Disney Experiences chair, and soon-to-be CEO, Josh D’Amaro has acknowledged that not enough guests “love” Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. While the ride typically draws strong attendance and positive reactions, some visitors do not feel a deep emotional connection to the attraction. D’Amaro made the remark during a design review observed by a Harvard Business Review contributor, where he used the phrase “Guests like it, but they don’t love it” to describe the ride’s impact on park visitors.
D’Amaro weighed in on an update coming soon for the ride, launching May 22nd with the theatrical release of The Mandalorian and Grogu movie.
D’Amaro on the Ride
Smugglers Run, a simulator ride located in Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland in California and Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida, opened in 2019 and has remained an element of those lands ever since. The attraction assigns six riders to roles aboard the Millennium Falcon — two pilots, two gunners, and two engineers — each with tasks related to completing a smuggling mission.
D’Amaro’s comments reflect an internal assessment that conventional measures of success, such as wait times and ride capacity, do not fully capture the emotional responses Disney seeks to evoke in guests. The ride’s consistent waits and attendance show it remains operationally successful, yet leadership believes that deeper emotional engagement is necessary to foster long-term guest loyalty.
Official Concept Art for Tatooine with The Mandalorian in Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World – Walt Disney Imagineering; Artist Concept Only
During the design conversations, D’Amaro and Imagineering personnel discussed how role assignments affect guest experience. Pilots have direct operational control, steering the spacecraft and affecting mission outcomes. Gunners and engineers, by contrast, perform supportive actions with less influence on the narrative. D’Amaro suggested the uneven distribution of influence might limit how strongly some guests connect with the experience. Despite long waits, guests get a 1/3 chance to get a pivotal role in the mission flying the plan.
The distinction between liking an attraction and truly loving it has become a focal point for Disney’s creative leaders. Marcus Buckingham of the Harvard Business Review described D’Amaro and other Disney decision makers’ approach as “experience intelligence,” the ability to understand and shape emotional responses beyond routine satisfaction.
Mandalorian and Grogu Update
As part of a broader response to this assessment, Walt Disney Imagineering and park leaders have been developing updates to Smugglers Run. A new mission aligned with The Mandalorian and Grogu storyline is scheduled to debut on May 22, 2026, at both Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This debut coincides with the theatrical release of The Mandalorian and Grogu, directed by Jon Favreau.
The update will feature expanded roles for all riders and real-time visuals powered by upgraded hardware, aiming to give each participant a more significant sense of agency. Imagineers refined the tasks and interactions for every role to create clearer responsibilities and better feedback for riders in all positions.
Disney undertook a comprehensive overhaul of the ride’s technical systems. With the 2026 update, the attraction will transition to real-time rendered media instead of pre-rendered projection, enabling a more dynamic mission environment connected to the new storyline. These upgrades reflect a shift toward deeper storytelling through immersive technology.
Official Concept Art for Cloud City in Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World – Walt Disney Imagineering; Artist Concept Only
While executives and designers hope the new mission will address some of the concerns about guest engagement, Smugglers Run continues to function as a key attraction within Galaxy’s Edge.
D’Amaro’s remarks highlight the need to improve the ride. With a new update coming soon, perhaps more people can “love” the ride.
What do you think of The Mandalorian coming to Smugglers Run? Are you looking forward to the update? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
UP NEXT: Sony Pictures Offering Targeted Buyouts Instead of Mass Layoffs
I bet people would like it better if they could “experience” the attraction at 50% the current highway robbery prices and with half the wait (without paying for an equally highway robbery cost of the lightning pass).
I also bet, if you stopped trying to recon history and hide or destroy historic attractions things might be better on the “experience” side.
But that’s just me. I’m not Bob Iger’s new meat puppet.
Josh D’Tardo will make everything better, you’ll see.
“People don’t love it.” Is perhaps the most generous thing he could say about Disney Wars in general. This is the closest thing we’ll ever get to self awareness from the Haus of Maus.