Guest Post - Thoughts on Star Tours: The Adventures Continue

Today we have a special guest post from Mr. Magical Days with the Mouse. We recently rode Star Tours: The Adventures Continue, and he is here today to tell you his thoughts on the ride. Please let him know you stopped by with a comment below! 

Like a lot of folks in the 30something age bracket, the original Star Wars trilogy made quite the indelible mark on my childhood. I was consumed with all three of the films, the toys, and anything else with a Yoda, Luke, or Vader stuck to it. When Disneyland opened the original Star Tours in 1987, it made a local boy like me ecstatic. Now on any given trip to Disneyland with family and friends I'd have the opportunity to assist in the take down of the Death Star once and for all. 

Fast forward to the modern times, and Lucasfilm decided (clearly without consulting me) that releasing Episodes I, II, and III would be a good idea. While it did engage an entirely new generation in the Star Wars lineage, it also raised quite a few questions from my own tribe, mostly "WHAT THE F#$% IS A JAR-JAR BINKS?!" Actually, by episode III they seemed to have salvaged the "pre-quel" series, with Darth Vader and his feud with Obi-Wan Kenobi coming together and the birth of Luke and Leia.

Something these three films did not lack for, is stunning visual affects and action, both of which appeared in droves and were of the highest quality. Much of that footage and backdrop has been utilized in another refurbishment of sorts, this time Lucas and Disney worked their magic on Star Tours to create an entirely new version of the ride, "Star Tours: The Adventures Continue."

My wife's name was drawn for one of the initial Passholder Preview Days, and along with her mother and friend, we were lucky enough to experience the ride four times in just a couple of hours. At the outset, things seem eerily similar. The queue follows the same path, goes by the same giant model starspeeder being worked on. The giant screen in the main entrance area is updated with new scenes (the great visuals from the most recent films) and little extras (I now know the weather on Hoth for the next 10 days: cold.) and a "Live Spaceport Cam" showing the general hustle and bustle all of us galactic travelers are accustomed to. The rest of the walk up does have a few updates, one of the robots has taken on what's become standard fare with Disney attractions at this point, real time interaction with folks waiting to board.

When we were offered a spot in a row, we were treated to an updated safety video, which meant no more polite lady with a giant hair-tumor growing out the side of her head, booo! We also got another new treat: 3-D Glasses. I have to say, as a person that really only gets excited about anything Disneyland-related when the Haunted Mansion opens for the Autumn, this was seriously exhilarating. 

Photo ©Disney

Let's cut to the chase. The ride is amazing. This is truly a "Choose your own adventure" ride, with 54 total possible combinations. There are four different variable sets, three of these sets have 3 options, and the introduction has 2 options. The wikipedia page about the updated version of the ride lists all of the variables broken out by segment, so I won't go into too much detail except to say, quite frankly, every single one is fantastic. Whether you're racing a Pod on Tatooine, fighting Boba-Fett (with Slave I no less) above Geonosis on the way to blow up the Death Star (again?!), or listening to Admiral Ackbar (IT'S A TRAP!) ask you to return a Rebel spy safely (who incidentally is a randomly chosen member of your pod, a snapshot of them goes up on a monitor. Really cool touch), you're engrossed in the entire thing. It's quick moving, dynamic, and the 3-D aspect really adds to the quality and depth of the experience. I will say this, the Hoth scene is AMAZING. I don't wait to spoil anything, but it's really a cut above the other two "planet" options. How do I know, you may ask? The first three times we rode it, we managed to see EVERY SINGLE VARIABLE. I worked out the odds on this (much to Han Solo's chagrin) and figured out that it was extremely unlikely to occur. Our fourth ride was basically a bonus, after which the four of us turned to each other and said "HOLY CRAP WE SAW EVERYTHING!" Talk about score, this ride will be severely impacted for weeks and months after the official opening, and to know I've seen it all and can revisit it when Fast Pass times are more palatable and I am in the mood for Disneyland. 

-Mr. Magical Days with the Mouse

Photo ©Disney