A new mission has arrived at Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run! The attraction, at both Disneyland and Hollywood Studios, now features the Mandalorian & Grogu as well as different locations the Falcon ventures to. This new iteration of the ride coincides with Mandalorian & Grogu opening in theaters last week. In this post, we’ll review the new mission including thoughts on each location you can go to and how the ride compares to the original version.

Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run has always felt like it was full of potential. When it debuted in both Disneyland and Walt Disney World in 2019, fans (like me) loved boarding the Falcon and sitting down near the chess board. There aren’t many fandoms like Star Wars and the experience the attraction offered made many dreams come true.

Unfortunately, Smuggler’s Run worked better as an experience more than a ride. Ride throughs were fun enough but the experience peaked while waiting for the group to enter the cockpit. That’s a compliment to the queue and excellent facade but also says something about the ride, which is easily overshadowed by Rise of the Resistance and the build up of the land.

While stepping into the Falcon felt like a familiar dream, the characters you interacted with and places you flew through did not. As much as I applaud the chance taken on originality, exploring iconic parts of the galaxy far away should have come hand0in-hand with flying the ship. Thankfully, that’s no longer a problem in this new mission at Smuggler’s Run.

Everything leading up to the on-ride experience on Smuggler’s Run is very much the same as the original version. The queue and preshow hasn’t changed, waiting in the Falcon for your group to be called is the same, the outside of the Millennium Falcon still looks like the Millennium Falcon, you get it. Once your flight position is assigned and your group is called is the first glimpse of the Mandalorian & Grogu, as they show up on the small screen briefing right before you enter the ride. It’s a cute video, thanks to Grogu, and does the job of addressing what’s to come well enough.

As we mentioned in this post, all of the positions on the ship have stayed the same as the original ride – 2 pilots, 2 gunners and 2 engineers. Once seated in your position, there are still some buttons that light up that you’ll need to push. The pilot position is the same, as are the gunners although they get a little more action that is rewarded in a final score.

Engineers have more responsibility in mission, which is an excellent change from the first iteration. Along with the usual repairs to the ship (lots of pushing flashing buttons) that the engineers are responsible for, they also tractor beam in the goods Thankfully, you don’t have to use the force in order to do that. You just simply push the big yellow-ish button. Engineers are also in charge of selecting one of three locations the flight will go to in the second half of the ride. More on that in a minute.

Regardless of what seat you’re in, this new mission has more action for each role. Both the engineer and gunner seats have seen upgrades, as the TIE fighters you’re shooting at are more distinct and frequent while the engineers added responsibility feel more immersive rather than just sitting back and hitting some buttons. There’s even a Grogu cam that pops up from time to time, letting the adorable creature distract riders from getting that cargo!

That’s not to say the new ride is perfect gameplay. The pilot chairs are still the most interesting of the 3 positions and it’s hard to have a balance of being focused on what buttons to press while also trying to see what’s happening in the story. These changes don’t vault Smuggler’s Run to best ride in the park status or anywhere close to it, but they do make the ride more enjoyable and re-rideable.

Speaking of re-rideability, the new locations the ships go to is the best part of the Mandalorian & Grogu mission. The first half of the attraction is always the same, beginning on Tatooine as we help Mando track down some bounties. About halfway through the ride, one of the engineers is prompted to choose from these 3 destinations:

• Bespin (Cloud City)
• Coruscant
• Endor (2nd Death Star Wreckage)

The story is easy enough to follow, albeit pretty convenient to the ride. They’re not trying to win a Pulitzer Prize here, nor should they be. There are 3 ships the Falcon and Mandalorian are tracking on Tatooine, they split up and one goes to each of those locations.

All of the locations are very fun! I like Endor and Coruscant the most. The Death Star Wreckage is obviously the most iconic, at least visually. There’s an interesting pace to that section as you weave through the wreckage before eventually getting back to full speed. This should be a favorite of the hardcore Star Wars fans.

Coruscant makes a case for the top spot thanks to a thrilling chase through a busy city. What really takes this location to new heights is the Cantina Theme playing throughout the mission. I’m not sure it makes sense to hear the song within the story but it’s a joy to fly around and listen to, like your own personal soundtrack!

Bespin is easily my least favorite of the batch but it’s still enjoyable. I think that location is more rewarding in the pilot’s seat than the other positions. Sky City is less memorable than the other locations but I’d still take it over the original mission on Smuggler’s Run.

Once you’re at one of the three locations, the action is jam packed. If there’s a downside of that, it’s that the end feels rushed. Doing your assigned job while trying to figure out how you ended up in a spot by the end makes the experience a little convoluted. But, we’d rather it lean that way than not having enough to do. I won’t spoil all that happens in the 3 different locations, I’ll just say that there’s a lot going on!

As for the Mandalorian & Grogu inclusion, you see a decent amount of them. There’s the aforementioned Grogu cam and Mando guides you through the ride. Our old pal Hondo is still around too, prominent in the preshow and then chiming in every once and a while when you’re flying.

The characters still take a backseat (even farther back than the engineers) as Imagineering wisely realized that people go on this ride to be on the Falcon, not to see characters. For those that know who Mandalorian & Grogu are, that might enhance the ride a little bit but it definitely doesn’t ruin it if you’re unaware.

This new mission at Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run is a definite upgrade over the first version of the ride. It feels as if Imagineering and executives definitely took the complaints into account. Having different places to travel has Smuggler’s Run feeling far more re-rideable and it’s also just more exciting. There are familiar places within the Star Wars Universe to experience all while the missions are more fun to complete, regardless of what seat you’re in. That makes Smuggler’s Run with Mandalorian & Grogu a big improvement and one that we recommend everyone experiencing!

Are you excited for this new mission on Smuggler’s Run? Let us know, along with any questions you have, in the comments below! Planning a Disney trip? Check out our Travel Guides to help get you there! Here’s a link to discount tickets at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. If you enjoy what you’re reading here on Wandering in Disney please subscribe to the blog via email or WordPress and like our social media pages. You can find all of those things on the right side of this page. Thank you very much for reading, we appreciate it!