Detailed Millennium Falcon Ride Guide

In the opening days of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge (and even before it opened), I rode Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run multiple times, with various scenarios and collected all the details for you—this is the ultimate Disneyland Millennium Falcon ride guide.

Disneyland’s Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run opened to the public May 31, 2019 as part of a 14 acre park expansion. The first of two rides on planet Batuu, a completely new attraction deserves all the attention and after riding several times, I knew it needed a complete ride guide.

I attended both a media preview before it opened to the public, along with opening day with real guests, and the day after. 

 

 

Keep reading for all the details on where to enter, which Disneyland path will get you to Millennium Falcon quickest, motion sickness, seat configurations, the queue you’ll wait in, Genie+ details and more. 

Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run Ride Guide Quick Info

• Height Requirements 38 inches or taller, not recommended for pregnant women (see full list of rides here). 
• Seating in Millennium Falcon cockpit chairs with a seat belt and no arm rests. Each cockpit seats up to 6 guests, 3 on each side with a aisle in the middle.
• Waiting outdoors first in partial shade and direct sunlight when backstage extended queue is in use. Afterwards, move indoors with an entertaining queue and lots of things to look at. When the backstage, extended queue is open, drinks (sodas and water) are for sale while in line.  
• How to ride Single Rider, Rider Switch and Disney Genie+.

 

 

• What we love riding with a rowdy group of friends. It’s fun to cheer each other on and yell out commands to each other on your flight. 
• What we loathe pilots are the best position by far, back engineer seats are hard and not comfortable. More details below on assigned roles and my opinion on the ride. 
• Insider Secrets gunners can select manual option so they can push one button and instead pay attention to the screen, not buttons on the side. More details on that in the rider position section. 

 

 

Will this ride make me sick? 

I think this is a step below Star Tours for motion sickness. If you are prone to motion sickness and can’t handle Star Tours, I am sorry to say this might make you sick. Here’s a list of other Disneyland rides that might make you sick. 

Need more input? Read this discussion on Facebook and let me know what you think. Plus, add to the comment section below and let me know if this made you sick.

Disneyland Smugglers Run Ride Guide Entrance

Since the hunk of junk itself is parked right outside the entrance to the attraction, it’s hard to miss but I want to help you get to the entrance as quickly as possible (without running of course). 

Where is the entrance to ride Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run? 

You can find the Millennium Falcon on the far right side of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. In reference to Disneyland Park, it’s closer to Frontierland and Fantasyland. We’ll explore each entry point and the most direct route now. 

• If you enter via Fantasyland proceed on the main route until you reach the First Order compound. Keep walking on this path, past the Milk Stand on the left and Oga’s Cantina on the right until you see the falcon parked beyond The First Order’s base.

 

 

• If you enter via Big Thunder Trail from Frontierland, this short but distraction-filled path leads you to a plethora of options, but for the quickest and easiest path to the falcon, make the first right turn available in the land which spits you out into the First Order base. Continue your exploration into Black Spire Outpost past the Milk Stand where you will turn left. Proceed on that path where you spot Oga’s Cantina on the right. Continue until you see the Millennium Falcon.This path isn’t long but it’s the most tricky to navigate if you’re brand new to Batuu. Once you’ve visited a few times, it becomes second nature.

 

 

• If you enter via Critter Country, follow the path into the Resistance camp and proceed through the marketplace and past Ronto Roasters. You will then spot the falcon in the distance. Head to the lower level via stairs in front of you or go to the ramp past the entry to Docking Bay 7, on the left. 

All riders including standby, Lightning Lane, single riders, DAS pass holders and Rider Switch parties will enter the queue at the main checkpoint. The current time and wait time is prominently displayed at the entry point, along with signs directing you to the proper queue.

 

Disneyland Millennium Falcon Ride Guide Standby

Standby is the traditional, regular queue most people will experience and it’s something you want to experience at least once. The queue is visually entertaining and offers extensive photo ops and interaction with Disney Parks Play app.

 

 

The standby queue is large, wide and has ramps to accommodate wheelchair and EVCs up to a certain point in the line. If an elevator is needed, you will join the regular queue at a later point. More info on that below. 

In the standby line you will experience these entertaining highlights:

• Up-close look at the Millennium Falcon exterior as you stroll past multiple windows. Perfect for photos and peering out over Black Spire Outpost.

 

 

• Life-size Star Wars props and exhibits on display.
• Hondo Onahka leader of an outer rim pirate gang, this animatronic is incredible and you won’t want to miss it. Hondo explains your task at hand and asks for your help. You’ll also see video of Hondo later in your voyage.

 

 

• Position assignment and boarding group color. Take a quick look at your boarding pass and instructions before entering the chess room. 
• Dejarik room aka chess room. Riders will enter the expansive Dejarik room, but be quick with your cameras and poses—time here is limited! While you explore, listen for your color boarding group to be called, it’s easy to miss. 
• Han & Leia Kissing Booth (maybe!). A lucky few will see this spot made famous when Han and Leia first locked lips. This spot is used to queue up select riders for their mission and it’s located at an exit point from the Dejarik room.

 

 

• Interior Corridors which are quite extensive and look exactly like the Star Wars films. You will oooh and ahhh over these details as you quickly pass through on your way to board the Millennium Falcon. 

Every line exits through various hallways and corridors but eventually leads back to one exit point which is just to the left of the entrance. 

Still need tickets to visit Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland Resort? Discounts are available here and use promo code DLPlan10 when you book a ticket and hotel combo.

Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run Ride Guide Genie+

Is there a Lightning Lane for Millennium Falcon? Yes, you can book Smugglers Run via Genie+ and use the Lightning Lane.

In the Lightning Lane you will experience these entertaining highlights:

• Hondo Onahka leader of an outer rim pirate gang, this animatronic is incredible and you won’t want to miss it. Hondo explains your task at hand and asks for your help. You’ll also see video of Hondo later in your voyage.

 

 

• Position assignment and boarding group color. Take a quick look at your boarding pass and instructions before entering the chess room. 
• Dejarik room aka chess room. Riders will enter the expansive Dejarik room, but be quick with your cameras and poses—time here is limited! While you explore, listen for your color boarding group to be called, it’s easy to miss.

 

 

• Han & Leia Kissing Booth (maybe!). A lucky few will see this spot made famous when Han and Leia first locked lips. This spot is used to queue up select riders for their mission and it’s located at an exit point from the Dejarik room. 

 

 

• Interior Corridors which are quite extensive and look exactly like the Star Wars films. You will oooh and ahhh over these details as you quickly pass through on your way to board the Millennium Falcon. 

 

 

Every line exits through various hallways and corridors but eventually leads back to one exit point which is just to the left of the entrance. 

Disneyland Millennium Falcon Ride Guide Single Rider

Single Rider is a great way to ride Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, often with minimal wait times. Enter via the labeled Single Rider line at the entry point of the ride. Please note your party may be split up to complete your mission for Single Riders  only, all other parties in the regular queues will be seated in the same cockpit. 

 

 

Make your first right into the hallway. Single riders can then choose to enter a single rider line on the right or left. Make your choice when you see this  “Hangar Bays” sign, pointing you to either direction.

 

 

Pick whichever line appears shorter but note that EVCs and wheelchairs are loaded on the left side, potentially making a shorter-looking line actually take longer.

My line was at the bottom of the stairs which is a good indication point signaling you have about a 15 minute wait time. We had 4 people in our group who were testing Single Rider. Two rode together and two rode solo, this was just by chance.

You will be used to fill empty seats in the Millennium Falcon cockpit. Do not ask to switch roles with the group you’re joining. It’s considered bad form as single riders are fillers–you get what you get. 

What position will I get if I choose single rider?

Almost 100 of the time you will get assigned the Engineer role. As a single rider, it’s considered taboo to ask others in your group to switch roles. Please stick to the role you’ve been assigned in this situation only. Keep reading for further details about each role on Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. 

 

 

In the Single Rider line you see or skip these queue highlights:

• SKIP, you will miss this portion! Up-close look at the Millennium Falcon exterior as you stroll past multiple windows. Perfect for photos and peering out over Black Spire Outpost.
• SKIP, you will miss this portion! Life-size Star Wars props and vehicles on display.
• SKIP, you will miss this portion! Hondo Onahka leader of an outer rim pirate gang, this animatronic is incredible and you won’t want to miss it. Hondo explains your task at hand and asks for your help. You’ll also see video of Hondo later in your voyage. 

 

 

• SEE, you will see this portion! Position assignment and boarding group color. Take a quick look at your boarding pass and instructions before entering the chess room. 
• SEE, you will see this portion! Dejarik room aka chess room. Riders will enter the expansive Dejarik room, but be quick with your cameras and poses—time here is limited! While you explore, listen for your color boarding group to be called, it’s easy to miss. 
• MAYBE, you might see this portion! Han & Leia Kissing Booth. A lucky few will see this spot made famous when Han and Leia first locked lips. This spot is used to queue up select riders for their mission and it’s located at an exit point from the Dejarik room. More details on that soon!
• SEE, you will see this portion! Interior Corridors which look exactly like the Star Wars films. You will see a limited version of these as you quickly pass through on your way to board the Millennium Falcon. 

Every line exits through various hallways and corridors but eventually leads back to one exit point which is just to the left of the entrance. 

Disneyland Smugglers Run Ride Guide Rider Switch

If you have a member of your party who does not meet the minimum height requirement for Millennium Falcon, please arrive with your entire party at the entry to the ride.

 

 

Cast Members will explain your options for activating Rider Switch pass which generally follows this pattern:

1. First party rides by waiting in the regular queue.
2. Second party waits for their return. I suggest a designated meeting point, at the time oversized fans to the left of the attraction entry point. Confirm everyone knows the meeting place before splitting up.
3. When first party completes their mission for Hondo, they switch roles and the second party can now ride without waiting in the standby queue. You can either enter via Lightning Lane or Single Rider. Yes, you can choose to use the Lightning Lane , even while they are not utilizing Genie+. A Cast Member will escort you to your point of immersion into the regular queue, but bypassing the majority of the wait. See the sections above explains what you see and skip during the line to help you better decide if you’d like to use FASTPASS or Single Rider as your Rider Switch return option. I suggest Lightning Lane especially if you’re riding the second time with an older child, but you may determine one suits your need better than the other.

 

Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run Ride Guide DAS & Wheelchairs

Navigating Disneyland Resort in a wheelchair or scooter shouldn’t hold you back and Smugglers Run in a wheelchair is entirely possible. Read my Disneyland in a wheelchair article for plenty of tips to make the most of your entire visit here. 

If you’re visiting Disneyland Resort and someone in your party has special needs, see my special needs section here.

 

 

Approach the entry to the attraction and a Cast Member will direct you to loading and transfer information. The standby queue is large, wide and has ramps to accommodate wheelchair and EVCs up to a certain point in the line. If an elevator is needed, you will join the regular queue at a later point.

If using a wheelchair or EVC in line you might experience these entertaining highlights:

• MAYBE, you might see this portion! Up-close look at the Millennium Falcon exterior as you glide past multiple windows. Perfect for photos and peering out over Black Spire Outpost. 

 

 

• MAYBE, you might see this portion! Life-size Star Wars props and vehicles on display.
• SEE, you will see this portion! Hondo Onahka leader of an outer rim pirate gang, this animatronic is incredible and you won’t want to miss it. Hondo explains your task at hand and asks for your help. You’ll also see video of Hondo later in your voyage. 
• SEE, you will see this portion! Position assignment and boarding group color. Take a quick look at your boarding pass and instructions before entering the chess room.
• SEE, you will see this portion! Dejarik room aka chess room. Riders will enter the expansive Dejarik room, but be quick with your cameras and poses—time here is limited! While you explore, listen for your color boarding group to be called, it’s easy to miss. 
• MAYBE, you might see this portion!Han & Leia Kissing Booth (maybe!). A lucky few will see this spot made famous when Han and Leia first locked lips. This spot is used to queue up select riders for their mission and it’s located at an exit point from the Dejarik room. More details on that soon!

 

 

• SEE, you will see this portion! Interior Corridors which are quite extensive and look exactly like the Star Wars films. You will oooh and ahhh over these details as you quickly pass through on your way to board the Millennium Falcon. NOTE: if standing in small, confined spaces will create a problem for anyone in your party, please notify the Cast Member at the entry point that you’d like to join the line in the chess room. You will skip a lot of potential triggers for special needs guests. 
• Please help us refine this list, if something needs editing, added or removed let us know in the comments. 

Every line exits through various hallways and corridors but eventually leads back to one exit point which is just to the left of the entrance. As you exit, you may proceed up the ramp to the right to go to Docking Bay 7, Ronto Roasters or the marketplace. If you’d like to go to the First Order part of Galaxy’s Edge including Oga’s Cantina, head straight out of the exit on the main path ahead. 

Disneyland Smugglers Run Ride Guide Positions

Each cockpit holds up to 6 guests. It can indeed operate with less, and vacant positions will run on manual mode. The first time I rode, we had 2 empty seats because there were no single riders queued up to fill our empty spots. 

Can I switch roles or positions once they are assigned? 

Yes, you can switch roles. Cast Members will hand out a colored boarding pass which indicates your role in the cockpit. You can switch roles with anyone in your party if they want to trade you. This is very different from the well-oiled Disneyland machine we know. We’re so used to them telling us exactly where to stand in lines when loading coasters and rides, that the freedom here takes some adjustments. 

 

 

• Pilot. There are two pilots on the attraction. Right pilot controls up and down movement and it my favorite position. It was also the first position I ever tried, so I wonder if my answer would remain the same had I tried the other pilot first. The main consensus is pilot is far superior to other positions. Do you agree? Left pilot controls the side to side movement. Our group also found it was pretty fun to crash into things, so we made sure to do that on occasion. It makes the ride a lot more thrilling when you crash every now and then. 

 

 

• Gunner. There are two gunners on the attraction. For maximum comfort, I suggest sitting on the right if you’re right-handed and on the left if you’re left-handed. I also suggest for anyone to leave the gunner in “automatic” mode. It will only switch to “manual” if you press the button when prompted to activate manual mode. I prefer automatic because then you can simply press one button during the flight and pay attention to the screen. If you choose manual, you will need to press various flashing buttons throughout the flight and miss most of what is going on in front of you. Turning sideways and/or reaching across your body to see the buttons is uncomfortable and distracting. 

 

 

• Engineer. There are two engineers on the attraction. These seats are the most uncomfortable and are not well-suited for taller guests. While other seats in the cockpit have a thin layer of padding, the engineer seat does not. The top of the seat goes high above my head and curves slightly—making this a bad spot for those over 6 feet tall. My husband is 6’5″ and while I didn’t measure how much space I had, I would not have him sit in the Engineer seat. This is important to note if you’re trying to use the single rider line. Similar to the Gunner role, you will be pushing buttons. I prefer to ignore which buttons I am pushing and simply hit them while watching what’s going on in front of me. It’s just more fun that way. 

 

 

Please note Cast Members no longer pass out the cards pictured above. 

Which spot is best for kids? 

This is subject to debate, and it will vary based on your kids’ age, height and ability. I think kids will want to be the pilot the most. There’s a lot more pressure and work to do up there but while we might think it’s stressful to get things right, I don’t think young kids will feel that same pressure. They’ll push buttons and have a blast on a ride that mimics many video games. 

My kids report: they actually loved all the various spots in the cockpit and were excited to try them all out. They didn’t even mind doing the engineer role which surprised me. 

See what members of Disneyland with Kids have to say about their kids’ favorite spots to ride Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. 

Disneyland Millennium Falcon Ride Guide Final Thoughts

 

 

Skip ahead if you want a spoiler-free (well, mostly since I just dropped so. many. details.) ride experience. 

My first ride on the Millennium Falcon I was a pilot and I had so much fun! I spoke to friends who had been on it before me and their experience was mediocre. Most of them had gone on with groups of people they didn’t know. After riding it as a group of friends, we all agreed it’s much better when you either know the people or as establish even the small level of friendship all waiting in line. 

During the media preview and my three reservation periods, I was able to ride five times. I could have easily doubled that ride number but decided it was enough for me. It’s true it is very similar to video game and unless you’re the pilot, riding again and again gets old fast. 

I did enjoy writing both day and night, are you will see both your mission and the outdoor scenery change. It was fun to hop aboard the falcon at night and see this scene we were flying in was also at nighttime. The variations in the right itself, regarding our mission to fulfill were not extremely apparent to me. The casual rider will notice slight differences and things they maybe thought they missed before during each subsequent ride.

Update July 2019: I love riding this with my kids! They get a kick out of their various roles and it was my turn to be their cheerleader. I actually loved watching them pilot, navigate and crash here and there. We had a blast together. 

Overall, it’s a good ride with some modifications needed on button locations and comfort. I think the thrill factor is pretty minimal and once kids reach that height limit, most will enjoy it and not find it scary. 

What do you think of our Disneyland Millennium Falcon ride guide—let me know and ask your questions in the comment section.