Star Trek The Experience Closing In September [UPDATED]

In May TrekMovie first reported that the future of the Star Trek The Experience at the Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas was in doubt after its contract ended in December. Recently we reported that talks were continuing to the end of this month, but apparently a decision has been made in the last couple of days and the contract will not be renewed. After over 10 years in operation, The Experience will close its doors in early September.

An official announcement is expected early this week, but multiple sources have confirmed with TrekMovie that the decision to close The Experience has been made. Negotiations between CBS, Paramount, Cedar Fair (owners of the Experience) and the Las Vegas Hilton went on longer than originally expected. There was hope that the new Star Trek movie coming in 2009 would help boost attendance, which has been in decline, but not all the parties could come to an agreement. Apparently the Hilton Hotel was the biggest holdout, convinced more money could be made using the space for other purposes.

Employees at The Experience are being informed today of the decision. A press release may be issued as early as Monday morning. The final date is likely to be in the first week of September, after the Labor Day weekend holiday. Although the contract for The Experience ends December 31st, Cedar Fair is required to completely vacate the premises by that time so they will need the time to clear out. No word yet on what will happen with all the rides, replicas and costumes, but all the original props and costumes will be returned to CBS.

The closure of Star Trek The Experience have no effect on the official Creation Star Trek convention being held August 6th-10th at the Las Vegas Hilton. The attraction will be up and running during the event and is likely to spur additional sales for the convention as Trekkies visit it one last time (or for those who haven’t yet checked it out, their first and only time).

Officials from CBS & Cedar Fair have not returned calls or emails yet on this late breaking story. As more information comes to light, TrekMovie will provide updates.

UPDATE: Officials with CBS have confirmed the story and say a release from Cedar Fair should be forthcoming soon.

UPDATE 2: Official releases and comments from CBS, Cedar Fair, Robert Picardo and fans

279 Comments
oldest
newest
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

“All good things must come to an end.”

-Q

The Experience should get a bigger place to call home anyway. They could do all kinds of fun stuff, a bigger Enterprise set up and more interactive things. Maybe this could be a good thing like the new movie.

Michael Adams? THE Michael Adams? President of the University of Georgia Michael Adams? who knew he was a Trekkie? It is sad that Uga VI died. Long live Uga VII.

This is total BS! There’s nothing else to say other than that! I’d like to go one last time before September, but that’s probably not possible. I never saw Borg 4-D. So angry right now! Star Trek always gets S-H-I-T on. All those companies in charge of it were pretty much stupid anyway, this just confirms it.

But I didn’t even get a chance to visit….. Curse my youth…

Weird that it should end now and not in 18 months or so? Star Trek XI is going to be a such a HUGE event. Their loss!!! $$$$$$$$££££££££

…a sad day, indeed. However, it was starting to show its age. Fortunately, I’ll be getting to see it one last time in Aug.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT!!! NOW HILTON CAN SUCK A CHODE! YOU BLOW HILTON! SEPTEMBER IS MY 21ST BIRTHDAY AND NOW ITS RUINED! I HAD PLANS TO GO THERE! F**K F**K F**K!

Damn, damn, DAMN! I was really hoping to make on last trip there, but alas, I guess that’s not going to happen.

I feel especially bad for the folks working there though, they always worked hard to entertain.

I’ll miss the place.

This really sucks. I am soo happy my wife and decided to take the last minute trip to Vegas last summer.

We are going to miss that place. I can’t belive all those idiots involved don’t even want to wait for the new movie. Oh well, I better put in one last order of Sulu’s Wing Sauce before it’s gone forever…

rasa frasin’! I never got to go. Looks like i missed out on this one. T-T

Ten years isn’t a bad run. It would probably need a big upgrade to be better tied into the movie, and not seem dated. From a business perspective I can understand a decision to wrap it up rather than reinvest. When The Experience opened, Star Trek had two TV series on the air and regular movie releases and it was the middle of the late-90s economic boom. That isn’t the market conditions today, and I’d be surprised if Star Trek ever hits that level of saturation again. On the other hand there are a lot of Vegas acts that seem to live forever even though they’re not on top of the charts anymore. Oh, well. Anyone who wants to see it better get in while they can. I never went but a couple friends made separate trips and I’ve still got a couple bottles of “Romulan Ale” blue wine coolers.

OMG I am soooo depressed!!! The 40th Anniversary convention there was the best week of my life! I can’t even imagine another big Vegas con without the Experience. I was hoping to go this year if the rumors of closing were true, but I can’t manage it. I am crying real tears!!

Well, that’s sad news. I’m so glad I’m going to the Creation con in August. One last time through the exhibit.

Wow I am glad I decided to go to the ST convention in August this year, 4th year in a row. This year I will make sure to pay special attention to all the little things I might have skipped by in years past.

Its all about money, they will probably add shops and resturants, thats all Vegas needs more of.

Maybe the convention will be held at some other hotel in Vegas, the Hilton was getting kind of run down, not to mention its not on the main strip.

Take the ride a couple of times and say its been fun.

I’m flying into LA on August 27. I planned to drive to Vegas to see Experience. Now I’ll have to get a move on and drive to Vegas before it shuts. Talk about cutting it fine!

And I’m coming all the way from Australia. I really hope they shut the 1st week of Sept and not BY THE FIRST WEEK!

Shame. I saw once. Others should be able to also.

go ahead closed for yes, nah, yes, no huh wtmf!!!!!!!!!!!!!! everything is bullshit!!

The economy is actually hurting Vegas for the first time in a long time so I image the Hilton, being off the Strip, is feeling it even more.

The problem is that it’s too damned expensive. Everyone I ever brought there over the last decade has LOVED it, but the price has continually gone up. They used to run coupons in the local discount booklets that were available in every cab and at every monorail stop, and that would always bring some more people through the door, but they never kept it going.

I’m really bummed. I’ll miss the Warp Core Breaches, for sure.

The problem isn’t that the Hilton was run down—it looks the best it’s ever looked in the last 25 years. The problem isn’t that it’s not a strip hotel–the monorail makes it an easy trip. The problem is it’s too expensive and they stopped advertising.

Shoot, I never was able to go. I do have two semi-humorous stories, though.

I worked for the steel company that made the big Hilton/Experience sign. We had to sign every plate we fabbed. My initials are all over the inside of it. I also stole a set of the drawings.

The other story is that a friend of mine actually went and bought me a six pack of Romulan Ale when he was in Vegas. Nice thing to do. Too bad the great State of Utah confiscated it at the airport.

Steve Allen (ex-Microsoft) should buy it and incorporate it into his SciFi museum. But then again, I said that when Firefly stuff went on auction too, and he didn’t go for that either.

Oh wait, I think his name is Paul Allen.

I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS!!!!!!!!

AHHHHHHHHH. This pissess me off SOOOOO MUCHHHH. I never got to go and I was hoping to go in June of ’09 but it looks like this dream is squashed. I really hate the people who made this descision. Star Trek is coming back huge!! They are screwing themselves out of money by closing it and YES why close it so soon? Give them more time to clean up and give us, THE FANS, more time to visit.

I really hope that for some oddball reason this is untrue, even though I feel stabbed threw the heart by the people behind this descision. I hope Star Trek XI is sooooooo huge that they REGRET their descion to close and I hope that it hurts them much $ wise to know that they lost so much business.

It would have been nice to go at least once……….once.

Long Live Star Trek.

I am not surprised by it closing. I am just amazed that it is happening so soon. I thought they would have waited until the end of the year and maybe until the new movie came out. Alas it is a sad day indeed. I can’t wait to have many drinks at Quark’s during the convention one last time.

I’m not surprised. I’ve been to it 5 or 6 times over the years, including opening night, and the number of paid attendees has dramatically changed over the years such that it almost seems deserted at times.

It is pretty sad though.

Well I was hoping to be able to go over Christmas but I guess that won’t be happening now. Frak that!

Sad indeed. This upcoming Con will be a landmark.

This is HORRIBLE! I’ve been their once. I think it would be great to go the last day, but with the econ it’s unlikely

Totally SUCKS!! I was hoping to some day get there.it was on my list of places i wanted to see. Stupid stupid mistake! I wanted to get married there. of course i needed to find someone first. This sucks!

does the words live long and prosper mean anything?

I hope maybe the rides and attractions find a new home.. i had always wanted to order from the site. maybe i should before it goes.

its a huge mistake. especially with the new movie coming out..

This is a disaster. Seriously.

I will be offering Cedar Parks sucks shirts soon :)

But in all reality, let’s do something to save a piece of our second home.

From the above article it sounds like it was the Hilton, not Cedar Fair

YOU WOULD THINK ANOTHER HOTEL CHAIN WOULD BE MORE THAN WILLING TO TAKE IT IN!!!!I MYSELF HAVE BEEN THRUGH IT 5 TIMES OVER 5 YRS IT WAS WELL WORTH IT. MAYBE THERES STILL HOPR WITH THE NEW MOVIE COMING OUT . IF IT MEANS CHANGING THE STAGE TO THE ORIGANAL BRIDGE FROM THE NEW MOVIE THAT WOULD BE GREAT A LITTLE CHANGE NEVER HURT HERES HOPEING!!!! JIVE LONG AND PROSPER TREKIE FOREVER!!!!!

A shame. Stepping onto the Enterprise bridge was an out-of-body experience, and all that memorabilia was fantastic(not to mention the Warp Core Breach at Quark’s). It WAS showing it’s age though, particularly the TNG ride. I was planning on hitting Vegas again before the end of the year but I don’t know if I’ll get there before it closes.

If the new film is a big hit, there will be a new attraction based on it somewhere in the world.

I’m sorry it looks like I’ll never see it, but The Experience never really grabbed me. Once they chose to not replicate anything from the original series, it wasn’t going to be my idea of a Trek “experience.” But I understood why — it befitted the 24th-century era of Trek on TV and the movies at that time.

This news is disappointing, but not unexpected.

The first ride – experience – was awesome. In those days there was a larger number of staff on hand in costume. It really was a ‘Star Trek’ experience, including getting hammered on ‘Warp Core Breeches’ in Quarks Bar afterwords.

I went many times over the years, and that first ride never lost it’s charm. A trip to Vegas wasn’t cool without In and Out Burger, and a trip on the Enterprise-E.

The Borg Experience changed all that. It was cheesy, the displays seemed to lack any real sense of the series, and there was a cut-backs in staff levels. The day we went, I counted only three staff.

The ride was 3/4 empty. It was unoriginal, and the seat was just uncomfortable – not to mention stupid as the chairs tried to ‘assimilate’ me. ‘Some experience’. The only saving grace was that I did the original ride afterwords. That was 3 years ago.

To say the Star Trek Experience had grown ‘tried’ was an understatement. The original ride still was cool, but was showing it’s age. The thrill of being beamed seemed to have half the air, the sets looked old, and it started to smell bad. It was cool in it’s day, and maybe after JJ’s relaunch – something will return in another form.

So, if you’ve never done it, take the time to go to Vegas before September and be a part of something that was for a time, very cool for any fan.

David

I have to agree with others here. With the movie coming out next year I think the timing of this is terrible.

Maybe we should start a campaign to get Cedar Fair to move it to one of their amusement parks, like Cedar Point in Ohio. (That park is awsome, more roller coasters than any other park I believe).

Thank goodness my husband and I are heading to Vegas for the ST con. After seeing it the first week it opened 10 years ago, who would have thought that after 10 years (and about 4 or 5 visits) I would be seeing the Experience within weeks of its closing. It has been a good run…..

‘D’, it was a trip on the D

Awww, what a shame. I was hoping to get to Vegas one last time to see it alas, it just didn’t work out this year. As it stands, I am very glad I did see it once. It was a absolute blast and I’ll miss it, but I’ll always have the memories. It was fun while it lasted.

That’s a damned shame.

Damn,

No more Quarks and hot Klingon Women

Warp Core Breaches all around

Don’t hope too hard for Cedar Fair to move The Experience to one of their parks. They’re good at coasters, but don’t seam to get theme attractions or history. I think that most people (not all I know) who have seen the choices that they’ve made with Knott’s Berry Farm since they bought it would agree with me. They don’t seem to like updating things. They do better at tearing down and building something new. The best thing to hope for, is for another hotel in Vegas, or another amusement park chain deciding to revive the concept if the movie does well. Maybe Universal would be willing to do something. They had a fairly good Star Trek show in the 80’s and have done well with their Terminator and Simpsons attractions.

This sucks! Especially since the closing day is probably going be either on my 20th bday or shortly before/ after. I was hoping to go next year for my 21st for obvious reasons.

As mentioned above, I think it would seem like a good idea for another park to take some of the Trek attractions there and put them there, or something similar. I actually think that maybe because of the Abrams connection, that hopefully Disney takes over. Even though they have Star Wars there, I can see a new Trek attraction whenever they redo Tomorrowland at Disneyland.

At least we’ll have the exhibition, or tour, or whatever it’s called now. Should’ve tried harder. With the new movie, it’s likely there will be new Trek fans…and this is a great place for new Trek fans to begin to immerse themselves into the trek world. such a shame….the D-bridge I will miss most of all….stepping foot onto that bridge was an experience I’ll never forget.

I went to the STE a few years ago, and it was already beginning to feel like a neglected Chuck E. Cheese for trekkers. Even thought the rides were pretty cool, the museum and bar felt dated and over-prolonged.

Still, why cancel the contract right when Trek is about to become more popular than ever before? Why not just give it a facelift and a new ride? Seems to show a lack of forsight….

I sent the Hilton E mails saying if they closed Star Trek I would have no reason to visit the Hilton when in Vegas…I never got any response other than the auto one saying I would get a response in a few days.

I have stayed and played and been there multiple times including their new years party 2 years ago. No More….

The fact they were the main holdout was just what I was afraid of…. More slot machines will be better for the hilton…and we all lose an imaginative fun attraction that was a world showcase and meeting place for trek fans all over the world.

HEY BOB ORCI, can you and JJ Buy it and move it to Hollywood or another casino, maybe even improve it? HAHA I can always dream…

I am thankful for the good times I have had there. Thanks to all who worked there..special thanks to April…I luv all you guys….Will miss seeing you all……..

Also, the Warp Core Breach is the best drink meant for two or more people that I’ve ever finished by myself :)

It’s five different kinds of rum, five different fruit juices all swimming in a futuristic glass bowl with dry ice so that it stays icy cold for and hour or so.

Conversely, the terrible Disruptor Blast was obviously just vodka and mountain dew :(