Skip Smugglers Run Lightning Lane If You Can Split Up

Published June 28, 2026 · Updated September 9, 2026

Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run is one of the easiest Lightning Lane Multi Pass traps at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. It looks like a big-ticket Star Wars ride, it sits in Galaxy’s Edge, and the posted wait can get intimidating. But if your group is flexible, the smarter move is usually to skip the Multi Pass here and use the single rider line instead.

That does not mean Smugglers Run is bad. It means your Lightning Lane selection is valuable, and Hollywood Studios has better places to spend it.

The Short Answer

For most guests, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run is not a top-priority Lightning Lane Multi Pass pick.

Use Multi Pass on Smugglers Run if you have kids who need to ride with adults, your group really wants to experience the cockpit together, or the standby wait is high and single rider is not a fit.

Skip it if you are a solo traveler, a couple, teens, adults, or repeat riders who do not mind being split up. In that case, the single rider line is the hidden advantage. It can move much faster than standby, and it lets you save your Multi Pass selections for rides where there is no comparable shortcut.

The trade-off is simple: single rider saves time, but you give up control.

Why Smugglers Run Is Different

Smugglers Run has something many Hollywood Studios headliners do not: a single rider line that is genuinely useful.

That matters because Lightning Lane value is not just about the posted wait. It is about whether you have another good way to beat that wait. For Smugglers Run, you often do.

Single rider is best when your group is willing to be separated and assigned wherever there is an empty seat. You may not ride in the same cockpit. You may not get your preferred role. You may wind up as engineer instead of pilot. If your whole goal is to sit together and shout your way through the mission as a family, single rider undercuts the fun.

But if you have already ridden before, or you are mainly trying to fit more into your Hollywood Studios day, single rider is one of the best low-friction time-savers in the park.

That is why Smugglers Run should rarely be your first Multi Pass instinct.

Better Uses For Multi Pass At Hollywood Studios

Hollywood Studios is a park where bad Lightning Lane choices hurt. There are not as many high-capacity fallback rides as Magic Kingdom, and crowds can make the park feel tight fast.

If Slinky Dog Dash is available, that is usually the stronger Multi Pass target. It has broad family appeal, gets heavy demand, and does not have a single rider escape hatch. For many families, that is the ride to lock in early if you can.

Tower of Terror can be a better use than Smugglers Run depending on timing, group preferences, and the day’s crowd pattern. But even there, you should be strategic. Tower of Terror often becomes easier late in the evening, especially in the last 60 to 90 minutes before park close. If you are staying late, you may be able to save that selection too.

Star Tours is usually not worth burning a valuable Multi Pass on. It is one of the easier standby wins in the park, especially if you catch it between bigger moves.

The bigger point: do not treat every recognizable ride as equal. A smart Hollywood Studios day is about spending Lightning Lane where it replaces the most painful wait and where standby alternatives are weakest.

Where Rise Of The Resistance Fits

Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is not part of Lightning Lane Multi Pass. It is a Lightning Lane Single Pass attraction, bought separately in My Disney Experience.

That distinction matters because you should not compare Smugglers Run and Rise as if they are competing for the same selection. They are different decisions.

If Rise of the Resistance is a must-do for your group, decide early whether you are willing to buy Single Pass or commit to standby. Then build the rest of your Hollywood Studios plan around that choice.

A strong Star Wars-heavy day might look like this: use Single Pass or a smart standby window for Rise, use single rider for Smugglers Run if your group can split, and save Multi Pass muscle for Slinky Dog Dash, Tower of Terror, or another higher-impact pick.

That is how you avoid paying in time twice.

When Smugglers Run Multi Pass Actually Makes Sense

There are definitely guests who should use Multi Pass here.

Families with younger kids may care more about riding together than squeezing out every efficiency edge. Smugglers Run is also more fun when your group fills the cockpit and everyone is in on the chaos. If this is your kid’s big Star Wars moment, do not over-optimize it into a scattered single rider experience.

It can also make sense when the posted wait is high, the single rider line looks backed up, or your group has a tight dining reservation or show plan nearby.

And if your other priority rides are already handled, Smugglers Run becomes a perfectly reasonable later Multi Pass refill. The mistake is not choosing it ever. The mistake is choosing it too early while stronger options are still available.

Pair It With Galaxy’s Edge Time

If you are riding Smugglers Run, plan the land around it instead of bouncing across the park.

Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo is nearby and works well as a lunch or dinner anchor in Galaxy’s Edge. Mobile order there when possible so you are not trading ride time for a food line. The menu has more interesting options than basic theme park fare, and the location makes it easy to eat before or after Smugglers Run without wasting steps.

This is especially useful if you are waiting for a return window, watching for a lower standby wait, or trying to fit in Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. Hollywood Studios punishes backtracking, so keep your Star Wars block tight: ride, eat, explore Galaxy’s Edge, then move on.

The Role Problem Nobody Mentions Enough

Smugglers Run is role-dependent. Pilot is the headline seat. Gunner is active enough. Engineer can feel like the consolation prize, especially for first-timers who expected to fly the Falcon.

Lightning Lane does not guarantee your preferred role, but riding with your own group gives you a better shot at coordinating who wants what. Single rider gives you speed, not control.

So here is the practical rule: if this is your first ride and someone in your group desperately wants pilot, consider riding together through standby or Lightning Lane. If you are just trying to get another ride in, single rider is the move.

The SupaPark Move

Use SupaPark’s live waits and best-time-to-ride forecaster before you spend a Multi Pass on Smugglers Run. If the ride is trending down or single rider is viable, save the selection. If the wait is climbing and your group needs to stay together, take the pass and move on.

SupaPark can also help you avoid the Hollywood Studios refresh spiral. Instead of staring at My Disney Experience hoping a better Lightning Lane appears, let SupaPark watch for better ride windows, refill patterns, and low-wait opportunities while you keep touring.

The Takeaway

Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run is worth riding, but it is often not worth your best Lightning Lane Multi Pass pick.

If your group can split up, use single rider and spend Multi Pass on harder-to-beat attractions. If riding together is the point, book it without guilt. The smart play is knowing which kind of group you are before you waste a selection.

Go deeper — the full guides: Will Your Kid Hate Soarin’? How to Decide (And Where to Sit) · Why DINOSAUR Is Disney’s Most Intense Ride for Kids (And How to Know if They’re Ready) · Animal Kingdom Deep Dive: Conquering Pandora, Flight of Passage, Kilimanjaro Safaris & Smart Touring

SupaPark tracks live wait times and crowd forecasts, and pings you the second a hard-to-get reservation opens or a ride goes walk-on — free to start at supapark.com.