Ride: Millenium Falcon: Smuggler's Run

Fly the Millenium Falcon on a thrilling interactive smuggling mission.

Ride Information

Composite Review (4.6 / 5)

Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run is universally praised for its high level of immersion and successful fulfillment of a lifelong fan dream: stepping aboard the Millennium Falcon. The attraction is lauded as a transportive experience that successfully places guests directly inside the Star Wars universe.

The Immersive Experience: Queue and Cockpit

The experience begins long before you buckle up. Reviewers agree that the attraction's detailed queue and pre-show are among the best Disney Imagineering has ever created. Key highlights include:

• The Falcon Itself: The full-scale replica of the ship is a breathtaking sight. As one reviewer noted, "Seeing the Millennium Falcon in all its glory is enough to drive grown Star Wars fans to tears... It's a childhood dream come true."
• The Walk-Through: The queue weaves through the Ohnaka Transport Solutions maintenance bay, filled with props, broken-down droids, and an impressive Hondo Ohnaka animatronic.
• The Chess Room: The moment you walk into the Millennium Falcon's main corridor—the iconic Dejarik (holochess) room—is a significant "goosebumps moment" even for casual fans.

The highest praise is reserved for the cockpit, which reviewers say Disney "completely nailed" in terms of "the look, the feel, and the sound."

The Interactive Ride

The ride itself is an interactive flight simulator where six guests take on roles for a smuggling mission led by Hondo Ohnaka. The mission's outcome is directly affected by the crew's performance, making the interactivity truly meaningful, unlike some other simulator rides.

The roles vary greatly in terms of engagement and view, which is the source of both the ride's excitement and its primary criticisms.

• Pilot
  • Position: Front row
  • Key Action: Controls horizontal and vertical steering.
  • User sentiment: Most Fun, Intense, and Immersive. "I thought the pilot position was the most fun. It's a surprisingly difficult task but also put me in control of the adventure." It's also the most stressful, as a poor performance leads to a very bumpy ride for the entire crew.
• Gunner
  • Position: Middle row
  • Key Action: Fires blasters at enemies (can be set to auto-target).
  • User sentiment: Less Engaging/More Boring. While allowing a focus on the screen, this role can be repetitive, especially on auto-target, and is considered the "least enjoyable" by some.
• Engineer
  • Position: Back row
  • Key Action: Flips switches and pushes flashing repair buttons.
  • User sentiment: Least Desirable. This position is generally considered the "worst" because the action requires looking away from the main screen to see which buttons are flashing, which "takes your eyes off the action as an engineer." However, some guests prefer this for a more passive experience.

Motion and Intensity

Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run is a motion simulator that is more intense than its predecessor, Star Tours.

• Motion Sickness: This ride is not smooth. The motion is described as "choppy" and like "riding in a big truck down the bounciest, jounciest dirt road." If you are prone to motion sickness, especially from screen-based simulators, you should be cautious. The experience is lessened if you are an Engineer in the back, or you can try to focus solely on your controls.
• Ride Length: The mission itself is relatively short, lasting about 4 to 5 minutes.

The Major Criticism: The Group Dynamic

The main point of contention among reviewers is the reliance on the entire crew—particularly the strangers you may be paired with.

• "The potential for other guests ruining the experience is there and that itself is a design flaw," writes one reviewer, noting the frustration of having pilots who are "constantly crashing" or gunners who are "doing nothing."
• Many recommend riding with a group you know to ensure good teamwork. Others suggest the single-rider line, as it increases the chances of being placed in the coveted Pilot position.

Final Verdict

For any fan of Star Wars, the queue and pre-show are an undeniable high point that may even move them to tears. The ride itself delivers a thrilling, interactive adventure that is truly rewarding when the crew performs well. Despite some criticism that the experience is highly dependent on other riders and that non-Pilot roles can be less engaging, the sheer thrill of sitting in the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy makes it a must-do attraction.

Reference

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/attractions/hollywood-studios/millennium-falcon-smugglers-run/