Before we get into this article, our answer to the headline above is a loud and emphatic ‘no’. Star Tours continues to be a thrilling, engaging, and most importantly fun attraction, taking us to numerous worlds across the galaxy, swinging us from hangar bays to familiar locations as we hurl ourselves into hyperspace and cheers with our fellow passengers. Since 1987 when the first Star Tours opened at Disneyland in Anaheim, the ride (and the other three in Disney World, Disneyland Paris and Disneyland Tokyo) has been our most accessible physical entry point into the GFFA, and even with the ‘competition’ of Galaxy’s Edge and the rides within (Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run and Rise of the Resistance) Star Tours is going nowhere. Christine Hitt writing for SF Gate has other thoughts.
I have fond memories of Star Tours, the motion-simulated spaceship ride through the “Star Wars” galaxy. I went on the ride with my parents when I was a child and took my own kid as an adult. It was always my favorite ride, dodging meteors and enemy fire, and feeling the jump into hyperspace. But the last few times I’ve visited Disneyland, Star Tours appeared a little lackluster compared with the newer rides across the park at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
While Star Tours’ flight simulator may have been cutting-edge when it opened to long lines 37 years ago, it doesn’t have the same impact today as technology has advanced. The shorter lines and wait times, hovering around 30 minutes, are also a sign that its popularity has waned. It all makes me wonder whether Star Tours is reaching a point when its space travels will come to an end. Or if it should at least be moved out of Tomorrowland and into Galaxy’s Edge with the other “Star Wars” rides.
