From: jsbell@acs.ucalgary.ca (Joshua Bell)
Subject: Re: Star Tours
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 92 17:21:25 GMT
Organization: The University of Calgary, Alberta

In article <1992Sep11.093907.27829@abo.fi> MLINDROOS@finabo.abo.fi (Marcus Lindroos INF) writes:
>In <gretchen.716156162@betwixt> gretchen@betwixt.ugcs.caltech.edu writes:
>
>> A couple of months ago I went to Disneyland with my brother.  We are both
>> _huge_ Star Wars fans, so, of course, we had to go on Star Tours again and
>> again and again!  What a ride!  Almost spiritual for a big fan...  Anyways,
>> anyone know if Lucas and Disney are planning on adding different "trips"?
>> Hoth, Dagobah?  Like on the "travel films" displayed in line?  Man, that would
>> be great!!
>
>Yup, Star Tours is great. I left Earth from Eurodisney near Paris. Should be
>the same as in Anaheim - except for the annoying fact that C-3PO spoke 
>*FRENCH* (sheer heresy, OK I know Eurodisney's in France but couldn't they have
>left the American stuff like Frontierland and Tomorrowland alone and
>compensated by giving Adventureland (=Caribbean pirates, French North Africa) 
>and Fantasyland (=mainly European fairy tales) a 100% French outlook instead?!)
Horizons and Imaginations should be better than Epcot's, from what
I've heard... but back to Star Wars...

I departed from the MGM Studios/DisneyWorld gate. :) If anyone
cares, the BEST seat is back row, left hand side. You're the
farthest from the center-of-gravity, and get REALLY tossed about.

>Apart from that, the only drawback is that it is too SHORT - just four and a
>half minutes. You really think you are in space, it's a wonderful feeling when
>they engage the hyperdrive - the stars turn into streaks of lights just as the
>entire craft lurches(sp) backwards. All the sudden turns, vibrations etc.
>create an illusion of movement that grows all the more powerful with the
>excellent Star Wars spaceflight sequences shown on the huge viewscreen up 
>front. 

I was annoyed that hyperdrive didn't last very long. Ah well.

[quick summary of ST deleted]

I saw it 3 times the day I was at MGM. What a blast. :)

My favourite line...

"StarTours, what are YOU doing here? This is a combat zone. Ease
up on your main thrusters..." (I think, its been a while...)

And, of course, RX-7 (Rex) says... "Oh boy! I've always wanted to
do this..." (or something :)

The FUNNIEST thing is the pre-flight briefing, just before you
board the StarTours craft, and once you're inside. You know, the
'Please place all carry-on items on the racks beneath your seat,
and secure your seatbelt. Flash photography and smoking are
prohibited on StarTours flights.'

Of course, the people they show boarding are Chewbacca, a few
Jawas, Yak-face, an Ewok or two (you are going to Endor), and a
small furrything of unknown origin. A human woman helps the
furrything stow its bag on the net beneath its seat, and some
other critter takes its camera and takes a picture of Chewbacca
(who Arwgrooo!s at the flash). The other pre-flight shows
Yak-face smoking a cigar and has a 3-lens camera which he takes a
picture with, then shame-facedly puts away as the announcement is
read.

Things to look for:

You have a rear camera monitor, which displays your R2 unit. I
always forget to watch, but you do see what you should be seeing
out the back (hyperdrive-stars, TIEs and X-wings, the trench,
Endor, etc). For a while, the Rebel pilot doing the 'What are you
doing here?' speech pops up, in orange costume and white helmet.
Might be Wedge, I'm not sure. ;-)

In the 'line' - there's a room where the 'droids have gone on
strike, some are still working. There's a little toaster-droid
driving around on a track that goes _under_ the platform you're
walking on. Look in the corner for it scooting past. One of the
'droids is a bird-creature with red, glowing eyes. An escapee
from the Haunted Mansion in the Magic Kingdom?

>As great as Star Tours is, I have to agree with Gretchen that there could be
>more variation. The shuttle never reaches its destinations (Hoth, Yavin, Bespin
>etc.), it always ends up in the same space battle. If they added two more
>viewscreen to the left and right of the audience, it would be even more
>powerful. A "360'Vision" shuttle like Tomorrowland's time travel/Jules Verne
>movie (also well worth seeing!) would be able to take the audience on a flight
>over the ice fields of Hoth or through the forests of Endor in breathtaking
>realism. They could also throw in a couple of more "relaxed" planetary 
>encounter in between.

This is a problem... they do time these things to get maximum
throughput - why do you think there's a 5 minute preshow, and you
board just as the group before you is exiting? They have 6 
'shuttles', and run as many as are needed. We'd all love to have
'private tours', but it 'aint gonna happen. :(

>(PS: The local Disneyland staff didn't wear Star Wars uniforms either. 
>Boohooo...)

The Cast Members (Disney talk for staff) as MGM wore the
costumes. WDW is incredibly strict about such things... I was
staying with a cast member :) But going to a, er, lesser place,
like Universal Studios, where they wear any old thing, you really
notice how slick Disney is. 

After slamming Universal Studios, I gotta plug the Back To The
Future ride. Its kick-ass, rougher than StarTours, bigger, and
more interactive. I liked 'em both.

Joshua
| Tremble only if you build false accounts and stand pridefully upon them    |
|                                       - Lord Leto II, God Emperor of Dune  |
|                                                                            |
| jsbell@acs.ucalgary.ca  Academic Computing Services, University of Calgary |
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.starwars