Credit: Video Screenshot, X (Formerly Twitter), @ScottGustinDisney invested heavily in giving one of its biggest Star Wars attractions a fresh reason to visit. The company added an entirely new adventure, updated gameplay, and tied the experience to two of the franchise’s most popular characters. On paper, it looked like exactly the kind of refresh that would bring fans rushing back.
Instead, the numbers tell a very different story.
Even after the launch of the new The Mandalorian and Grogu mission, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run is posting some of the lowest wait times in the attraction’s history. For Disney, that’s becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
Disney Tried to Give Smugglers Run New Life
Disney officially launched the new mission on May 22, 2026, at both Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Rather than simply repeating the original story, guests now experience an interactive adventure themed around The Mandalorian and Grogu. The update introduced several new gameplay features designed to make repeat rides more appealing.
For the first time, crews can choose where they fly during the mission. Possible destinations include Bespin, Coruscant, and the wreckage of the second Death Star near Endor.
The Engineer role also received its biggest overhaul since the attraction opened. Guests in those seats can now communicate directly with Grogu through new interactive elements, giving Engineers more to do throughout the experience.
Pilots also face new flight challenges while tracking Imperial Officers during the mission.
The update represented Disney’s biggest investment in Smugglers Run since the attraction debuted alongside Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
The Wait Times Tell Another Story
Despite all those additions, guests simply aren’t lining up in significantly larger numbers.
This week, Smugglers Run has averaged just a 33-minute posted wait.
That figure makes it the attraction’s second-lowest weekly average wait since opening. Only one week during 2021 posted a lower average.
Throughout many afternoons and evenings, posted waits have dropped to only 10 minutes. At those levels, the attraction is essentially a walk-on.
Considering Disney just spent months promoting the Mandalorian update, the results are surprising.
Many fans expected the overlay to create a noticeable surge in demand. Instead, average wait times remain well below many of Disney’s other headlining attractions.
Guest Feedback Has Been Consistent for Years
The lower waits may reflect criticisms fans have shared since Smugglers Run first opened.
Many guests enjoy flying the Millennium Falcon once, but they often describe the attraction as less re-rideable than other Disney experiences.
The ride’s biggest complaint has remained remarkably consistent.
Only the Pilot positions give guests complete control of the experience. Riders assigned to Gunner or Engineer often feel like they have much less influence over what happens during the mission.
Disney clearly recognized that issue.
The updated Engineer gameplay gives those riders more interaction by involving Grogu directly in the adventure. The expanded mission also offers more variety through multiple destinations instead of one fixed storyline.
While those changes improve the overall experience, they haven’t translated into substantially longer lines.
A Tough Comparison Inside Hollywood Studios
The challenge becomes even more obvious when comparing Smugglers Run with other attractions at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance continues drawing some of the park’s longest waits on most days.
Slinky Dog Dash regularly posts much higher wait times.
Even attractions that have operated for years frequently outperform Smugglers Run despite receiving far fewer updates. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets remains stronger, as well, in terms of wait times.
That creates an interesting situation inside Galaxy’s Edge.
The land remains one of Disney’s most immersive themed environments, yet one of its signature attractions often has some of the shortest waits among the park’s major rides.
Did Disney Misjudge What Guests Wanted?
Disney’s decision to add a Mandalorian-themed mission wasn’t random.
Grogu remains one of the franchise’s biggest stars, and The Mandalorian continues attracting a massive fan base. Updating the attraction with newer characters made sense as Disney looked to keep Galaxy’s Edge feeling current.
But guest behavior suggests the attraction’s biggest issues may run deeper than its storyline.
The interactive gameplay, rotating crew positions, and reliance on rider performance have always made Smugglers Run a different experience from traditional Disney attractions.
For some guests, that’s exactly what makes it fun.
For others, it’s why they choose to skip it after riding once.
The latest wait-time data suggests that even a major Mandalorian overhaul wasn’t enough to dramatically change those habits. While the refreshed mission adds new reasons to ride, it has not produced the sustained crowd increase Disney likely hoped to see.
For now, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run remains one of the easiest major attractions to experience at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. That’s great news for guests looking to board the Falcon with little waiting. For Disney, however, the attraction’s historically low wait times may serve as another reminder that refreshing the story alone wasn’t enough to solve its long-standing popularity problem.
What do you think of Smugglers Run? Let us know in the comments!
