The Disneyland Book of Secrets 2014: One Local's Unauthorized, Rapturous and Indispensable Guide to the Happiest Places on Earth (118 page)

Now you’re not merely bungling through the galaxy because of a goofy ‘droid pilot–you and the other Guests are on a noble quest to help the
Rebellion
!  Now
that’s
entertainment!

The simulator shakes, rattles
, and rolls, exerting high G forces.  Through the viewport you see an ever-changing landscape and space-scape in beautiful, breath-taking 3D!  Best of all,
Star Tours 2.0
has a shuffle feature; your adventure is different
every
time you ride!  There are 54 different combinations.  Sometimes you’ll race through the desert canyons of
Tatooine
, sometimes through the cool green forests of
Endor
’s second moon–you never know exactly where you’ll go,
or
in what order!

It’s not much of a spoiler to reveal that your mission will be successful, and that the
Rebellion
’s distinguished leaders will thank you for your bravery.  It’s quite a high note on which to end the journey, fun for all Guests, and a special experience for
Star Wars
fans.

In the excitement of your triumph, d
on’t forget to retrieve all of your hats, bags, etc. from the pouch under your seat before exiting.  You entered the craft from the left, but now you’ll exit via the doors on your right, following narrow exit rows into a wide corridor, and then bearing left.

Guests march down ramps lined with colorful space tourism posters
to the exuberant strains of
John Williams
’
Star Wars
score.  Even now, after the journey has ended, the environment remains immersive.  Don’t forget to drop your 3D glasses into the bins; the glasses are not souvenirs.  And be careful not to toss your own sunglasses or glasses into the bins.  Don’t think it could happen?  It does!

The
Star Tours
exit route channels Guests directly into the
Star Wars
section of
Tomorrowland
’s giant
Star Trader
store.  Designers clearly (and correctly) surmised that Guests completing the exhilarating
Star Tours
experience would be in precisely the right frame of mind for purchasing
Star Wars
models, figures, and T-shirts, and even building their own light sabers.

Even with its long lines
,
Star Tours 2.0
is an excellent choice for
Tomorrowland
Guests; it’s one of the district’s premier experiences, with a big payoff for the wait.  Pressed for time?  Get a
Star Tours FastPass
as soon as you hit the park.

This new version is
a must for
Star Wars
fans, and even Guest unfamiliar with
Star Wars
(presumably they hail from caves on Mars?) will enjoy the heart-pounding journey.  Because of its excitement and details and constantly changing adventures, this attraction rewards repeat rides.  So queue up–and prepare for light speed! 
Did You Know?
If
REX
of the original version sounded familiar, it’s because he was voiced by
Paul Rubens
of “Pee Wee’s Playhouse” fame. 
Did You Also Know?
In a September 12, 2009 article in the “LA Times,” Staff Writer Brady MacDonald revealed that
Star Tours
in both
Disneyland
and
Walt Disney World
had been tapped to undergo overhauls that would replace the original intergalactic journey with experiences like high-speed pod races on
Tatooine
and a trip to Imperial home world
Coruscant
. 
Star Tours 2.0
was planned as a 3D sim adventure from the get-go. 
Lucas
and the
Disney Imagineers
collaborated on the re-imagining of this attraction, which opened on June 3, 2011.
Star Tours
had been closed since July 27, 2010 for the enhancement.  A sneak peek of the reimagined attraction’s queue video was released online in August of 2010; it hinted that new tourist locales would include
Bespin
, the
Forest Moon of Endor
, and
Alderaan
. Online previews in September 2010 revealed that the time frame for the adventure would be between Episodes 3 and 4. The
Starspeeder 3000
doesn’t exist yet, so Guest could expect to travel in a
Starspeeder 1000
.  What was it like to stand jammed elbow-to-elbow with other Guests during the attraction’s opening weekend in 2011?  Bliss, sheer intergalactic bliss!  Even armed with
FastPasses
, my niece and I found ourselves in a confusing fifteen-minute line that wound higgledy-piggledy around the outside of the building before diving inside, and it was another ten minutes before we boarded the
Starspeeder 1000
.  But it was worth every minute of the wait!  If you haven’t ridden
Star Tours
since the reboot, add this to your 2013-2014 “must” list!
Blast from the Past:
  In the original
Star Tours
attraction, as your journey began and your
Starspeeder 3000
toppled downward, sharp-eyed Guests spotted a giant white microscope to the right of the door that the ship toppled through.  It was a reproduction of the
Mighty Microscope
that Guests saw at the beginning and end of their
Adventure Thru Inner Space
. 
Star Tours
is, after all, housed in the former
Adventure Thru Inner Space
building.
Adventure Thru Inner Space
was an extremely popular attraction that entertained Guests from 1967 to 1985.  Like the
Haunted Mansion
, this journey through the microscopic world utilized the
Omnimover
vehicle technology developed for the 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair.  Instead of
Doom Buggies
, the
Inner Space
Ominimover
transports were called
Atomobiles
.
FastPass:
  Yes.  Although on its original opening day in 1987
Star Tours
had a queue stretching back to
Town Square
(over three football fields long, if you can fathom that), by 2010 (except on the most crowded days) the queue was typically 10 to 15 minutes long.  Now the long lines are back!  Get your
FastPass
early in the morning to be sure you don’t miss out. 
FastPasses
for this attraction run out quickly, and even as early as 9 am the
FastPass
line can be fifteen minutes long.  If you’re staying at one of the resort hotels, arrive at 7 am for
Magic Morning
and proceed directly to this attraction.  If ridership is light enough between 7 am and 8 am, you and your party will be allowed to ride
Star Tours
multiple times in a row–and that beats a one-to-two-hour-long line any day
!
Kid’s Eye View:
  If you have a stomach ache, don’t go on this; it’ll make you feel dizzy.  It’s really fun.  The [former] robot pilot [was] annoying.

TLT Dance Club
  (Closed)

[
FastView:
 
Defunct.  This entry remains for readers interested in
Disneyland
history.
]

Disneyland
’s
Tomorrowland Terrace
(
TLT
) has a long history of hosting live stage entertainment on weekends and holiday and summer nights.  In summer 2009
Disneyland
announced the launch of the
TLT Dance Club
as part of its
Summer Nightastic!

The
TLT Dance Club
wasn’t anything new, but rather a repackaging of an existing offering: 
al fresco
music and dancing in
Tomorrowland
.  It was a stage and a concept that was originally launched in 1967.  Although the stage is used for other types of performances (for example, as the backdrop for the park’s
Jedi Training Academy
, an interactive
Star Wars
-themed show for Guests’ little ones) the
TLT
stage’s primary use has always been for concerts.

The only comparatively new element in the
TLT Dance Club
offered was the invitation, implicit in the name, for Guests to dance to the music rather than simply to listen to it.  As with the park’s parade at that time,
Celebrate!  A Street Party
, park entertainment programmers seemed to be encouraging Guests to interact more with the entertainment, rather than passively observe it.

W
hile most Guests enjoyed the music from the comfort of the surrounding walkways and tables, a significant number of Guests did descend to the dance area in front of the stage to boogie down (or rock out, depending on the music).

DJ’s or
bands played classic rock and pop hits, particularly from the 1980’s (Pat Benetar’s “Hit Me With Your Best Shot”, anyone?)  They also performed upbeat versions of classic
Disney
tunes and
Radio Disney
hits by
Disney
’s coterie of talented
wunderkids
, pop princes and princesses like
Miley Cyrus
,
Selena Gomez
, the
Jonas Brothers
,
and
Demi Lovato
.

It’s always fun when the
Tomorrowland
stage, performers already
in situ
, rises up seemingly out of nowhere, music blaring, lights flashing, and dry ice “smoke” roiling up.  Guests who don’t know what’s happening, who a moment before were placidly munching on their burgers or salads, are always a bit startled and then pleasantly surprised when they realize what’s happening.

That’s part of the
Disneyland
magic
, never knowing what the heck will happen in the next moment.  A pop or rock band materializing via a retractable stage, drums pounding and guitar chords blazing, is one of those surreal, double-take experiences that stays with Guests long after their trip ends.

The DJ’s and bands we
re energetic and it was generally a good time, probably even more so for Guests from small towns than for more jaded L.A. locals.  But locals loyally followed favorite talent, coming to
TLT Dance Club
for every performance by homegrown So Cal bands like
Tomasina
, fronted by kinetic lead vocalist
Tomasina Abate
, and shows by international performers like England’s
Steve Rushton
.

B
etween sets, emcees kept the audience revved up with trivia contests based on
Disney
characters, movies, and TV shows.  Prizes were simple, glow-sticks or sodas; it was the participation, not the prize, that made it fun.  Even Guests just passing through
Tomorrowland
vicariously enjoyed the light shows and music.

The bad news?  The
TLT Dance Party
ended after its 2009 run.  The good news? 
Tomorrowland Terrace
still hosts outstanding bands on weekends, and sometimes on weeknights during the summer.  If you want to build
Tomorrowland
Terrace
performances into your visit, check online, with a Cast Member, or refer to that day’s
Entertainment Times Guide
for show times and scheduled bands.  (Note that this is the type of entertainment that is scaled back and even suspended during the off-seasons.) 
Did You Know?
 
Disneyland
also offered outdoor music and dancing, primarily aimed at teens, at
Fantasyland
’s
Videopolis
, from 1985 to the mid-1990’s.  The huge dance-space allowed legions of teens to dance their hearts out until interest faded.  1995 saw the space transformed into the
Fantasyland Theatre
, where extravaganzas like
Snow White—An Enchanting Musical
were presented.  In 2006, the theater’s audience seats, giant tent, and elaborate, gorgeous forest set remained, but the attraction re-launched as
Disney
Princess Fantasy Faire
, where Guests’ little princesses-in-training could meet
Disney
’s canonical princesses for autographs and photo ops. In 2013, the princesses moved to their own fairytale square,
Fantasy Faire
, near
Sleeping Beauty Castle
, and the
Fantasyland Theatre
launched a terrific new stage show,
Mickey and the Magical Map
.
Night Vision:
The
TLT Dance Club
was only held during evenings and at night.  During the day, the stage still serves as the setting for the
Jedi Training Academy.
 
FastPass:
  No, and no
FastPass
was necessary for this attraction.  Any Guest could visit the
Tomorrowland Terrace
to listen to the music and watch the show, or they were welcome to descend to the dance area and dance their
mouse ears
off!