• Welcome! The TrekBBS is the number one place to chat about Star Trek with like-minded fans.
    If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

Whither Star Trek: The Experience? Update

So it's looking more official now, what with the TrekToday headlines and all...does that mean that both rides will be mothballed forever? Do any of the traveling Star Trek tours have the motion-simulator ride on? Oh well, I wish that they were not going to be locked up forever...

...it's also iffy IMO to rely on rejuvenated interest off of the next Trek film, because in some ways the TNG primary focus of the rides are kind of part of a different chapter of Trek. But I'd love to be wrong. I'm guessing the decline of ride attendance is mostly due to the decline of the franchise+saturation; many have ridden the ride before and there's little incentive to do it again. I do think that if they had brought the ride closer to the Strip and/or made the Experience promenade area open to more foot traffic somehow that would've helped. Resorting to selling extremely high-priced props in the stores was not the way to go IMO.

A revised, more stripped-down business plan would be fine with me. Reduced costumed players, while a cherished fan favorite, in favor of more regular employees and fewer staff--also lowering the cost of the simulator rides--if Caesar's can keep running the Atlantis ride...
 
Letters written: gratitude all around for ST:TE, encouragement for its management staff and for Cedar Fair, and polite but strong urging for the LV Hilton to renew the lease, along with mention that I have visited many times over the years, always staying on the LV Hilton property, eating in their restaurants and gambling in their casinos.
 
I bet if The Experience was on The Strip it would have better hours. 8:30 p.m.? Closing time?! That's pretty early for a Vegas attraction. Most attractions like that stay open till 12:00 a.m. or later on The Strip. If The Hilton doesn't want it, I say transport it to a more heavy traffic area. I fear all hilton is going to do in the future is limit the hours of The Experience even more, forcing them to close it. So I'm in the camp for Paramount finding another venue for the attraction.
 
The difficulty, as I've stated elsewhere, is that this is not something you can just pack up and go with like the Tour. It's a "permanent" (Ha) structure that took 3 years and at least $70 million to build in the mid-90s. To recreate it today would probably cost double that. If you think getting CBS, Cedar Fair and the Hilton to mutually agree just to keep the current attraction open is a headache, try convincing some other hotel to take the risk on duplicating or upgrading it as a whole new structure with all the capital outlay and construction time it would take to do properly.

I'll put it this way; when they took out the one theatre with shuttle simulators to put in the Borg attraction, they went at it with sledge hammers, jack hammers and chain saws (try watching a multi-million dollar shuttle craft be ripped apart by a chain saw to send chills down your spine) and it still took months plus the added months getting the Borg ride up and running.

Bottom line for all of who say "Just move it" is that there's no "just" about it.

Better to upgrade what already exists.

PS The 8:30 closing time is only for the ride. Quark's and the shops stay open til 11. Still early for Vegas but they do what they can.
 
Whoa, the destroyed the other shuttlecraft???!!! I knew that they had taken out one of the motion simulators to make room for Borg Invasion 4D but I didn't know they tore it apart, I figured they dismantled/disassembled it and moved it into storage or use as spare parts.

I'm wondering what was the cost for Borg Invasion 4D and whether they recouped the costs on it?
 
Right. There used to be two theatres with two shuttles apiece. They removed one theatre and two shuttles to put in the Borg Invasion. They also removed one of the transporter rooms and blocked off half the Grand Corridor. Both TNG bridges are still in existance; one is used for photos, weddings, and other private events.

I imagine one of the things they may talk about doing should the lease be extended and with the co-operation of CBS/Paramount is turning that second bridge into a replica of the new movie version of the bridge. The lease would have to be extended for a considerable length of time to make the capital outlay worth it, however.
 
This was in the Las Vegas Advisor's latest news today, Final Frontier for 'Trek' at Hilton

http://www.lasvegasadvisor.com/whatsnews.cfm#2530

• May 8, 2008 Final Frontier for 'Trek' at Hilton New Year's Eve will probably be curtains for "Star Trek: The Attraction" at the Las Vegas Hilton, after 10 years of going where no casino has gone before, says TrekMovie.com. Don't blame the LVH: The owner of the "Trek" franchise, CBS/Paramount, isn't renewing its contract with the operators of the attraction, apparently due to declining attendance at the home of Quark's Bar and its space-themed casino. Attendees to Creation Entertainment's annual "Star Trek" convention can rest easy, though: The company says it intends to keep the fan gathering in Las Vegas. (A proposal to move the Burbank "Stargate SG-1" convention to Las Vegas was voted down in an online poll, though. This was a grave disappointment to our managing editor, who lives, eats and breathes "Stargate.")
Click to expand...
 
Yeah, but they're using the same unofficial source (Trekmovie.com) that was cited on the Trek Today news board. Not to put too fine a point on it, but basically, the Review-Journal is using a source not unlike me. There is still time to write those e-mails. Not a done deal yet.
 
Its really quite unfortunate, My partner and i had planned to get married there. I guess thats a bust.
 
Hey, kids,

Today is June 7th and I just got word that there is still no concrete decision on keeping the place open. We were supposed to have word sometime in May, I'm guessing to give Creation time to scout other hotels for next year (yes, it's that big a lead time) and give Cedar Fair time to locate contractors to begin the tear out.

The optimist in me wants to see this as a good sign but the realist in me sees this as corporate foot-dragging.

Keeps the calls and e-mails going.
 
I am taking my family there next week so that my wife and I can renew our vows on the Bridge on our 20th anniversary. It's be a pity if it closes down. I had hoped TPTB would add a ride soon based on STXI by either replacing one of the existing rides or, better yet, adding a third. It needs some freshening up. Other than the Borg 4D ride, there has been little done to keep the whole thing fresh.

The location isn't bad what with the monorail having a stop there and the convention center on the next property over. Still, on the strip probably would've been a bigger draw.
 
Someone responded at the newest update at trekmovie, that the Borg Invasion monorail car was gone. I have no idea if that is true or not, but it could mean the decision to remove the place has already been made.
 
MattJC said:
Someone responded at the newest update at trekmovie, that the Borg Invasion monorail car was gone. I have no idea if that is true or not, but it could mean the decision to remove the place has already been made.
Click to expand...
Confirmed. The cars advertise various businesses and STTE is no longer on them.
 
T'Cal said:
I am taking my family there next week so that my wife and I can renew our vows on the Bridge on our 20th anniversary. It's be a pity if it closes down. I had hoped TPTB would add a ride soon based on STXI by either replacing one of the existing rides or, better yet, adding a third. It needs some freshening up. Other than the Borg 4D ride, there has been little done to keep the whole thing fresh.

The location isn't bad what with the monorail having a stop there and the convention center on the next property over. Still, on the strip probably would've been a bigger draw.
Click to expand...
Did it and it was great! The staff is wonderful and very accommodating! The contract ends on 12/31/08 and the staff doesn't know what will happen afterward.
 
Damn! I hope we get some kind of miracle at the last minute. I wanted to go there again when I move back to Canada next year.
 
Chad Boutte, Operations Manager from The Experience, says there should be a final decision made on Mon., June 30th. Keep your fingers crossed.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

Sign up / Register


Back
Top