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

[PorterRedkey]

The above article has some new details on the queue, boarding process, cockpit roles and the consequences of your actions as a member of the queue.

I am not sure how I feel about the configuration of one pilot controlling up and down motion while the other pilot controls right and left. That seems difficult to me, but we'll have to wait and see how it feels in the real world.

The consequences of bad piloting seem to be violent shaking and warning alarms to alert the engineers of the damage. I'm sure this will be aided by visual cues as well, but I hope there is a little more to it.

All in all, I get more excited every time I hear a new detail! This is going to be so fun!!!

 

[rsm]

Since the on-ride video is supposedly being rendered in real-time, it seems they could feasibly simulate any time/weather conditions to match reality.

Yes - but by the time you've been in line for 5 hours the weather has already changed 6 times since you last saw real sky

 

[Disney Maddux]

So for the seating, will there be shoulder bars like Mission: SPACE, or regular seat belts?

 

[Janir]

I can see the fun in being a gunner or piloting the ship but i dont see much enjoyment in being the flight engineer. And since being an engineer is my occupation i fear my family may nominate me for that role even though im the only Star Wars fan of the bunch and i want to fly!

Flight engineer would handle power requirements to fire guns, the engines and shields and would probably control shield power to various sections. I actually see the Engineer being a pretty fun position.

 

[danlb_2000]

So for the seating, will there be shoulder bars like Mission: SPACE, or regular seat belts?

One of the promo videos shows just seat belts.

 

[Janir]

More likely the 7 year old will be the gaming star and will be held back by the 50 + year old adults who think that the ship runs by the up and down arrow keys on a key board.

Hey I resemble that fictional 50 year old. Ok so I'm not QUITE 50 yet, but I'm close enough for goverment work.

 

[britain]

More info on MF:SR from Blooloop article. Highlights below.

The Millennium Falcon at Disney’s new Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge

We take a detailed look at one of its main attractions, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. By Brady MacDonald Construction workers hustled to complete Star

blooloop.com

QUEUE
"Spooling up its engines, the Millennium Falcon will vent thrust gases while docked at a spaceship maintenance bay."

Up above, an animated starship engine suspended from the ceiling will glow a pulsating red.

“This is an engine that has come off of one of the ships in Hondo’s fleet,” Kalama said. “Much like pretty much every ship that he’s got, it’s riddled with blaster marks. It is also not working properly at the moment. As guests in this space, we’ll also get to hear some of Hondo’s crew trying diligently to get this engine back online. It is an animated piece, so we’ll get to see it in action.”
The Ohnaka crew can be heard throughout the queue preparing the Millennium Falcon for her next mission.
“As we know from canon, the ship is often in a state of disrepair,” Kalama said. “Today’s no different.”

'After ascending a switchback catwalk, riders will find a Falcon overlook area on the second floor. The top of the ship and the domes of Black Spire Outpost will be visible through a row of windows.

“We’ve designed the entire queue to make sure that guests get as many angles as possible of the Millennium Falcon,” Kalama said. “We know how important she is. We will make sure that whether you ride the ride or don’t ride the ride, everybody gets an opportunity to see the ship and take a photo with the ship.”

QUEUE: COMMAND CENTER
Riders will meet an audio-animatronic Hondo in the Command Center. The dreadlocked space pirate with six tusk-like chin protrusions will give riders their smuggling mission. Nearby, Hondo’s trusty droid R5P8 will keep the boss on schedule and fix failing equipment.

“This is where guests will finally have the opportunity to have their audience with Hondo Ohnaka, the boss man himself,” Kalama said. “He gives us the sales pitch about his amazing fleet of ships, his cargo that he’s got to move and how he needs flight crews to help him move it. He’s looking for pilots, he’s looking for gunners and he’s looking for flight engineers.”

On the video screen behind Hondo, the Millennium Falcon will rise up from Black Spire Outpost. It will then dock in a bay inside Ohnaka Transport Solutions.

QUEUE: BOARDING
"Riders will pass through an umbilical bridge connecting the spaceport to the Millennium Falcon.
Visitors will wait for their flight crew assignment inside the main hold of the ship. They can explore the hold, play the holographic Dejarik game and snap photos."

“Before boarding the Millennium Falcon, flight crews will be given boarding cards. These will assign them to a flight crew,” Kalama said. “When it’s your flight crew’s turn to pilot the ship, you’re called up by one of the Ohnaka Transport Solutions crew members and make your way towards the cockpit.”

Flight crews will be lead down a tube-shaped “chicklet corridor”. This is lined with white pillow-like panels that resemble the square gum with rounded corners.

Just outside the cockpit, Hondo will appear on a monitor to give pre-flight specifics of the smuggling mission.

“This is where Hondo sets up the particulars of the adventure. It is where you get to find out where we’re going, what we are smuggling, umm, delivering and what we might want to keep an eye out for if there are any potential hazards along the way,” Kalama said.

SMUGGLER"S RUN COCKPIT

"Six riders will take their seats with the pilots up front. Gunners will be in the middle and flight engineers in the rear."

The 200 buttons, switches and knobs in the cockpit will be fully functional. When activated, they will make clicking, chirping and beeping sounds. Their implementation will directly impact each mission.

“This is an experience that’s all about touching buttons, playing with buttons. It is highly, highly encouraged,” Kalama said. “Now, you need to be careful because the button’s already duct into the very systems of the Millennium Falcon. Depending on what you push it might have the desired effect or an unintended consequence.”

COCKPIT ROLES:

Pilots:
The pilot sitting in the front left seat is responsible for steering the ship left and right. The co-pilot sitting in the front right seat makes the ship go up and down.
“We have our pilots up front,” Kalama said. “It is truly up to them to pilot the ship. Depending on how they do, that will determine the overall physical health of the ship.”

Gunners:
In the middle seats, the gunners are responsible for the Millennium Falcon’s weapons systems. An array of buttons fire the weapons.

“Because we are a smuggling operation, chances are we may come up against folks who are not too happy about what we are up to,” Kalama said. “It will be up to the gunners in the middle to provide defense for the Millennium Falcon. If they don’t line up the TIE fighters fast enough, the hull is going to get riddled and the ship is going to shake violently.”

Engineers:
In the rear seats, the flight engineers are responsible for fixing the Millennium Falcon. They get the ship back into a working order after an attack or accident.

“There are a lot of spires in Black Spire Outpost,” Kalama said. “If you run into one and the pilots don’t steer out of the way, the ship’s going to crash into them. Warning alarms are going to go off and it’ll be up to the flight engineers in the back to make sure that they keep the ship in working order.”

Additional Info:
The Smugglers Run ride experience begins and ends in the hangar bay of Ohnaka Transport Solutions. During the tour, the hangar bay was projected on a domed screen outside the cockpit windows of the flight simulator.

Concept art included in the article: (Perhaps, this is part of the pre-boarding video???)
View attachment 358338

That concept art is for the hotel, but it kind of gives you the idea about the side port for the millennium falcon.

 

[PorterRedkey]

That concept art is for the hotel, but it kind of gives you the idea about the side port for the millennium falcon.

Gotcha! I thought it might be from the pre-show film since it appears that's how we'll be entering the Falcon.

 

[Disney Maddux]

So from the new description...

Large queue line, then pre-show with Hondo, then you go across one of two bridges to one of two Millennium Falcons where you get your flight card, then in a 2nd preshow you're all given your roles, before entering the chess room.

Then you're called in by the CM's, taken to one of two turntables, and right before going in, a quick 3rd preshow with Hondo giving your pre-flight briefing.

 

[PorterRedkey]

So from the new description...

Large queue line, then pre-show with Hondo, then you go across one of two bridges to one of two Millennium Falcons where you get your flight card, then in a 2nd preshow you're all given your roles, before entering the chess room.

Then you're called in by the CM's, taken to one of two turntables, and right before going in, a quick 3rd preshow with Hondo giving your pre-flight briefing.

This is what I got from the article.

Maintenance Bay>
Ascend switchback catwalk >
Falcon overlook on 2nd Floor >
Command Center (Hondo and R5P8, recruitment spiel) >
"Umbilical" bridge connecting spaceport to Falcon >
Chess room/main hold (receive boarding cards that specify your crew position, explore chess room) >
Corridor to cockpit>
Outside of cockpit (pre-flight mission specifics - where you're going, what your smuggling and hazards you may encounter)
MISSION TIME!

The more I hear about the chess room/main hold, the more I think this will be like the Fallon queue ar Universal. Guests get their color-coded cards with the crew positions and then they can mill around with the other smuggler's (guests) until their color/number is called to board.

 

[PorterRedkey]

It’s not mentioned in the last article, but I could also see some sort of pre-takeoff checklist/calibration. This will give riders a chance to get a feel for their controls. This short section would kind of act like the 1st scene of TSM, but integrated into the story in a more natural way.

 

[030918]

As someone who’s not really familiar with Star Wars (a shame, I know) but really interested in these expansions, I started watching the movies to get a better understanding of all the different elements involved. It might sound stupid after following the project for years, but one thing I only noticed recently is that the actual cockpit is situated off-center in the Millenium Falcon.

I’m curious to see how they’re going to give visitors the idea they’re flying the ship and not just the cockpit and if this might affect the movement of the simulator. Probably taking this too far as someone who’s catching up, noticing different aspects from a different perspective and overthinking it though.

 

[britain]

As someone who’s not really familiar with Star Wars (a shame, I know) but really interested in these expansions, I started watching the movies to get a better understanding of all the different elements involved. It might sound stupid after following the project for years, but one thing I only noticed recently is that the actual cockpit is situated off-center in the Millenium Falcon.

I’m curious to see how they’re going to give visitors the idea they’re flying the ship and not just the cockpit and if this might affect the movement of the simulator. Probably taking this too far as someone who’s catching up, noticing different aspects from a different perspective and overthinking it though.

No worries, I thought about it too and I’m a lifelong Star Wars fan. I think they’re going to default to what the view out the cockpit looked like in the movies, which was to essentially disregard the fact that the view to the left should be blocked by a whole bunch of ship.

I dunno, maybe it’s canon that there’s some sort of ship cloaking from the pilot’s point of view...?

 

[Cosmic Commando]

I dunno, maybe it’s canon that there’s some sort of ship cloaking from the pilot’s point of view...?

That's impossible. No ship that small has a cloaking device.

 

[sedati]

No worries, I thought about it too and I’m a lifelong Star Wars fan. I think they’re going to default to what the view out the cockpit looked like in the movies, which was to essentially disregard the fact that the view to the left should be blocked by a whole bunch of ship.

I dunno, maybe it’s canon that there’s some sort of ship cloaking from the pilot’s point of view...?

I've actually argued about this with a friend. While I think the mandibles might be visible, I don't think you would actually see very much of them. The mandibles angle away from the cockpit. The cockpit is also slightly higher and has the view on the side fairly obstructed. I think if you were standing, you'd see them pretty well, but I'm not sure how much you'd see when seated, especially from the second row.

Here's a neat thing:

skip to 1:40 for relevance.

 

[Bleed0range]

Here's a pic I used last year to show this location (I'm assuming we enter cockpit side, though there is an identical ring on the opposite side as well. You can see the hexagon shape.
View attachment 357562
From an earlier preview showing off the docking port on the exterior version.
View attachment 357565

I believe it would make the most sense to enter the opposite side of the cockpit as it would lead you through the chess room and has no corridor directly to the right as you enter the docking port.

 

[sedati]

I believe it would make the most sense to enter the opposite side of the cockpit as it would lead you through the chess room and has no corridor directly to the right as you enter the docking port.

View attachment 358760

Well, this pic faces a wall that looks like the entry from the cockpit side as it goes straight into a wall... but, there should be a longer initial hall if that's the case as we'd be walking over the entry ramp in its up position.
The other side is more squat as the photo above shows, but the layout you provided shows a turn to the left and a long hallway straight ahead.
Certainly liberties may have been taken with the interior layout.
It's hard to tell from the leaked photos what kind of view we will have from the gantry when entering the ship. If we are seeing a bit of the exterior profile, I thought the cockpit side would be more appropriate as it's more familiar, and also the side we're used to seeing our heroes enter from. Also, coming around the long way to the chess room would give us more of the ship to tour.
That said, I haven't read any of the press accounts making mention of seeing the hyperdrive or anything else back there, so it does seem we'll enter on the Falcon's left side. Exiting may take us out the other side however as it's a more direct route from the cockpit.
Soon, we shall see...

 

[marni1971]

I imagine Star Tours also benefited from having individual simulators, allowing maintenance to take them off line in sequence for work while keeping the attraction open (albeit at reduced capacity). Flight of Passage does this when issues pop up in each theater, and Tower of Terror is getting refurbished one drop shaft at a time, too.

In theory, Disney could do something like that with Smuggler's Run, assuming the turntables are physically separated from each other. But I can't imagine Rise of the Resistance being partially shut down while remaining open to guests.

Sorry, I don’t visit this thread much. The four turntables are physically separate and one, or more, could be closed with a reduction in capacity being the only consequence.

 

[marni1971]

Here's a pic I used last year to show this location (I'm assuming we enter cockpit side, though there is an identical ring on the opposite side as well. You can see the hexagon shape.

The interior waiting room (“chess room”) won’t exactly match the assumed shape of the room. Artistic liberties have been taken to make it feasible to feed three different ride areas, plus have an entrance.

The area marked “7” in the above plan is a good representation of the room. All else is similar but different.

The waiting area is fed from a familiar “Falcon” style curved corridor and is a square room with the chess corner, plenty of “Falcon” decor and a few beep beeps. From here similar curved “falcon” corridors will feed the ride areas. Although for a geek they’re technically in the wrong place, they’ll both feel right. Nor will you have to walk past corridor one to reach corridor two. Each group will feel their corridor is the only one and the correct one.

It’ll all “feel” legit I’m sure.

 

[MisterPenguin]

The interior waiting room (“chess room”) won’t exactly match the assumed shape of the room. Artistic liberties have been taken to make it feasible to feed three different ride areas, plus have an entrance.

The area marked “7” in the above plan is a good representation of the room. All else is similar but different.

The waiting area is fed from a familiar “Falcon” style curved corridor and is a square room with the chess corner, plenty of “Falcon” decor and a few beep beeps. From here similar curved “falcon” corridors will feed the ride areas. Although for a geek they’re technically in the wrong place, they’ll both feel right. Nor will you have to walk past corridor one to reach corridor two. Each group will feel their corridor is the only one and the correct one.

It’ll all “feel” legit I’m sure.

I'm sure there will be Star Wars enthusiasts walking into walls claiming there should be a doorway there.