Jason V.
Yelp
Easily our new favorite ride in the park!
What Star Wars nerd hasn't dreamed of piloting the Millennium Falcon?! Well, now you can...and poorly, most likely! My wife and I rode this ride upward of seven times during our two days. If you're lucky, hit the ride after 10pm, and you can get in several runs.
Here's how it works: it's like Star Tours, but you (well, two of you) pilot the ship. There are six positions within the cockpit: two pilots, two gunners, and two engineers. The left pilot controls *only* the left and right movements of the ship, while the right pilot controls *only* the up and down movements. This makes for some hilarious chaos, and requires trust, communication, coordination and (despite Obi-Wan's disbelief), luck. Your objective is simple: the pilots maneuver and position the ship behind a cargo train, the gunners blast away its defenses, and the engineers steal the cargo, while repairing the inevitable damage to the ship. Succeed, and you continue for another round (at least once, possibly more?). Fail, and your mission can end early.
The gunner position involves mostly hitting a big flashing button whenever an enemy ship or obstacle crosses over your targeting reticle display. I never actually held the gunner position, so I cannot detail everything that is involved in the role. It honestly looked like the most boring of the roles, surprisingly.
The engineer role is more fun: it requires you to hit several flashing buttons to mitigate damage to the ship (which *will* happen, frequently), as well as recover the exposed cargo, once the train's defenses are blown away. Grabbing the loot requires the pilots to line up effectively (very hard to do), so that the engineer's targeting reticle is aligned with the target. Expect a lot of yelling back and forth between these two roles in particular!
Normally, the ride is guided/narrated by a shady character named Hondo, to help you figure out what to do amidst all the chaos. However, there is a secret mode, called "Chewie mode", where Hondo's instructions are replaced with grunts, roars and trills from a frequently upset Chewbacca, who is not a fan of your crappy piloting and damaging the ship. It's hilarious, but not for beginners, and requires all six players to enter a series of specific button presses into the console after everyone has sat down and buckled in, and *before* the ride employee starts the ride. Message me for the instructions, or ask the ride employee nicely, and they may enable it for you!
My first experience was as right pilot, and honestly, I wouldn't choose another position. Sure, you may only control the up/down movement of the ship, but you also get to throw the switch and put the Falcon into hyperdrive, and that by itself is worth the price of admission! But be warned: piloting the Millennium Falcon ain't like dusting crops, boy!