Everything You Need to Know About Star Tours: The Adventures Continue

You’re going on vacation to Walt Disney World! The only problem? You’re not sure which attractions are right for you and your kiddos and you have questions. Which attractions are too intense for little ones? What rides do I really need a FastPass+ reservation for? What’s the disability access like for certain attractions? We’re answering all those questions and more in our Everything You Need to Know attraction series with today’s focus on the OG Star Wars attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Star Tours: The Adventures Continue.

What is Star Tours: The Adventures Continue?

Star Tours: The Adventures Continue is a 3-D flight simulator attraction featuring characters and destinations from the Star Wars saga.

Where is Star Tours: The Adventures Continue?

Star Tours: The Adventures Continue is located at Disney’s Hollywood Studios between the Backlot Express and Grand Avenue.

What is the History of Star Tours: The Adventures Continue?

The original Star Tours attraction opened at Disneyland in 1987 and was then replicated at Walt Disney World’s Hollywood Studios in 1989. This version was based on the original and only existing Star Wars films at the time. In this ride premise, Star Tours was a travel transportation agency offering trips to Endor. However, according to the droid pilot Rex, voiced by Paul Reubens, it was his first day on the job and he wasn’t used to his programming. As a result of his mistakes, guests never made it to Endor. But they did crash through comets, made the jump to light speed, and even experienced that classic trench run on the Death Star!

In 2010, the original Star Tours closed to be reconverted into Star Tours: The Adventures Continue which then opened in 2011. This current 3-D version offers randomized scenes from the full Star Wars saga while Disney adds new adventures with the release of new Star Wars films. For example, a Jakku scene was added in 2015 for The Force Awakens, and Crait was added in 2017 for The Last Jedi. Disney recently announced the planet Kef Bir will be added on December 20, 2019, for the release of The Rise of Skywalker.

What Do You Need to Know About the Queue for Star Tours: The Adventures Continue?

The outdoor queue is designed to look like an Ewok village set from Return of the Jedi. The definite highlight is the full-size AT-AT walker guests pass under to reach the ride building’s entrance.

Upon entry, guests enter a spaceport where a life-size C-3PO and R2-D2 are working on the Starspeeder 3000, the ride vehicle for the attraction and your supposed means of transportation.

The rest of the queue is very much Star Wars in style, but also captures the feeling of train station or airport complete with flight statuses, weather reports, security droids, and even a luggage scanner. Fans should keep an eye out for Rex, the original ride’s droid pilot. He’s been labeled defective and tucked away in the queue. Rex can also be found working as a DJ at Oga’s Cantina in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge these days; and those who remember the original version will note he still hasn’t forgotten his old script.

What are the Ride Vehicles Like for Star Tours: The Adventures Continue?

Guests are assigned a row when waiting to board the attraction. When the doors open, guests follow the walkway to their row in the Starspeeder 3000 simulator. Each row has a capacity of 10 guests with a ride vehicle capacity of 40 guests. Each individual seat is padded and has an individual fabric lap belt. There are arm rests which are ideal for holding onto when the simulator dips and turns; however, it is shared with the person in the next seat. This can be awkward when a guest is seated next to someone they’re not with.

What Do You Need to Know About the Ride Experience on Star Tours: The Adventures Continue?

On the pre-show television screens, guests watch as C-3PO gets trapped in the Starspeeder cockpit while doing maintenance. Once guests are seated and buckled in, and after instructed to put on their the flight glasses (3-D glasses), the Starspeeder begins its take off with audio-animatronic C-3PO as the accidental pilot!

The ride’s plot exists in three segments: an opening scene, a main destination, and ending scene. Each segment has a variety of possibilities, along with a variety of hologram characters. You never know where you’ll go or who’ll you see when you ride. Although, my fellow Star Wars purists should know randomized scenes from the entire saga result in a scrambled timeline. For example, you may see Darth Vader in the opening scene; but then in the next scene, find yourself in the Battle of Crait from The Last Jedi.

Regardless of who you encounter in the first scene, it’s going to be a villain in search of a Rebel Spy. At this point, a photo of an individual on the ride shows up on screen as the Rebel Spy. They’re chosen at random or by a Cast Member and nothing is required of them; it’s a lot of fun if it happens to be you or someone in your group! The mission throughout the rest of the randomized ride is to deliver the Rebel Spy to safety.

Since this attraction is a flight simulator, there are plenty of dips, sharp turns, climbs, and jerky movements without ever actually leaving the ground. It’s a bit rough, but the perfect introduction to thrill rides for little padawans.

The entire ride lasts about 7 minutes.

What Do You Need to Know About Accessibility for Star Tours: The Adventures Continue?

Guests must transfer to a wheelchair and then to the ride vehicle to enjoy this attraction. There is one seat with a removable armrest which can facilitate transfer. Ask a cast member for more information. Service animals are not allowed on Star Tours: The Adventures Continue.

What Do You Need to Know About Health and Safety Advisories for Star Tours: The Adventures Continue?

For safety, you should be in good health and free from high blood pressure, heart, back or neck problems, motion sickness, or other conditions that could be aggravated by this adventure. Expectant mothers should not ride. The use of weapons, flashing lights, loud sounds, and appearance from aliens or intimidating figures from the Galactic Empire or First Order may frighten or disturb some guests.

What are the Height Restrictions for Star Tours: The Adventures Continue?

Guests must be at least 40″ to experience Star Tours: The Adventures Continue.

What Do You Need to Know About FastPass+ for Star Tours: The Adventures Continue?

Hollywood Studios has a tiered FastPass+ system. This means guests are limit to a maximum of one advance FastPass+ reservation for top tier attractions like Toy Story Mania!, Slinky Dog Dash, Rock n’ Roller Coaster, etc. Fortunately, Star Tours doesn’t belong to the top tier, and FastPass+ reservations are usually available.

Star Tours: The Adventures Continues offers both Rider Swap for families.

Does Weather Affect Star Tours: The Adventures Continue?

This attraction is indoors and out of the elements so weather shouldn’t be an issue. Unless the queue is extended outside of the building, guests waiting to ride will be out of the weather as well.

What’s the Best Time of Day to Ride Star Tours: The Adventures Continue?

Wait times are lowest before 10 a.m., during lunch, and after 5 p.m.

This chart shows you roughly how long you’ll wait for Star Tours: The Adventures Continue when you visit on a day with a given Disney’s Hollywood Studios Crowd Level. The blue bars represent the average “peak” wait time (that is, how long the line will be at its busiest). The bottom and top black lines represent the range of peak wait times to expect (for you fellow nerds out there: it’s the 5th percentile and 95th percentile of peak wait times). Please note that these are estimates, and for a better forecast for your travel dates, see Star Tours: The Adventures Continue Wait Times.

Did I answer all of your questions about Star Tours: The Adventures Continue? Is this attraction at the top of your family’s vacation to-do list? Let us know in the comments.