Any repeat SWDAS cruisers?

[toddsman]

We travelled on one of the SWDAS cruises last year and are getting ready for another cruise with SWDAS for this Jan. I am curious of people's thoughts as to what people are hoping to see for 2017. I know that many found the 2016 rendition somewhat underwhelming, hopefully 2017 will bring some improvements.

 

[TestingH2O]

I'll be a first time swdas cruiser, but I'm disappointed that they don't appear to be offering special pre cruise merchandise orders. I wanted to get DH a name tag.

 

[bcwife76]

I'll be a first time swdas cruiser, but I'm disappointed that they don't appear to be offering special pre cruise merchandise orders. I wanted to get DH a name tag.

Me too! We are on the January 14th SWDAS cruise and I was looking forward to seeing what the pre order merch looked like. Bummed they aren't doing it in advance.

 

[PowerHouse47]

I loved it and were going again March. You can get nametag done at shops day before for pickup on SWDAS

 

[wcw57]

please post info about these name tags......

 

[PowerHouse47]

in one of the shops, you fill out an order form, the next day you can pick it up at same spot. Its a custom Cast member or Star Tours nametag. it was like $10 i think. It can be in English or Aurabesh. also, January we did a bunch of preorders, but found everything still available in gift shop.

 

[dreadpiraterose]

I did a SWDAS cruise this past February and will be on another in February 2017. I booked both cruises before they became SWDAS, so we never paid that premium price jump and didn't sign up with any real expectations. That said, my husband and I are Star Wars fans. I was definitely disappointed with what we got vs what had been initially advertised, so I'm really hoping they read the comments from the surveys they sent us. I know we weren't the only ones who weren't happy. Here's my wish list:

1. The ability to have more control over which characters our special photo ops are with. Darth Maul is lame and I don't want to be stuck with him as my only option.

2. Better guest speakers. Some fanboy who runs a home-made museum of toys does not count, Disney. Come on now. With so many people involved in the movies and the TV series, that was the best you could do? Give me a special effects person at least, even if you can't produce an actor or something.

3. More adult activities. The one and only adult-oriented activity was at 10:30 at night, and it was trivia limited to a small pool of people. Completely unacceptable to have that as the only option.

4. More events in general. There just wasn't enough to do. A real costume contest would be nice. The costume "parade" they did was at the bottom of the stairs, so you couldn't really see anyone! It was nuts to hold it there.

 

[FigmentSpark]

My boys only care about one thing.... being able to watch the movies. I hope they are running all of them at least once in the theatre. I agree, an FX person as a speaker would be awesome.

 

[squirk]

2. Better guest speakers. Some fanboy who runs a home-made museum of toys does not count, Disney. Come on now. With so many people involved in the movies and the TV series, that was the best you could do? Give me a special effects person at least, even if you can't produce an actor or something.

I am curious - what actor(s) would pass muster for you as an acceptable guest speaker? I think we can all agree that it would be unrealistic to expect A- or even B-list stars. But who is "good enough"? Vanessa Marshall, the voice of Hera Syndulla on "Rebels"? Resistance Soldier #3 from "The Force Awakens"? The voice of 2-1B from "Empire"?

I'm truly curious, because some folks seemed disappointed that Daisy Ridley didn't show up, while others were thrilled to hear from Steve Sansweet (who I maintain is not, for a SW nerd, just some random schmoe with a toy collection).

 

[dreadpiraterose]

I am curious - what actor(s) would pass muster for you as an acceptable guest speaker? I think we can all agree that it would be unrealistic to expect A- or even B-list stars. But who is "good enough"? Vanessa Marshall, the voice of Hera Syndulla on "Rebels"? Resistance Soldier #3 from "The Force Awakens"? The voice of 2-1B from "Empire"?

I'm truly curious, because some folks seemed disappointed that Daisy Ridley didn't show up, while others were thrilled to hear from Steve Sansweet (who I maintain is not, for a SW nerd, just some random schmoe with a toy collection).

Even my husband, who is a hard core SW fan and knew who Steve was, was disappointed that he was the "industry" speaker. It wasn't a good talk. He wasn't the caliber of guest that the original promo materials suggested (and I am aware that they dialed back some of the promises in said promo materials as the cruises got closer). And yes, I'd be fine with any voice actors from the series, or someone who worked on the special effects or something. Anyone actually involved in a currently produced production of something Star Wars. I wasn't expecting an A-list star, but I'd argue that Disney could bring someone the level of Anthony Daniels or Peter Mayhew. They all do regular convention appearances and interact with fans at events all the time. If Star Trek can put together a cruise with William Shatner, Disney can bring in Daniels or Mayhew.

 

[PowerHouse47]

We had Pablo Hidalgo, who is SW royalty. He's been apart of the main story group since 1999 i believe. A side project he does is a lot of the movie prop and art work books. Which he brought and discussed insights for his speech. so ours was awesome. Follow him on Twitter, he's funny and gives great insight. Also, if you ask questions, he is great at responding. He has answered a lot of my "Whats canon, whats not" questions

 

[wcw57]

yeah....that's interesting...but what do the name tags look like?

 

[phinz]

My boys only care about one thing.... being able to watch the movies. I hope they are running all of them at least once in the theatre. I agree, an FX person as a speaker would be awesome.

I have connections to someone who currently works with Phil Tippett... I wonder if they could get Phil to speak, though he's pretty busy. There's always Grant Imahara, since he worked on the prequels. That would be major crossover fanboy fodder.

Steve Sansweet is a major coup for many. He was head of Lucasfilm's content management and fan relations for years. He's one of the most approachable Lucasfilm people known to man. I'd have been quite happy with him as the speaker.

You don't want Anthony Daniels, or at least the cast members don't. He's a jerk to deal with on a daily level according to those who have been his handler at cons. Peter Mayhew is one of the nicest people I've ever had the privilege of spending time with, but he has a lot of trouble getting around these days. A cruise ship for a week probably wouldn't be the most comfortable for him given his size and difficulty moving about. Ray Park is fantastic. Jeremy Bulloch is the greatest of the great. Katee Sackhoff would also be a great crossover and did voice work for Clone Wars. She is a fabulous speaker.

Referencing the Star Trek cruise, getting William Shatner for a convention/cruise isn't difficult if you're willing to pony up for all of his demands, which are multifold. My nephew-in-law's brothers have run conventions for years, with many, many of these stars attending, and Shatner's demands were impressive according to them.

All of this said, I hope SWDAS continue into 2018 since we booked a February, 2018, cruise on opening day this year.

 

[squirk]

I wasn't expecting an A-list star, but I'd argue that Disney could bring someone the level of Anthony Daniels or Peter Mayhew. They all do regular convention appearances and interact with fans at events all the time. If Star Trek can put together a cruise with William Shatner, Disney can bring in Daniels or Mayhew.

I think Anthony Daniels would attend the opening of an envelope. Like @phinz , I too have heard that he is a PITA.

I think it's interesting how each of us has our own standards as to who counts as a SW celebrity. For every one of us who is thrilled at the idea of talking to Pablo Hidalgo or, say, Rob Coleman, there are five other people saying "Who?".

 

[dreadpiraterose]

I have connections to someone who currently works with Phil Tippett... I wonder if they could get Phil to speak, though he's pretty busy. There's always Grant Imahara, since he worked on the prequels. That would be major crossover fanboy fodder.

Steve Sansweet is a major coup for many. He was head of Lucasfilm's content management and fan relations for years. He's one of the most approachable Lucasfilm people known to man. I'd have been quite happy with him as the speaker.

You don't want Anthony Daniels, or at least the cast members don't. He's a jerk to deal with on a daily level according to those who have been his handler at cons. Peter Mayhew is one of the nicest people I've ever had the privilege of spending time with, but he has a lot of trouble getting around these days. A cruise ship for a week probably wouldn't be the most comfortable for him given his size and difficulty moving about. Ray Park is fantastic. Jeremy Bulloch is the greatest of the great. Katee Sackhoff would also be a great crossover and did voice work for Clone Wars. She is a fabulous speaker.

Referencing the Star Trek cruise, getting William Shatner for a convention/cruise isn't difficult if you're willing to pony up for all of his demands, which are multifold. My nephew-in-law's brothers have run conventions for years, with many, many of these stars attending, and Shatner's demands were impressive according to them.

All of this said, I hope SWDAS continue into 2018 since we booked a February, 2018, cruise on opening day this year.

I've been involved in the convention world for 15+ years now. Doesn't change any of my opinions or suggestions and none of the above is news to me. Again: If Paramount can do it, Disney can do it. The logistics are moot for a company of that size. Shatner attends over a dozen conventions a year, big and small. His "demands" are clearly not prohibitive.

 

[squirk]

I've been involved in the convention world for 15+ years now. Doesn't change any of my opinions or suggestions and none of the above is news to me. Again: If Paramount can do it, Disney can do it. The logistics are moot for a company of that size. Shatner attends over a dozen conventions a year, big and small. His "demands" are clearly not prohibitive.

But I don't think Disney has as much pressure to do it as Paramount might? I mean, this is really a cruise for kids, not adult nerds like us. From a percentage standpoint, ST has always had a more mature fan-base that would necessitate more "heavyweight" event content like a Shatner.

While I am sure kids would love to see Daisy Ridley or Harrison Ford, I submit that they will be just as content to see (masked) Kylo Ren, Chewbacca, Boba Fett, etc. - all non-face characters that can be performed cheaply by a CM. No egos, riders, entourages, appearance fees, agents, managers, schedule conflicts, etc.

Sansweet, Hidalgo, Tippett - they all come at a relative pittance, I imagine, and are - and I mean no disrespect to them when I say this - simply concessions to the SW nerd parents who want something to do on the cruise.

 

[FigmentSpark]

How much more pressure does a company need beyond owning a franchise? That said, the payback maybe isn't where they'd put that premium star, when they could get them for a day or two at HS.

Personally, I'd much rather talk to a behind the scenes person (FX or sound or writer, etc) than a star. I did once see an interview with Mark Hamill when he was at HS to put his handprint in the sidewalk. That was really interesting. Ironically, the thing that stuck with me was that he mentioned Lucas had asked if he'd be willing to play himself as an old Jedi. He joked that he didn't know if he'd be doing it with makeup or because he was really old.

 

[FigmentSpark]

I just received an email from DCL about our upcoming SWDAS cruise. It says:

"Guests on your client's sailing are invited to experience the legendary adventures and iconic characters from the Star Wars saga during the day-long celebration. This fun-filled day at sea will include themed events and activities for every member of the family, including a costume celebration, special film screenings, games, character meet and greets along with a version of the popular Jedi Training Academy. Guests are encouraged to dress up in their own stellar costumes to join in this day-long celebration that culminates with an intergalactic Star Wars deck party featuring spectacular fireworks at sea."

There was info about costumes, but that's all they mentioned.

 

[Dug720]

But I don't think Disney has as much pressure to do it as Paramount might? I mean, this is really a cruise for kids, not adult nerds like us. From a percentage standpoint, ST has always had a more mature fan-base that would necessitate more "heavyweight" event content like a Shatner.

While I am sure kids would love to see Daisy Ridley or Harrison Ford, I submit that they will be just as content to see (masked) Kylo Ren, Chewbacca, Boba Fett, etc. - all non-face characters that can be performed cheaply by a CM. No egos, riders, entourages, appearance fees, agents, managers, schedule conflicts, etc.

Sansweet, Hidalgo, Tippett - they all come at a relative pittance, I imagine, and are - and I mean no disrespect to them when I say this - simply concessions to the SW nerd parents who want something to do on the cruise.

I think that the whole Con thing might actually be the issue. A lot of people into sci-fi and stuff are into the Con scene where it is a highly concentrated time period like a weekend or MAYBE a week. But this is not a Con - it is a series of cruises. A LONG series of cruises.

My guess is that if they did ONE CRUISE that was Star Wars focused (like a Con is - or like a theme cruise is), they might push harder to get a "big name" or two or three.

But it's not ONE cruise. In the case of 2017 it is pretty much EVERY Fantasy cruise between certain dates for like three months (which is annoying as crap to those of us NOT into Star Wars - yes, we do exist). I can only imagine the uproar if Cruise A got Harrison Ford and Cruises B-Z didn't because he was only available (or they could only work it out) for one week. And I hardly see Harrison Ford or Carrie Fisher or whoever making himself or herself available for January through April to be on every single cruise.

 

[squirk]

How much more pressure does a company need beyond owning a franchise? That said, the payback maybe isn't where they'd put that premium star, when they could get them for a day or two at HS.

Owning the franchise is one thing, but I guess booking the big stars is another matter entirely. These people are busy with Episode VIII and other non-SW projects. SWDAS is seven days at sea, which I am guessing is a long time for someone in Hollywood to be out-of-pocket. As you noted, more bang for Disney's buck at HS, and less out-of-pocket time for the celebrity who can fly in and out of MCO the same day if need be.

Again, note how the marketing and promotional material pointedly does NOT feature Daisy Ridley, John Boyega or Adam Driver, and focuses instead on masked characters. Cheaper, easier to control, no celebrity hassles.
.