The Star Tours Makeover: A Sneak Peek at Disney's Newest Attraction

Since "The Happiest Place on Earth" closed the original Star Tours ride last fall, Disney enthusiasts and Star Wars fanatics alike have been anxiously awaiting the attraction's newest incarnation. This past weekend, Disney cast members and their select guests, myself included, were invited to preview the park's newest attraction: Star Tours - The Adventure Continues.

Though the sneak peak was limited to only cast members and their guests, hundreds of people stood in line waiting to catch a glimpse of the new face of Star Tours. The line spanned toward the entrance of Space Mountain and snaked around parts of  Tomorrowland. The park as a whole was more crowded than I have seen in recent years. 

Despite the hordes of people, the line moved rather quickly. As guests approached the attraction, there were a number of decorative and animatronic distractions to keep the crowds pacified. 

The structure of the building will be familiar to park-goers that remember the original Star Tours ride, though much of the attraction has been refurbished using the latest technology.

While in line, guests can stand in awe at the new depictions of the galaxy where Disney uses floss-fluorescent paint to create emulated 3-D images of stars, planets, and, of course, spaceships. Further into the building, guests meet a new cast of lively robots "working" at the flight station, complete with x-ray security checks and thermal cameras. 

The ride itself boasts new characters, destinations, and adventures. These features are said to be mixed and matched in order to create unique expierences that guests are unlikely to ever repeat during future visits.  In order to transport guests to "a galaxy far, far away," creators incorporated flight-motion simulator vehicle, digital 3-D video, Audio Animatronics characters and in-cockpit special effects. Guests can expect an exciting thrill-ride with a surprise personal touch (you will have to ride it yourself to fully understand and appreciate what I'm talking about). 

Though the original Star Tours had its own charm, the attraction lost much of its "wow factor" since its initial unveiling in 1989. Through the marvels of modern technology (and with some futuristic archeology thrown in too), the creators of the new Star Tours attraction have found new ways to woo their new audience through the ride of a lifetime ... without the stress of today's gas prices! 

Star Tours - The Adventure Continues will be open to the public on June 3.