jjpenguin
06-05-2006, 05:49 PM
Cast:
DH (37) - likes Disney, loves Star Wars
Me (42) - loves Disney, likes Star Wars Weekends
JJ Penguin - loves deserts, disney, deserts and did I mention deserts?
The alarm woke us at 07.00 (I forgot that you can set the phone!!) and surprise, surprise, we got up without complaining ;) Had a quick cup of coffee on the balcony, standing up to enjoy the view ;)
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a287/jjpenguin/SWW%20motorcade/balcony_view.jpg
Did all the usual morning stuff and were out of the door and on our way. It was a really lovely morning and although the walk from Boardwalk to MGM is about as long as the walk from home to work it felt like a lot shorter!!
When we got near to the Studio's we could hear the Stormtroopers that were on the entrance gates doing their skit, and the Star Wars music.
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a287/jjpenguin/SWW%20motorcade/7dc2100c.jpg
There were already lots of people, quite a few young Jedi ;) and I think I even saw a couple of Vaders! I left DH to get in line while I dashed to Guest relations to pick up our Annual Passes, this took a few minutes as WDW computers cannot input foreign phone numbers. But before long I was set and clutching the precious bits of cardboard in my sticky hand I quickly made my way back to the lines. Which were bigger now, luckily DH is pretty tall so I found him in the crowd. It was now 08.45 and they were starting to let us in. Everybody now has to do the fingers in the machine, so that took a bit of time.
We could go down Hollywood Boulevard to where they had closed it off, just before Sunset Avenue. On the way we spotted a Clone Trooper on the roof, but no legion of Stormtroopers yet. They let the rope drop and the crowd split, some people going towards ToT & RnR (the non-starwars geeks), a lot going to the Indiana Jones show where you could get FPs for the celebrity autographs and we followed the largest crowd heading towards Mickey Avenue. We were planning to go to the 1st SW Millionaire show and last time we were there you had to get a fastpass. This year it turned out that you didn't need a fastpass, and that all these people were rushing to get to "Wicket's Warehouse" where the limited merchandise was. So there we were; what now?? There were lots of SW characters out so we enjoyed the interaction with the crowd:
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a287/jjpenguin/SWW%20motorcade/fett_man.jpg Boba Fett
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a287/jjpenguin/SWW%20motorcade/desert_troopers.jpg Stormtroopers
I persuaded DH to go in to the soundstage were Darth Vader was as it was almost empty, so we got a couple of photo's with him (not with JJ today, we were travelling light) He was a big guy!
By now it was time for breakfast, so we nipped back to Starring Rolls for a nice sticky bun and then went to get in line for Millionaire - there was no line! Last time they had SW characters as returning guests and in the audience, this time Warwick Davis (the host of the SW weekend and the actor who played Wicket the Ewok - and professor Flitwick in the Harry Potter films) was helping the candidates in the 1st show. The first 2 candidates were not SW geeks, and even with Warren helping they didn't get that far. The next candidate however was a 15 year old who really was a SW geek. There was one question about some trivial remark in one of the films and he knew who said it and why and what he was wearing.. ;) so it wasn't all that much of a surprise when he won the million points! Streamers came down, the lights & the crowd went wild and he just sat there as if everyone knew all this wierd stuff. We saw him the next weekend as well, a true diehard fan.
After all that excitement it was time to hustle over to get our spots for the parade. This first parade of the day is the SW Motorcade so it's a great way to see all the characters and the celebrities. This weekend they were Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) and Rick McCallum (Producer of Episodes I, II & III) and of course Warwick Davis. But what we wanted to see was Stormtroopers, and Yes!! they were there, the 501st Legion!! Pretty cool.
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a287/jjpenguin/SWW%20motorcade/501st.jpg The 501st legion
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a287/jjpenguin/SWW%20motorcade/jedi_mickey.jpg Jedi Mickey
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a287/jjpenguin/SWW%20motorcade/Chewbacca.jpg Chewbacca
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a287/jjpenguin/SWW%20motorcade/Rick_McCallum.jpg Rick McCallum
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a287/jjpenguin/SWW%20motorcade/dbe99d3f.jpg Palpatine & Vader
The next thing we wanted to do was the talk show at 13.30 so we decided to get some lunch at the ABC commisary, for one credit we shared a chicken curry & fruit cup and it was pretty good with fresh herbs and spices in it.
Coming up.... Happy Birthday and the Hyperspace Hoopla!!
DH (37) - likes Disney, loves Star Wars
Me (42) - loves Disney, likes Star Wars Weekends
JJ Penguin - loves deserts, disney, deserts and did I mention deserts?
The alarm woke us at 07.00 (I forgot that you can set the phone!!) and surprise, surprise, we got up without complaining ;) Had a quick cup of coffee on the balcony, standing up to enjoy the view ;)
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a287/jjpenguin/SWW%20motorcade/balcony_view.jpg
Did all the usual morning stuff and were out of the door and on our way. It was a really lovely morning and although the walk from Boardwalk to MGM is about as long as the walk from home to work it felt like a lot shorter!!
When we got near to the Studio's we could hear the Stormtroopers that were on the entrance gates doing their skit, and the Star Wars music.
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a287/jjpenguin/SWW%20motorcade/7dc2100c.jpg
There were already lots of people, quite a few young Jedi ;) and I think I even saw a couple of Vaders! I left DH to get in line while I dashed to Guest relations to pick up our Annual Passes, this took a few minutes as WDW computers cannot input foreign phone numbers. But before long I was set and clutching the precious bits of cardboard in my sticky hand I quickly made my way back to the lines. Which were bigger now, luckily DH is pretty tall so I found him in the crowd. It was now 08.45 and they were starting to let us in. Everybody now has to do the fingers in the machine, so that took a bit of time.
We could go down Hollywood Boulevard to where they had closed it off, just before Sunset Avenue. On the way we spotted a Clone Trooper on the roof, but no legion of Stormtroopers yet. They let the rope drop and the crowd split, some people going towards ToT & RnR (the non-starwars geeks), a lot going to the Indiana Jones show where you could get FPs for the celebrity autographs and we followed the largest crowd heading towards Mickey Avenue. We were planning to go to the 1st SW Millionaire show and last time we were there you had to get a fastpass. This year it turned out that you didn't need a fastpass, and that all these people were rushing to get to "Wicket's Warehouse" where the limited merchandise was. So there we were; what now?? There were lots of SW characters out so we enjoyed the interaction with the crowd:
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a287/jjpenguin/SWW%20motorcade/fett_man.jpg Boba Fett
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a287/jjpenguin/SWW%20motorcade/desert_troopers.jpg Stormtroopers
I persuaded DH to go in to the soundstage were Darth Vader was as it was almost empty, so we got a couple of photo's with him (not with JJ today, we were travelling light) He was a big guy!
By now it was time for breakfast, so we nipped back to Starring Rolls for a nice sticky bun and then went to get in line for Millionaire - there was no line! Last time they had SW characters as returning guests and in the audience, this time Warwick Davis (the host of the SW weekend and the actor who played Wicket the Ewok - and professor Flitwick in the Harry Potter films) was helping the candidates in the 1st show. The first 2 candidates were not SW geeks, and even with Warren helping they didn't get that far. The next candidate however was a 15 year old who really was a SW geek. There was one question about some trivial remark in one of the films and he knew who said it and why and what he was wearing.. ;) so it wasn't all that much of a surprise when he won the million points! Streamers came down, the lights & the crowd went wild and he just sat there as if everyone knew all this wierd stuff. We saw him the next weekend as well, a true diehard fan.
After all that excitement it was time to hustle over to get our spots for the parade. This first parade of the day is the SW Motorcade so it's a great way to see all the characters and the celebrities. This weekend they were Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca) and Rick McCallum (Producer of Episodes I, II & III) and of course Warwick Davis. But what we wanted to see was Stormtroopers, and Yes!! they were there, the 501st Legion!! Pretty cool.
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a287/jjpenguin/SWW%20motorcade/501st.jpg The 501st legion
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a287/jjpenguin/SWW%20motorcade/jedi_mickey.jpg Jedi Mickey
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a287/jjpenguin/SWW%20motorcade/Chewbacca.jpg Chewbacca
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a287/jjpenguin/SWW%20motorcade/Rick_McCallum.jpg Rick McCallum
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a287/jjpenguin/SWW%20motorcade/dbe99d3f.jpg Palpatine & Vader
The next thing we wanted to do was the talk show at 13.30 so we decided to get some lunch at the ABC commisary, for one credit we shared a chicken curry & fruit cup and it was pretty good with fresh herbs and spices in it.
Coming up.... Happy Birthday and the Hyperspace Hoopla!!