new update to Star Wars ride at Disneyland

The original Star Tours ride (based on George Lucas' Star Wars movies) opened in Disneyland in 1987. Like many other attractions in Tomorrowland, it didn't take long for Star Tours to become dated and obsolete. So after years of development, the new updated 3D ride opens to the public on June 3, 2011.

Among the many differences between the 1987 ride and the 2011 ride, the detail I'm most curious about is that there are 54 different versions of the 2011 ride, and Disneyland patrons have no way of knowing which of the 54 versions they'll experience each time they ride it. (The version is determined randomly). The big question, then, is just how different these 54 experiences will be. It got me thinking that one could spend an entire day at Disneyland riding only Star Tours and still not experience all 54 variations. Thoughts?

My thought is that I miss Adventure Through Inner Space.


Picture from www.yesterland.com.

As a DLand annual passholder, I may be selected to ride the new Star Wars ride before the public open date. Still waiting for my official notification. But man....54 different versions?!? I'm even more jazzed to check it out.....

@WOV: I totally feel you about the Adventures through Inner Space. Even now, I still have vivid memories of that ride. I would have loved to take my 5 yr old son through that imaginary needle....

I find it ridiculous, however, they haven't updated Autopia yet. I mean...bumper cars propelled by gas powered lawn mover engines...in Tomorrow Land?? Cmon!!!

Quote: Ericayne

I find it ridiculous, however, they haven't updated Autopia yet. I mean...bumper cars propelled by gas powered lawn mover engines...in Tomorrow Land?? Cmon!!!

I would have to see the alternative to take a stand, but I loved Autopia as a kid, and still like it now. I think for millions of kids, including me, it was the first vehicle with a gasoline engine, they ever drove. The noise and the fumes is part of the experience, for better or worse.

You do make a very good point about the irony that they are still in Tomorrow Land. I never thought of that.

There has never been anything futuristic about Autopia.

However, I think it's placement in Tomorrowland is correct, since it represents the type of vehicle the riders will be driving in the very near future. I.E. It's the first cars these kids will ever drive. Similarly, I would not be surprised to learn that the first rockets any astronaut ever rode was also in Tomorrowland.

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On a somewhat unrelated note...

For a history of all retired Disney attractions, go to www.Yesterland.com

Quote: Wizard

My thought is that I miss Adventure Through Inner Space.

I don't think that was the first ride I rode in Disneyland, but it's the first I remember.

As for Tomorrowland, it suffered the same fate as EPCOT: it innevitably got dated. EPCOT got it worse, though, as it has been Disneyfied, too. I mean the generic, science/technology theme has been dropped in favor of Disney characters.

But you know the old saying: The future isn't what it used to be.

Quote: Wizard

My thought is that I miss Adventure Through Inner Space.

Oh, wow...I hadn't thought about that ride in *years*. I remember the big eye looking at you through the microscope.

This is partial still photo's with a little video of Adventure Through Inner Space, but it isn't a ride through:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctQMV81NIiw

But someone has created a "virtual ride through" that is on youtube, (but I didn't watch it)

There are also some interesting "Forgotten Disneyland" videos such as this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MP0ihNKuW4M&feature=related

That show traces of old rides and little "secrets".

I worked at Disneyland in 1985. The employees on that ride referred to it as "Adventure Through Intercourse." If you've ever been on the ride, you can probably understand why. By the way, just because it is dark, doesn't mean the security cameras don't see everything.

Quote: reno

Among the many differences between the 1987 ride and the 2011 ride, the detail I'm most curious about is that there are 54 different versions of the 2011 ride, and Disneyland patrons have no way of knowing which of the 54 versions they'll experience each time they ride it. (The version is determined randomly). The big question, then, is just how different these 54 experiences will be. It got me thinking that one could spend an entire day at Disneyland riding only Star Tours and still not experience all 54 variations. Thoughts?

I suspect that means that the order is determined randomly. If you actually choose each ride with a random number generator, then sooner or later you will have the same ride twice in one hour.

The 54 variations are not completely unique. There are any three location(1) the icy planet of Hoth, (2) the lush jungles of Kashyyyk and the (3) underwater Gungan world of Naboo. The other variants depend on which characters show up.

Quote: reno

Among the many differences between the 1987 ride and the 2011 ride, the detail I'm most curious about is that there are 54 different versions of the 2011 ride, and Disneyland patrons have no way of knowing which of the 54 versions they'll experience each time they ride it. (The version is determined randomly). The big question, then, is just how different these 54 experiences will be. It got me thinking that one could spend an entire day at Disneyland riding only Star Tours and still not experience all 54 variations. Thoughts?

I suspect that means that the order is determined randomly. If you actually choose each ride with a random number generator, then sooner or later you will have the same ride twice in one hour.

The 54 variations are not completely unique. There are any three location(1) the icy planet of Hoth, (2) the lush jungles of Kashyyyk and the (3) underwater Gungan world of Naboo. The other variants depend on which characters show up.

I just returned form Disneyland (with the Mrs. and 4 yr old) on Wednesday. Star Tours was up and running for Cast Member previews only..arrrgh! OH well that's the way it goes. I love going to Disney as much as I love going to Vegas.

One interesting thing that happened was I got to experience a 'full stop' (or whatever the right term is for it) in Space Mountain. Our rocket was the last one off the lift and had completed 1 or 2 passes and then the brakes hit. After 15-20 seconds or so all the lights came on and we could see rockets stopped all over the track. The cast members then walked thru the track , releasing one rocket at a time (ours was last). So we got to go down the rest of the track with the lights on, was interesting. Then they reset everything and we got to go thru again with the lights off.

I never heard what the reason for the stop was. Maybe 2 rockets got too close together? Who knows. I snapped a couple pix, was neat.

Quote: slyther

One interesting thing that happened was I got to experience a 'full stop' (or whatever the right term is for it) in Space Mountain.

I had that happen on The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror ride in Orlando in 06. The car stopped on the track before entering the levator and the lights came on. A voice through the speaker said the ride would resume in a moment. It resumed after 3 or 4 minutes, but with the lights on, without sound effects. We were all given an immediate re-ride when it ended.

Ride breakdown? I got ya beat.

A few years ago, the wife and I were on line to get into the new ride at Epcot: GM's Test Track. It broke down when there were maybe two carloads of people ahead of us. We waited and spoke to the manager who gave us a head of the line pass and told us to try back in a day or two. Three days later we went in, used the pass, and got into the car, when it broke down before our car was released onto the track.

The same manager was on duty and remembered us. He told us to wait a minute till he was done handing out passes. When he was done, he wrote a note on the back of a business card and told us to go to customer service.

The wife and I were thinking, "What's customer service gonna do?" and almost didn't go there. But we went, waited a few minutes on line, then waited about 10 minutes while the clerk and a manager discussed the problem and a resolution.

When we were done, they gave use a pair of 7 Day World Hopper passes, or something to that effect. That night, we talked to the clerk at the Disney store our hotel. I had gotten friendly with him a couple nights before. I told him what happened and showed him the tickets. He scanned them int his ticket system, and his eyes almost popped out of his head when he looked at his screen. He said that they don't even sell what I had gotten, and that he estimated their value at about $1,300 each.

Ka-CHING!

Very cool DJ... Disney will go to many lengths to keep their customers happy. Mrs' Slyther's sister worked in the Disneyworld summer intern program once. She was working an ice cream cart and her instructions were that if anything went wrong (kid drops ice cream, etc) to immediately replace it without question "on the Mouse"