Is Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run World Class? With Carter Morgan • FOR YOUR AMUSEMENT

[@sandracassinelli5874]

It is so gratifying to hear someone praise this podcast so highly. I know it is “niche” but truly, it’s so important.

[@lt80149]

The footage of Byron on the kiddie coasters at the fair was top tier 😂 Ryan’s commentary and constant giggling made it even better lol

[@catherinekress2138]

Byron was adorable! Love his sweet and chill attitude!!

[@NancyDrewing]

Byron on the worm killed me 😂

[@carterdmorgan]

Woah, the guest this week is super smart. And handsome too!

[@SuperBear_19]

You were awesome! This has been one of my favorite rides and it was great to see someone both honest but also able to argue for this ride.

[@carterdmorgan]

@@SuperBear_19Just wait until they have me back and I argue just as vigorously for the Hall of Presidents.

[@kaytea0963]

Loved getting the insider scoop from you! It sounds like you've had such an interesting career

[@DangHippiesPlease]

As a fellow software developer and theme park head allow me to say this: you are not alone comrade! Loved hearing your takes on the pod!

[@catherinekress2138]

He really is! … wait a sec😂

[@sdc5914]

This felt like the first time a true "Friend of the Pod" was on.

[@carterdmorgan]

I’ve been a fan for a while. It was a blast getting to record in person with Ryan and Byron!

[@sdc5914]

@@carterdmorgan I hope we get you back to discuss Canibal and Lagoon in General. I've heard it's very expensive compared to other regional parks.

[@carterdmorgan]

@@sdc5914We’ve got to get Ryan and Byron out to Utah so they can experience Lagoon for themselves!

[@gretamunson57]

love how carter repeatedly knows the format of the show. true friend of the pod

[@pomeloiki]

Really great to listen to a guest who's a genuine fan of the pod and knows how the structure of this podcast works. I also appreciate the perspective of visiting the park with kids and admitting that while the attraction might not do it for true theme park heads, casually people will enjoy it no matter if you're a kid or a dad who likes star wars, I think that point of view was really refreshing. I also liked that the world class test was put into question because yeah people outside of places where disney parks are a thing will wait more than 60 minutes and people with little kids will go on a ride more than once. Really fun ep!

[@KARZJR]

this podcast is the only reason i look forward to waking up on tuesdays

[@paigemathias3478]

I need an episode of Jenny and the boys spilling tea about Galactic Starcrusier PLEASE 🙏🏻

[@rattyeely]

Seconded I need Jenny to come back on the pod the ET episode is my favorite

[@cosmicristi]

THIS!!! it would be a 10/10 episode

[@procrastinatingvaledictorian]

Would be so awesome

[@madwatchstudios]

And they could still score it out of 10 with its own categories like Volcano Bay, and Epic.

[@AwesTex]

I can’t wait for that. I need it SO BAD

[@cosmicristi]

can i just say, carters energy was so perfectly matched with the duo, i’ve never seen a such an engaged and energetic conversation between three dudes just talking about what they love!!! world class pod guest!! lol

[@lancewood9817]

I never thought I would be so happy after a nearly 2 hour long podcast on Smugglers Run. Well done all.

[@katcalico9142]

Same

[@drdremd]

Be sure to bring this guy back!

[@K.Rothesomesauce16]

You guys nailed why I'm addicted to the parks!! I LOVE planning and efficiency, so it's like a game, challenge for me to do best every time!! It's also fun!

[@masonhicks1159]

Couple extra fun facts! There are porg nests everywhere in the falcon and the queue, since this ride takes place after TLJ. The radio at the start of the queue occasionally plays music by Gaia who would appear on the galactic starcruiser. Based on your score/damage taken, there will be different lights flickering and audio playing as you exit the cockpit. The game engine is Unreal engine (lotta collab for mando, epic games, etc.)

[@Steeeeener]

As a motion sickness girlie, I REALLY appreciate the engineer “position”. It allows me to ride this with my husband and enjoy it but keeps me from getting sick.

[@VultureCulture]

I think it's time to amend the Premature Detrackulation test to be for attractions that are too short or too long. Passing should indicate that the attraction is in the goldilocks zone of duration. Love the podcast, look forward to it every week. Thanks guys! 🙏

[@adricktolliver1328]

Former Disney College Program cast member here, been sitting here in Seguin TX listening to these for the past several months, living vicariously through y'all while you talk about going to all these cool theme parks and rides, and was absolutely floored at the Switchback shoutout! I guess there's one ride I can check out after all! 😄

[@strawberrydollz]

man this episode was a treat!!!! i rolled my eyes when i saw it was smugglers run, but i’ve got to say it changed my perspective on it. i love the podcast so much and always something to look forward to for sure!

[@officergillespie7673]

Awesome stuff guys! While the actual mission for Smugglers Run is a little lack luster, we have to appreciate the fact that a high volume park figured out a way to effectively have guests ride in the tiny cockpit of THE FREAKING Millennium Falcon! That alone makes this ride absolutely amazing.

[@bygoner]

The point Ryan made about how most people don’t even remember Hondo’s name is so real. After going on this ride I could not tell you a single thing about the actual plot or experience BUT I remember the queue and getting to look around the millennium falcon. The only reason I even know Hondo is because of the Smuggler quest line in the Sims 4 Journey to Batuu DLC which weirdly makes more sense than the coaxium run 😭

[@Balootoyoutoo]

I love how this podcast isn’t just cut and dried talk about the ride and rate it. I don’t care for the Star Wars stuff but this episode was still a great watch, thank you for such a great show

[@reedwilson5606]

I loved the story about Carter getting a nametag as a gift for his father! It's funny that Carter's middle name is David, because my younger brother's name is David Carter, and he goes by his middle name!

[@carterdmorgan]

So cool! I’m Carter from the episode and my oldest is also named David Carter!

[@jimmyjamsburner6944]

The better you are at this ride, the worse it is. My family got really good at it and it’s kind of boring. Now we get new people to pilot and it’s always a blast

[@brentparker7359]

I once rode Smuggler's Run very late (after Rise closed) and went in the Single Rider line. They sent me to go alone in my own cockpit. The cast member explained that the screen with Hondo was broken and kept apologizing that it wasn't there to pass the time while I waited, but she was very nice and made conversation until it the door opened. Speaking of opening doors, once I was in the Rey room on Rise when the door kept opening, revealing another group getting on the space transport. The cast member finally said, "Don't look over here! Look at Rey!" 😅

[@bradleyh7582]

So fun to have a guest on that is a genuine fan of the podcast

[@SuperBear_19]

Carter was a great guest!

[@catherinekress2138]

He was amazing!!

[@chelseaallen8985]

Lagoon shout out?! Lagoon is my stomping grounds! And I just noticed Carter's BYU cougar shirt- my alma mater!

[@carterdmorgan]

Go Cougs! I’ll be at the game this Saturday!

[@djtigerstripes]

Is anyone going to talk about how Byron in the Miracle Made ad says "meow back to the show".

[@NancyDrewing]

He says that a lot! Almost all the ads I think. It cracks me up every time

[@Nikki-tx6kh]

The way he says Neow instead of Now gets me every time. I hear him.

[@debbyacomb9824]

Local to Utah! Lagoons Cannibal is an amazing ride. I'd love to hear about it on here at some point!

[@parkermorgan6890]

I don’t know much about this Carter guy, but I assume he has a really cool younger brother.

[@chaoswrangler]

Fam of 6, 15-22 yrs and parents. Love it. Everybody comes off smiling.

[@tuckergilbert7515]

EVERYONE IN TOMORROWLAND🗣️ BEHOLD‼️ A GROWN MAN🚨

[@chaoswrangler]

We live in UT, but visit often. We have switched to trying to crash as much possible. Never laughed so hard. We really enjoy smuggs.

[@danfan219]

Now he got us waiting for flight of passage fine wine test

[@cherylbell327]

Smugglers Run is an absolute dream come true for all of those who have been obsessed with Han and the Falcon for years. Getting to PILOT the Millennium Falcon was a literal bucket list item for me. Should the mission change, absolutely but this ride is world class and the immersion of the queue and the cockpit is alone enough to keep me coming back over and over. I MUST make Chewie proud!!! Great episode as always guys

[@NancyDrewing]

This elisode was fantastic! Love the guest and his enthusiasm for the show.

[@T.Florenz]

I love to read through the comments and see people's sheer enthusiasm for the ride of the week 🧡

[@RM13741]

Jim Cummings is INSANE!!! His credit list is unreal. He’s also Ray in Princess and the Frog, Darkwing Duck, Bonkers, lots of Looney Tunes… he’s the GOAT!

[@coasterfreakawesome]

I want to go on record as a theme park sicko who really likes this ride!

[@tegriffi]

I’m I’m

[@chaoswrangler]

Primordial. I was pleasantly surprised. More themeing than any other Lagoon ride. Not Disneyland ride but cool.

[@adamkarczewski3124]

I feel like the would you wait 60 minutes should be replaced with if you didn’t ride this ride while there would the trip be considered a disappointment(you can work shop this)

[@bialazielarka]

I didn't expect a soft eng to appear on the podcast with such a juicy podcast, scrolling thru the eps list of book overflow i saw a few familiar titles and surnames, I'm so excited to give it a listen. Thanks for a great rec!

[@carterdmorgan]

Thanks for tuning in! We’re just barely at the beginning with Book Overflow and have some exciting stuff working through the pipelines you won’t want to miss!

[@bialazielarka]

I'm gonna try to catch up with you guys by firstly reading the books 👀 u inspired me to take up some homework after work that'll refresh my skills :D thanks again and all the best to you!

[@thejuliasimoes]

Ryan and Byron are so biased towards the rides they like/don't like when it comes to the test and I LOVE IT, I would do exactly the same

[@victoriadarling9000]

Cannot stress enough, how grateful I am for this podcast. Like to actually have people talking about something I genuinely care about, and take as seriously as they do is such a blessing. Not trying to kiss up, just trying to say thanks

[@koetter_boater]

"I'm fluent in Portuguese which is a little weird..." Lol, looking at this guy I just had a weird feeling that he might have lived in Brazil for a couple years, not sure why though...

[@ChadVanHalen5150]

Take a shot in the dark he lived there exactly 2 years haha

[@rozeerossi1520]

Would never think the Smugglers Run episode would be one of my favorites but here we are!! Fantastic guest!!

[@jynfan2465]

this was such a great episode!! carter was an amazing guest. smuggler's run isn't my favorite right but i definitely agree with the statement that it's the ride for the common folk. my boyfriend and his son both still talk about the ride sometimes, and when i went with my friends this past july it was one of the few we re-rode (along with rise, indy, and probably would have done runaway railway again if it weren't so far away lol). even then, it was the one ride they all HAD to get on again (rise was like a "we want to do it if we can snag a short wait time" and indy was like one person wanted to do it if we happened to have time, but we were actively looking for a time to ride smugglers again). To be fair, it was mostly so more people could get a chance of playing the pilot lol. we also did chewy mode! honestly i recommend asking the cast member to do it for you. the second time we rode we wanted to do chewy mode again and wanted to try to activate it ourselves this time, but something went wrong so we couldn't :( i think we all knew what to do, but we just didn't have time before the ride just took off in default mode. if you're trying to activate yourself, make sure everyone knows what they're doing before you get on the coop and you might need to do it while the CM is giving their safety spiel because the ride will basically start right away after they leave! i'm offended by these remarks on flight of passage though (/lh). like i get the arguments but that ride makes me feel things, mostly depression about having to go back to real life and that i can't befriend all of the wild animals lol.

[@josephsilva345]

Day 24 of asking for Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree

[@sdc5914]

Day 2948 Bought a ticket on "Disney Escape" the new Space Craft our saviors built for REAL Disney fans to escape Earth before The Cataclysm. Excited to live the rest of my life amongst the stars. Also excited for the new Lilo & Stictch musical expexted soon after Lift off.

[@Delundon]

22:13 Shots fired!!!

[@Delundon]

29:50 shots fired again!!

[@josephsilva345]

Mater nation, after seeing one of our beloved hosts slight our dearly beloved Mater, we have to no choice but to vocalize our support for Mater even louder. His presence in the parks brightens everyone’s lives, and his Junkyard Jamboree is the pinnacle of human achievement. We must spread this message far and wide

[@Delundon]

@@josephsilva345 Naw, people are upset about Rivers of America, a world class attraction, going away.

[@9064bow]

My first time on this ride was my birthday in 2022, I piloted with a kid, and I had a ton of fun even though we were terrible 😂 I gave him a high five when we finished. The trip was a gift from my boyfriend, and it was my first time back to the parks since 2014.

[@mochabean5692]

Carter is a fantastic guest! I also don’t enjoy Flight of Passage because it is the only ride I have ever gotten motion sickness on, no other ride has done that to me. The screen was blurry too and that was disappointing

[@Nojintt]

Not my favorite ride, but my favorite podcast

[@kristinotto102]

I love being an engineer cuz I feel like I can enjoy the ride without letting everyone down 😅 the one time I was I pilot I really don’t even think we got the pity coaxiom. I did ride once with a single rider though who definitely seemed like he had been riding all day trying to master it. He came in like a captain telling each person when to press buttons and coaching the pilots, we did great and it was awesome.

[@cosmicristi]

bringing jenny back to talk about the galactic star cruiser would make for a world class episode

[@teetpiry97]

Another awesome episode guys 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@HisRedCoat]

I went to Disneyland for the very first time in 2019. My first ride ever was Smuggler's Run, as the right pilot. This attraction will always have a very special place in my heart.

[@letsgofrightseeing]

Hearing Byron talk about my hometown theme park was a thrill 😂

[@Mykeymcfly]

Ryan, fellow die-hard Lakers fan here, I remember that clutch Kobe shot at Denver! It was in 09 when we had Ariza on the team. So many unforgettable memories Kobe gave us.

[@len3502]

ryan mentioning multiple times that he wants the animatronics to punch each other was so funny 😭🤭

[@TheBacklogBuilder]

I’ve always loved being a casual park goer who doesn’t need to see and do everything. Being both a local and annual passholder to Disneyland gives me the freedom to just take in all of my environment. I can honestly just enjoy a Mickey pretzel or Dole Whip and people watch for hours. It’s my “relaxation time” 😁

[@ImekaSF]

OMG Lagoon! Core childhood memories there. My brother and I walked into Smuggler's Run having done absolutely no research so we really thought the gunner would get to sit in a swinging seat like the ones in the movie, haha. Boy were we let down. 😆

[@rowiebby]

Perfect lunch break timing 🥲

[@normf9020]

Re: the engineer seat… as well as being the “parent” seat, it’s also a great “wife” seat. My wife, our daughter, and I went on this ride right after WDW opened during the pandemic. So, it was just the three of us in the cockpit. My wife gets motion sickness, so she sat in the engineer seat away from the screen. She took an AMAZING video of my daughter and I in the pilot seats, hooting and hollering, having the time of our lives. Then, she pans over to her buttons, and it’s just her pushing random buttons. The comedic timing of it is perfect. But, it’s also exemplary of how inclusive this ride is. Even if Star Wars isn’t your thing, watching other people have a good time is always a good time.

[@catherinelepage2611]

the thing about smugglers run is even though it is a simulator, it’s still pretty friendly to those with motion-sickness. as long as you don’t control the ship, you can easily just look away from the screen! i appreciate that the ride vehicle is larger, that way you can glance around or pay attention to your family/friends instead of being FORCED to look at the screen (cough cough mission space)

[@laurabowles]

Where is the Mater's Junkyard Jamboree request comment?? I look for it every time to lend my support to the cause!

[@AuthorCertifiedGoof]

Mission idea for The Falcon: you have to achieve the hero moment where you clear the way for Luke to blow up the first Death Star in A New Hope!!

[@feistyy]

Instead, you get to help Mando

[@kendrapain6500]

Lagoon is my local park! I LOVE Cannibal :)

[@dylanphillips8705]

My signature moment is every time after you come out of the second hyperspace there’s ALWAYS! A black spire right in front of you that the left pilot I’ve never seen dodge.

[@mochabean5692]

Piloting the Millennium Falcon and sending it into hyperdrive became a core Disneyland memory for me the moment I first went on this in early 2020

[@imaginationstationyt6948]

As a park head. This is the one motion simulator I love. It has never made me sick. I single ridered it 13 times in a row last trip at DHS. I love engineer it is a fun thrill that is just right. Honestly glad it is World Class. It is the best motion sim in the world.

[@upsidedownlex]

Ryan’s lucky Ghost Files Live is skipping Philly or I would use my opportunity of a crowd question to filibuster the whole thing to campaign for a FYA SpaceShip Earth episode.

[@jacquelinejanewashere]

I love amusement parks and ride history this is my favorite pod of the moment

[@MarziPanna-w7g]

Great guest! Very sweet and funny and love that he loves the podcast. Please bring Carter back.

[@AwesTex]

I’m so glad my first Galaxy’s Edge experience was by myself. I really enjoyed being able to wander the land at my own pace and really soak it in. Same for Smuggler’s Run, but unfortunately my first ride was in the Single Rider line which bypasses the Ohnaka section so I didn’t see that until much later. It’s really not the same entering the Millennium Falcon through the back door (but I was able to get on in 5 minutes which was nice)

[@ShaneSchrute]

“Knock it out” makes it sound like a chore that you just want to be over. Enjoy your life brother.

[@mesamarshall3202]

Has no one caught that there's also a starspeeder from Star Tours taking off from Batuu when you're landing?

[@lbjcb5]

Wow cool!

[@hmcraig86]

My Dad loved this ride so much at DisneyWorld that he went twice. My sister, on the other hand, got sick from it. I thought it was fun and even got to pilot!

[@K.Rothesomesauce16]

Had to come back to finish (darn work getting in the way of my viewing) but you got to my favorite part in my 2nd half of viewing! My son (16 at the time), wearing a star wars shirt with star wars ears, lost his SHIT when we got stuck being 2 engineers (me and his sister), and he was gunner, while 3 people who when asked by the CM if they knew anything about star wars said nope (an older women, middle aged woman, and toddler!) got to be pilots and other gunner.......it was probably the worst ride we had. I realllllly miss when they split families up during cvid times, it realllllly sucks getting stuck with crap roles with strangers who have no idea what they're doing. The toddler one was one of the pilots and the older woman was the other pilot...the CM reaaaally should've put our ride on auto pilot. It was the first time I got motion sickness haha we hit everything! Us engineers were veeeeerrrrry busy!

[@CoffinFullOfBees]

Disney Quest was included in Cast Member benefits, so i used to go all the time. My best friend and i were pros at virtual jungle cruise and the virtual pirate ship. Ive done cyberspace mountain at least 100 times, and we treated it like a puzzle to get the only route that included 13 inversions. One of the simulators had the preset option you could choose, but we didn't want spoilers. I believe it was the middle door on the left 😂

[@smpractice2955]

Great guest

[@mmh290]

#9 - yes. I was a single rider with 2 fathers and their respective sons, hearing,”Aw man, it’s a girl” from one of the kids, but I did well and we scored 2 coaxiom(sp) and they were pleasantly surprised I helped. They literally cheered seeing our score.😂

[@garylopez3720]

Guys lets try to spread this around as much as possible! I managed to get my brother into it, and I really want this podcast to keep going

[@killervirgo]

Switchback at ZDT’s in Seguin, TX is a fun coaster.

[@teresabernerdesign5047]

Would yall do a HHN episode?

[@barbehrhart]

As a relative newcomer to your channel (late 2019) I would love a playlist or a compilation video of the inside jokes like theme park pigeon, about three, etc, like how they originated.

[@alexpatmore7315]

World class! You made Chewie proud! 🎉

[@Rebecajean]

I will say, regardless of the ruling here, I have a blast on Smuggler’s Run. I usually do single rider and then I cheer on the families that I’m with while I chill in engineering 😅 also I love Hondo haha

[@PoweredLaces]

I was just in DL and rode it about 30 times over the trip and when I would fly it alone I would get a unique audio track from Hondo when the ship was starting up, noting that I was flying alone.

[@chericrabbypelley]

I'm a monster---I hate this ride (except for the queue), and I also like the river journey way better than FOP (with the exception of the queue). However, it was magical when my (adult) stepdaughter got to pilot, and I would kill to get Chewey mode.

[@toddjones1480]

I'm even more of a monster then. I wait in line but don't get on the ride.

[@chericrabbypelley]

@@toddjones1480 Amazing. I've seriously considered it.

[@FroAlchemist]

17:09 I would LOVE to be fluent in Portuguese.

[@charliemacsart]

I'm gonna go out on a limb here: If there's ever a Country Bear Jamboree episode, I think I could make an extremely solid case for it being World Class without (much) personal bias! I love the bears as much as Offhand Disney loves the Haunted Mansion lol

[@technosworld2]

I love Flight of Passage, but the ultimate would be something similar to that, riding on a banshee that you could pilot yourself...it would be insane

[@ncbooth]

Oh! Just in time for me to revisit this next month in Disneyland!

[@brentparker7359]

I haven't gotten to The Good and the Bad yet, but here's mine: THE GOOD: -- The queue. Atmospheric sleazy smuggling operation, amazing recreation of the Falcon exterior and interior and Hondo animatronic (when he works.) -- Fun, especially with a good crowd. -- Interactivity varies depending on position, but feels like you're doing *something,* especially for pilots. (Crashing?) -- Typically short wait in my experience (at Disneyland) and Single Rider available. -- Likable naughty character in Hondo. THE BAD: -- Hondo's constant instructions. I get why this is needed, but it takes away from the freewheeling feeling of the adventure. Hopefully someday I will get to do Chewie mode to experience the ride without this. I picture if Hondo took over the Cantina and you hear his constant instructions on how to drink your drink. -- Total lack of branching paths, ability to affect the outcome of the story or to defy/betray Hondo. Ride is on a "track" -- all that truly matters is points, just like Disney's other interactive rides. That's why I appreciate Toy Story Mania for being honest about it. -- Lack of the variety we have on Star Tours. Hopefully to be added soon? -- Cockpit is cool, but doesn't feel like it's attached to a huge ship. Feels like a little pod ship.

[@josephferrara6309]

The ride is run on Epic Games' Unreal Engine which is actually a very advanced platform.

[@chelseaallen8985]

The best part of this ride (and the only part I like), is the queue.

[@TheWonderfulworldofkohlten1]

Lagoon is legit down the street from my house! Yes canibal is definitely one of the best coasters!

[@Balootoyoutoo]

36:32 this isn’t actually the case at all. It’s nothing to do with response, its just unifying the system into one medium, effectively less mechanical parts to fail. You’re correct in saying Hydraulics and pneumatics aren’t all contained within the figure and require there to be other apparatus hidden elsewhere to feed and control the actuators which is also another reason they are moving down the electronic path I can assume. There still is other kit outside of the figure that it needs in order to function. The only issue with the route they’ve now taken is the fact that more electronic parts means more electricity is needed to supply them, hydraulics and pneumatics work on mechanical advantage so they aren’t nearly as power hungry as the new pancake servo actuation systems they use now

[@chrisss8s]

Wow. I only rode this once in Orlando but I assumed the windows were digital screens. The viewable area is much smaller than the domed screen you see bts.

[@abigailkatestewart7395]

AYO UTAH AND CANNIBAL MENTIONED!?! If ya’ll come to Utah I’ll give you a tour with history included😂

[@abigailkatestewart7395]

and yes it’s called Primordial, and it’s….ok😅

[@MamieBelle775]

The queue was amazing, but the ride made me so sick!

[@dresh77]

Go Cougars!