Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run - Ride/Queue Details and Discussion

[doctornick]

I'd say it is a very solid D.
And agree on the phase opening. It should have been done at once as a complete land.

If that is a common sentiment and it works its way to the higher ups, I kinda expect they'll do a "grand reopening" type situation when RotR opens perhaps actually having more live entertainment and props. even though the first impression will be out there, that will be the last chance to make a big PR splash for the land.

 

[solidyne]

If that is a common sentiment and it works its way to the higher ups, I kinda expect they'll do a "grand reopening" type situation when RotR opens perhaps actually having more live entertainment and props. even though the first impression will be out there, that will be the last chance to make a big PR splash for the land.

This sounds right to me.

 

[YodaMan]

I think it's filler, but only if the ride system knows things are falling behind with enough notice. Like, say you're about halfway through the ride and one of the cockpits behind/ahead of you on the turntable takes a longer than normal time to load or unload. The ride then knows it's going to take longer for your cockpit to make it around to unload, so you get the asteroid field. If the delay occurs just prior to your cockpit advancing to the unload slot, that's when you get the filler at the end.

My understanding is that the scene is linked to guests with disabilities. If your turntable has someone in a wheelchir being loaded into a pod, then the carousel will sit longer to accommodate the longer load time and all the pods on the carousel will have a longer ride time and will need the asteroid scene to pad the increased length.

 

[_bluebird]

I'd like to settle this asteroid field thing once and for all, as someone who actually operates MF:SR. Each turntable has seven zones and a certain dispatch interval CM's are supposed to follow. If you reach second hyperdrive before the second to last zone (Because CM's are taking too long to load), then you get the asteroids. It's purely based on how long it takes CM's to load.

Also, the GWD pods will always play through the asteroids.

 

[voodoo321]

I rode the DL version which I assume is a carbon copy, queue and all. I was right pilot, one daughter was left pilot and other daughter was left gunner. None of us enjoyed it. I'm an OT fan and enjoyed sitting down in the cockpit but the ride experience was just slight step up from a Dave and Buster's video game. The queue is lifeless as it just feels like the auto mechanical shop at my local vocational school on a weekend. But we get to see the MF from above and all the dryer vent hoses that are connected to it.

EDIT to add: Maybe the reason we can't walk up the ramp and explore the ship is due to Costuming having a laundry facility set up in there.

 

[Rider]

Hondo was in B-mode for most of the first day of AP previews.

 

[PorterRedkey]

Hondo was in B-mode for most of the first day of AP previews.

View attachment 399250

So Disney promises roaming droids, Stormtroopers battling with the resistance and other atmospheric enhancements , table service restaurant, a reputation that follows you and a state-of-the-art Hondo AA that has been featured many times.

Add to the fact that RotR isn’t open yet and it’s no wonder people are underwhelmed with this land. Not to mention all the cuts Al mentioned in his latest article. If you showed up expected everything they promised, what a let down.

Disney has a habit of over-promising on their new addition. I think they would fair better if they took an approach like Universal - vague details until the ride is close to opening.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m still excited by this land and the details are wonderful. I’m just not as excited as I would be if Disney had delivered on their promises.

 

[Rider]

So Disney promises roaming droids, Stormtroopers battling with the resistance and other atmospheric enhancements , table service restaurant, a reputation that follows you and a state-of-the-art Hondo AA that has been featured many times.

Add to the fact that RotR isn’t open yet and it’s no wonder people are underwhelmed with this land. Not to mention all the cuts Al mentioned in his latest article. If you showed up expected everything they promised, what a let down.

Disney has a habit of over-promising on their new addition. I think they would fair better if they took an approach like Universal - vague details until the ride is close to opening.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m still excited by this land and the details are wonderful. I’m just not as excited as I would be if Disney had delivered on their promises.

While I was disappointed that the AA wasn't working I did enjoy the ride (went on it six times!) and I did see many characters around the land including covert resistance members trying to recruit guests...

And Kylo Ren with his entourage. Although one seems a little short to be a stormtrooper?

 

[PorterRedkey]

While I was disappointed that the AA wasn't working I did enjoy the ride (went on it six times!) and I did see many characters around the land including covert resistance members trying to recruit guests...
View attachment 399334
View attachment 399333

And Kylo Ren with his entourage. Although one seems a little short to be a stormtrooper?
View attachment 399332

I’m glad you enjoyed it!

Like I said, I am looking forward to seeing it in October. My point is Disney needs to stop over promising on their additions.

No footstep-activated, light-up paths for Avatar and the land is not as spectacular at night as they promoted. Disney releases Toy Story land concept art and then offers a budget cut version of the land with no store, no table-service restaurants or dedicated MnG area. Now I see the same with SW:GE.

The streetmospere you’re mention is the bare bones minimum for the land. Stunt-show like shows were planned for the land, but they were cut.

 

[Notes from Neverland]

And Kylo Ren with his entourage. Although one seems a little short to be a stormtrooper?
View attachment 399332

We were off to the side and saw this happen! What a cool moment.

 

[Mickey5150]

I remember the first time I rode the original Star Tours ride, there was some silly droid in the cockpit (voiced by Pee Wee Herman?) and I thought, why'd they give us this nonsense instead of C3-P0? But even that ride had the Death Star and Star Destroyers. And now it has C3-P0.

I'm sure others have already mentioned this, but I'm beginning to think Disney made a big mistake by giving this ride, and "Star Wars land" overall, very little in way of references to the places, characters, storylines, etc. that everyone loves and expects. Storytelling in a theme park attraction, even at Disney World, is nothing like storytelling in a movie. Fun as this ride may be, it's not going to make smuggling coaxium for Hondo Ohnaka an enduring part of the Star Wars story. Similarly, we remember and love the Mos Eisley cantina on Tatooine so Oga's cantina on Batuu is bound to fall short. My guess is that if you asked guests leaving Galaxy's Edge what Batuu, Hondo Ohnaka, or Oga are, you'd get a lot of blank stares.

I'm not saying EVERYTHING should reference the movies, but when you're dealing with such beloved and iconic characters and places I think the choice to deliberately exclude them was not a wise one. It's like if Universal had made their Harry Potter lands with no references any places or characters from the actual Harry Potter books/movies.

Are they going to get rid of the Jedi Training Academy (my son's favorite thing at Disney) because those characters do not inhabit Galaxy's Edge?

This is part of the Star Wars Universe and allows someone to finally become part of Star Wars instead of just imagining they are one of the character from the movies. I'm so glad they didn't use Tatooine or any other known locations from the movies since it's much harder to recreate something in a fully immersive space rather then a movie set. Everyone who enters Galaxy Edge can become part of the Star Wars story and that's the whole point.

 

[thequeuelinelectures]

This is part of the Star Wars Universe and allows someone to finally become part of Star Wars instead of just imagining they are one of the character from the movies. I'm so glad they didn't use Tatooine or any other known locations from the movies since it's much harder to recreate something in a fully immersive space rather then a movie set. Everyone who enters Galaxy Edge can become part of the Star Wars story and that's the whole point.

Well that was the goal at least. I’d challenge whether or not it really lives up to letting you create any kind of your own story either on or off the ride

 

[THE 1HAPPY HAUNT]

Hondo was in B-mode for most of the first day of AP previews.

View attachment 399250

He must be a big fan of the Everest Yeti to pay this homage to him.

 

[rkleinlein]

This is part of the Star Wars Universe and allows someone to finally become part of Star Wars instead of just imagining they are one of the character from the movies. I'm so glad they didn't use Tatooine or any other known locations from the movies since it's much harder to recreate something in a fully immersive space rather then a movie set. Everyone who enters Galaxy Edge can become part of the Star Wars story and that's the whole point.

I understand "becoming part of the story" and the pitfalls of being too constrained by fidelity to existing characters, locations, stories, etc., and I agree that using Tatooine or a known location wouldn't work as well. I just wonder if a little more help from the familiar would have been in order here.(I think Diagon Alley at Universal balances this line very well, both in environment and attractions. Escape from Gringotts, for example, is not a scene by scene rehash of what happened in the movie, but there is solid grounding in the familiar, and the result is fantastic.)

I also wonder how the stories and characters created for Galaxy Edge will compare with what we all know--because we cannot help but make those comparisons. I'm not saying people won't happy unless Disney gives them a Millennium Falcon ride culminating in the destruction of the Death Star, but I do think that harpooning coaxium for Hondo what's-his-name is not nearly exciting or memorable as destroying the Death Star with Han Solo at the helm. Similarly Oga's cantina cannot help but conjure images of the Mos Eisley cantina, and, because of it's unambitious execution, it falls short in comparison. Just a thought.

 

[Mickey5150]

I understand "becoming part of the story" and the pitfalls of being too constrained by fidelity to existing characters, locations, stories, etc., and I agree that using Tatooine or a known location wouldn't work as well. I just wonder if a little more help from the familiar would have been in order here.(I think Diagon Alley at Universal balances this line very well, both in environment and attractions. Escape from Gringotts, for example, is not a scene by scene rehash of what happened in the movie, but there is solid grounding in the familiar, and the result is fantastic.)

I also wonder how the stories and characters created for Galaxy Edge will compare with what we all know--because we cannot help but make those comparisons. I'm not saying people won't happy unless Disney gives them a Millennium Falcon ride culminating in the destruction of the Death Star, but I do think that harpooning coaxium for Hondo what's-his-name is not nearly exciting or memorable as destroying the Death Star with Han Solo at the helm. Similarly Oga's cantina cannot help but conjure images of the Mos Eisley cantina, and, because of it's unambitious execution, it falls short in comparison. Just a thought.

Once Disney+ comes online they can make Batuu part of the story. Hondo is a character from the Star Wars cartoons and coaxium is the fuel that Han was going after in Solo so there is a connection, just not as widespread as a scene from a 40+ year old movie. Also, had they opened it with Rise then we would have had a ride connected to the new trilogy and a supposed game changer of a ride.

 

[thequeuelinelectures]

Once Disney+ comes online they can make Batuu part of the story. Hondo is a character from the Star Wars cartoons and coaxium is the fuel that Han was going after in Solo so there is a connection, just not as widespread as a scene from a 40+ year old movie. Also, had they opened it with Rise then we would have had a ride connected to the new trilogy and a supposed game changer of a ride.

I think that's true for Rise especially that it'll feel more like a narrative experience that actually blends into the new trilogy. I mean they are basically putting us into a set piece action scene of a movie where we infiltrate a ship with a secret mission, get captured, break out, and have to escape amidst the chaos of battle. That's already 10x more narrative than smugglers run.

Hopefully future missions will also improve the feel of SR to further flesh out Hondo and different, hopefully more colorful and exciting, corners of the galaxy

 

[Flynnwriter]

This better be the Navi river ride equivalent to the land. It’s solid, but is not amazing.

 

[RSoxNo1]

I rode it today at DL using single rider. Waiting for a buddy to join me tomorrow to experience the queue. FYI, single rider doesn’t see the Hondo AA.

The ride is a solid D ticket, with an E ticket setup and environment. Think Mermaid or Star Tours in that respect.

It’s more “stressful” than other interactive rides. I was Left Pilot and had quite a bit to do. I do think that without more missions, the current mission will get stale.

It’s a good addition, and if they opened a full land, the complaints wouldn’t be there. Having said that, my hope was two E tickets and this definitely isn’t one.

 

[Texas84]

Rode it five times. Loved the teamwork aspect.

 

[PJBuckeye]

Rode MF 3x on Monday. It was a decent attraction (except for engineer). They really should have made it a 4 person ride vehicle and increased the number of vehicles. A better 2nd attraction than NRJ. Once RotR opens, this will compliment it well.

Overall, I thought the land was amazing. I am not a Star Wars guy (which may have helped). Well themed to the level of Harambe or Anandapur. The land could use a little more streetmosphere, and the criticism of lack of connective energy is accurate. However, I think the land is well done it overcomes the connective energy criticism. If I didn't read message boards and listen to podcasts, I might not even notice it.