can spend hours inside of interacting in the immersion rather than a resort. As fantastic as it looks, as much as I would love to check it out, there's no way I would spend anywhere near that much money on this. If I found $6,000 free money in an alleyway, I can think of 100 other better things I would do with it. Even at half the price tag for 2 nights is outrageous. & the rooms look like a tiny box.
This video has helped me better understand what this experience actually is-essentially you are playing a Star Wars RPG in real life. That actually sounds kind of fun, but I agree with others here that it’s just too expensive at this point for me and probably many other Star Wars fans. In the meantime, though, thank you DFB Guide for the review and for doing a good job of breaking down the pros and cons.
The difference with a Star Wars RPG is I can play a character who doesn't look like me and who can do things I cannot.
Glad we cancelled our reservations today ! This is not Star Wars and has nothing to with price. More like “frontier in tomorrow land “ and this the only unbiased channel . Everyone is just repeating Disney script like bunch of sheep 🐑. Our opinion.
I’d pay $6000 if it was a week long event. But not for two days
6k for LARPing is just such a miss
And it’s also disappointing that it’s not about the original movies
I recently cancelled my reservation but I’m still interested! I’m just mentally exhausted from life events to be spending 2 days playing escape room games with strangers, as a solo goer,with few options to just be a fly on the wall. its just a lot to expect of a person spending 6k for 2 days. I am not really a game playing enthusiast but I am a Disney enthusiast and want to see how they pull it together. I’m interested in the food and expected more for the foodie in me. Thank you for the review because it made me interested in future planning. But for now the perfect Disney day is enjoying the flower and garden festival at Epcot.
So it sounds like this experience is very much dependent on your crowd and your own attitude. Which is pretty exhausting.
It very much is. On both counts.
I went to a mediaeval banquet once for the staff Christmas meal. (From the UK so it was in a genuine setting). It was pretty obvious some people had decided they weren't going to like it before they went. Same for any fancy dress party. If you're the type of person who throws themselves into a new situation it might be for you.
@@davidtaylor4204 If it isn't fun to you then just don't go
@@cruisinusa5110 I think it's more that Disney wants to justify the cost of this thing
That’s exactly what we were thinking. So we are going to go into our cruise next week with a great attitude. 👍🏻
Honestly, this isn’t a bad idea on paper. Ppl love immersive experiences and having the ability to choose your missions/loyalties. However, I don’t think this should’ve been a $6,000 2-day experience. This could’ve just been a smaller experience at Disneyland. I feel like Disney put too much faith into this and it won’t pay off.
As cool as this looks I don’t think a 2 day experience would EVER be worth $6000
That’s the Disney price for you
@@janrodriguez3214 even for Disney price this is still way expensive.
@@janrodriguez3214 That ain't the disney price. That's like 3x the Disney price.
After seeing how many CMs are part of the experience the price makes a bit more sense. For a hotel of only 100 rooms that's a lot of employees to pay per customer.
@@LL-bl8hd no it freaking dosent. This price never ever makes sense
There'd be a lot more positive buzz about this if it actually reflected more of what everyone loves about Star Wars.
For $6k+ and Disney labeling this as the "Ultimate" Star Wars experience, it is a MAJOR let down to any and every Star Wars fan that this doesn't even cover any recognizable facet of the films from the characters to even just the feel of the environment.
How can you even have an "ultimate" Star Wars experience without Luke, Leia, Han, Vader, Obi Wan, Yoda, Jabba, Lando, Boba Fett, Admiral Ackbar, etc?!
Heck, I bet people would even get more of a kick out of interacting with Jar Jar vs any of these made-up characters.
So $6k for cramped Ikea-esque rooms, no recognizable characters, elementary-level escape rooms (with someone guiding you through it all no less), a giant Space Invaders video game, and... SPACE BINGO?! Really Disney?
It's also extremely disappointing that seemingly everything contained in this voyage are all things we were promised to get in GALAXY'S EDGE without the several thousand dollar paywall it's now locked behind.
I guarantee, if Disney actually gave the fans what they want - experiences that span ALL of Star Wars and not just their sad sanitized version of it - there'd be a LOT less complaining about this regardless of the price.
I agree with what you say. There is something I want to say though. I understand (but don’t agree with) why they don’t put more recognizable characters. Those characters are not going to be around forever. But while I don’t like it more generic but Star Wars theme characters are more easy to swap out and replace. It also allows for changes if the series changes in the future. But in the end I agree with you. What I said is just money money talk. Not really let’s give the fans what they want.
Everything about Star Wars is not about the main characters. Also, as Star Wars moves forward there will be new characters. You probably haven’t noticed, but Luke Leia Han, Vader, Obi Wan, and Yoda are all dead in the Star War saga. The story has literally moved forward in time. This is why, at least right now, the story the Galactic Cruiser is deal with Rey, the First Order, the themes that are in the Star Wars movies and streaming shows NOW. In the streaming shows they are reviewing the history of the Star Wars saga, but Star Wars has literally moved to the next generation, and I’m sure they will introduce many new characters going forward.
This has to happen, because in order for Star Wars to stand the test of time, the Star Wars universe must be more important than any character or group of characters.
I think that some people just like to complain and that would be the case no matter what. They literally go through life trying to find things to be butt hurt about. That’s unfortunate, but fortunately, this is not about them.
Yes, it is expensive AF, but it is obviously worth it for many people just to be in that space and experience, even being a bit player, in the Star Wars universe. I will definitely be going, most likely on a special occasion like my birthday, with all my friends who love Star Wars, some with their middle school age kids who love it too. This would be perfect for them.
I”m sure that over the years, the experience at the Galactic Starcruiser will improve as park collects more data on what people prefer (through the app and the information gathered by the crew) and with the coming of actual A.I. droids (it coming, particularly now that Tesla is working on it). More stories lines from the coming movies and steaming shows will be incorporated. More interactive activities will be incorporated. I would love to participate in a light saber dueling competition, although they would need to have people sign a release and have the appropriate safety equipment, but these are taking place already. There are actual business dedicated to the sale of dueling lightsaber, teaching people how to duel and having competitions. So it wouldn’t be anything new. There is actually a pattern for how to do it.
It’s a great idea, and I’m sure it will improve over the years, and maybe the price will come down a bit, particularly if they replicate it by offering other Star Cruiser experiences under different names and levels (same quality though). Look, it’s pretty obvious that this is not for everyone. But, for me, right now,....I want to go!! I have seen several videos about it and it just makes me all the more excited about going and participating in this adventure. It’s even making me bone up on my Star Wars terminology.
@@frankwilliams3036 I agree. I also expect it to expand and the story change. They might open a more immersive ‘land’ than just galaxy’s edge. I don’t understand why people are complaining about the experience when it’s clearly a great one, the price I understand. I’m expecting great things moving forward because new Disney attractions have ALWAYS improved over time.
@@jaqr3635 Unfortunately, some people just want to complain. They get off on being unhappy.
Why is it Micky Mouse and Cinderella are reoccurring characters in the Disney franchise? Does Luke, Han, Princess Leia, and other canonical characters in Star Wars universe have the same notoriety as Micky and Cinderella in Disney? Would Disney take a risk to put Micky and Cinderella sealed behind the Disney vault because they'll not trendy for the next generation? Sounds like Disney is making Star Wars more complicated than it is when George Lucas have the rights to it. Disney could of just keep the legacy characters from Star Wars like they have with their legacy characters like Micky and Cinderella. Bringing back older audiences with their children to experience the magic and fun of the characters they loved to the next generation. As Micky and Cinderella continue to make appearances in Disney World. Why not every year the Galactic Starcruiser Hotel is set in different time periods of the Star Wars universe? One year with Darth Vader and Luke then the second year with Rey and Kylo. Is it really difficult to make this hotel attractive to Star Wars fans and the regular Disney goers? The hotel is shutting down in the fall of 2023 for unforeseen time to get the Star Wars RPG theme hotel right.
I’m a Star Wars nerd. I would entertain spending that kind of money on a 2-day all inclusive at Cloud City or a few other locations to relax, eat, drink, and shop all star wars. I think AJ was right that this is just a play cruise with a star wars overlay. Doesn’t feel authentic Star Wars to me.
2-day all inclusive at Cloud City sounds rad
but disney doesn't want old school star wars nerds... they want disney star wars nerds... and here i ask myself, looking at toy sales and the likes... do those fans even exist? guess we'll see...
Something set in Cloud City would be beyond awesome.
Yes. I am a fan since 77 and whilst some play acting might be fun for awhile, I would also like some " adult downtime " sipping cocktails in an elegant lounge; having a five course meal; perhaps sharing a table with some SW characters for an amusing chat. And I would also love a pool and spa. You can't play all the time. I miss the old convention experience where you could meet other fans and connect but the scenario Disney has planned doesn't seem to allow for that. Cloud City was one of my favorite locations.
Disney: ruins Star Wars and shows contempt for fans
Also Disney: omg, why so many fans don't like my new Star Wars hotel
Patiently waiting for Universal to come along and do something like this for Harry Potter... which I believe would have NO problems selling out years in advance...
I love star wars much more than Harry Potter but I do think a harry Potter experience would be easier to sell and be a lot better.
IF Universal can do it right
Could you imagine if they built a Hogwarts hotel? Like where you have short classes for activities and death eaters attack you from time to time 🤯
It would be so cool, staying in the actual castle, like them building a legit castle. Imagine you can take the boats across the lake to the castle, take the train, you get to stay in the dorms, the pictures move, the staircases move. You go into the great hall to dine with everyone and you see the ceiling change, you could play Quidditch the actual way, with a Zip Line and some fancy set-up it's not out of the realm of possibility. You can have wand duals, secrets about the school you have to find, you can see all the teacher's different offices like Dumbledore's ect. I've always wanted to stay in the Slytherin Dorm myself, you can get sorted if you want and your whole castle stay experience determines on the House you get put in.. or you can have a similar experience if you know what House you're in already and or not want to get Sorted.. You can actually participate for the House Cup points and stuff. honestly, there'd be so much potential for that, it's honestly surprising that no one has even thought of trying to create that.
@@fernandonieto2122 the best part is that Death Eaters are in Hogsmade during Halloween Horror Nights!
The big issue is, when Batu was first introduced and discussed, much of the elements now placed behind a gigantic pay wall were supposed to be included in Batu/Galaxy's Edge.
I've been following Jenny Nicholson's tweets leading up to her trip and it seems bonkers for regular non-press guests. They've double booked times in her pre-assigned schedule with seemingly no way to change it, and cast members haven't been able to answer any of her basic questions. For a $6000 luxury experience, Disney should be bending over backwards to make sure every customer is satisfied to the best of their abilities and it definitely seems like they're not.
Double-booked as in "You need to do something in Section A AND be in Section K at the same time" and just went "Eh we'll go with whichever she picks and the other will just have to sit around bored and waiting"?
Ooooooof.
Like they used to bend over backwards for every guest throughout DW? I can’t stand how Disney is charging so much more for everything while cutting so much from any experience. This cruise thing looks like a flop that I’ll be able to feel in Missouri. Great idea. Worst price period. I’ll bet when this thing starts to tank next year rather than lower the price and cut a couple things to make it manageable cost wise for themselves they will make the cuts but charge 50% more. The shark like behavior of this corporation is astounding. I almost hate that I love going to DW these days. Thank god I have family in both DW and universal to hopefully get those family discounts. Lol
Seems great for someone who is an extreme Star Wars fan, loves to act and interact in a story, and who has a lot of money to spend on it. Wish Disney just created an extremely well themed Star Wars hotel. Taking place throughout the whole timeline, not just episode 7, 8, and 9. Would love to stay in a themed hotel where I'm not bound to partaking in a story or activities all day.
To be fair, the entire timeline would be a lot to try to cram into one building.
@@ttintagel it could just be themed to all of Star Wars. Obviously doesn't have to have everything. But, at least more than just 7, 8, and 9.
How to say "I'm a shill from Disney" without saying "I'm a shill from Disney".
Very fair review, thanks! I think it looks fun enough, but for the originally -rumored price or $2-3k, not 5-6. As much of a Star Wars fan as I am, I just can't justify this.
Agree, I would do this as an add on for my son and I if it was a $3k add on. For $5k, its a hard pass, and my son would literally love it to be IN a video game/movie/theme park ride!
Are you saying you would pay 2 to 3 thousand per person
@@kkristian8350 No, $2-3k for the entire stay/party. I believe that was the original assumed/rumored price from the initial market research study.
A lot of hate comes from most of the stuff on Starcruiser was supposed to be a part of Galaxy's Edge but Disney put it behind a paywall.
The actual problem that people had was not the price, is just that it doesn’t LOOK like Star Wars, it looks like a generic sci-fi show from the 70’s.
Star Wars has become Star Trek
@@haileyshannon7548 Star Wars has become a Star Trek set with characters that a kid can talk to with the story from a Disney Movie - Star Trek is too deep/real/mature for anything Disney is doing.
Probably designed to be readily swapped with some other theme in a couple years. Star Trek, Wall-E, Avengers, etc...
Its not star wars, its space conflict. Lol
@@MagicCookieGaming That hasn't been true of Star Trek since Enterprise, arguably even before that if you really like DS9. Modern Star Trek is every bit as dumbed-down, immature, and badly written as Disney's Star Wars.
This might be the best review video you have ever done. It answered everything i wanted with the right balance of honesty and promotion. Well done.
I appreciate this honest review. I have been watching the reviews from others invited for this week's review guests and most of them are obvious Disney shills, repeating the same talking points about how great every aspect of the experience is. Thank you for your objective review.
Thank you very much for taking the time to say this. I appreciate it and my team appreciates it.
It’s already very hard for a family to plan a trip to Disney now it’s just creating more unattainable entertainment for families. Love the videos!!
Introverts, good news! I've been playing stuff like Dungeons and Dragons since I was a kid, and am introverted. Create a character, it doesn't have to be super deep, you don't need to know all the lore, if all you really want to do is play Han Solo with a different name, do it, be whoever seems like the most fun. The whole thing is a live action role playing game, and trust me when I say, most of us role players are pretty shy in real life. Just embrace the silliness, and have fun.
i actually had the oposite reaction as an introvert. You are required to talk and interact with people in person ALL THE TIME in order to get the best experience. I get really drained with constant in person interaction and having to talk to people all the time. This is a true introverts nightmare.
@@sha2596 anxiety and exhaustion come to mind watching this experience
Interesting perspective!
I still think it's sounds exhausting.
@@HeatherTravels oh, you'll sleep for like a week afterward, but, you'll get through your three days of star cruiser
I think Disney completely missed the boat on the marketing for the Galactic Starcruiser. From the time they announced it years ago, it was marketed as a Star Wars themed hotel with immersive elements. They should of marketed it as a massive 2 day Star Wars themed immersive escape room type experience that also has food and a place to sleep when not playing the game.
You've done more than Disney has for this hotel lol. This does look fun. Not sure if it's $6000 fun but interesting.
This reminds of the self check out line at the food store. You work hard to entertain yourself. At least the actors are going all out.
So the 6k price tag is for a 2 day interactive play, something my wife would absolutely hate this. Sounds very cool, but my family could go just about anywhere for that price tag.
exactly, i was thinking of Hawaii and\or Europe.
0:08 'hate' is a strong word here. I think 'confused' would be a better way to frame it because they're asking us to pay the same for a 2-night hotel experience as we would for a 6-night Aulani stay. And for what? What is the price really representative of?
To be fair, for this specific thing I think I would say hate is a pretty accurate word since people are disgusted by the price and can’t believe they’re still sticking with the ST as the theming instead of OT which is timeless and easy to bring everyone together with. Even the prequels have more fans than the ST nowadays lol
One issue that you did not mention - and may only be apparent to the hardcore SW fans - the experience is entirely based on the Disney Sequel trilogy, which has proven to be far less popular than the original trilogy of films which have timeless appeal. You will not see any sign of the Empire, Rebellion, Luke Leia or Han, and this will have a profound impact on the appeal to many fans of the original trilogy.
Yeah, her theory about what's behind "the hate" seems completely unaware of what's really going on with what she sees as "Star Wars fandom." Could be diplomacy seeing that Disney comped this experience, or could be honestly unaware. Either way, impossible to seriously discuss the whys without acknowledging Disney "broke" what they thought was an unbreakable property they payed $4 billion for, and are trying to monetize it as if they didn't.
@@la_scrittice_vita I agree. The original trilogy is fantastic. It is beyond iconic. I thought the sequel trilogy had a decent start, but quickly turned into a giant narrative mess.
Hells, I'd take the Prequel trilogy weekend over the standard if it were offered.
Yep I agree ever since Disney went woke with the sequel trilogy Star Wars went down the tubes. Only fools would pay that much money to not even see Darth Vader.
Yes! I was thinking the same thing. Though the price tag is prohibitive, it would be much more justifiable to me if one of the adventures was to escape being chased down a corridor by Darth Vader á la Rogue One final scene. Or navigating through an asteroid field with Han Solo at the helm of the ship. Or being recruited by Leia to join the Rebellion. Gosh! The possibilities!
German here. I would NEVER EVER pay that much for any event. Our 2 week summer holidays this year in Croatia, for six people, full accomodation and every possible attraction, eating great fresh food and everything included didn't cost 6000$.
The big problem that Star Wars fans have with what we’ve seen is that everything shown in the promo material does NOT look like Star Wars. The bridge looks more Star Trek or generic Sci-Fi thank Star Wars. They KNOW what it should look like - ROTR is flawless at capturing that look and feeling. This isn’t it.
That's an interesting point -- that ROTR gets it right.
Don't you dare compare Star Trek to this pile or weirdness!
Apologies to my Trekkie friends! 😊
The Halcyon represents a part of galactic life that has always been in the background but rarely featured on-screen. The Canto Bight scenes in Episode VIII may be the closest. But if you look you can see echoes of the Tantive IV (another non-warship capital ship) and Cloud City (another civilian facility). The Halcyon looks far more like those settings than anything in Star Trek.
If your idea of a Star Wars aesthetic is the beat-up, cobbled-together look of the Rebellion and the Resistance, maybe this can broaden your horizons.
On the other hand... someone needs to do a Star Trek hotel because THAT would tempt me
First impressions is this is a 2 day Secret Cinema experience. I went to the Empire Strikes Back event they hosted in 2015 and it was £75 each ($100ish).
Even factoring in maintenance, extending the experience, paying staff, I can't possibly see the $6000 price tag being justifiable, no matter how exciting it looks. Especially when some things SC did look better than these clips.
Thank you so much for touching on the introvert thing!!
I also didn’t realize it was so individually immersive that your group could have totally different experiences! That’s so cool!!!
Thank you for always being honest about your thoughts on things!
A someone who is disabled, please don't use the term differently abled in place of disabled. Disabled is not a negative term, and a lot of disabled people do not like these kinds of alternative made up terms because they actually imply that disabled is negative or bad.
It's sad that many of the "activities" and character interactions on board this exclusive ship were originally designed and planned for guests at Galaxy's Edge. At GE everyone could enjoy, but now only a very select few families could be a part of what was supposed to be part of your park entrance fee to Hollywood Studios. To me, the interior looks like Seth McFarlane's TV show "The Orville". I find it interesting that AJ pointed out how "generic" this storyline and experience can be. As a life-long SW fan, I can honestly say that this is NOT SW at all. I hate to sound so negative, but it is unfortunate that Disney thinks this is the future. Again, Disney has lost its cutting-edge vision for attractions and has just recreated a very expensive dinner party. Very sad!!!!
Here here. I agree completely. Not Star Wars! Not worth the price! Disney has COMPLETELY failed on their Star Wars front.
awesome comment from someone as a true S.W.'s fan
I'm more thinking about the, you don't get to experience everything you pay for vibe sounds like a rip-off to me..
Yeah, much as I love the idea of this existing as an add-on, I'd rather everybody be able to get a day pass to this level at GE and just needing to shell out extra to sleep, eat, and breathe it for three days straight.
@@Eternaldarkness3166 Well...I mean...it's a LARP. Logically, you can't be in two places at once and people in other places need to be able to do things without you. There's also a narrative throughline - several - that evolve in response to guest's performance in the game. Even if you were to try to do an identical repeat experience by getting into the same storyline twice, you can't because other people are needed to trigger everything.
And as a writer myself, having these background events and other people doing things around adds an essential element of 'life' to the events that you just can't get from a static ride or show. It's not for everyone, I readily concede that, but it's just a part of the structure that not being able to do it all is an element you have to accept.
(Plus, of course, you can always compare notes with other guests/players to figure out what's going on. In fact, that's likely also intentional - you're not intended to be able to solo anything.)
Thank you, A.J. 😀. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣! A.J. You are killing me 🤣🤣🤣! The way you say things in this video, I can't stop laughing 😀.
As usual, the best and most honest review comes from DFB. Love y’all.
Thanks, Frank.
My biggest concern is: where are the main caracters of this universe? When I saw the review videos yesterday I just saw Chewbacca, Ray and Kylo for a short time. Where is Darth Vader, Luke, Mando, Boba, Han, Leia, Fin, etc… I know these CMs are doing their best to bring new caracters but I am paying 6000 for 2 nights of Star Wars!!! I want to see these guys!! I wanna interact with them not a random luggage guy! With all respect.
Honestly a Disney escape room would’ve been better. Cheaper price with a bit of immersion and fun.
If they did like Pop up escape rooms with each having their own theme I'm sure it'll do great
As Breedlove puts it, "$6,000 to stay in a windowless warehouse with a bunch of Orlando improv actors."
A great review! I love Star Wars and I love unique food. I love D&D and MMORPG, but I think it’s not worth 6000 bucks. I think I would rather do Galaxy’s Edge for a day, play SWTOR and D&D and try new restaurants all over the world. Thanks for the video!
Same.
Yeah, the LARPer in me is really into this idea but it’s So expensive.
Yeah you can pretty much jet set to any other place and the immersion is a 100% xD for 6000 buck...
I agree ! I totally would if it was like 2k lol
Disney definitely Jumped the Shark. Boycott Disney...
The room is literally like camping in a tent. Cramming my family of 5 in there would be reallllly tight. 😬 It’s also a real shame that kids miss out on so much. I think they really missed the mark with not making it more kid friendly.
Disney’s sole purpose is to generate as much revenue as possible. They don’t care about any family. They care about egregious amounts of cash. Period.
I think it’s looks super fun! There’s just no way that $6000 is justifiable. I can have a super nice 7 day stay at Walt Disney World and enjoy all the parks, food, and souvenirs for that price.
Great review, the only disagreement I would have is regarding your statement that the games are more important than the theme. For a die-hard Star Wars fan, it is very likely that all you're going to see are the things that are wrong with the theme. I understand that we should all be able to choose our attitude and enjoy, and that is certainly possible, but for $6k, as you said, you want it to be everything you expect and more. Star Wars fans want it to be Star Wars, otherwise, it isn't worth it. The truest thing you said is that you have to check your expectations at the door. I think non-Star Wars fans might enjoy it MORE than Star Wars fans.
Why do people seem to hate this? Well, let me shed some light on that subject:
- It's a "Star Wars" experience that solely focuses on the Disney sequel trilogy. Specifically, just between Episodes 8 and 9 (the worst of the movies).
- As you said, it's basically just an Escape Room/Interactive Game/LARPing situation. One that is basically an overlay that could apply anywhere and on anything.
- The absolute cheapest all-in price for one person for the Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser Experience is $5,000.00. Of which, it's promoted primarily for upper-class individuals and families.
- Despite the price, there are no luxury or premier materials, items, and experiences. The rooms are small and the food is plain and okay.
- What you, other media personnel, and special VIP guests experienced this week was the absolute best this experience will ever be. It was the Grand Opening. Disney pulled all the stops.
All of these points are made in the video (sans the sequel trilogy), but to your point -- my main take in the video is that this is made for gamers. If you love experiential story activities, you'll like it. But -- as I also said in the video -- this is a template that could have any good vs. bad overlay and it would work.
@@DFBGuide Another real issue is truly how immersive breaking the pepsi shirt guy can be, which for 5k a pop it wouldn't have hurt Disney to include 2 sets of clothes for each guest within the deal, thereby increasing the amount of costumed guests and the levels of immersion too.
The hate stems from Disney ignoring the original trilogy AND Disney promising everything interactive in Galaxy's Edge then changing course to nickel and dime by charging people what they originally promised for free in Galaxy's Edge in a "resort experience".
I've watched several of the media preview reviews and this was both the most in depth and the most balanced. I appreciate the review. I will say, I am more positive on the whole thing now, but the cost is still just way too high.
Yeah I would love it too if it was for free 😂
I think part of the issue for many fans (aside from the price) is that the theming is out of step with what is currently popular in Star Wars, much like Galaxy's Edge itself and that makes the idea of booking this experience far less desirable. If you're hoping to bump into the Mandalorian, Boba Fett, Ashoka Tano, Grogu, Luke Skywalker or R2-D2 you won't be afforded that opportunity here (and how many kids and their parents wouldn't jump at the opportunity to go on a mission with the Mandalorian and Baby Yoda and then experience light saber training with Luke Skywalker or Ashoka?).
And price is always going to be a major sticking point. We're doing back-to-back cruises over 7 nights (four of those on the DIsney Wish) for what two nights would have cost on Galactic Starcruiser (and both cruise staterooms have a balcony to enjoy those amazing ocean views). Disney may want to consider moving away from the (mostly) all-inclusive model to more of an ala carte experience to allow for flexibility in pricing since that $6000 is a starting price. By the time you factor in airfare, transportation to Disney, items from the gift shop and other items not included with the experience, the price tag will climb significantly.
Thanks for your honest opinion!!! listen i think its a nice concept, but WAAAY too expensive.
You're welcome; thank you for watching.
The minute the NBA Experience was announced we predicted it would be a cataclysmic failure. It was. Here's our prediction for the Galactic Star Cruiser. It will work for the fanatic Star Wars fan for a few months. The allure of the immersive interactions will fail for the "normal" guest and the experience will revert to a standard Star Wars/space themed hotel at a vastly reduced cost without all the immersion and the Atari-like video game events. It will become a Grand Floridian - but in space - by 2023...
I predict in 5 years, urban explorers will be touring it's dark and moldy caverns in a TH-cam video.
We hate it because it looks like fake, generic, corporate space experience for $6k.
The fact that it is overpriced for the 1% of the people that can afford it!!!
@@barrygerenski6259 yeah I’m sure the Hollywood elite actors and actresses that are woke are part of that one percent
This is such a great video and it feels very truthful. It helps put the mind a bit more at ease. I got my next Disney adventure coming up in April. Once I get back from that I’m gonna plan and book an experience for this. Thank you Aj and thanks to the DFB teams.
One piece of advice that I always took from your videos is to keep an open mind. Every time I’ve been lucky to visit the Disney parks, an open mind has made experiences fun, even when things don’t go as planned. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 you guys rock!!!
So 6,000 to play Star Wars dungeons and dragons? Got it.
In a way...!
@@DFBGuidelol duly noted
This is like having Mickey Mouse entertain you at breakfast and then follow you around for the next 2 days. At some point you will be punching Mickey in the nose.
Not if there's a Babe underneath that looks like Beyonce ......
OK , I admit You're right , there isn't a Babe underneath that looks Beyonce .....
Just gotta' hope this "Babe" doesn't look like Brock Lesnar ......
For me Galaxy’s edge and the star cruiser just didn’t impress me too much it was awesome seeing the Millennium Falcon but as far as other parts of this land it missed out on giving fans something they have seen in the movies. That’s why I feel at universal they did such a great job of immersion with hogsmeade and Diagon alley. These are things fans have seen and are familiar with and by far exceeded my expectations I could spend all day at Diagon alley and all I would pay is admission to the park. I’m a Star Wars fan but unfortunately the land and star cruiser are a big miss for me 😢
This is why Universal's Harry Potter sections worked and Galaxy's Edge doesn't do it for me. Universal did an excellent job recreating places from the Harry Potter series that fans know and love. Disney created something new that fans had little to no attachment to but were told it's part of the Star Wars universe so you try to go along with it, but it's hard because there's no connection. The interior of the Falcon is amazing, because it's the Falcon and it's something fans have a strong connection to and is something that fans want to see and explore.
AJ! I watched all the StarWars Cruiser/Hotel vids that dropped day 1. I subscribe to some of the most followed TH-camrs, IMO your vid actually gave me a clear understanding of the hotel. It provided knowledgable information, neither promoting or bashing just facts. A lot of take aways that I didn't get anywhere else. Outstanding! You and the DFB team are social media superstars. 🌟💫✨
Thanks for one of the most honest reviews to come out today. Though I'm really looking forward to your follow up. Will be very interesting to see what, if anything, is different during the non press invite trips.
Agreed. Very interested.
I just still feel that $6000 is way overkill for the cost of this...plus them charging you for extras like alcoholic beverages for $15-$25 a pop. That's kind of insulting to many middle class people who are excited to experience something like this. I might spend $2000 at the most. In fact, $2000 per person could still get the crew paid and offer a good time.
Was the trip to Batuu really that immersive compared to some of the rides they designed at Galaxy's Edge? You think Disney could have put more effort into the actual experience for what they are charging people and it's less expensive to get into Galaxy's Edge. Put some of those actual ride transports into the hotel so at least you are moving and feel the experience and not just watch monitors.
Beyond all that, I would like to see the behind the scenes of all the workers who put this show on and serve the guests. Surely, the captain doesn't wear all that blue makeup for 2 days straight? Do they get days off? How do they rotate out? Inquiring minds want to know. lol
Again, thank you for the video experience but it's still too rich for my blood. Pricing needs to be adjusted and maybe some of the food improved. I just think after all the heavy enthusiasts, media, and rich people get through with this, it will fade out and go bankrupt. I hope I'm wrong.
I enjoyed the Sequel trilogy just fine, but I think it was a MASSIVE mistake not to set all of Galaxy's Edge in the Original Trilogy. So much more potential. Also, with all of the deepfake technology, they could include OT characters on the holograms and it will look and feel real.
I think they should have set it after return of the Jedi, and during the mandalorian period, because that's probably Disney's most popular star wars thing and what they are promoting currently, and it would be pretty easy to put it in without it interfering with canon.
@@lemoncakeslemonade5430 I agree, I think that it's weird to set a cruise story during one of the galactic wars. "Cruise gone wrong" just seems too stressful.
As a true Star Wars fan of 45 years, what I have just seen is nothing short of a travesty. And to think that I once believed that the last 3 "movies" were the worst thing that Disney could do to the franchise. Charging people $6000 for this is absolutely criminal.
This seems like an honest review, and I appreciate that. Honest in saying it’s not for everyone. That people who aren’t into interacting won’t find it as enjoyable. I like the escape room analogy. It makes it easier to understand. I think you are correct that the $6,000 price tags, and whether it’s worth it is going to be vastly different for different people. One item I will disagree with. I don’t think this is for hard core Star Wars fans. Why? Well, have you see the reviews for The Book of Boba Fett? The reviews for most Disney Star Wars movies? Hard core Star Wars fans (myself included) are notoriously picky and will over analyze every single detail. I don’t think this is for them. It is for the “Disney” Star Wars fans, the ones who love everything Disney puts out, and oh yeah that now includes this property called Star Wars. Also, for the Disney fans who make it their life’s goal to buy and do everything Disney (if that floats your boat, and you have the money, who am I to criticize). Which comes to the best point you make. You say this is a template. It’s about the adventure. It can be made to fit any IP or fan base. It doesn’t have to be Star Wars. It’s like those people who are into LARP. LARP can fit any genre, and if it makes you happy, more power to you.
Couldn’t agree with this more!!
Exactly. And thank you for weighing in on whether or not you think it's for dedicated Star Wars fans. I worked hard to get a good cross section of opinions, but the more the better.
I do think it's interesting that the Halcyon has a long history which includes visits by Anakin and Padme, Han and Leia, etc... It makes me wonder if they might have different scenarios set in different timelines in the future? It would certainly be a way to bring people back for multiple voyages and tap some of the fan base that is not into the newer movies. Can you imagine if they did a cruise with Mando and Baby Yoda onboard?
I would consider myself a pretty die hard Star Wars fan. I’m very torn on everything I’m seeing but the price tag immediately puts me off. I also feel like for me there just seems to be not enough here to make it feel like Star Wars. It looks like a nice Space themed experience with some Star Wars elements thrown in. But take out some of those elements and you could have a Buzz Lightyear Space Command hotel, lol. There should be more characters roaming like some protocol droids (C3-P0) walking around. Have some Mandalorian type characters or other bounty hunters walking around. Instead it’s about 10-15 random characters and 70% of them don’t look like they belong in Star Wars. The cruise director character for example. Nothing about the way that character is dressed looks like Star Wars. Even the regular cast member costumes don’t look like Star Wars. I was watching a video of bridge training and it was being done by this random looking cast member (I’m sure she’s amazing) that didn’t even remotely look like she belonged there. IDK, I hate being a Debbie downer because I was so excited for this and it just isnt what I wanted.
@@eftinga I realize this is a super-cliche storyline, but I want to suggest it. Han and Leia's honeymoon takes place on this ship and things go wrong.
They should have just made a regular Star Wars themed hotel with a normal price point compared to other Disney hotels. Could have sold tons more rooms and been booked solid for years. And people could leave if they wanted to go to the parks.
Anyone go to church “ lock ins “ back in high school.. they would lock you in a building with enough activities to last all night .. as a teenager you had all the energy to stay awake all night but you did it to enjoy all the new experience.. racket ball at 2am ? That sounds fun .
In this Hotel I would feel Forced to stay awake to experience everything I could .. sleeping would just be a wast of money… after the first day you would feel it was a job to be active enough to enjoy the experience.
Nice video
There are many reviews out today on this experience, but this is far and away the best one. Well done AJ and DFB team!
I wish Disney put this amount of money & thought into Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge instead of the hotel. Before GE was finished I was hoping to walk into Tatooine with characters roaming organically. I was hoping for Mos Eisley Cantina with characters & music accurate to the movie. A food establishment where I can sit down & order blue/green milk & unique food instead of getting all of those things from separate quick service locations. After seeing this video I see that it could have all been done very easily. They obviously had the money & the space to make it happen. The ROTR attraction is cool, but after doing it once or twice it’s stale in my opinion. I would have preferred that effort be put into making the land itself more authentic feeling. That’s just my opinion though. The current land leaves a lot to be desired for me personally.
This was truly an excellent review of this experience. Kudos !!! The price point, however, is absolutely ridiculous. Not sure what Disney was thinking.
How did the cast handle young ones if they got scared and stressed? I am wondering how they are prepped for when a customer had to go no.
Honestly, I would most likely start to feel stressed and scared after a few hours, and need a break from it. Can't imagine taking my little one.
I feel like this definitely ISN'T an accessible experience for everyone. I have a kiddo who has high anxiety and gets overstimulated. I wouldn't take her here until she can manage that better. It's definitely NOT for folks who suffer from conditions like PTSD, etc. Now, I can take my kiddo to the parks or on dcl since they have lots of accomodations for that, but this experience? It seems like it would need a warning label for folks who have other concerns. Otherwise you'd end up leaving early or staying contained to your room (is there even room service as an option?).
If a kid melts down because they didn't get invited to a mission, I wonder how the cast members will handle that, too. Will they adjust their storyline so the kid can join that game?
Cool review, the best about the Starcruiser that I've seen. Not going 2 nights for any amount of money, sounds exhausting, and I'm exhausted after doing nothing all day. However, wouldn't mind paying a reasonable amount to be there for an hour or two, like an escape room experience. It's a 2 hour experience got stretched into 2 days. But again, awesome review, the best voice and content.
I am a big LARP person and this is honestly a dream come true. However, it only being 2 days long and seemingly a lot of people to get in your way sounds problematic slightly. But I'm hoping once this is around for a year or two Disney will add a longer stay. I'd pay 10k for a 4 Night experience. All inclusive or not. I wouldn't bring my family though 🤣 this would be like a mommy's weekend thing. 🤣
Maybe we should just go apply for a job!!!! 365 days of play and we get it free
Honestly, I don't think this is for little kids at all. Make sure the kids are old enough to really "get it" and play along. Younger kids could get tired, cranky, bored, restless, or scared by all of it.
This looks like a very interesting expirence (though I can't decide whether or not it feels like starwars) and I hope kinda hope to be able to do it before some of that immersion gets stripped away but I think chopping this expirence up into separate pieces might have been the way to go.
1) a starwars hotel. Nothing crazy just a new deluxe hotel with a star wars theme (maybe the halocene broke down on batuu so now they're just operating as a hotel). Keep the atrium and lounges, upgrade the cabins.
This could also allow for a really cool exterior you can view from galaxies edge.
2) Disney could pilot a new type of expirence here. Keep the extra rooms but make expirences available for all guests.
Wanna do lightsaber training?*
Wanna get constriped into the first order/ resistance for an hour or two?
You can maybe there is an upcharge maybe it's just really hard to get into but you can do it. This has the added bonus of letting disney decide the number of guests any one expirence should have at a time.
3) lastly you let anyone make reservations at the dining room. You can serve a lot more people that way.
Disney could probably still get their 6k if you wanted to do EVERYTHING but people can pick and choose.
*side note: the lightsaber training looks terrible (the one for little kids in Hollywood studios looks better for crying out loud) and is probably the only thing I was really disappointed to see when everything was actually shown.
Imagine being able to walk around the emperors throne room from Return of the Jedi, or the Cloud City catwalk where Vader told Luke he was his father… This experience could be so much more.
It’s $6k because it’s a one and done Disney knows this once everyone’s done it they’ll change it to an actual hotel with an optional add on to do missions or they’ll convert the missions and games to shows/performances at an extra charge
They should’ve done this in the first place. It should’ve been a normal hotel with an add on to do the missions and interactive activities. Then people can still enjoy the SW aesthetic as part of their vacation but fine tune the experience for their family.
Middle of the climactic mission on day one, a 6 year old kid who's been 3 times with rich parent ruins it by immediately pointing out the solution and tells you you should have chosen rebels.
What a well done and informative video! Thank you for putting this out, it answers so many questions. The "is it worth it" question will always be subjective, but this video takes away a lot of speculation.
Man, you get to relax for 1-2 hours a day for 2 days? Nice, relaxing vacation
Understanding it as a game/adventure platform rather than a luxury hotel makes more sense now. Looks a lot better than the promos. Nice video!
Anyone else here in 2024 after Jenny Nicholson’s new video?!
Me
Yup!
I think the ultimate question is, is it worth it? That answer is truly in the eyes of the person that is having the experience. Luckily, my family are not Star Wars people so this is a non issue and we won't be going. From what was shown, it does look pretty cool. I was surprised by that.
The price is not the problem. The problem is that it feels nothing at all like Star Wars.
Terrific video from a trusted source. It completely validated my concerns and showcased the cringe that was expected. The value is not there. I can have fun anywhere. Paying $6k I expect far more than fun. Hard pass from this fan.
I appreciate your thoughts about the experience and your kind words about our credibility.
Thanks for your clear and unbiased review. Some TH-camrs were just gushing about every little thing. One woman named Molly was showing off her room and said....this bathroom is huge , it’s actually it’s the size of a closet and she could hardly fit in it. I’ve never seen her channel before and never will again because her information cannot be trusted. Others did the same. It’s good to know who can be trusted.
AJ, I think you are right. Those that do not know anything about Star Wars, or all they know is Disney Star Wars, will love this. Since that is all they know, this will enjoy and be able to interact with it, I am sure. Otherwise, nope.
And for those who are not invested in Star Wars there won't be an overwhelming desire to divert their vacation fund to a 48 hour experience that can be spent elsewhere for a longer vacation.
Best update I’ve seen so far. Thanks!
The entertainment here is what we should be expecting in Galaxy's Edge for free and not for an additional fee.
AJ you are literally the best TH-camr! Thanks for the breakdown and for making it easy to understand! Also thanks for explaining how introverts will handle this, I too am an introvert. 😀
You guys too!! How lucky you got to go for FREE on the Starcruiser! 👍🏻😆
Not luck. Disney wants promotion.
“The food is themed here…”
Followed by a montage of photos of mac & cheese and miniature waffles.
My boyfriend loves Star Wars and cosplay but has said he would HATE this. It just looks cheesy and dumb. Even though we could afford it, we’ve been planning a normal trip to WDW to Galaxy’s Edge to build lightsabers and ride the rides and stay in a regular hotel where we can relax at night.
For 6K I expect a full size re creation of Mos Isles complete with every star wars character and the complete freedom to explore the entire town while interacting with guests and actors. And I know I’m just echoing what everyone else is saying, but for the price Disney is asking you can LITERALLY do absolutely anything else on the planet and be treated as royalty.
Well done, comprehensive review, but you fail to discuss one major thing: those life-long die hard fans you mention overwhelmingly don't want to be immersed in a sequel trilogy experience - they want ORIGINAL TRILOGY CONTENT! This is one more example of Disney pushing their films as the main Star Wars lore and minimizing the movies that made the franchise so successful in the first place.
And it's not just the characters that are present in this experience: Star Wars differentiated itself from all other science fiction of its time by creating a used universe look and feel. This experience looks clean, sanitized and generic. In other words: lame and boring.
Definitely not worth the price tag. Hard pass.
u said it great. theres virtually zero nods to episodes 4 thru 6 which made this franchise what it is. the aesthetics on this ship are not Star Wars at all, and I also do not like these characters Disney made to run the show on this thing
Thank you for being honest about being able to do this for free. I look forward to watching the paid experience but this looks better than what Disney promos provided and give you an idea what to expect.
not having any sunlight for 2 days kind of creeps me out a little bit. Sounds interesting though! I'm not the biggest star wars fan nor have I ever played an escape room game so I really cannot imagine the experience lol
I think the immersive food concept is the most interesting thing about that experience.
I’d like to try some of that blue shrimp.