STAR WOES AT DISNEY RESORT
Disney quietly yanked a video for its new “Star Wars”-themed hotel that promised an immersive adventure — for more than $1,200 a night — after fans slammed the lodging as subpar and too expensive.
The Mouse House scrubbed the promotional video from Twitter and YouTube, according to Insider.
The ocean-liner-like hotel, dubbed Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, is the centerpiece of a two-night voyage through a virtual “Star Wars” galaxy staged at Disney World in Florida.
“Once on board, you’ll cruise to the galaxy for two days and two nights while becoming the hero of your very own ‘Star Wars’ adventure,” then-Disney parks chairman Bob Chapek, now CEO, had said at a company announcement presentation in 2017.
Fans apparently weren’t impressed by the final product, shared on social media at the end of November.
“The ‘light saber training’ looks about as exciting as a roadside sobriety test,” one Disney watcher commented on YouTube. “It’s way too expensive,” another said.
Disney did not immediately return requests from The Post for comment.
Disney previously had shared a behind-the-scenes video and pictures of the hotel, which — depending on
the package and room size — can set guests back as much as $6,000 for a twonight stay when it opens on March 1, 2022.
But over the weekend, several Disney news blogs posted a bizarre low-fi
promo video sent to customers who already had booked a stay at the new property. The video apparently didn’t match expectations that had been juiced by Disney’s marketing, sparking a firestorm of criticism from fans.
The video features a purple-faced female alien concierge explaining various activities that are available onboard the Halcyon Starcruiser, the “ship” that guests will be boarding.
A static-filled video shows the concierge detailing some of the activities available during the stay while she taps on a device that looks similar to an iPhone, which beams low-resolution hologram images as she speaks.
“While on your voyage you will have access to an exciting range of activities just a short stroll from your cabin. Try your hand at the honored ancient art of wielding a light saber,” the concierge says, before tapping the iPhone to reveal an image of another time-honored vacation staple — a cocktail.
“The Star Wars Hotel lady is using an iPhone as a portable hologram thing,” tweeted one Disney fan.
Another wrote: “Why does it have analog static? What is this accent? Why
don’t they have more than 3 activities to talk about in any of these promotions? It’s a $3K hotel stay, couldn’t they have spent more than $20 on the video? Why not do an inuniverse version of their trip planning videos?”
Reservations booked up quickly when the hotel was announced, but now, as the 90-day deadline to cancel approaches, customers appear to be canceling their pricey commitments.
According to Disney’s Web site, a number of openings have appeared in March, April and June.