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The One Ride Rule We Wish Disney World Would Finally Slash

February 16, 2025 ,

Disney World mostly gets it right…mostly. But this one ride rule needs to go.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Almost all Disney ride rules are installed for safety purposes and we will ALWAYS advise taking them seriously. However, there are some ride rules that are geared towards the service of the entertainment experience instead of safety concerns. Some are unspoken, like how to successfully ride Space Mountain when you’re not a kid. Other rides, like Tomorrowland Speedway, are designed for smaller riders. But Tomorrowland Speedway’s rules state, “Racers who are at least 54 inches tall can drive their own gas-powered race car. Guests who are at least 32 inches tall may also drive their own cars as long as they are accompanied by someone who is at least 54 inches tall — a rule that not only focuses on safety, but the entertainment of others as well (you don’t want cars just stalled on the speedway, do you?). A specific rule we want changed at Disney’s Hollywood Studios caters around the enjoyment — or lack thereof — of other riders.

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If you’ve visited Hollywood Studios over the last several years, chances are you’ve seen Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. This galactic outpost is home to tons of Star Wars-based dining, shopping, and land theming, as well as two major attractions. The most optically noticeable one is Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run — a simulation-like ride that lets passengers control and fly their own Millennium Falcon on a bounty mission/adventure. Suffice it to say, we have a problem with this ride’s rules.

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge

The ride does have specific rules in place and are as follows:

  • Supervise children at all times. Children under age 7 years must be accompanied by a person age 14 years or older.
  • Persons who do not meet the minimum height requirement of 38 inches (97 cm) may not ride.

We have ZERO qualms about these restrictions. However, we’ve been on this ride hundreds of times and can confirm one non-written rule (or the absence of a rule) needs to change to become more stingy on who can actually pilot the Millennium Falcon.

Millennium Falcon

Before you board, riders are assigned roles: pilot, engineer, or gunner. Gunners and engineers press buttons in the cockpit, and those roles are pretty self-explanatory. HOWEVER, the roles of the two pilots are a bit more serious. These two positions require riders to control the horizontal and vertical movement of the ship. That’s why we believe the ride’s rules should also include an age rule for pilots.

New missions on Smuggler’s Run ©Disney

Before anyone gets upset, we get it. What could be cooler than be a small tot and getting to (safely) fly your own spaceship? The answer is nothing…nothing is cooler. With that said, the ride features plenty of obstacles in your path during the experience, and your experience could become quite uncomortable if you’re constantly crashing.

Inarguably, younger pilots generally make for bumpier experiences for everyone else unfortunately. While this seems like a cute caveat, there are some real complications that follow suit. Lots of crashing can cause pain or discomfort for the ride’s passengers.  Most of the time, families will let the kids pilot and we get that, but it creates a painful experience.

Smugglers Run

Some will say “just don’t ride then” if you’re worried about crashing nonstop, but that doesn’t seem fair, so we’ve come up with TWO possible solutions.

The first solution is that families with pilots who are young should be given their own cockpit. If your party is large enough this already may be a reality, but for a family of like three or four you may be taking on other parties. While you may think a family with not enough people to occupy every role can’t ride, you’d be mistaken. This particular writer has actually flown the Millennium Falcon BY HIMSELF, and Disney doesn’t need to fill every role to make the ride go. In fact, you really only need one pilot. 

Millennium Falcon

Of course, if you’re not filling every seat, wait times could go up. But there could also be an option for folks who don’t mind a bumpy ride so they can shorten their wait.

The second solution would likely be more controversial: an age requirement to pilot. Of course, there are tons of complications that could arise from this. There are plenty of bad adult pilots as well, and being a child doesn’t automatically make you a bad pilot either. Factor in physical limitations and there’s a lot of gray area that murkies this solution. All that laid out, this solution doesn’t solve the problem, but would alleviate it.

Hollywood Studios

We know that “restricting fun” isn’t always going to be the most popular solution, and it’s very unlikely Disney makes any rule changes to this ride, so if you disagree with us, rest assured that the old ways of the Millennium Falcon are likely to: Smugglers Run will likely maintain for years and years.

Have you had any similar problems with Millennium Falcon? Let us know what YOU would do to solve the problem! Also, be sure to follow us right here at DFB for all the latest updates, tips, reviews, and more from Disney World!

The Disappointing Disney World Ride Problem That Can RUIN Your Trip

Do you think our Smugglers Run complaint is valid? Are we being overdramatic? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

The post The One Ride Rule We Wish Disney World Would Finally Slash first appeared on the disney food blog.



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