{"id":1842,"date":"2026-05-27T09:34:06","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T09:34:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1842"},"modified":"2026-05-27T09:34:06","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T09:34:06","slug":"disney-world-springs-into-summer-with-updates-upgrades","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orlandorelocationreport.com\/?p=1842","title":{"rendered":"Disney World springs into summer with updates, upgrades"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Heading into this summer\u2019s busy season, the key word for Walt Disney World theme parks is \u201cupdated.\u201d Several attractions have undergone major changes that rewrite their storylines drastically, while others fall into the needed-enhancements category.<\/p>\n

Read more Miss Manners: It\u2019s a problem when his wife can hear our phone calls<\/a><\/p>\n

A couple of mantras may have guided the creative side here. At a recent Disney media event, the term \u201crerideability\u201d came up multiple times, as well as the user-friendly notion of listening to visitor feedback. Those seem like solid pillars.<\/p>\n

New worlds for Falcon fans<\/h4>\n

There are more things to do and places to see aboard Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, a simulator ride in the Star Wars: Galaxy\u2019s Edge area at Disney\u2019s Hollywood Studios. New are three on-screen scenarios tied to the \u201cStar Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu\u201d film that debuted last week.<\/p>\n

Up until the pre-show\/briefing area right before entering the six-person cockpit, the attraction \u2014 animatronics, queue props, etc. \u2014 remains the same as when it opened in 2019. Enter the Mandalorian and Grogu (sometimes called the Child, once commonly referred to as Baby Yoda.)<\/p>\n

Although all three missions start on Tatooine and end back in Batuu, home base of Galaxy\u2019s Edge, they show off locations and challenges associated with Cloud City, the city-planet of Coruscant, the wreckage of the Death Star and elsewhere.<\/p>\n

Update No. 1: One of six passengers is enabled to select the destination. It\u2019s one of the two people assigned as engineer, sitting in the back row of the Falcon cockpit. For years, the engineer slots have been mocked by theme-park enthusiasts as boring tasks \u2014 to the point that it was quietly mocked in a stage show at the recent Orlando Fringe Festival.<\/p>\n

Now, \u201cthe seats in the back actually serve a useful role in the mission, whereas the previous mission they were more observational,\u201d Todd Richins, executive producer at Walt Disney Imagineering, said last week. Observational is much nicer sounding than boring.<\/p>\n

The missions\u2019 goal is to collect crates for Hondo, a galactic pirate seen in animatronic form in the queue.<\/p>\n

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First ride: Disney\u2019s Rock \u2018n\u2019 Roller Coaster meets Muppets<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n