After riding the new Star Tours ride at Disney's Hollywood Studios this past weekend, I have some thoughts to share in a review of the "re-imagined" ride.

I really had high hopes for this ride.  Hopes that were dashed upon experiencing the ride.

Let me start by asking you, did you like the old Star Tours?  Was it a quality ride?  Up to the standards of quality brands like Disney and Star Wars?  If you thought so, you'll love the new Star Tours ride.  If you're a kid, you'll love it, too.  My 5 and 7 year old thought it was "awesome!" in their own words....of course, they liked the old one, too.

Personally, I was never a big fan of the original Star Tours.  It was a weak representation of the strong Star Wars brand.  Poor story line, boring characters, and an overall ho-hum ride.  Star Tours The Adventure Continues didn't improve much on that weak ride.

Now, Disney did add lots of new story lines.  Up to 54 different combinations of sections of the story to provide some variety and inspiring multiple rides.  However, the basic storyline is still that you're traveling somewhere in space, your ship gets diverted, your navigator/captain manage to get you home safely.

The video has been improved, they switched out random robot captain (RX-24) for C3PO, and added the multiple story lines.  Really?  This is what you accomplish in 8 months of refurbishment?

They did improve the queue line quite a bit with more and longer "stories" as you wait in line....and wait you will, young Jedi.  Granted it was opening weekend, but waits were in the 90 to 120 minute range and to make it worse, Disney didn't seem to have the longer queues figured out.  Random queue lines would appear out of nowhere and block off entire walkways.  Poor planning and implementation.

I know I'm being negative and my kids really liked it.  I just think that the Star Wars brand deserves better.  I walked away from the ride thinking, "meh, I may ride it again, but I'm not impressed and frankly a little disappointed."

So, rather than just bemoaning the failure, what's the solution?  Well, for now, really nothing, but I wonder, why didn't the imagineers draw from the super successful franchise and bring us something completely different from the old ride?  Look at what Star Wars offers, today, not 30 years ago.  The Lego Star Wars game is immensely popular and follows the real story line from the movie series.  The Star Wars: The Clone Wars series is very successful.  Where was this included in the ride?  Somewhere along the lines, Disney decided to completely regenerate and create a "new" Star Wars story, rather than sticking to the one that works.

With that in mind, I did like the inclusion of some scenes from the movies -- the pod racing scene, going under water with Jar Jar, Hoth battle scenes, and so on.  This was the best part of the ride, in my opinion, but they still just seemed so random and tossed in without any kind of solid story.

As I've pointed out, it was just okay.  I know there's a lot of excitement about the new Star Tours ride, but I just don't get it.  What do you think?

Star Wars Weekends 2011 -- what a colossal disappointment.  Star Tours The Adventure Continues....meh.  Star Wars Parade...AWFUL!  Coordination...big fail...How many years does Disney have to do the Star Wars Weekends before they get this event figured out?

One of my favorite Disney events of the year, Star Wars Weekends usually doesn't disappoint as a fun-filled weekend adventure at Disney's Hollywood Studios.  Will it be hot?  Maybe  Crowded? Definitely!  All things beyond anyone's control and never a factor in my enjoyment of the event or lack thereof.

This year, however, Star Wars Weekends just seemed to be one disappointment after another!  Most of which, well within Disney's control.  This is not to say there weren't still some positives.  Let's start with those.  You know, start off on the "light side."

Jabba's Hut

Learning from last year's error of putting the commemorative shopping area in a room that was just too small, Disney moved Jabba's Hut to an outdoor tent building near the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster ride.  Plenty of room, photo backdrops returned, lots and lots of memorabilia.  No complaints, at all!  In fact, they even had celebrity appearances throughout the day, so you never know what surprise may await you at Jabba's!  Great job, Disney!

Jedi Training Academy

Disney added lots more opportunities to go through the Jedi Training Academy for those up-and-coming Jedi knights.  Also, the signage for where to sign up is much improved over last year and this year, Darth Maul helps with the training!

Last year, we had to arrive at Hollywood Studios right before opening to race to Jedi Training sign-up to have any hope of participating.  Not this year.  You may have a later appointment with your training for the light saber, but you'll get in with training times of 9:15AM, 9:45AM, 10:15AM, 10:45AM, 11:15AM, 11:45AM, 12:15PM, 1:30PM, 2:00PM, 3:45PM, 4:15PM, 4:45PM, 5:15PM, 5:45PM, and 6:15PM.

Now, let's talk about the "dark side."

Walkways

I don't how to describe this one, other than that Disney found it necessary to close random walkways at different times for strange reasons.

Walking back from some photo ops with the Imperial side, we started up the walkway next to Tatooine Traders and were turned away.  We had to walk around by Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater and through the crowd to see Chewbacca to meet my wife at the Backlot Express.  Not a huge inconvenience....unless you trailing a 5 and 7 year old.  Then, to find out, the detour was because the queue line for Star Tours was cutting across that entire walkway next to Tatooine?  Seriously, Disney?  How long have you had queue lines and you can't figure out a better way to run a line than to cut off an entire pathway?  I mean, just run it down the side of Tatooine and back up.  Why cut off the path?

For another example, we decided to try to see Star Tours during the parade (a great tip for all the parks, by they way!) and found we were kept from walking to the ride.  We had to make a major detour to get to the line for Star Tours, even though we were already on the Star Tours side of the parade route.

Let's talk a little more about that parade route.

Star Wars Parade FAIL

The Star Wars Weekends 2011 parade really was the last straw for us.  Disney decided, this year, to shorten the Star Wars parade route to run from the front entrance of Hollywood Studios to the Sorcerer's Hat.  That's right!  Just a short jaunt down the street and everyone in Hollywood Studios standing along that route.  We "claimed" a spot along the route at 45 minutes before the parade start and still found ourselves over 10 rows behind the parade and not able to see anything.  We tried different positions, but by the time we relocated, the parade was almost over.  I mean, seriously, they only had about 200 feet to walk.

Apparently, the idea was that the characters would put on a show at the stage that was built right at the Sorcerer's hat.  Now, not only is every Star Wars fan in Hollywood Studios crammed into an ultra-short parade route, but they also have to gather around a platform stage?

To make it worse, remember that closed walkway back to the Star Tours ride?  Yeah, well that's the "old" parade route and they closed it off, because all the vehicles still had to exit down that walkway.  This closed the entire walkway from the Sorcerer's hat to the exit near the Jedi Training Academy.

So, the parade vehicles still did the full parade route, just the characters got off at the stage!!  Meanwhile, guests had to make a circuitous route to get anywhere on that side of the park.  What??!!  Why??  Who came up with this brilliant idea?  With the re-opening of Star Tours, you have what could possibly be the busiest Star Wars Weekends ever and you shorten the parade route to a 1/4 of it's previous size and block off the rest of the parade route, anyway?

We finally made our way to Star Tours to use our FastPasses, found this ride added to the disappointment (full review to follow), and went back to Coronado Springs to recover.

Disney has announced that the Star Tours ride re-opening will be broadcast live, online.  So, even if you're not able to make it to Orlando for the opening or don't have the right credentials to get in, you can still see all the "dignitaries" and celebrities, the pomp and circumstance surrounding the re-opening!

The Disney Parks Blog announced "a live webcast of the grand opening that will feature the ceremonial arrival of several dignitaries from around the galaxy to join in the fun."  The action begins at 10am ET, May 20^th on the Disney Parks YouTube channel and the Star Tours Facebook page.  Disney also promised that the live stream would feature "some material just for those of you watching online."

We will be at Disney's Hollywood Studios on the 20^th, however, we will miss the official Star Tours ride re-opening.  Obviously, we'll be online to see this webcast of the event and taking photos and video when we're able to get on the ride, later that day.  For anyone not able to be in Orlando or at the park for the re-opening, this is a great option and (finally) Disney taking advantage of available technology to bring their fans to the event.

Where will you be for the re-opening of the Star Tours ride?

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The Orlando Sentinel got an inside first look at the new "re-imagined" Star Tours Ride at Disney's Hollywood Studios.  For the last 9 months (basically, since the end of last year's Star Wars Weekends), Disney's been renovating/updating the old Star Tours with a re-opening date set for May 20th.

Fans are anxiously awaiting the re-opening with many lining up each day in hopes of an unannounced "preview" opening of the ride.  I can't wait, personally and will be there opening weekend to catch a "ride."

Here's the raw video from the Orlando Sentinel's exclusive tour of the new Star Tours ride:

Here's some more details from the Orlando Sentinel about the Star Tours ride:

The new Star Tours is designed to immerse guests in the Star Wars universe, said Kathy Rogers, senior show producer for Walt Disney Imagineering. That feeling should be present "as soon as you come in the door," she said during the Orlando Sentinel's exclusive guided tour this week.

The ride's 3-D film is divided into several segments featuring different planets and will be shown in 54 combinations. Once inside that door, visitors have a chance to see:

•A flood of fresh — and familiar — faces from Star Wars lore. The attraction is populated with characters throughout. "You've got Darth Vader, you've got Princess Leia, you've got R2-D2, C-3PO, Boba Fett, Yoda, Admiral Ackbar," said Tom Fitzgerald, executive vice president of Walt Disney Imagineering. "Jar Jar Binks makes an appearance."

The idea is to set Star Tours in a definite galaxy far, far away. The new safety video shows only intergalactic beings filing into seats; no one who looks like a tourist, as in the previous version. A window to another concourse shows shadowy outlines of other recognizable characters, royal and interplanetary. There are cameos during the ride.

•A crisp look that reflects a time shift. The new version is set years earlier than the old ride, and familiar objects look newer. "It feels like a brand-new airport," Rogers said.

In the first room of the queue, a copper-and-white StarSpeeder 1000 vessel sits where the blue StarSpeeder 3000 used to be. R2-D2 and C-3PO are there again, along with a small IC-360 scouting droid. Overhead is a new high-definition board listing spaceport departures and a galactic Weather Channel.

•A clear vision. Once the ride begins, the adventures are presented in 3-D digital projections, as opposed to 70 mm film. The imagery was again produced by Industrial Light & Magic under the guidance of "Star Wars" mastermind George Lucas. (The 3-D "flight glasses" are sleek, shiny and black.)

•Nods to Star Tours past. In the second room of the queue, which is the scanning area of the spaceport, boxed-up droids are ready for shipping. Rex, the hapless pilot from the original Star Tours, is marked "defective" and spews snippets of old dialogue.

What do you say?  Are you ready to see the new, re-imagined Star Tours ride?  Let us know in the comments.

It won’t be long now before Star Tours re-launches and “The Adventures Continue” at both Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and Disneyland Resort in California! But where in the galaxy are we going?

We know a lot of you have been wondering and asking, and today we are happy to reveal the final destinations you can expect to visit when Star Tours resumes service. You already know we’re going to Tatooine for the Boonta Eve Podrace and to Coruscant.

Additional destinations include a visit to the beautiful planet of Naboo, a rare tour of the Wookiee planet of Kashyyyk, and a trip to the icy planet Hoth (seen above in a still image from Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back).

Of course, no Star Tours adventure would be complete without an unexpected visit to the Death Star, this time above the planet Geonosis.

In addition, we’ll be departing from a spectacular new Spaceport, created just for the new Star Tours voyages.

As revealed earlier, these destinations will be combined in more than 50 different story adventures, so you’ll never know where the Force will take you!

One of my favorite annual events at Disney World, the Star Wars Weekends at Disney Hollywood Studios will also include the opening of the newly re-imagined Star Tours ride!  Disney has announced the dates and some celebrity appearances for the Star Wars Weekends 2011.

Star Wars Weekends 2011 will be held at Disney Hollywood Studios every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from May 20-June 12. More specifically:

• May 20 – 22
• May 27 – 29
• June 3 – 5
• June 10 – 12

For those unfamiliar with the weekends, you should expect to see special Star Wars parades, trivia challenges, Jedi Training Academy (this one occurs all year long, but it's significantly ramped up for the Star Wars Weekends), limited-edition merchandise and memorabilia, behind-the-scenes presentations, and star conversations.  Part of those "star conversations" includes celebrity appearances at Disney World.  So far, the only announced appearances:

• Anthony Daniels, known worldwide for his portrayal of everyone's favorite protocol droid, C-3PO, will return this year for Weekend 1 (May 20-22) and Weekend 2 (May 27-29).
• Ashley Eckstein, the voice of Ahsoka Tano in The Clone Wars, will appear each weekend this year as Celebrity Host of a behind-the-scenes talk show entitled "Clone Wars: Behind the Force."

Just as a head's up, if you're not a Star Wars fan, you'll want to avoid Disney Hollywood Studios on these weekends.  It will be much more crowded on these weekends than normal....and it can already be pretty crowded during this time of year.  Even "non-Star Wars" related areas and rides will be more crowded.

Also, due to the re-opening of the Star Tours ride right before the opening Star Wars Weekend, you will see much larger crowds on those first couple weekends.  Technically, the Star Tours ride re-opens before the first weekend, but this likely won't reduce the opening weekend crowds by much.

As a little teaser, here's our video of the Star Wars parade, last year.

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Today's Monday Mouse Mail question comes from one of our comments on one of our Star Wars Weekends posts. Where do I get Star Wars Christmas ornaments?

One of our favorite places to get just about anything is eBay, of course!

Additionally, we also like to check the Star Wars Shop, but the selection this year amounts to stockings and nutcrackers.

Of course, there's also the old stand-by, Amazon.

So, there should be plenty of places to find Star Wars ornaments, online. Good luck and let us know your secret stores.

Just a reminder that this weekend is the last weekend of the 2008 Star Wars Weekends at Disney's Hollywood Studios. It has been a fun year with lots of events and celebrity/character opportunities for guests. All of this fun and frivolity will be ending with "Hyperspace Hoopla," a character-filled dance party that highlights the end of "Star Wars Weekends" day at Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Part of this party includes Darth Vader and a cast of stormtroopers performing Michael Jackson's Thriller video, as shown in the picture above (© Disney. All rights reserved.).

Star Wars Weekends for 2008 began last weekend at Disney's Hollywood Studios.  We took the opportunity to go down on Friday and take some video of all the festivities for our fans to enjoy.  You will see character experiences with Darth Vader, stormtroopers, and an Ewok.  There is also some video of the Tatooine Traders store in the Star Wars area at Disney's Hollywood Studios where you could buy a completely custom light sabre replica!

The event included visits with actors from the six Star Wars movies. On the Friday we attended the event, Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett), Daniel Logan (Young Boba Fett), and Warwick Davis (Wicket the Ewok) were the celebrity appearances that included autograph sessions with each actor. Warwick Davis will host all four weekend events, including hosting the Stars of the Saga Talk Show.

Additionally, the number of character experiences was unreal. The following characters will make appearances throughout the event.

Jedi Mickey
Leia Minnie (New for 2008)
Vader Goofy (New for 2008)
Stormtrooper Donald (New for '08)
Queen Amidala
Aurra Sing
Boba Fett
Cantina Band
Chewbacca
Clonetroopers
Darth Maul
Darth Vader
Ewoks
Jango Fett Jawas
Princess Leia
Luke Skywalker
R2-D2
Shaak Ti
Stormtroopers
Tusken Raiders
Zam Wesell

Make sure to get to Disney's Hollywood Studios before this event passes you by!