Disney Star Tours

NOTE : Disney Star Tours will close on August 14, 2010. It will go through a major refurbishment and reopen sometime in 2011.

The Disney Star Tours takes you for the adventure of a lifetime. The ride is based loosely on the movie Star Wars (the original). For example your tour will have a close encounter (pun intended) with the Death Star.

This attraction will close in October 2010 for an upgrade to Star Tours II. The upgrade will include a High-Definition movie and upgraded ride vehicles. The attraction is scheduled to re-open sometime in 2011.

Disney Star Tours

Photo by Jeff_B

Crowds

This attraction draws huge crowds. But at times the line will be very short. (See how Dad and the family rode Disney Star Tours without any wait.)

The Jedi Training Academy

Want to be a Jedi knight? You can learn how at the Jedi Training Academy. It's a live action show put on several times a day outside of the ride. Kids ages 4-12 are selected randomly to go through the training. It's a great show.

The Preshow

Disney has great preshows, and this is the best one at Disney World. Walk through a junkyard full of robots, speeder parts and all kinds of futuristic service center for a space station. It's very Star War's.

As you stand just outside the doors you there is a movie that shows all of the "rules" for the flight. Notice the unique hidden Mickey in the hair of the lady doing the briefing.

The Attraction

Warning: Disney Star Tours is a simulator ride that can be uncomfortable for those who suffer from motion sickness. (Body Wars was worse.)

Board a Star Tours Star Speeder 3000 on a routine tour to the forest moon Endor (from the movie Return of the Jedi), what could go wrong? When everyone gets settled, the pilot comes on and welcomes you to your trip. He's a RX-24 robot who goes by the name of Rex. Your shuttle gets cleared for launch and the fun begins.

Of course, the launch goes wrong and your shuttle ends up screaming through the ship. Finally you end up in space and see some interesting sites. After a couple of harrowing experiences you end up locked in a tractor beam and headed for the Death Star. Just like the movie, you ride down the canyon toward the point where Luke launches the torpedos that destroy the Death Star.

Everything turns out fine and you come back to the mother ship for landing. There is one last almost accident as you almost run into a big fuel truck (while the people in the background scramble for cover).

The Postshow

There isn't a postshow, but you do end up in a gift shop.

Video

Here's some video from the upcoming Star Tours II.

Fun Facts

Here are some interesting tidbits -

• This attraction is the first Disney World ride to use non-Disney imagery.
• Each simulator can accommodate 40 guests.
• Anthony Daniel (the actor that portrays C3PO in the movie) makes an appearance in the video in full costume. He also did the voice of C3PO, the animatronic figure you see when you're in line, and also he appears as an annoucer.

History

This attraction first opened at Walt Disney World on December of 1989.

• Disney World was the third Disney park where Star Tours opened.

Dad's Ride Information Table

The Fine Print

Here's some small print information

• Due to the nature of the experience, service animals are not permitted on this attraction.
• Video Captioning is available on selected monitors in this attraction. Please visit Guest Relations to obtain an activator.
• For safety, you should be in good health and free from high blood pressure, heart, back or neck problems, motion sickness or other conditions that could be aggravated by this adventure.
• Guests must transfer from motorized scooter or ECV to an available wheelchair, then from the wheelchair to the attraction/ride vehicle.
• Expectant mothers should not ride.

Dad's Bottom Line

Star Wars is Dad's favorite movie of all times. I still get chills when that great music starts. So it's natural that Disney Star Tours is one of Dad's favorite rides. If you aren't bothered by the simulator, you don't want to miss this one.

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