"I hope I never recover from this." I'm sure it has to be a stunning and awe inspiring experience, even if going orbital or further out would be better. I thought that one comment put it best.
If weightlessness is all one wants, one can ride the Vomit Comet. That's not the point.
Money is like anything else in that the more of it you have the less a little bit more or less is worth to you. If these people have enough that a quarter million is worth less to them than an awe inspiring experience that lasts a few minutes (ascent plus weightless time plus decent) then more power to them.
Overwhelmed, is what he said. That fits what I saw and heard.
People only listen to what he had to say afterwards because he's famous, obviously. I'm sure others have more or less the same reactions. There's a lot of "Who cares?" sentiment, "Just because he's famous doesn't mean he's any more important." And I thought the same. But I'm thinking now that, because he's famous, lots of people are hearing the immediate reaction from someone who's just been there, which I (now) think is terrific. You might hear the same from the millionaires and other guest riders if anyone put microphones in their faces, but no one does.
I heard Neil deGrasse Tyson on CNN last night saying he wouldn't go unless on a longer trip. (He did the math and said that, relative to s school room globe [he didn't say what size] the altitude of this trip was just the thickness of two dimes.) But even he doesn't know the experience first hand. If he did go, I bet he'd be more eloquent than Shatner was. So while it's his own business if he doesn't want to go, I kind of wish he would. Maybe he'll go on a
joy ride to the moon.
EDIT: I just checked, and passenger applications for the Dear Moon mission are closed. I'd have nominated Tyson, but it's too late.