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

[Tom Morrow]

Rode several times today (wait was seriously only about 15 minutes - though its not like no one was riding, the line flies with no Fastpass. It's crazy how fast the line moves considering each pod only seats 6 people. I like the ride more than I did on my first rounds a few weeks ago and that is probably helped by getting to fly both Pilot seats. I still think there needs to be three levels of achievement - 1 container if you do poorly, 2 if you do decent, and 3 if you do really well. Additional missions are also sorely needed.

I don't know if anyone else has made this mistake but I wanted manual gunner but accidentally chose automatic because I found it unclear which button you're supposed to push (turns out the screen points to which button). I hate that its locked in so if you make a mistake you can't change it. I think this should be changed.

 

[cjkeating]

Wait, no way! Really!?

Did you get this scenario?

I always hated that Spire crash. It always seemed unavoidable.

On our fourth attempt (we were pilots the final two times) we avoided the spire when getting two coaxium,I didn't record our score but I assume it was linked to that.

 

[wdwperry]

Not sure if this has been posted on the boards yet, but I just saw this on Twitter and it uses information gathered by @lentesta



Not to discredit you or the work you do, but it's really hard to listen to the people filling out these surveys if they can honestly believe meeting Chewbacca at the Star Wars Launch Bay is a higher rated attraction/experience than ToT or MF:SR.

 

[lentesta]

Not sure if this has been posted on the boards yet, but I just saw this on Twitter and it uses information gathered by @lentesta



Not to discredit you or the work you do, but it's really hard to listen to the people filling out these surveys if they can honestly believe meeting Chewbacca at the Star Wars Launch Bay is a higher rated attraction/experience than ToT or MF:SR.

It's not hard to believe. Character greetings, parades, and fireworks in general are some of the highest-rated things in the parks, across most age groups. The effects of a personal character interaction are apparently worth more than most rides.

 

[HauntedPirate]

It's not hard to believe. Character greetings, parades, and fireworks in general are some of the highest-rated things in the parks, across most age groups. The effects of a personal character interaction are apparently worth more than most rides.

I can believe the latter two to some extent, but character greetings? I'm at a loss...

 

[iowamomof4]

It's not hard to believe. Character greetings, parades, and fireworks in general are some of the highest-rated things in the parks, across most age groups. The effects of a personal character interaction are apparently worth more than most rides.

I'm pretty sure my TP survey would have been included in those ratings. I did not enjoy the ride very much. The queue was amazing, however. We rode twice: we were engineers the first time and pilots the second. Being pilot was significantly better than engineer, but I don't think I would miss it if I never rode it again.

 

[Tom Morrow]

If Tower of Terror is ranked that low, then the survey questioned were skewed or something.

 

[lentesta]

If Tower of Terror is ranked that low, then the survey questioned were skewed or something.

It includes the opinions of pre-school and grade-school kids, who tend not to like the ride.

That said, no age group has Millennium Falcon in their Top 5.

 

[ChrisFL]

I think putting a relatively unknown character was a mistake for one

 

[Marc Davis Fan]

If Tower of Terror is ranked that low, then the survey questioned were skewed or something.

That's what I was thinking, too.

If this survey accurately reflects people's views of the attractions, I do not have much hope for the future of theme parks.

 

[lentesta]

DHS Attractions By Age Group, last 90 days, minimum 250 surveys received:

Pre-School: 1) Slinky Dog 2) Toy Story Mania 3) Fantasmic! 4) FTFTIF 5) BATB
Grade School: 1) Slinky Dog 2) Toy Story Mania 3) Fantasmic! 4) FTFTIF 5) BATB
Teens: 1) RnRC 2) Tower 3) Slinky Dog 4) Toy Story Mania 4) Fantasmic!
Young Adults: 1) RnRC 2)Tower 3) Slinky Dog 4) Toy Story Mania 5) Fantasmic!
Over 30: 1) RnRC 2) Tower 3) Slinky Dog 4) Toy Story Mania 5) Fantasmic!
Seniors: 1) RnRC 2) Tower 3) Slinky Dog 4) Toy Story Mania 5) Fantasmic!

 

[Mickeyboof]

I’m fascinated by this data. One would think piloting the Falcon would have been a draw in itself. I can only imagine what the tone in the Imagineering offices is like right about now.

I’d be curious to see further data that explores the rating in depth. Was it Hondo, the queue, the mission, the graphics, intensity, the coaxium? A sum of all the parts?

It will be fascinating to see @lentesta ’s data after (and if) the missions change, if the ride makes it into any top 5s.

 

[drod1985]

DHS Attractions By Age Group, last 90 days, minimum 250 surveys received:

Pre-School: 1) Slinky Dog 2) Toy Story Mania 3) Fantasmic! 4) FTFTIF 5) BATB
Grade School: 1) Slinky Dog 2) Toy Story Mania 3) Fantasmic! 4) FTFTIF 5) BATB
Teens: 1) RnRC 2) Tower 3) Slinky Dog 4) Toy Story Mania 4) Fantasmic!
Young Adults: 1) RnRC 2)Tower 3) Slinky Dog 4) Toy Story Mania 5) Fantasmic!
Over 30: 1) RnRC 2) Tower 3) Slinky Dog 4) Toy Story Mania 5) Fantasmic!
Seniors: 1) RnRC 2) Tower 3) Slinky Dog 4) Toy Story Mania 5) Fantasmic!

Thanks for this. These results broken down by demographic make more sense. I'm interested in this survey in another ~70 days since Smuggler's Run has only been open to the public for 21 days.

My personal rating (Over 30): 1) RnRC 2) Smuggler's Run 3) Tower 4) Star Tours 5) Toy Story Mania

 

[Monorail_Orange]

Thanks for this. These results broken down by demographic make more sense. I'm interested in this survey in another ~70 days since Smuggler's Run has only been open to the public for 21 days.

My personal rating (Over 30): 1) RnRC 2) Smuggler's Run 3) Tower 4) Star Tours 5) Toy Story Mania

We're pretty close. My personal ratings (Over 30): 1) RnRC 2) Smuggler's Run 3) Tower 4) Slinky Dog 5) Star Tours

 

[Casper Gutman]

I would argue strenuously that the problem isn’t Hondo or anything cosmetic. The problem is that video games and theme park rides are fundamentally different art forms that require different forms of interaction. Rides are far more akin to film, a collective, experienced art. TSMM gets by because it is only a ride in the very loosest sense - the movement of the vehicle serves no story purpose and is completely separate from the interactivity.

I also think SR reflects a mistaken understanding of what SW fans want. I don’t think there is great fan desire to FLY the Falcon, which is explicitly clunky, oddly shaped, and unreliable. I think there is more desire to RIDE in the falcon (with Han or Lando flying) and to FLY an X-Wing. That was the experience most SW video games emphasized - I don’t recall any games centered on flying the Falcon.

Of course, the number one SW experience people want is to eat in an alien cantina, and Disney cut that, so execs may not really understand the property all that well.

 

[drizgirl]

It's not hard to believe. Character greetings, parades, and fireworks in general are some of the highest-rated things in the parks, across most age groups. The effects of a personal character interaction are apparently worth more than most rides.

Is that really so hard to believe? How many people have posted how disappointed fans are that the new highly anticipated high dollar land is based on the new episodes and not the old ones people are so nostalgic about? Disney traffics in nostalgia, allowing people to reconnect with much beloved stories from their youth. Iger chose to theme the new land around the new stories produced under his leadership. Not enough time has passed to know if people are or will be nostalgic about the new movies. He took a huge risk investing in the newer stories and characters. Only time will tell if people will develop the same nostalgia for those movies.

If the new ride gets up and running consistently, and if it's as good as people say, people will flock there because of the new ride. Lands and attractions don't always have to be connected to movies from our youth (Pirates, HM, etc) but it sure helps.

 

[RSoxNo1]

It's not hard to believe. Character greetings, parades, and fireworks in general are some of the highest-rated things in the parks, across most age groups. The effects of a personal character interaction are apparently worth more than most rides.

I think a distinction needs to be made about some of the self selecting items though. Something like a meet and greet is largely predictable. Sure, you may get an exceptional cast member in an exceptional circumstance that will make the experience that much better, but the encounter is still very predictable for the first time. Comparatively, people don't pay attention to attraction names or warnings. An attraction like Tower of Terror is going to be incredibly divisive. It's going to scare the crap out of people (adults and kids alike) and they're not going to be able to judge it with an objective eye.

Similarly, a lot of the shows exceed expectations, in part because there were no expectations at the outset.

 

[lentesta]

FWIW, 78% of readers give DLR's Oga's Cantina a "thumbs-up" in our surveys, which is significantly below average. DHS' version is at 86%, which is average.

 

[drizgirl]

I’m fascinated by this data. One would think piloting the Falcon would have been a draw in itself. I can only imagine what the tone in the Imagineering offices is like right about now.

Not everybody on the ride gets to "pilot" the Falcon though.

 

[Mickeyboof]

Not everybody on the ride gets to "pilot" the Falcon though.

True! I did misuse the word though, a silly oversight! I more meant be in the cockpit in general/ influence the ride outcome.