All You Need is The Force, Trust and Pixie Dust! A May 2014 TR -- Updated 11/20

[TheMaxRebo]

Glad you enjoyed the food at the H&V event. We've only done breakfast there in the past and found the food ok but not as good as other breakfast buffet places.

Great job with the Wide-Angle We-ises!

Looks like a great spot for the show! Did you feel almost a little too close to the stage for the fireworks though?

 

[disfanforlife]

The dessert party sounds fabulous. I am going to show Adam the pictures. I think that will only enforce his desire to go to SWW this spring!

 

[Pixel Dust]

Love your wide angle group selfies -- what a great idea!!

Great job with the Wide-Angle We-ises!

Looks like a great spot for the show! Did you feel almost a little too close to the stage for the fireworks though?

It was actually quite funny how it played out. The characters would come up to our table and hug us. But, when they saw my big DSLR they would panic and try to wave a character attendant over. I would assure them that it will be fine and just take a shot anyway. Once they saw the photo on the back of the camera we could see their genuine surprise and excitement as everyone fit in the photo.

Yes, the premium viewing area is way too close for fireworks. We even set up far in the back of the area.
It might be a better spot if the Sorcerer's Hat wasn't in the way....... ​

 

[PrincessAmongPrinces]

Great update! SSW looks super awesome. Dance parties are always fun, and the fireworks... Wow.

And Missy, super cute outfit! You look great!

 

[tiggerfan77]

Finally getting to catch up. You all definitely packed in alot of Star Wars fun in a day! I love the Stormtrooper show. That looked like a lot of fun!
I know that the Star Wars character was new this year and the food looks delicious. Do you think the character meal was worth it to do again if they offer it in the future or just a fun one time thing?
As usual, Franklin's Symphony in the Stars pics look awesome!

 

[nanhol]

Wow! Riding the teacups with Alice & the White Rabbit is so very cool! This and the fantastic character interaction you had on this trip make me want to do some meet & greets on my next trip!

I had a lovely chat with the assistant manager, who gave me a bit of good news: The company that owns Via Napoli is opening a pizza restaurant about 20 minutes from us here in the D.C. area! I texted Franklin the news and got this response.

WHAAAAAATTT!!!

What is the name of this restaurant and where is it? I'm out in the NoVA suburbs & would love to know more!

 

[Wood Nymph]

Yes, the premium viewing area is way too close for fireworks. We even set up far in the back of the area.
It might be a better spot if the Sorcerer's Hat wasn't in the way....... ​

I agree that they don't have the best fireworks viewing location for the packages. We stood in front of the Crossroads kiosk for the Frozen fireworks and it was a really good place to watch them.

Did you wish you had an opportunity to view the fireworks a second time at a better location? This view reminds me of the view you had of the MK fireworks over the Seven Dwarfs mine ride.

I love the Disney characters dressed as Star Wars characters. The chipmunks make great Ewoks.

 

[Missyrose]

I'm not a SW fan by any means, but I think it was very cool that they added the character meals. They all looked cute dressed up as SW characters!

The dessert party looks like a lot of fun, and great viewing for the show & fireworks.

The character meals were a ton of fun and we REALLY enjoyed the Feel the Force premium package.

Wow, those Star Wars events look awesome. I had no idea they went to all out for the Star Wars events. I have next to no knowledge of them, outside of the original movies, but that desert part looks amazing even for the non Star Wars fan. Pog with rum, yes please and thank you!!!!

OMG, the POG with rum was amazing!

Great updates. Dinner, Dessert Party, Fireworks and Rum - that's a winning combination

It was a pretty, pretty good night at DHS.

Love your wide angle group selfies -- what a great idea!!

Looks like a delicious dinner....those desserts, especially the shaped cookies, look fab!

And YUM, that adult beverage looks so good! Sounds like a great night overall!

The selfies turned out great, Franklin is a genius!

I love love love your pictures with Chip and Dale at the SW dinner!!! I really hope they keep doing that meal for a few years so I can go on our next family trip.

Chip and Dale were so adorable, they were the perfect choice to greet folks at the door.

Glad you enjoyed the food at the H&V event. We've only done breakfast there in the past and found the food ok but not as good as other breakfast buffet places.

Great job with the Wide-Angle We-ises!

Looks like a great spot for the show! Did you feel almost a little too close to the stage for the fireworks though?

Wide-angle We-sies, someone should trademark that. We're trying H&V for the normal Disney Junior breakfast in December with the nephew. Hopefully he likes it!

The dessert party sounds fabulous. I am going to show Adam the pictures. I think that will only enforce his desire to go to SWW this spring!

I highly recommend a SWW trip, it was a total blast!

Great update! SSW looks super awesome. Dance parties are always fun, and the fireworks... Wow.

And Missy, super cute outfit! You look great!

Thanks Kel!

Finally getting to catch up. You all definitely packed in alot of Star Wars fun in a day! I love the Stormtrooper show. That looked like a lot of fun!
I know that the Star Wars character was new this year and the food looks delicious. Do you think the character meal was worth it to do again if they offer it in the future or just a fun one time thing?
As usual, Franklin's Symphony in the Stars pics look awesome!

The character meals were totally worth doing. They were fun and felt so special since you can't do them year-round.

Wow! Riding the teacups with Alice & the White Rabbit is so very cool! This and the fantastic character interaction you had on this trip make me want to do some meet & greets on my next trip!



What is the name of this restaurant and where is it? I'm out in the NoVA suburbs & would love to know more!

Character M&Gs are so much fun no matter your age. I love doing them! The new restaurant is Naples 45 and it will be at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. It was supposed to open in the summer, but the opening has been pushed back to later this fall. I cannot wait to try it!

I agree that they don't have the best fireworks viewing location for the packages. We stood in front of the Crossroads kiosk for the Frozen fireworks and it was a really good place to watch them.

Did you wish you had an opportunity to view the fireworks a second time at a better location? This view reminds me of the view you had of the MK fireworks over the Seven Dwarfs mine ride.

I love the Disney characters dressed as Star Wars characters. The chipmunks make great Ewoks.

The DHS fireworks viewing location is terrible, but they have to put it there because the people at the dessert party will want to see the stage show too.

Luckily, we DID have another chance to view the fireworks from another spot and it turned out great! And stay tuned in the August TR because we found our all-time favorite spot to watch DHS fireworks. ​

 

[Missyrose]

Welcome back friends! We last left off with the Feel the Force dessert party during Star Wars Weekend. We let ourselves sleep in a bit and not rush to do anything before our late breakfast ADR. It was time for another SWW character meal, this one ran more with the dark side. Welcome to Star Wars Galactic breakfast!

Dressed in our Imperial finest, Boba Fett and Darth Vader greeted us at the door.

Darth liked my dress.

Sci-Fi Dine-In isn’t usually open for breakfast, so we were excited to try it!

Greedo came over to greet us before our waiter even had.

Our waiter brought us out a tray of Star Wars-themed breakfast breads.

Franklin ordered a refreshing glass of blue milk.

And he started with Yoda’s fruit cup.

One of the Jawas came by next and you could trade with them.

Here’s what he gave me for a plastic Mickey coin.

Our entrees came out next, Franklin had the “Dune Sea” smoked salmon scramble.

I had the Tattooine Sunrise (your basic bounty platter, or bounty hunter platter -- if you’d prefer).

The storm troopers came by to say hello. They were fun!

The screen showed Star Wars clips all throughout breakfast, including little-seen clips from the Star Wars Christmas special!

Our favorite part was when they played a singalong.

The meal finished with a berry cobbler that neither of us liked very much.

Before we leave this breakfast physically and metaphorically, here’s a photo Disney slipped into the Photopass photos that is well worth a look.

​

 

[Missyrose]

We wandered over to Darth Maul’s line to see what it looked like. And we happened to run into Katt and Jenna, who were already waiting to meet the creepy sith.

Oh, and these two were keeping a watchful eye on the line.

Then it was time for our meet and greet -- er -- staring contest with Darth Maul.

Franklin flinched first and we both cracked up.

Seriously, he was the perfect Darth Maul. We had so much fun.

But it was time for some DHS fun of the non-Star Wars variety, starting with a Toy Story Mania FP+ reservation.

Everyone be shocked that my winless skid at TSM continued.

Next, we tried a M&G we’d never done before: Ralph and Vanellope!

The theming of the M&G area was great and the characters were adorable.

Since I was already in the building, I chose to get in line for the next Animation Academy class. Being a single, I snuck into the next class without having to wait a full cycle.

Who did we draw? Just my favorite mouse!

Franklin went in search of artsy photographs while I was in class.

​

 

[Missyrose]

We had one more stop to make before leaving the Animation Courtyard, Art of Disney! I want everything in this store. Literally everything.

What did I actually buy? This amazing shadow box of the Magic Kingdom (love the partners statue shadow that shows up when it’s on!)

It was time for another FP+ reservation, this time to travel to a galaxy far, far away.

​

 

[Missyrose]

Our final FP+ reservation of the day was for Warwick Davis’s SWW show “An Ewok Tale.”

Even more exciting than the actual show was my pre-show meet-up with Michelle (lovethattink)!

She was my SWW Yoda, since she is a master SWW planner and I wouldn’t have done half the things I did that weekend if it weren’t for her!

Back to the show, it basically was a dramatic retelling of Davis’s remarkable career. With a healthy heaping of fun and laughter thrown in, of course.

His wife and kids were sitting in the first row, which was very cool.

The “director” of the show, whom some of you may recognize, came out to cast the roles of Warwick’s co-stars.

With the team of “actors” assembled…

… it was time to introduce the star of the show: Hollywood superstar Warwick Davis, everyone!

His illustrious career began at the ripe old age of 11, when he was cast as an Ewok in “Revenge of the Jedi.”

Then at 17, Ron Howard wanted to make “Willow” with Warwick as the star.It was an arduous shoot that lasted for eight months and shot on three continents.

Moving to a more recent film success, he talked about his dual roles in the Harry Potter series: Professor Flitwick and Griphook.

He then taught us the proper way to swish and flick our wands. And as a HP fanatic, that was the moment when I basically lost my mind. So cool!

You can watch the tutorial he gave us here.

Oh, Ron.

It was a truly fantastic show, so many fun facts about his career. He’s such an engaging person, it’s no surprise he’s endeared himself to basically everyone he’s ever worked with. And, as a bonus, I got to sneak in a quick M&G with James Arnold Taylor right after the show.

That’s where we’ll leave off for now, but stay tuned because we have a spur-of-the-moment dinner and another set of fireworks coming up!
​

 

[lovethattink]

Thanks for the shout out. Love helping others plan sww! It was great to finally meet you though it was oh so brief because we were exiting one show and ds and dh were entering the stand by line.

Love Warwick ' s show.

Saw you getting your picture taken. Was so excited for you. JAT and his family are so down to earth. Actually all of the Clone Wars actors are.

 

[BridgetR3]

Soooo many updates at once!! The Sci Fi breakfast looks great!! Were the lights on in Sci Fi or are your cameras just that good? lol.....

Loved the blue milk!

I can see why you always lose at TSMM if he scores so high. You should make a point to ride with me and you may win!

What a neat show with Warwick Davis. I would have loved the HP part too!

 

[lovethattink]

I missed the updates on the previous page! Great pics at Sci-Fi breakfast! I don't think I've ever gotten as high a score as Franklin on TSMM.

 

[Pixel Dust]

Soooo many updates at once!! The Sci Fi breakfast looks great!! Were the lights on in Sci Fi or are your cameras just that good? lol.....

Nope, just normal dim lighting. Part of it is the camera. Most of it is tons of editing.

For the food and character interactions I used a flash off-camera. The photo below, you can see the flash coming from the left. I also used a flash on-camera, at a lower power, as a fill.

At this point the jawa noticed the flash and tried desperately to trade for it. He did make a good offer though, a key-chain lightsaber.


​

 

[MichelleWDWfan]

Awesome report and pics from Warwicks show!
Being chosen as one of the actors in the show that day was such an exciting opportunity!
I was by myself and had no one to take pics while I was on stage.
It was so much fun and meeting Warwick was an honor and something I will never forget!

 

[MeridaLove]

Love, love, love your trip report Missy!

I am in severe post-trip depression and reading your awesome report and seeing Franklin's gorgeous pics is keeping me sane until our next visit home

Thank-you soo much for sharing!

 

[Wood Nymph]

I'm a big HP fan and would have been excited to take "flick and "swish" lessons from Warwick Davis, too.

 

[natebenma]

I was a couple of updates behind- I'm back at your Star Wars dinner and dessert party.

They both look like a lot of fun.

Chipmunk Ewoks

I agree with Jedi Mickey- great selfies.

This led to this gem of an Instagram post:

You know what makes POG juice even better than it usually is? Rum. #SWW

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Oh, yes!

The dessert party looked fabulous! Great snacks, cool show and awesome fireworks.

Kudos to you guys for having a couple of seriously commando days!