I blame the die-hard SW fans for this. They didn’t show up; they pitched a temper-tantrum about how the land wasn’t based on a place in the movies; they constantly criticize it for what it isn’t and some root for its failure, etc.
Then, you hear from people like Kevin on The DIS Unplugged, who, while extremely hilarious in his retelling of events, got very annoyed when CMs *were* staying in character. My guess is that there are a large number of “Kevins” out there who just don’t want to engage in the immersion.
On a more personal level, we *loved* GE! My brother could not have been more excited by it! We saw characters roaming and interacting with guests every time we were there. (I even got sassy with a Stormtrooper.
) We thought the criticisms of MF:SR were way overblown.
The one place where we thought the immersion was fantastic, but could also go even further, is Oga’s Cantina. Our bartender was fun and engaging! We really enjoyed our two-drink, 45 minute time in there.
But how awesome would it be if there were some characters in THERE?!? That is the perfect place for your reputation to come into play and to bring the immersion to the next level. People going there would be given a heads-up that the expectation is you play along with the story. I imagine the cost to WDW would be minimal - just the cost for talent.
It makes me sad/disappointed that Disney is softening/removing the playful elements, but again, what is a company to do when the people for whom this immersion was created don’t show up?