The Force is Strong in This One: SWW and Celebration VI, Disney Done Differently

[lovethattink]

I love it! So glad to see Anakin having so much fun. He should know that there's just as many adults that feel the way he does. I'm a member of the 501st Legion and the Commanding Officer for Virginia (Garrison Tyranus). He is the reason we do all the work we do as well as participate in Star Wars Weekends. Seeing the kids light up makes so much fun and seeing DHS all decked out in its finest Star Wars attire makes for a fantastic trip for any Star Wars fan. I hope you all will continue to enjoy the weekends. We're gearing up for Star Wars Celebration VI in Orlando this August! Hopefully CVI will energize him like never before! Safe travels!

(PS never buy that stormtrooper )

Welcome!! Thank you so much for posting. I hope you will stick around for the report of the next two weekends. This year's SWW really was a dream come true for him!

We appreciate all that the 501st Legion does! I wasn't aware of the philanthropic work until recently when I was searching for information about Celebration VI. Just looking at jmskinner's pictures from V had Anakin jumping up and down, I can only imagine his reaction when we actually get there in person!

You've peaked my curiosity? Why never buy the stormtrooper?

Last night DH and Anakin were deciding about costumes. They want to wear costumes each day. They spent a couple hours discussing what they "needed".

Any additional tips or links to tips for Celebration VI that we should know about?

 

[lovethattink]

yes I can, he doesn't seem to have that "look" in his eyes of pure happiness

That was the look of exhaustion and in retrospect, we probably should have called it a day right then.

 

[lovethattink]

We left off with Anakin napping at AFI. The phone rings and Grumpy is wondering where we are. We tell him to go enjoy the show and we'll catch up with him afterwards. The phone ringing woke Anakin and he heard this and protested! He wanted to see the show too, but he'd like to take a nap before the show starts.

Grumpy was all the way up front in the queue in the bright sunlight. The other people offered to open the rope and let us in there. The cm told us we can't jump in line like that. We said that's ok, back a little further was shade and we said we'd be happy to stand in the shade rather than the sun. The people around us saw how exhausted he was. He was snoring, sound asleep. We met a woman named Gardenia and two other people who had been to Celebration V. They were the ones who told us that SWW was like a splash party and Celebration was like diving deep. Gardenia had asked us about Anakin's condition and we explained it to her. She said there has to be some way we can wait in a shop or something or inside the theater with him until it starts. A cm walked by and we asked. Showed Anakin's GAC and he said there was no alternate entrance. If we left the queue he couldn't garuntee we'd get back in to see the show, since they block the street traffic before allowing the queue to move into the theater. So we hung tight in the line. Anakin woke up during the conversation. I looked a few people behind us, and there was KELSEY!! Anakin was so happy to see her. He went over to her and sat on the ground to talk. Once again, she was a godsend!

Once we got into the theater and seated, I got up to look for Grumpy. I didn't know if he was trying to save seats or if he just took care of himself. I walked to the front and scanned the first few rows after the reserved seating for him. I did not see him. A couple cast members came over to see if I needed help and to tell me I can't sit in the reserved seating. I knew that. He didn't see me either, but as it turned out I was standing almost right in front of him, LOL. We found him through texting. He didn't save seats. He got up and sat with us.

Grumpy had never seen the stormtrooper preshow. He laughed.

Afterwards the show Grumpy was hungry. Mac and Cheese is one of his favorites and I had shown him a picture of the Mac and Cheese gourmet hotdog from the Disney Food Blog.

Anakin complained for the first time the whole weekend. He was hot and wanted to go into Darth's Mall to cool down while Grumpy at his hot dog. I stayed with Grumpy and DH took anakin to the mall. We arrived shortly after they did. We noticed Luke, C3PO, and R2D2 at the M&G. We got in line. We were close to the front when the cm, Melissa explained to everyone that C3PO and R2D2 would be leaving in 10 minutes. We were close enough that we'd probably get there! Or would we?

Seconds after Melissa announced that they would be leaving in 10 minutes, she came back and apologized. Actually there were going to be leaving now, but Luke would remain. We were all a bit disappointed. We were so close!

To everyone's suprise, Melissa escorted C3PO into the front of the queue! He said hello to all of us. I was totally caught off guard. I didn't know that Disney's C3PO talked!!! Yes, he talks!! He very quickly said hello to every one then was escorted away.

Anakin had already seen Luke twice. We asked him if he wanted to leave the line or see Luke again. He wanted to see Luke again. Once more, Luke remembered him.

Once again you can see Anakin is happy, but his energy is low. He asked if we see if Jedi Mickey is out. It wasn't Jedi Mickey, it was Leia Minnie. We got in queue. The cm told us it should be about a 45 minute wait, and we would probably see Stormtrooper Donald. Anakin said, "wake me up when it's my turn, I'm tired." We put frozen water bottles around him and he took another power nap. The cm saw and heard. She said she wished there was something she could do to help. She suggested we stop by guest services or write a letter. We took her up on her advice, and it turns out that Anakin has a Fairy Godmother...but I'm getting ahead of myself here...

He woke up before Leia Minnie, he heard a familiar voice. It was Oogla!! They had a nice little chat about Boba Fett.

Stormtrooper Donald was now there and the queue was small. Rested from another power nap, we got right back in line. Anakin loved Donald, especially the feel of his "feathers".

Anakin was thrilled to see Kelsey one more time. He was able to say goodbye to her. It was raining, but the rain felt great! We were told that Hoopla wasn't going to be shown on the Idol screen because of the weather, so we headed out and went back to the motel.

There was a rainbow over the parking lot as we left!

We missed Visit to the Maul show (this was our last chance, won't be shown again this year), Obi-Wan and Beyond (we have 2 weekeds left to try to see this), and the Motorcade/Celebrity Welcome (we have 2 weekends left to try to see this too.

Characters left to see:
1. Chewbacca
2. Ewok
3. Darth Vader
4. Jenga Fett
5. Captain Rex
6. Shaak Ti
7. Kit Fisto
8. Darth Goofy
9. Princess Leia
10. R2D2
11. C3PO
12. Jedi Mickey
13. Asajj Ventress
14. Tusckan Raiders
15. Jawas
16. Zam Wessel
17. Aurra Sing (though she did walk by us and touched Anakin's head, so I guess that counts as a M&G!)

 

[mommy2mrb]

for more pixie dust! I love how you keep meeting up with the same people and that the characters are remembering Anakin wow a Fairy Godmother too, can't wait to hear about that

 

[kaoden39]

The heat sounds unbearable. Its a good thing that Anakin can power nap like that. I have a terrible time doing that. I will lay awake knowing I have to sleep.


Yay for the pixie dust!

 

[jmskinner]

Loving all the pics! That FL heat can zap the energy out of anyone. for you for having the energy to keep going.

 

[annmarieda]

I feel so bad for you sweet guy...so tired. That GAC card doesn't always help. As you might remember, we got one for dd in december...but only used it a couple times. Members of my group for the fall have one... and think we should make sure dd has one too... but honestly, for us... it just seemed like it never worked the way we needed it too. (I have been told I used it wrong) But... sometimes it isn't about a different entrance, but how long the wait is. I know... I know... it isn't meant to shorten your line, but for some... THAT is the issue. For some with chronic conditions having a way to leave the line is important. It was so frustrating to wait in line (a cramped line) only to have to barge our way back through to exit it.

 

[lovethattink]

for more pixie dust! I love how you keep meeting up with the same people and that the characters are remembering Anakin wow a Fairy Godmother too, can't wait to hear about that

You know the castle stage show and how they chant dreams come true? For this little boy, they really did.

The heat sounds unbearable. Its a good thing that Anakin can power nap like that. I have a terrible time doing that. I will lay awake knowing I have to sleep.


Yay for the pixie dust!

The heat is just starting. August is when it's at its worse, lol. When he is overstimulated he usually goes into hypermode, but the overheating seems to go the other way. The amazing thing was that he didn't have any seizures while out in the heat. His medicine must be at the level he needs it. Last year and the summer before we had so much trouble. He'd see flashing lights and then the seizure would hit. This time the seizures were small and came in the night, his "magic bullet" was able to kick in and prevent more from happening during the night. June 10th when he first entered REM was his last seizure, and that was the last day of SWW.

Loving all the pics! That FL heat can zap the energy out of anyone. for you for having the energy to keep going.

We got back to the room and crashed! We spent ALOT of time in Darth's Mall, ABC Commissary, Sci-Fi Dine in, AFI and One Man's Dream cooling him off. We cooled off as he did.

I feel so bad for you sweet guy...so tired. That GAC card doesn't always help. As you might remember, we got one for dd in december...but only used it a couple times. Members of my group for the fall have one... and think we should make sure dd has one too... but honestly, for us... it just seemed like it never worked the way we needed it too. (I have been told I used it wrong) But... sometimes it isn't about a different entrance, but how long the wait is. I know... I know... it isn't meant to shorten your line, but for some... THAT is the issue. For some with chronic conditions having a way to leave the line is important. It was so frustrating to wait in line (a cramped line) only to have to barge our way back through to exit it.

Thanks for your understanding. How can you use it wrong? Looks like the new nextgen waiting area for Dumbo might be a great answer to the dilemna. Though looking at the pictures, Anakin could do the preschool things but not the stuff for his age. So I'm not sure if there is anything in there for him, but the airconditioning would sure help!!

 

[EvangelineG]

I can't wait to hear about the pixie dust!

Poor Anakin in the heat. One of my sons can't tolerate the heat at all. He is a fainter. Even mild over-heating, and he swoons. So it's WDW in the winter only for us.

 

[jenseib]

That Luke looks so real. Especially from the side.

 

[lovethattink]

I can't wait to hear about the pixie dust!

Poor Anakin in the heat. One of my sons can't tolerate the heat at all. He is a fainter. Even mild over-heating, and he swoons. So it's WDW in the winter only for us.

Living in FL it's really hard to avoid the heat. We do alot of swimming and things indoors. Very grateful for that movie theaters offer free movies to kids and bowling alleys off free bowling. Both are great ways to beat the heat!

Winter at the parks is so much better for Anakin. He has so much more energy. I'm sorry your son faints. That has to be scary too. Does he have any warning? We are very fortunate that Anakin has warning before a seizure from overheating. First he sees blinking lights and it buys us a few minutes to quick cool him down.

Last summer he had a seizure from overheating while swimming laps at swimming lessons. Unfortunately he was unable to communicate when he first had the symtoms and he tried to make it to the side of the pool. That is my only concern for his special needs soccer team starting in August. It will be super hot and I told the coach I don't know if he'd be able to make it the whole time. She said it's no problem, it's for fun and exercise, and they all understand when a child gets pulled from the field. She said it's very relaxed. So we'll see. He really wants to try.

That Luke looks so real. Especially from the side.

You think? I had a hard time seeing the resemblence, except for the clothes. Here's a comparison. He acted like look though!

 

[lovethattink]

Carbon Freeze Me​

Carbon Freeze Me was something new at SWW this year. Straight out of a scene from The Empire Strikes back, you could get frozen in carbonite like Hans Solo! When we first heard of this we thought it was cool. But once we heard the price, we decided it wasn't going to happen. Or was it?

Every summer we head north for 2 weeks to beat the heat. This summer we decided to change things up and make our summer vacation all about Star Wars. Since this was our vacation, we splurged on one for Anakin. Grumpy decided in lieu of the artwork, he'd rather have the cash to spend as he pleases.

Remember I had mentioned that Anakin had a fairy godmother? Well, FG called and after a round of phone tag we were able to get in touch with each other. She explained the specifics of the magic she cast on Anakin. He would only be enchanted during SWW.

This day was Thursday. We were at DHS to renew our PAP's. We all wanted to build a droid, so we went into the park afterwards. Tatooine Traders is where the Droid Factory is located. Right away Anakin noticed there were parts missing. There were no hats left for the droids, not a single Mickey ear to be seen. We asked if they were out, and a CM said yes. She didn't know if there would be more available for SWW or not. (It would turn out, there were none available for the remaining two SWW.)

We passed by the Carbon Freeze Me for a photopass picture.

These cm did a very good job at selling the product. They had Anakin so psyched before he ever got in the door. First, this was a piece of art, not a toy. It would have Hans Solo's body, but your face. It's from the D-Tech line. As such, they don't give discounts for Annual Passes. In addition to the $99.99 price tag, there was tax and shipping fees. The total was $122.40.

We were shown a display case of what his would be like.

That's right, this wasn't an instant gratification thing, you had to wait for it to arrive in the mail. We are still waiting. But don't dispair, there was some instant gratification. At the end of the experience you were given a tracking device to keep.

The experience began as Anakin was taken prisoner.


He was escorted to the front of the Sounds Dangerous theater after being told the rules.

We passed by frozen Donald.

This was all done in serious tones, but he was smiling ear to ear. The cm prepped him for his freeze.

He was asked to make 3 different faces.




Next we were taken to a computer screen to pick out which face we liked the best. We easily chose our favorite pose.

And then the CM noticed something. Anakin's collar. This would not work. We couldn't use ANY of the pictures.

He had to do it again! Let me re-phrase that. Anakin was going to have to do this again!!! Oh he was soooooo excited! We got him back up into the chair.

I think this is the pose that was used.

Pictures were taken from 8 different angles to get that 3d effect

We were allowed to hold and look at a finished product to get a better idea of what to expect.

Did I mention he was so excited?! That was an understatement. The cm said she never saw a prisoner so happy to be frozen.

We paid and he got a tracker device placed on his arm. The cm explained how they would be tracking him. He bought it, hook, line and sinker.

He really loved the gauze headband. He asked right away if he could keep it. So he wore that and the tracker til bedtime.

 

[kaoden39]

Oh how absolutely fun! I think that is really cool and I am not a Star Wars fan. Wow!! That is so cool!


May I ask what Grumpy spent his money on?

 

[Lidian]

Totally love the Carbon Freeze thing! I'm anxious to see your final product!!! When is it expected to arrive?

Also, can you explain the gauze headband? I'm not sure I understand it's purpose. Is the tracker device a watch? Or can you clarify what exactly it "is" a bit more? This honestly sounds like something right up my DH's alley... and he'd probably be excited just like Anakin (and ask to wear his tracking device until bedtime, too!).

 

[mommy2mrb]

what a fun experience for Anakin....love that he enjoyed it so much!
can't wait to see the face he choose!

 

[Tinker_Tam]

Oh how fun!!! From the looks on the pictures, there isn't anything that would have made Anakin any happier!!!

 

[annmarieda]

Oh...what fun! I don't need to bet that Anakin was loving it... you can totally see it in his face!!! While this is a bit pricey, I imagine it will be a memory to last a life time.

Can't wait to see the results!!!

 

[lovethattink]

Oh how absolutely fun! I think that is really cool and I am not a Star Wars fan. Wow!! That is so cool!


May I ask what Grumpy spent his money on?

I think it's highly overpriced. $49.99 including shipping would have been more reasonable and we all would have done it then, because it is really cool!

A shirt, some fishing stuff, and pocketed the rest.

 

[lovethattink]

Totally love the Carbon Freeze thing! I'm anxious to see your final product!!! When is it expected to arrive?

Also, can you explain the gauze headband? I'm not sure I understand it's purpose. Is the tracker device a watch? Or can you clarify what exactly it "is" a bit more? This honestly sounds like something right up my DH's alley... and he'd probably be excited just like Anakin (and ask to wear his tracking device until bedtime, too!).

Your husband would probably love it! They said 6 weeks, but on the 2012 Star Wars Tip thread the 1st weekenders didn't receive theirs yet.

The gauze headband was to keep hair away from the face. Otherwise you'll have both yours and Han's hairline, lol! It's just your face they want to put on there.

If I remember correctly there were 8 different angles of each picture taken in order to totally get that 3D effect.

The tracker is a wristband that lights up. The battery life is 10 hours and the batteries cannot be replaced. (A big oversight in my opinion.) Anakin thought it was a real tracker. He thought Disney was watching his every move. He was such a good boy, until we wanted to go to Universal Studios and he thought Disney wouldn't approve. I told him he can go anywhere we go. He held up his wrist and said, "no, I can't." It was then I realized he fell for the cm talk, hook, line and sinker. We explained to him it was just a cool wristband that lights up, not a real tracking device. We ended up not going to Universal anyway, they were able to fix our passes over the phone and we ended up at Epcot playing the Highland Games!

 

[lovethattink]

what a fun experience for Anakin....love that he enjoyed it so much!
can't wait to see the face he choose!

He had a blast! And I think alot of his excitement was that he didn't have to get dunked like Han Solo did to get frozen in carbonite!