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

[Kram Sacul]

I haven't had this experience with CM's not telling you what's going on at WDW.

Also my take on the ride is it's supposed to be all about throwing people into the cockpit with very little instruction so everyone can laugh as they crash into stuff. It's not really supposed to be about doing well.

Bingo. It always baffles me when people say there should be a tutorial and a practice section and different modes. Yeah, right. This is a theme park ride. Part of the fun is seeing how good or bad people are at doing their jobs. You’re basically C-3PO in the cockpit of Star Tours. Good times.

 

[TiggerDad]

My Disneyland experience was similar to the one posted just above. They don’t really explain what the cards and roles are and you are put into the Falcon with little chance to look around and experience it. I didn’t even get to sit at the chess table.

Even the CMs seemed a bit confused. I think they grouped six gunners into the crew for our ride. Then they hustled us into our seats. Luckily, I noticed I could turn on auto aim so I was able to just press a button while still looking at the screen, but not letting down the rest of the people on the ride.

There were a few slightly thrilling moments, but it was otherwise underwhelming. I honestly went into it wanting to like it and now I almost dread having to wait in line for it again when I return with my sister this winter. Maybe I’ll get to pilot and it will be more fun. (Insert shrug emoji)

We ended up riding Star Tours later that night. It is really strange that they chose such a similar experience for Smuggler’s Run. I’m not sure what they were thinking. It really drags down your impression of Galaxy’s Edge.

This was our experience at Disneyland multiple times as well. I would have liked to look around the chess room and cockpit. As pilot, I thought all I had to do was steer as there was no mention of brakes. Manual versus auto was not explained for the other positions. I get the idea of failure being more interesting, but I really felt rushed through the experience more than necessary.

 

[Nunu]

This was our experience at Disneyland multiple times as well. I would have liked to look around the chess room and cockpit. As pilot, I thought all I had to do was steer as there was no mention of brakes. Manual versus auto was not explained for the other positions. I get the idea of failure being more interesting, but I really felt rushed through the experience more than necessary.

In my case, the real rush came when our group was taken inside the cockpit.

I did have a few minutes inside the preshow/chess room, enough to take a couple of pictures seating in front of the Dejarik board game, there was a lot of confusion, and CM's were not being efficient organizing crews at the time.

 

[marni1971]

Bingo. It always baffles me when people say there should be a tutorial and a practice section and different modes. Yeah, right. This is a theme park ride. Part of the fun is seeing how good or bad people are at doing their jobs. You’re basically C-3PO in the cockpit of Star Tours. Good times.

Yeah. Right.

 

[ᗩLᘿᑕ ✨ ᗩζᗩᗰ]

It's not like they couldn't add it to the Play Disney Parks app to cover the ride basics with a game-based tutorial to prep riders before boarding. Why not? Great way to pass the time standing in the queue.

 

[Kram Sacul]

Yeah. Right.

I would be really curious to know if you know what the original plan was for SR. Like was there always going to be 6 people in the cockpit, etc.

 

[Tom Morrow]

I thought about it a little more and I suppose, while I believe that the intention is to crash a lot and make people laugh about it, they could take a few steps to give people a better understanding of what's happening. I say this because, having been the pilot a few times now with just one other person and not knowing the other four members of our crew, each time both of us left feeling like we annoyed the rest of our crew, who were riding for the first time. We weren't terrible pilots but they always seemed to think we were. I think this is in part due to the scripted elements like where you crash and fall down a huge shaft. First time riders don't seem to understand that your actions don't actually have that much influence on what you see and experience, only your final score. I understand not wanting to explain to first time riders that its very much on rails/scripted, but the current setup does lead to awkward situations. I hope moving forward the newer missions avoid making it seem like the pilots screwed up horribly.

Another issue is, I've ridden 6 or 7 times now, and I would say on about 2/3rds of those we had the video and audio glitch.

I initially did not like this ride much at all, but it has grown on me, but, like the land itself, it does need some tweaking.

 

[trainplane3]

Bingo. It always baffles me when people say there should be a tutorial and a practice section and different modes. Yeah, right. This is a theme park ride. Part of the fun is seeing how good or bad people are at doing their jobs. You’re basically C-3PO in the cockpit of Star Tours. Good times.

On one hand, that makes sense.

On the other, why would they grade someone that has next to no idea how/what they're doing and what's the reasoning they should care about their score?

It's like giving me a trigonometry test without showing me how to do any of it (formulas, etc). Cool I failed. Why should I care? Did I lose anything because of it? What am I missing out on? Oh well life goes on. I didn't know how to do it in the first place.

 

[marni1971]

I would be really curious to know if you know what the original plan was for SR. Like was there always going to be 6 people in the cockpit, etc.

14 cabins, six in each.

 

[Tom Morrow]

To my understanding there are four carousels. How many cabins are on each carousel?

 

[wdizneew]

To my understanding there are four carousels. How many cabins are on each carousel?

7 cabins per carousel. Therefore, 28 rotating cabins plus 2 stationary cabins for wheelchair access.

 

[mickEblu]

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.

True and yet they would resonate the most when it comes to a theme park land.

 

[Tom Morrow]

7 cabins per carousel. Therefore, 28 rotating cabins plus 2 stationary cabins for wheelchair access.

Second question, since I'm a nerd for ride operations. Do the cabins rotate directly from the unload zone to the load zone? Or is there a buffer in between? In other words, while you're riding, do five other cabins load after you before you reach the unload position?

 

[Kram Sacul]

On one hand, that makes sense.

On the other, why would they grade someone that has next to no idea how/what they're doing and what's the reasoning they should care about their score?

It's like giving me a trigonometry test without showing me how to do any of it (formulas, etc). Cool I failed. Why should I care? Did I lose anything because of it? What am I missing out on? Oh well life goes on. I didn't know how to do it in the first place.

The score doesn’t really matter unless you’re keeping track of that stuff on the app. I assume they originally had it mean more but at this point it’s stats for nerds.

 

[wdizneew]

Second question, since I'm a nerd for ride operations. Do the cabins rotate directly from the unload zone to the load zone? Or is there a buffer in between? In other words, while you're riding, do five other cabins load after you before you reach the unload position?

It's similar to carousel of progress where 1 theater (in MF:SR's case the cockpit cabin) is loading while another is unloading. The remaining 5 cabins are going through their 4.5 min smuggling run.

I think someone posted a diagram of the ride operations somewhere.

 

[admiralDax]

It's similar to carousel of progress where 1 theater (in MF:SR's case the cockpit cabin) is loading while another is unloading. The remaining 5 cabins are going through their 4.5 min smuggling run.

I think someone posted a diagram of the ride operations somewhere.

 

[Tom Morrow]

That's slightly inaccurate. Upon entering the chess room, one carousel is through one hallway directly across from the hallway you enter from, and the other, along with the ADA pod, is through a hallway to the right of where you enter. But it gives a better idea of how the carousels work.

 

[Disney Maddux]

Any ideas of when we get a new mission? I absolutely love the ride, but the train heist is starting to bore me.

 

[Tom Morrow]

Any ideas of when we get a new mission? I absolutely love the ride, but the train heist is starting to bore me.

Hopefully soon. The current mission is lackluster and I know they can do better. As I mentioned in my previous post, I would like for the mission to not include scripted events that make it seem like the pilots are screwing up. In addition, it needs three outcomes, one for bad, one for okay, one for good. Currently you can only get one container if you do poorly and 2 whether you do okay or great. And third, the mission always seems to run a little short with extended filler time "docking" at the end.

 

[marni1971]

View attachment 427835

That's slightly inaccurate. Upon entering the chess room, one carousel is through one hallway directly across from the hallway you enter from, and the other, along with the ADA pod, is through a hallway to the right of where you enter. But it gives a better idea of how the carousels work.

Do I need to do an accurate one?