Recently, Disney’s Hollywood Studios™ kicked off their annual Star Wars Weekends with an out-of-this world bang with the re-opening of the Star Tours attraction. In existence since December of 1989 and closed for rehabilitation since last September, this ride features so many upgrades that it makes it worth a visit to Disney’s Hollywood Studios alone just to experience it! The biggest change to the Star Tours® ride is that it is now in digital 3-D, and the clarity of the picture is unlike any other you will find on Walt Disney World® property. Guests will also notice a new host – C-3PO is now on board as your new pilot on your Starspeeder 1000 – to take you on your thrilling adventure through George Lucas’ “Star Wars” universe. During your journey, guests will glide among the trees with Wookiees on Kashyyyk, kick up desert sand in a podrace on Tatooine, splash into the lakes of Naboo, travel through the bustling city/planet of Coruscant, blast through the blizzards of Hoth or even help attack the heavily defended Death Star! And, best of all, the ride features more than 50 different scenarios, which means you would have to ride Star Tours® for four consecutive hours (or over 100 times) just to experience every possible trip! We don’t want to give away too much more about the actual ride experience itself, but “Star Wars” fans will be delighted that some of their favorite characters are part of the attraction, including R2-D2, Darth Vader, Stormtroopers, Jedi Master Yodam, Admiral Ackbar, Princess Leia and Chewbacca, while brand new characters, like Star Tours Pilot Ace (AC-38), Spokesbot Aly San San and the lethal new Imperial Skytroopers, are also introduced. The queue area and feel of the attraction on a whole are still largely the same, but don’t let the façade fool you, because what lies inside once you board your Starspeeder is a completely different attraction that is light years ahead of its predecessor. If you are heading to Disney Hollywood Studios™ this summer, don’t forget to save some extra time for Star Tours®. Star Wars Weekends, which ended on June 12, may be over for 2011 already, but that doesn’t mean the force can’t be with you – just remember to check out this attraction more than once, as you never know what adventure awaits for you on your next trip out of the galaxy! | 
