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

[IWant2GoNow]

I did the Smuggler Run attraction the other night...It was fairly quiet, I was by myself and did the Sinfgle Rider line since I was...well...a single rider. I did not realize that the entire preshow and any sort of basic storyline are missed in this line... no setup, nothing...just a distressed faux painted hallway that was already peeling in just a couple weeks.
I was handed an Engineer card, which I guess all single riders get according to another single rider...
The pre boarding area aboard the ship was very well done, and then the cockpit was also very nicely done...My problem is, you have 6 people in the pod...Two 5 year olds in the captain position, so all we did was crash and crash and crash... The engineers literally do nothing except push a button once...I found the whole experience to be annoying and came away feeling like this was aimed at another audience... No preshow means you have no idea what is going on, Maybe if you are in a group it would be more fuin, but I found Mission Space to be more engaging than this... Next time I am in Orlando I will try it again and not take the single rider option....Maybe it will be a better experience...

I feel like you and I had the same experience except I didn't use the single rider option.

My wife and I waited about an hour and 15 minutes back in early Oct. for our first ride. My wife doesn't like Star Wars but will appreciate a good attraction no matter what it's themed to. We ended up with Engineer spots which I wasn't exactly sure what that meant as I was trying to avoid reading anything about the ride up until this point. I just knew that we weren't pilots and I was disappointed. The 2 pilots were maybe 5 and 7 years of age, steered (or didn't steer at all) into any and all obstacles they could find. My wife and I's eyes were glued to the side wall of buttons to press because we wanted to "help" but numerous times we would glance at each other in disgust of how jarring the ride is when someone is flying recklessly.

I like Star Wars a lot and I really wanted to like this ride but in the end didn't. I'm sure maybe if I was able to pilot next time it would be a whole different experience. But the kids didn't have a clue what to do and I'm not blaming them, they still had fun. But... they didn't even hit the light speed switches! That's every Star Wars fan's dream, and I'm back there like "Th-th... they didn't even touch them". I was in such disbelief.

I wanted to try riding it again later in the week, but refused to wait almost 2 hours in fear I would be stuck in the Engineer spots again. We weren't even able to watch much of the screen because we kept having to mash buttons on the side wall. Really took you out of the experience to me. But that's just my opinion.

I had mighty high expectations for anything Star Wars related that Disney put into the parks, but this missed the mark on so many degrees. All I want is a Spaceship Earth-type omnimover through an animatronic-laden retelling of the Skywalker Saga. Is that too much to ask? Haha.

 

[Tegan pilots a chicken]

I feel like you and I had the same experience except I didn't use the single rider option.

My wife and I waited about an hour and 15 minutes back in early Oct. for our first ride. My wife doesn't like Star Wars but will appreciate a good attraction no matter what it's themed to. We ended up with Engineer spots which I wasn't exactly sure what that meant as I was trying to avoid reading anything about the ride up until this point. I just knew that we weren't pilots and I was disappointed. The 2 pilots were maybe 5 and 7 years of age, steered (or didn't steer at all) into any and all obstacles they could find. My wife and I's eyes were glued to the side wall of buttons to press because we wanted to "help" but numerous times we would glance at each other in disgust of how jarring the ride is when someone is flying recklessly.

I like Star Wars a lot and I really wanted to like this ride but in the end didn't. I'm sure maybe if I was able to pilot next time it would be a whole different experience. But the kids didn't have a clue what to do and I'm not blaming them, they still had fun. But... they didn't even hit the light speed switches! That's every Star Wars fan's dream, and I'm back there like "Th-th... they didn't even touch them". I was in such disbelief.

I wanted to try riding it again later in the week, but refused to wait almost 2 hours in fear I would be stuck in the Engineer spots again. We weren't even able to watch much of the screen because we kept having to mash buttons on the side wall. Really took you out of the experience to me. But that's just my opinion.

I had mighty high expectations for anything Star Wars related that Disney put into the parks, but this missed the mark on so many degrees. All I want is a Spaceship Earth-type omnimover through an animatronic-laden retelling of the Skywalker Saga. Is that too much to ask? Haha.

I fear that far, far too many people are going to share this type of experience, and that ultimately, MFSR is going to fall well short of expectations.

 

[Rich Brownn]

Sigh. I understand. I personally like the Engineer position, but it’s difficult to explain why.

I've been Engineerf twice, once with good pilots and once with awful ones. I felt like I was saving the ship the second time! (And do they rank us by how well we did by position rather than overall? I got "Hotshot" on that awful run !)

 

[THE 1HAPPY HAUNT]

Most of the movies are spent in the sparse landscapes. All the futuristic space ports and Cloud City are like, the shortest parts even in the original trilogy.

wrong. the last hour of EMPIRE takes place at Cloud City.

 

[Movielover]

wrong. the last hour of EMPIRE takes place at Cloud City.

Yeah and the rest of the OT takes place in a frozen tundra, and forest, and a swamp, and a desert... twice. But at least its broken up by the greys of the Death Star.

 

[THE 1HAPPY HAUNT]

Yeah and the rest of the OT takes place in a frozen tundra, and forest, and a swamp, and a desert... twice. But at least its broken up by the greys of the Death Star.

My point stands that the majority of Empire happens at Cloud City to correct the incorrect statement made by the previous poster. Have no idea why you responded to me or what point you are trying to make.

 

[Movielover]

My point stands that the majority of Empire happens at Cloud City to correct the incorrect statement made by the previous poster. Have no idea why you responded to me or what point you are trying to make.

I responded to you for responding to the original poster incorrectly as a response to the original poster's correct statement in response to the previous question that he was responding to correctly...

Asteroid field! I forgot that barren non-city location that a chunk of Empire takes place in too!

Bright Suns!

 

[Nunu]

I responded to you for responding to the original poster incorrectly as a response to the original poster's correct statement in response to the previous question that he was responding to correctly...

Asteroid field! I forgot that barren non-city location that a chunk of Empire takes place in too!

Bright Suns!

The is because the gif chosen, goes perfectly after such a statement.

 

[Joesixtoe]

I rode the falcon twice last night, and I noticed the screen lagged a bit at the beginning on the first ride and then in the middle on the second ride. I hope this doesn't become the norm because I believe the game is using high powered computers and over time as any computer or phone we use, they slow down a bit.

I've ridden this ride about 6 times now and it's a pretty cool ride. Better when you're a star wars fan always wanting to ride in the falcon. Immersion/theme is executed nicely, the ability to do better each time you go on is nice to have, but pilot is definitely the best position and the mission itself is kinda meh. They should do something more with the other 2 positions, and add some outer space scenes battling the first order or something.

 

[THE 1HAPPY HAUNT]

I responded to you for responding to the original poster incorrectly as a response to the original poster's correct statement in response to the previous question that he was responding to correctly...

Asteroid field! I forgot that barren non-city location that a chunk of Empire takes place in too!

Bright Suns!

AGAIN the entire 2nd half of the film takes place on Daggobah and Cloud City so just 2 locations which proves my original point. Now stop responding to me. I was making a quick response to his previous post. and at this point you are trolling to derail from the thread topic. let's end this and get back on topic please.

 

[Kram Sacul]

Sigh. I understand. I personally like the Engineer position, but it’s difficult to explain why.

You get to sit in the back which gets the most motion and jostling. Firing the harpoons is the most satisfying thing in the ride.

You visited the Hollywood Studios version, correct? Wait until you see Disneyland’s. Disneyland’s features more bullet holes you could imagine, and even less color.

It’s remarkable the choices made on this project.

You mean they chose to make it look like a Star Wars planet? GE has issues(like every new land) but the art design isn’t one of them.

 

[HoustonHorn]

I responded to you for responding to the original poster incorrectly as a response to the original poster's correct statement in response to the previous question that he was responding to correctly...

Asteroid field! I forgot that barren non-city location that a chunk of Empire takes place in too!

Bright Suns!

You know, every once in awhile I click on the "show ignored content" button on a screen to see what I've been missing from the trolls (not you, BTW). And every time I do it, I realize that my decision to ignore them was correct.

 

[Movielover]

AGAIN the entire 2nd half of the film takes place on Daggobah and Cloud City so just 2 locations which proves my original point. Now stop responding to me. I was making a quick response to his previous post. and at this point you are trolling to derail from the thread topic. let's end this and get back on topic please.

In terms of MFSR I think the mission I really want the most is a chase in the asteroid field. A really exciting mission through that barren non city like setting from Empire I think would go over really well!

Bright Suns!

 

[Mickeyboof]

You get to sit in the back which gets the most motion and jostling. Firing the harpoons is the most satisfying thing in the ride.



You mean they chose to make it look like a Star Wars planet? GE has issues(like every new land) but the art design isn’t one of them.

I prefer the art direction of WDW more than the drab pallet of Disneyland’s.

I find the deep colors of WDW’s Land is exactly Star Wars!

 

[Bocabear]

Most of the movies are spent in the sparse landscapes. All the futuristic space ports and Cloud City are like, the shortest parts even in the original trilogy.

ok but here is where that argument completely falls apart: Black Spire or whatever this is supposed to be was never in or mentioned in any of the movies at all... So if a location had 2 minutes of screen time it would still be more memorable than a drab, dystopian battle torn landscape no one ever saw before... They should have moved Star Tours to the entrance to the land, had you take your Star Tours transport to "A Galaxy Far Far Away" and had you exit the attraction into the new land... It should have been more like a futuristic intergalactic City Space Port...Lots of creative modernism and architecture and eye candy... The Millenium Falcon attraction and the ROTR could still make sense within that framework, but the surrounds would be exciting and dazzling... With Star Tours as the entry point, it would have felt like the land had 3 attractions instead of the current 1, and 4th attraction should have gotten greenlit...even if it was something simple like the Pteradon Flyers, but a star wars version...Mini X Wing ships on an elevated rail... possibilities are endless.
I am not saying the art direction is bad...just the location idea...

 

[Movielover]

Black Spire or whatever this is supposed to be was never in or mentioned in any of the movies at al

It's mentioned in Solo, multiple books, and has it's own comic series...

 

[Bocabear]

It's mentioned in Solo, multiple books, and has it's own comic series...

but not in any memorable way that the general public would get ... To all but the smallest percentage, this is an entirely new made-up place to set the rides...

 

[Mickeyboof]

ok but here is where that argument completely falls apart: Black Spire or whatever this is supposed to be was never in or mentioned in any of the movies at all... So if a location had 2 minutes of screen time it would still be more memorable than a drab, dystopian battle torn landscape no one ever saw before... They should have moved Star Tours to the entrance to the land, had you take your Star Tours transport to "A Galaxy Far Far Away" and had you exit the attraction into the new land... It should have been more like a futuristic intergalactic City Space Port...Lots of creative modernism and architecture and eye candy... The Millenium Falcon attraction and the ROTR could still make sense within that framework, but the surrounds would be exciting and dazzling... With Star Tours as the entry point, it would have felt like the land had 3 attractions instead of the current 1, and 4th attraction should have gotten greenlit...even if it was something simple like the Pteradon Flyers, but a star wars version...Mini X Wing ships on an elevated rail... possibilities are endless.
I am not saying the art direction is bad...just the location idea...

It's mentioned in Solo, multiple books, and has it's own comic series...

It’s easy to shoehorn a land in once you decide on building it.

“Hey writers, can you quickly mention Black Spire Outpost to justify the place as being canon? Thanks! Woah that was easy.”

I’m a big fan of Batuu and this new planet, but I find the scrambling to get it added to movies and printing books a cheap way to inject it into the Star Wars universe, and an even cheaper argument on this website to prove it belongs.

Regardless, I think it looks a hell of a lot like Star Wars. The spaceport you describe sounds more like a gorgeous Tomorrowland than a place that encapsulates the Star Wars vibes.

However, star tours at one of the entrances to the land would have been INCREDIBLE storytelling. Shame on the imagineers for being to stubborn and simply against fun. I can just imagine how amazing it would be to physically transport from our planet to Batuu.

What an Imagineering mistake.

 

[Movielover]

but not in any memorable way that the general public would get ... To all but the smallest percentage, this is an entirely new made-up place to set the rides...

Yeah, because before Solo the place didn't even exist. Give them time and they will introduce it into more visual media.

 

[Jones14]

Yeah, with regard to its presence in media, I don’t think we’re really considering the long term here. Since the land was revealed it’s been referenced in a movie, as well as had two books and several comics take place on it, and that’s only four years since the place was even announced.

If they determine guests want the land to become more familiar to them before they get there, they can set a new show or movie on it, and that’s assuming that it doesn’t show up in the Mandalorian, the next season of Clone Wars, or Rise of Skywalker. Coruscant was invented for the Thrawn Trilogy long before it popped up in the movies, after all.