Some Fans React Negatively to Disney's Promos for Star Wars-Themed Hotel (sfgate.com) 99
SFGate pan's Disney's efforts at "hyping up its mega-expensive, hyper-immersive Star Wars hotel in Walt Disney World" — the Galactic Starcruiser — as its March 1st opening approaches:
Guests must book two nights — which will set you back nearly $5,000 for two people or $6,000 for a family of four — and will spend most of their time inside the spaceship resort, much like a cruise. There's an "excursion" into the Galaxy's Edge part of Disney World, while the remainder of the stay includes interactions with characters, lightsaber training (more on that later) and exclusive restaurants...
The look and feel of the hotel has been criticized as looking plastic and cheap, and reception to one sneak peek video was so bad, it has since disappeared from Disney's YouTube channel.
The video showed actor Sean Giambrone of "The Goldbergs" being given a tour of some of the ship's features, which look pretty bare and antiseptic for the Star Wars universe, and listening to a strange musical performance. (Another user uploaded the deleted video here.) The promo prompted one Twitter user to comment, "Bro this isn't Star Wars, this is 'Space Conflicts.'" Fans responded similarly to a demo of Disney Parks Chairman Josh D'Amaro testing out the vaunted lightsaber training. Instead of a flashy, super realistic adventure, the training consisted of a standard light-up lightsaber and some lasers...
Reservations booked up quickly when the hotel was announced but now, as the 90-day deadline to cancel approaches, people appear to be ducking out of their expensive commitments; a number of openings have begun popping up in March, April and June.
The look and feel of the hotel has been criticized as looking plastic and cheap, and reception to one sneak peek video was so bad, it has since disappeared from Disney's YouTube channel.
The video showed actor Sean Giambrone of "The Goldbergs" being given a tour of some of the ship's features, which look pretty bare and antiseptic for the Star Wars universe, and listening to a strange musical performance. (Another user uploaded the deleted video here.) The promo prompted one Twitter user to comment, "Bro this isn't Star Wars, this is 'Space Conflicts.'" Fans responded similarly to a demo of Disney Parks Chairman Josh D'Amaro testing out the vaunted lightsaber training. Instead of a flashy, super realistic adventure, the training consisted of a standard light-up lightsaber and some lasers...
Reservations booked up quickly when the hotel was announced but now, as the 90-day deadline to cancel approaches, people appear to be ducking out of their expensive commitments; a number of openings have begun popping up in March, April and June.
Plastic and cheap ... (Score:1)
The look and feel of the hotel has been criticized as looking plastic and cheap
Seems consistent with the pre-CGI movies. At least its not looking like styrofoam food containers cheap.
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I'm sort of confused about the criticism of the "light sabre training". They're complaining that... the light sabres aren't realistic enough or something? Of course they're going to be fake glow-sticks.
When you lead off with a headline that says "Some Fans React Negatively to...", you can pretty much add anything after that.
Re:Plastic and cheap ... (Score:5, Funny)
I'll be honest, and I don't blame anyone, but I'm still disappointed that light sabers aren't real.
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Well, yeah, that's kind of a given. From the Star Wars universe, we want lightsabers. From the Star Trek universe? Holodecks.
I wonder if we'll be able to build a lightsaber in the 24th century?
Lightsabers on the holodeck (Score:3)
Well, yeah, that's kind of a given. From the Star Wars universe, we want lightsabers. From the Star Trek universe? Holodecks. I wonder if we'll be able to build a lightsaber in the 24th century?
Of course, they will be available on the holodeck.
On a more serious note, I tried Beat Saber on a friend's oculus and it was far more interesting than I expected. Likable actually.
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It's real fun - and that is from someone that doesn't list to music.
If you get one, it's worth sideloading so you can add custom songs/levels. People have made real amazing levels.
One warning, don't film yourself playing it. In my head I thought I looked badass (and felt badass.) My wife recorded me and damn did I not look badass!
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One warning, don't film yourself playing it. In my head I thought I looked badass (and felt badass.) My wife recorded me and damn did I not look badass!
Hmm ... that might explain the laughing of my two friends when I was taking my turn. :-)
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I'm still disappointed that light sabers aren't real.
That's because Star Wars is sci-fantasy, where it may as well just be magic. Even if the laws of physics weren't against it, a lightsaber is also a ridiculously impractical weapon. "Low tech" firearms are a far more effective means to kill your enemy [youtube.com].
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Sometimes, it's not about just KILLING a foe, but intimidating them in a really cool way!
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Of course, there are better ways to kill an enemy than to use a light saber, but how many times have we seen a light saber battle that didn't end in death?
Thinking back, in the OT, light sabers were only used to kill a few times. Most fights didn't end in death. At Mos Eisley, Kenobi only cut off the guys arm, then on the first Death Star, he allowed Vader to kill him. The fight between Luke and Vader in Empire just ended with Luke losing a hand, and previously Luke cut off the Yeti's arm. In Return of the Jedi, the final battle between Luke and Vader the light saber wasn't the cause of death.
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In the real world, wars are fought to kill the enemy (or to make them suffer losses which force their surrender). I’m not criticizing light sabers as they appeared in fiction, I’m saying that outside of fiction (where a dramatic battle makes the story more compelling), a lightsaber has no practical use in modern warfare (because your enemy has guns, and they’ll shoot you before you ever got close enough to use a melee weapon, plasma-based or otherwise).
In the movies, several tropes made u
Re:Plastic and cheap ... (Score:4, Informative)
They're real now, notwithstanding arguments about power and portability: https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
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I guess it depends what you are hoping to get out of a family theme park, really.
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Aggg if I tried to build that I would cut off my arm. It is very sweet. They don't quite have the physical displacement that you'd like to see with a real light saber, though.
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They're complaining that... the light sabres aren't realistic enough or something? Of course they're going to be fake glow-sticks.
They could have been VR, like the oculus games.
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The rest of the place looks pretty bad in that video, compared to the concept artwork that we’ve seen earlier. Definitely looks like they cheaped out, b
Cabin Amenities (Score:2)
Cabin Amenities
It's great to know we still have the high tech option of receiving voicemail messaging in the Star Wars future.
Re:Cabin Amenities (Score:4, Insightful)
OK, so those are the minimum amenities I'd expect from any cheap hotel in Thailand. What are the features that I'm paying more than $20 a night for?
Re:Cabin Amenities (Score:4, Insightful)
The Disney brand, obviously.
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Doesn't that reduce the value?! I'm confused.
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What are the features that I'm paying more than $20 a night for?
The Disney brand, obviously.
Doesn't that reduce the value?! I'm confused.
You're right - it should, especially when it's attached to the Star Wars brand.
The entire hotel (Score:1)
What are the features that I'm paying more than $20 a night for?
Not sure why people are complaining about a normal phone being in a room which is probably required by some hotel regulations...
Anyway, what you are paying for is just like with lots of other hotels - the location and hotel amenities. Far more important than what the room has is the fact it is in a spaceship, set in Star Wars - you are looking out a window onto space from your cabin, the whole ship is there for you to explore with lots of diff
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What are the features that I'm paying more than $20 a night for?
Being trapped inside the hotel, like on a cruise.
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OK, so those are the minimum amenities I'd expect from any cheap hotel in Thailand. What are the features that I'm paying more than $20 a night for?
Incidentally those are the same amenities you'll find in a 5 star suite in the Rits Carlton. If you have to ask what you're paying for then you've obviously not been to an expensive hotel before.
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> expect from any cheap hotel in Thailand.
Why are you trashing Thailand? USA hotels can be just as cheesy. We even had a Prez who mastered the art of cheesy hotels, and universities.
Too much for too little... (Score:2)
For that much money, it has to be pretty compelling.
It looks cool is not good enough.
Re:Too much for too little... (Score:4, Interesting)
For that much money, it has to be pretty compelling.
No, it doesn't have to be. Most adults are booking this hotel because of their kids. If the little kids think it's compelling, then that's all that matters in the end.
The adult super fans just need to grow up. This experience, like most things in DisneyWorld and in DisneyLand, wasn't really made for them.
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The adult super fans just need to grow up. This experience, like most things in DisneyWorld and in DisneyLand, wasn't really made for them.
Actually, unlike many other parks, it kinda was. Or to be more specific, it was made for the whole family, as opposed to "just the kids" while the adults stroll around bored to death.
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That's why I spend most of my time in Disney Springs and Epcot...at least I can get drinks there and stay buzzed all day.
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This experience, like most things in DisneyWorld and in DisneyLand, wasn't really made for them.
Actually, Walt's original idea was for Disney World to be a place where both the parents and kids could have a good time. Walt's been dead for awhile though, so..
Re:Too much for too little... (Score:5, Insightful)
The adult super fans just need to grow up.
Why? What part of adult hood necessitates the destruction of your sense of wonder and imagination? Just at what point do you get the fun / emotion centre of your brain surgically removed in your country? Do you magically turn 21 and suddenly you're not allowed to be interested in the Star Wars universe and instead have to focus solely on the 3.5 walls of your cubicle?
Growing *old* is the only compulsory part of adult life. Growing *up* is entirely optional.
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3.5 walls of a cubicle... That's how I know you're old.
WHAT cubicle?
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The only thing I own is the ability to do whatever the fuck pleases me. I live life for me, not for you. You think I'm an aging hipster? Here's a reference for you: "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn."
That's what I own. Happiness resulting from not giving even the smallest iota of a fuck about other people's opinions.
It is compelling because of interactive story (Score:1)
For that much money, it has to be pretty compelling. It looks cool is not good enough.
A large part of the hotel is about experience, it goes far beyond mere visual theming. On board the ship you have a number of different activities to sign up for, like the lightsaber or bridge training.
Then on top of that, they'l have lots of basically game-like NPC's wandering around with story elements you can engage in. When you check in you choose light or dark side and you start to make deals with different characters
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That's all well and good, but the video didn't really convey that. It's weak marketing. To be fair, the spaceship bridge did look pretty cool, but none of it looked like something someone would want to drop $5000 for two nights.
excluding alcoholic and specialty beverages at tha (Score:2)
excluding alcoholic and specialty beverages at that price?
Come on at least they have gratuity included
5 Kilobucks? (Score:2)
And if that's supposed to be entertaining, I'll pass. Looks like something Carnival Cruise Lines would put together. Disney is really slipping badly.
Looks like Star Trek, not Star Wars (Score:2)
Re:Looks like Star Trek, not Star Wars (Score:5, Funny)
From what I remember of the movies - the Star Wars universe is likely not up to OSHA standards.
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I'm pretty sure they'd have something to say about dangerous long haired wildlife running free.
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Hand rails. No hand rails.
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And herein lies the crux of the issue. StarWarsLand was a dangerous place - even going to the bar could result in getting shot dead. Pretty much anywhere you went anywhere in the universe, someone wanted to kill you. Further more, there was no authority that would be on your side to help - you couldn't just call up Security and expect them to help you - they, like everyone else, was in it for themselves and no one else.
Disney: Everything's lovely, everything's clean and it's all very safe. It's a small worl
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Galaxy's Edge has the feel you're talking about. Given that the idea is that you're on a luxury star cruiser, the clean feel makes sense, though they could have gritty areas that are ostensibly for the crew or droids.
You saw only parts though (Score:1)
What I saw wasn't cheap per se, but it was super clean lines and glowing neon.
It could be along the lines of Cloud City then...
There are bound to be other parts of the ship not as clean looking, like maybe the engine room... Disney defiantly knows how to theme Star Wars really well, they did it in Galaxy's Edge. I am pretty sure the overall experience will feel all grounded in Star Wars..
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Actually, I kinda thought they were going for a younger, edgier Fifth Element reboot vibe. That kid could stand to cut back a bit on the happy pills, though.
Also.. MUL TEE PASS.
It's for kids (Score:2)
People seem to forget that Star Wars is for kids and their parents (to spend money on for their kids).
The Disney Adults are the ones that seem to be unable to accept that, and get angry when they aren't the ones catered to.
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People seem to forget that Star Wars is for kids and their parents (to spend money on for their kids).
The Disney Adults are the ones that seem to be unable to accept that, and get angry when they aren't the ones catered to.
I disagree. One of the things that makes Disney World worth going to is how well they manage to make the experience span the gamut. There is plenty for adults to do, including adults who aren't there with children. Toy Story Mania is an example of this; the tech is kinda cool, and young children can enjoy shooting the large, easy-to-hit targets, while adults can strategize a bit to go for higher value targets and compete for a higher score. The Haunted Mansion might be a bit too scary for very young childre
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One of the things that makes Disney World worth going to
I'm just going to stop you there. There is nothing that makes Disney World worth going to.
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One of the things that makes Disney World worth going to
I'm just going to stop you there. There is nothing that makes Disney World worth going to.
You clearly haven't tried all the beer at Epcot. Make sure you visit each "country".
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There is nothing that makes Disney World worth going to.
Kilimanjaro Safaris.
The food/drinks at Epcot.
Dole whip.
Those big ass chocolate chip cookies they sell at the transportation and ticket center.
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I disagree. Having stayed at the Grand Floridian, I'd have to say the hotel experience alone was well worth the trip.
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I've stayed at the Disney Contemporary and the Yacht Club hotels and eaten at the Floridian.
My take is that the high end Disney properties -- for sure the ones on the monorail loop, and probably the Epcot hotels and the Animal Kingdom one -- are above average as hotels, in terms of fit and finish and general room quality.
The real thing you're paying for, though, is proximity and ease of access. Yacht Club got us walking access to Epcot, a short boat ride to Hollywood Studios, an easy bus ride to Animal Kin
It seems to align... (Score:1)
while adults can strategize a bit to go for higher value targets and compete for a higher score.
And on Toy Story Mania adults can combine forces to bring out higher value targets that take some skill to achieve (like bringing down the meteors in the dinosaur scene)..
you've got an entire Disney Vacation for the same price as a two night stay in a hotel that doesn't seem to align with the bill of goods being sold
To me it still seems to align since a lot of the Star-cruiser was about living in a story that yo
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People seem to forget that Star Wars is for kids and their parents (to spend money on for their kids).
I don't know, it seems like an awful lot of adults love this garbage.
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People seem to forget that Star Wars is for kids and their parents (to spend money on for their kids).
The Disney Adults are the ones that seem to be unable to accept that, and get angry when they aren't the ones catered to.
I dunno, if I were spending THREE THOUSAND BUCKS A NIGHT on a hotel, I'd want it to be more than just for dumb kids who won't remember or appreciate it. This is easily "hookers and blow at a 5-star suite" kind of money!
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I agree, but I've never met a kid who wants to go somewhere that vaguely looks like some sets / minor characters from a Star Wars movie. Kids want to see their favorite characters, and their favorite locations from the movies. This experience offers neither. More generic, made-up characters and sets from Disney created on the cheap, just like all their movies.
The "lightsaber training" is just downright embarrassing. I think any kid would take a game of laser tag over that.
"Some Fans React Negatively" (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm not really the target demographic here, but - no matter what the scenario, you can count on some fans to always react negatively to pretty much anything.
Re:"Some Fans React Negatively" (Score:4, Interesting)
Yeah, but this was the next level of tacky and poorly done. Just look at the videos being criticized, then compare to the concept art that's all over the rest of the marketing materials. The concept art actually was quite compelling, hence the disappointment.
Re:"Some Fans React Negatively" (Score:4, Funny)
The concept art actually was quite compelling, hence the disappointment.
With that low of a user ID, I'd assume you remember the cover art from 8-bit era video games - artist's renderings are always a disappointment.
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I don't know, this was pretty close. [imgur.com]
Exactly right (Score:2)
you can count on some fans to always react negatively to pretty much anything.
This is eschpeially true of anything Star Wars related done by Disney, some fans just hate everything Disney does.
The fan concern seems overblown to me. Even before the videos were released, there were cancellations popping up here and there - because of the cost, as the date to make the final payment arrives you are going to see some pole cancel or shift dates. Currently March is still fully booked, May has about half the dates
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If it was just billing coming due, the video wouldn't have been pulled down by Disney.
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If it was just billing coming due, the video wouldn't have been pulled down by Disney.
I'm more talking about the cancellation side of things, which seems overblown.
I agree that the original video must have been kind of bad in some ways to be pulled down, or maybe Disney is simply overreactive to a small groups of very negative people - as they did with Gina Carino.
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In this case it seems justified. The hotel really doesn't look that great.
It was probably inevitable. Star Wars' lived-in look is not practical for guests. Things like bottomless pits with no safety rail are health and safety nightmares. Since the technology seen in the movies doesn't exist in real life, disappointment was inevitable.
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I would expect there would be a lot of Star Wars fans who react negatively to the Disney-ification of Star Wars. I mean, you can practically tell who's been an old school fan versus a new one by looking at the reactions to the last 3 films.
Now you want to add a theme hotel to the mix? Disney likely would've screwed it up to appeal to the "new" fans, whi
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>
I would expect there would be a lot of Star Wars fans who react negatively to the Disney-ification of Star Wars. I mean, you can practically tell who's been an old school fan versus a new one by looking at the reactions to the last 3 films.
Umh, what do you mean? There were only 3 Star Wars movies ever made. :)
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If they complain, they get the Jar Jar Motel.
(I'm a Binks fan, by the way.)
How did that video ever make it live? (Score:2)
Nobody could have possibly watched that hot garbage but the freshman marketing student who was hired on fiver to make it. How does a company with so much money and talent so consistently shit the bed? It's uncanny how awful their creative decision making has been for like a decade or more now.
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and yet registrations are booking up for $5k/2 nights Cancelations are to be expected. This type of spend is aspirational for a lot of people, and will cancel because they either don't have the money, or are still concerned about COVID being an issue. Either way, I doubt those rooms will go unfilled.
I think that you're unexpectedly realizing that you're not the target demographic, and reacting negatively to that fact.
Most of America Doesn't Have Any Taste (Score:2)
It's why they were able to make a ton of money on all the shite sequels, and how Disney makes all the money it does from its tasteless and employee abusive theme parks and hotels. People in the USA don't care how stupid and unethical the company is they shop at, as long as they get their pile of shit served up with a smiley face scraped into it for a relatively cheap price. Walmart and Disney know it well.
Re:Most of America Doesn't Have Any Taste (Score:4, Insightful)
People in the USA don't care
Disney parks are absolutely loaded with foreigners, so I'd have to guess nobody else cares either.
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It's what the rest of the world sees as American culture.
Hominy (Score:3)
How much to reserve the Padmé Amidala/Hot Grits suite?
Will my wife be allowed to ... (Score:2)
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Overhyped (Score:1)
That's what happens when things get overhyped - people's expectation are sent through the stratosphere and they'll be disappointed no matter what.
I know I get an instant almost-hatred for stuff that gets overhyped, even before knowing how it really is - I remember feeling that way about "Fight Club" when it first came out, even though it eventually became one of my favorite movies once I saw it (several years after its release).
5k for a couple for 2 nights? what the actual f--- (Score:2)
I am CLEARLY not their target demographic. I'm a nerd, I like SW, I have a decent income but no fucking way would I spend 5k on that...
Just like the actual cruise ship would be (Score:2)
Add a funky smell and the experience will be complete.
"Some Fans React Negatively" (Score:4, Informative)
"Some Fans" is just not true, it's almost universally bashed even by some of the most pro Disney Parks sites & blogs. It's being universally panned based on the two videos that have been revealed so far.
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I get some of the panning, but not others.
First of all, the comments that the bridge looks "cheap" - have they even seen the OG star wars movies? The controls look basically bang-on for the universe IMO.... this is what Star Wars controls look like, this is not Star Trek folks.
RE the comments on lightsaber training - first of all, do people realize HOW INSANELY COOL this fact is that they figured out how to shoot lasers and have you deflect them with a lightsaber? The technology required to make that work i
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Most of the comments I've seen are saying that the bridge doesn't look Star Wars and I agree. It looks quite generic SciFi rather than Star Wars. The Twi'lek singer was the worst part though. The song sounded like a Disney princess vehicle and very not Star Wars to me and many others. The ship is supposed to be hundreds of years old at the point you're staying on it, Star Wars has a lived in aesthetic that's not present in any of the videos. The video I saw of the lightsaber training just seemed to show a l
So IOW (Score:2)
It's only for rich children.
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The cool hotels have always been premium, like the one the monorail goes through.
Cat (Score:2)
"It' like I just walked onto the bridge of a Star Wars Buck Rogers 1980s ship."
Ftfy
"Cheap and plastic" (Score:2)