The topic this month is Favorite Family Traditions.  I thought for a moment about what we do as a family EVERY trip and it always came back to Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin.

Welcome to those of you joining me from Disney Babies Blog and those of you just hopping aboard. I am the 4th stop on our Magical Blogorail.

At least once each trip we make it to Magic Kingdom for rope drop.  As everyone runs to Space, Splash, and Thunder Mountain we make a bee line to Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin.

We split into pairs but there is no team work here – it is every Man or Mom for themselves.   The goal is to make Galactic Hero and laugh at everyone else scores.  And yes, cheating is allowed.

We have made it a friendly family competition. While there are no lines we walk straight onto our ride vehicle and it is serious business.

The ride is based upon the 1999 Toy Story 2 movie.  Hear we learn that Buzz Lightyear has an archenemy by the name of Evil Emperor Zurg.

When you enter the ride queue you discover that the Evil Emperor Zurg is stealing crystillic fusion cell (i.e. batteries) from our favorite Little Green Men (LGM).

You are being recruited by Buzz Lightyear to join Star Command and defeat him. Let the training begin.

The ride itself is a shooting gallery style dark ride where you board a space vehicle that has two laser pistols and a joystick.  The pistols are used to shoot at targets of varying point values and the joystick allows full 360-degree rotation of the vehicle.

The vehicle also has a dashboard that shows your score throughout the ride so you know how bad or good you are doing.  At the end of the game you can compare your score to the Status Board to see what Level of Cadet you are.

• Level 1 Star Cadet: 0 – 1,000
• Level 2 Space Ace: 1,001 – 10,000
• Level 3 Planetary Pilot: 10,001 – 100,000
• Level 4 Space Scout: 100,001 – 300,000
• Level 5 Ranger 1st Class: 300,001 – 600,000
• Level 6 Cosmic Commando: 600,001 – 999,998
• Level 7 Galactic Hero: 999,999

Dual-wielding AstroBlasters (Photo credit: jon_gilbert)

Here are my tips for getting the level of Galactic Hero.  Not saying there is not a bit of cheating involved.  It is all about winning after all.

There are a few 50,000 and 100,000 point targets that can easily get you to Galactic Hero

• First room – The left hand of the robot and the claw on the ceiling have 100,000 point targets.  For the claw it is easier to hit this target once you have past it by turining your vehicle around backwards.
• Second room – The top target on the volcano is worth 50,000 points.
• Third room – The target below Emperor Zurg is worth 100,000. This target is easier to hit as you approach it.  It is hardest to hit when you are directly in front of it.

If the ride slows down DO NOT stop shooting – this is valuable time to rack up some points.

Even if you think you have stopped at a bad point shoot at blank walls.  There are sensors everywhere and you may just discover another unknown high point target.

If you happen to stop in range of a high point value target you will easily make Galactic Hero.

This is a serious decision when competing.  

If you can multi-task it is in your best interest to control of your ride vehicle.  You can position yourself to have a better shooting position and reduce the effectiveness of your fellow rider.  

Now if your fellow rider CANNOT multi-task definitely let them control the joystick and just rack up the points!  

• Bonus Tip – Toddler Power – If you have a toddler traveling with you make sure they are in the other vehicle and takes control of the joystick. (Telling the toddler that Daddy said he could drive is a valid strategy. There is no shame in it at all.) The toddler will now make getting Galactic Hero an uphill battle for their fellow rider.

In the last scene of the game your vehicle will be photographed.  It is always fun to check out the photos and I have yet to figure out a pose that works for me but my husband always goes for extreme concentration.

If you like the photo you can purchase a couple of ways: (at the time of this article)

• Purchase Disney Memory Maker : Includes all photopass and ride photos.  $149.00 3 days in advance/$169.00 on site
• Purchase the digital download at the Photo Sales Center: $14.95 for a single photo

The best time to ride is at park opening. You can ride 2-3 times in a row before a line builds up.

Don’t think that once we have played it is over.  We immediately exit the ride and walk right back in.  Typically we rotate who rides with who.

But the goal is still the same – beat the pants off your family members.  

Thank you for joining me today. Your next stop on the Magical Blogorail Loop is I Am A Disney Nerd.

Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail Blue | Family Traditions at Disney should you happen to have to make a stop along the way and want to reboard:

• 1st Stop ~ Ideally Disney | Progressive Dinner on the Monorail Loop
• 2nd Stop ~ Disney Babies Blog |Magic Kingdom Rope Drop
• 3rd Stop ~ Capturing Magical Memories |Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin Competition
• 4th Stop ~ I Am a Disney Nerd |The Planning Process