My Bothan spies have reported in with breaking news--they have ridden Smuggler's Run!
CMs were allowed to ride today. The person I talked to rode this afternoon and they waited about 25 minutes. Here's what they shared:
- Outside they were only able to see the area right around the Falcon, but it looked fantastic. Great detail, distressing, and theming. They said seeing the Falcon actual size was amazing.
- The queue was highly themed, similar to Pandora. But it seemed like the farther they got into the attraction, the more sparse it was (especially after Hondo)--they guessed there might be more signage to come. There was back story, but they expected a bit more. The crew of CMs working the attraction were very motivated, but seemed to still be settling in (understandibly).
- They only used the FastPass line, but could see into the elaborate extended queue for Standby. There was a Single Rider Line, too.
- The layout sounds much like we have talked about upthread and actually walking through the Falcon was awesome.
- Hondo looks really good, but it's very noisy in the room.
- Boarding the Falcon was really cool and the "chess room" is pretty big. They thought there were at least four groups looking around before their color boarding card was called.
- The path to the "second" cockpit was handled well and seemed plausible.
- They had positive, but slightly mixed feelings about the ride. They said it's like a six-player team video game. It sounded like there was less motion than Star Tours, but that's subjective.
- They felt like it was fun to participate from your station, but a bit confusing for a first-time rider and especially for someone not very experienced on higher-end game consoles. But the software keeps the story moving, even when you smash into things (or don't participate very well). Their initial thought was that there was a good balance between participating and the story moving forward. But they didn't have the opportunity to test the limits, like flying off course.
- There was a choice between auto and manual on the gunner's station.
- They enjoyed it and look forward to riding again.
This is what I gleaned from one conversation. They said what they saw was incredible. They enjoyed the ride, but want to experience more missions and try other stations. They thought people were going to really enjoy it and that the land has a big wow factor.
I can't wait!