My Family Voted: Smuggler's Run > RotR (Spoilers)

TigerlilyAJ

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jul 19, 2011
Yes, I'm here to help those of you still waiting to visit Batuu (not people who get to go and go, at least once a year--I'm talking to people who go no more than once every three years) realize that you and your kids might share the infidel opinion that Smuggler's is more fun than Rise. Now, Rise is a marvel. Full of next-gen tech. It's an *experience* with different sections.
But.
One and done. Yes, you could ride again and catch details you missed, wiggle in anticipation of the Big Moment you know is coming. But think of all you have to do currently to experience it at all, let alone do it again. Sorry, the whole get up in the dark, enter a lottery, and hope that the ride operates long enough and smoothly enough to get to your boarding group, is No Fun. Especially if you're like us, and have the first time you try it result in a FAIL with no ride. Trust me, if your first attempt is a fail, you will just shake your head at all the people who think the whole process is no big deal because they either haven't done it or got through their first time, so any fails are just fails for a second helping, not in getting any chance at all to experience the premiere ride that got you to spend more than $10,000 to get your family of six to travel more than 1000 miles to enjoy. Stress, anxiety, and physical exhaustion. With kids. Fun.
You're there on vacation. And even though I was willing and did get up half a dozen days at 5am to go for a Rise BG, once we had ridden it, after our second try and after we had been up for 15 hours that day and had to blow off a FP, no one, no one at all, was willing to get up again and go with me for BGs. I really expected at least one kid would come with me one day, but it never happened.
Meanwhile, we rode Smuggler's three times on three different days, and had tons of fun each time, even with waits of 45-80 minutes. Now, I feel like we might have more fun than others because we are a party of six. So, we are our own Falcon crew, never dealing with strangers, and getting to decide assignments all on our own, done while waiting in line. We changed positions, so everyone got to try everything. The ride is interactive, where Rise is passive, and there were some differences each time we rode. I actually enjoyed Engineer the most, because their part is more my type of video game play. And the ride is like a video game in a super simulator. So if you have family members who are all about TSM and Buzz, then this ride should excite them. We laughed, screamed, cheered, and had an uninhibited good time with just the six of us.
So, just remember, you don't experience the rides in isolation like a vlogger Disney invites to a media event. There is the whole hassle of getting on them, crowds, weather, and all of it impacts your overall experience. You might be surprised by how it plays out for your family.
:P
 
I should note that SR was not a smooth experience to get on in completely different ways.
#1) On Jan 5, we got in a posted 80-minute wait after turning away other times on Jan 3 and earlier on the 5th of the posted time was longer. We trudged along for about 20 minutes, getting around the backside of the Falcon, when a CM came to my family and told us we had to leave, everyone had to leave, and pulled a rope and latched it in front of us. The entire line evacuated, and CMs formed a human wall in front of the entrance and the front side of the ship. No explanation,and when nothing changed after 5-10 minutes, we moved on. We returned two hours later to a similar line. When I saw a CM, I walked over and asked if he could tell me anything about what happened earlier. Light information about a fire alarm going off (which my eldest had pointed out as a flashing blue light at the top level of.tje MFSR building), so everyone had to leave while it was investigated.
"So, you were in line for that? Where were you when they evacuated?" I pointed to where we had been. He then told me to gather my party and come with him.
And just like that we were escorted to the FP line and rode SR maybe 10 minutes later, having seen no meaningful parts of the queue.
#2) On the 7th, we waited in line for about an hour, got to see the queue and take fun photos of the kids, DD dressed as Rey, DSs Star Wars bounding. We boarded, the ride started...and then did nothing after we started the engine. Lots of basic background sound effects, the ship tilting side to side on occasion, but the screen never changed, and no voice directions came. We knocked on the door in case a CM could here, but ended up just sitting and waiting for it to end. The ride feels pretty long when nothing is happening!
A CM finally greeted us, thinking everything was fine. We told him what had (not) happened, and he had us touch our bands to his pad and told us to exit and immediately enter the FP line to rode again. So we had a long walk down and out and then right back up, but the ride went off fine on the second try.
#3) On the 8th, everything went smoothly. The CM handing us our assignments said, "You're not going to crash the ship, are you?" DH and I said sorry, we probably would. She thanked us for our honesty. We told her it wasn't our first ride, so we knew better than to be cocky. :P😉
 


Why for you? Just you, or others in your party?
Not a huge SW fan so I wasnt wowed by all the details. While Smugglers Run was more fun and exciting.

We were a party of 8. And several really liked RotR. They enjoyed all the little details. Me, and a couple others, were like "is this it?'. To me it was like the Great Movie Ride or Dinosaur ride. Just kind of boring. Dinosaur, at least, bops and jolts around quite a bit more.
 
I’m not a SW fan at all, and I was underwhelmed by SR, but blown away by RoTH. RoTH was an event, not really a “ride” while SR was a very nicely done improved Star Tours in my opinion.
 


I’m not a SW fan at all, and I was underwhelmed by SR, but blown away by RoTH. RoTH was an event, not really a “ride” while SR was a very nicely done improved Star Tours in my opinion.
I agree that SR was much like the old Star Tours. I was underwhelmed by SR as well. Just more underwhelmed by RotR.
 
The theming of MFSR is tremendous. It truly feels like you're aboard the Falcon, and it's a really fun flight for those in the pilots seats. I think Disney missed a grand opportunity to create the two famous gunner positions like we see Han and Luke in A New Hope. If that would have been incorporated, it would have been the best ride in the park. Otherwise, the non-pilot roles are disappointing.

ROTR is terrific -- just need to get it to perform as consistently as MFSR. I wouldn't want to leave DHS without doing either of these attractions.
 
Last edited:
I am going in June. I have absolutely no intention of getting up at stupid o'clock for ROTR, but, I don't know, if the line is not horribly long I may well give SR a go!
 
ROTR is terrific -- just need to get it to perform as consistently as MFSR. I wouldn't want to leave DHS without doing either of these attractions.

I am going in June. I have absolutely no intention of getting up at stupid o'clock for ROTR, but, I don't know, if the line is not horribly long I may well give SR a go!

I definitely would not want a trip without either of the rides. That's why I worked so hard to get us on RotR! Part of my original post was trying to demonstrate how the context of riding is part of the experience. You don't get to experience either ride in isolation, and people might want to prepare for that element.
Now, by June, the demand, the rules, etc. everything around RotR might look different than it does today, so it's hard to know how instructive these early experiences will be.
Especially if the consistency improves, so your BG number gives a better prediction of when you will ride. The day we rode, we altered a lot on the fly (meal, FP, leaving Epcot) because we thought BG 83 would be going in the afternoon. On a day we awakened at "stupid o'clock" we didn't get to ride until after sundown, but also after a full day of touring while constantly watching phones for updates and changing predictions. And we were *lucky* to ride at all. We were BG 83 on a day they cut off the ride at 87. That night I couldn't help but think of BG 88, people who must have been in the park with me at 7am, but were a millisecond later getting into the system.
All this effects how SR's charms appear in comparison. :P
 
I definitely would not want a trip without either of the rides. That's why I worked so hard to get us on RotR! Part of my original post was trying to demonstrate how the context of riding is part of the experience. You don't get to experience either ride in isolation, and people might want to prepare for that element.
Now, by June, the demand, the rules, etc. everything around RotR might look different than it does today, so it's hard to know how instructive these early experiences will be.
Especially if the consistency improves, so your BG number gives a better prediction of when you will ride. The day we rode, we altered a lot on the fly (meal, FP, leaving Epcot) because we thought BG 83 would be going in the afternoon. On a day we awakened at "stupid o'clock" we didn't get to ride until after sundown, but also after a full day of touring while constantly watching phones for updates and changing predictions. And we were *lucky* to ride at all. We were BG 83 on a day they cut off the ride at 87. That night I couldn't help but think of BG 88, people who must have been in the park with me at 7am, but were a millisecond later getting into the system.
All this effects how SR's charms appear in comparison. :P
Thanks for the detail of your experience. It is much appreciated! We're hoping to make it out to DL this summer and will want to experience these in their Galaxy's Edge then. I'm hoping that these kinks will be worked out by then.
 
Thanks for the detail of your experience. It is much appreciated! We're hoping to make it out to DL this summer and will want to experience these in their Galaxy's Edge then. I'm hoping that these kinks will be worked out by then.
Yeah, I've been skimming some bloggers talking about their DLR Batuu West experiences. We might go relatively soon, too. I think it should be easier to manage as a guest, because there are only two, walking-distance parks and even your hotel can be within walking distance. So no Lyfts needed when there are not enough buses to meet demand and Skyliner doesn't open until an hour after the park's early opening. Nothing needed but your own feet to get back if your group is called, and meanwhile you have a LOT more rides in the near vicinity, unlike DHS. Hope everything works out for you!
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Latest posts

Top