On June 3, Disneyland unveiled the newly refurbished Star Tours attraction. We were fortunate enough to be sponsored to attend the media events surrounding Star Tours, Ariel's Undersea Adventure, and the new Soundsational Summer Parade by the folks at Disney Parks & Resorts. For my 10 year old son, Alex, getting to ride the 3-D Star Tours attraction until it literally made him nauseous was a dream come true. It's a wonderful, fun-filled ride that will delight the Star Wars die-hards like Alex and the Star Wars skeptics like myself.
When the ride officially opened on Friday, the line to get in at 9:00 am was like nothing I have never seen before. At 9:00 am, it hadn't even opened and the line was four hours or more long. These were the true Star Wars afficianados, who came to the park just for this ride, many carrying light sabres and in costume. There was also a huge crowd of onlookers gaping at the crowd in line, most of whom had no idea what was going on. There were no FastPasses available for opening day, but I understand that they will be available later.
The ride opened with a bang, with a press-only "Opening Ceremony" done in true Disney/Hollywood fashion. Tour Guide Angela welcomed everyone to the opening, including a few Jedi, Stormtroopers, and the dastardly Darth Vader. There was only one ticket left, and both the Empire and the Jedi wanted the seat. A light sabre duel ensued, with the bad guys being dispatched by a hooded figure, who was later revealed to be Disney Parks & Resorts CEO, Tom Skaggs. Fortunately, no lives or limbs were lost in the fight, and good prevailed over evil. With a little razzle-dazzle and some pyrotechnics, Skaggs cut the ribbon and declared the ride open.
Inside, the air-conditioned queue has pictures and video of places you can visit on Star Tours, and some robots entertaining the crowd. One of the things that I like about Disney's newer attractions is that the queue can be as entertaining and interesting as some of the rides. My favorite is still the California Aviator's Hall of Fame inside "Soarin' Over California", but this one is fun as well.
When you reach the top of the queue, you pick up special 3-D glasses, and board the Star Tours vessel to take you to parts unknown. The magical part of the ride is that there are 54 different randomized variations of tours you can take, so even if you ride it multiple times, you won't likely see the same things twice. My favorites were the jump to hyperspace between planets, going underwater to the home of Jar-Jar Binks, and the ice planet. I don't know the names of all of these places, but my son was rattling them off as though he'd been there many times.
On the way out, there are posters for other Star Wars locales you can visit, like Naboo and Coruscant, and of course, the world's biggest Star Wars/Disney gift shop. Alex found some Lego Star Wars figures he hadn't seen before, which nearly sent him into orbit.
Tips for Enjoying Star Tours:
- It's a thrilling, 3-D experience, but not for the weak of stomach or those prone to motion sickness. If you're not feeling well, skip it. You really don't want to barf in the middle of traffic in Coruscant.
- The park advises against riding for those with certain health conditions, such as high blood pressure, heart, back or neck problems, and moms who are expecting.
- I expect the lines to be long throughout the summer, so be sure to wear plenty of sunscreen and bring water for your wait time.
- Take advantage of the FastPass system and get a FastPass for the ride, but expect that they might be gone quickly during the summer months.
- One of the Disney tour guides told me that the park is usually less crowded during the weekdays, especially in the early morning. Evenings tend to be more crowded because of the huge number of annual pass holders who live locally and show up after work.
- If you're staying in a Disney hotel, take advantage of the early admission and do this ride first thing.
- Listen for the flight number to be announced. "1401" is the address of the Disney Imagineering Headquarters in Glendale.
- Look for a nod to the "Adventures in Inner Space" attraction that used to be housed at this site. It's a microscope hidden in one of the scenes.
- Remember to behave yourself, or you might have to account to this guy:
Disclosure: Disney Parks & Resorts paid for my airfare and accommodations to attend this event. I did not receive any compensation for writing this review, or payment in exchange for posting. The opinions expressed herein are mine, and do not reflect the opinions or policies of the Walt Disney Corporation.
All photos are Copyright Glennia Campbell 201l. All Rights Reserved.
