Countdown to 2012 WDW Marathon Weekend #42

#42 - Disney's Hollywood Studios' Star Tours

From the Walt Disney World website:
Star Tours is back with new destinations, new characters and new adventures—now presented in brilliant digital 3-D! Board a Starspeeder 1000 for a thrilling journey through George Lucas' Star Wars universe. A galaxy of trouble awaits, but don't worry, the Force will be with you, always!

Different Adventures
You never know where the Force might take you. Many different Star Tours adventures await you—including multiple storylines and locations. Riding once is not enough!

New Destinations
Glide among the trees with Wookiees on Kashyyyk, kick up some desert sand in a podrace on Tatooine, dive into the lakes of Naboo, weave through the bustling city-planet of Coruscant, blast through the blizzards of Hoth or even help attack the heavily defended Death Star!

Star Wars Characters
Fly with some of your favorite Star Wars characters! C-3PO is aboard as your new pilot. Plus, you might encounter some of your other favorite characters, including:
•R2-D2
•Darth Vader
•Stormtroopers
•Jedi Master Yoda
•Admiral Ackbar
•Princess Leia
•Chewbacca

You'll also meet brand-new Star Wars characters, like Star Tours Pilot Ace (AC-38), Spokesbot Aly San San and the lethal new Imperial Skytroopers!

Your Flight
Star Tours uses state-of-the-art technology—including a flight-motion simulator vehicle, digital 3D video, Audio Animatronics characters and in-cockpit special effects—to transport you to a "galaxy far, far away." There's nothing else like it on Earth . . . or any other planet!

Star Tours Postcards and Passports
Send greetings across the Corellian sector with the Star Tours E-Postcards! Just choose a destination—like Tatooine, Hoth or Naboo—upload a customizable photo, and create an animated personalized postcard that you can post to your Facebook wall.

Want to show the galaxy your travel savvy? Construct a Star Tours Passport! Choose a theme—Podracer, Queen, Rebel Pilot or Jedi—upload a customizable photo, and enter your information. You can then either post the passport to your Facebook wall or print it out and make your own.

More Star Wars Fun
Star Wars fans should also make sure to check out the Star Wars: Jedi Training Academy show and Star Wars Weekends event at Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park.

Star Tours® is a registered trademark of Disney/Lucasfilm, Ltd.
©Disney/ Lucasfilm, Ltd.

Why am I looking forward to Star Tours?
Multiple destinations - need I say more?  I'm so excited that the new Star Tours takes us to more than one destination and that you don't know which one you'll be visiting.  This helps to make the ride unique and fresh every time you ride it.  This was a really smart decision by the Imagineers when redesigning this ride!

While this isn't a huge draw for me, the new 3D element also adds a lot of draw for people.  It does add more depth to the film and overall is a nice addition.

A new pilot provides some fun new dialog and surprises along the way as well.

As with most Disney ride queues, take some time to explore and listen to the different things going on around you in the queue.  There are some nods to some former parts of this attraction and you may be surprised by some of the things you'll see and hear!

Be careful - if you're the rebel spy you may be caught!