Jedi Academy Question

[To the honeypots]

We are going in September to celebrate DS 4th bday and are hoping to do the JTA. He is small for his age (fingers crossed that he will be 38" by trip) so I am wondering if we need anything to verify his age. Also, if we have a 910 H&V reservation, do you think that we will have time to sign up prior to this? Thanks for your thoughts!

 

[Itinkso]

The JTA CM will ask him his age and a couple of other questions regarding training against Vader. As long as he is willing to take part, he will be signed up.

DHS usually opens a few minutes before the scheduled opening. Get to the gate at least 45 minutes before opening so you'll have a good start to sign up. From there, head to H&V.

 

[To the honeypots]

Thanks

 

[jtowntoflorida]

The only age verification they do is asking the child how old he or she is. As a new 4 year old, make sure your child knows the right answer to this question.

Also, I think it's worth noting that Vader is really, really big. They apparently choose big guys to play the role, and they wear a bit of a platform boot so they're even taller. It can be really really intimidating for kids, and half of the JTAs we've been in had children in it that had to leave the stage in tears. If your child has any hesitations at all, I'd sign him up for a later show and watch an earlier one, so he can see Vader in person. If he still wants to do it after seeing it in person, great. If not, you can let a CM know that they can give your spot away to one of the standby kids (there are always kids who want to sign up after all slots are full).

The park typically opens prior to 9:00, so you should have time to sign up for JTA before your breakfast. The spots would likely all be taken by the time you'd get done with breakfast if you didn't sign up ahead of time. To be safe, I'd move breakfast to either an earlier or a later time, if possible.

 

[letsgoreds]

If Jedi Training is a big deal, definitely stand (with child) in line at HS 45 minutes prior to opening. Then walk as fast as you can when the park opens back to JTA signups (child must be with you). You should be done by 9am, plenty of time to head over to breakfast.

Go to youtube and show your child the video. The show is the same/same choreography/instructions. You can prep your child for the show so that they know what to expect. No way my oldest would have wanted to participate...probably not until he was 6. Now, well my 4yo might have conquered DV last January when he was still a couple months shy of 4. He was awesome (knew he would be), and the certificate from JTA is one of his most prized posessions.

As far as the questions...they are really just making sure they are the correct age and that they are capable of following instructions/answering questions. In my nearly 4yo case, he stated he was 4, then my 8yo said 'no, he's 3' then the CM smiled and said Happy Birthday. They do enforce the rules, but aren't aggressive about them/looking to exclude someone who could participate.

Besides the size of DV, the only other part that can be tricky is opening/closing the light sabers. If you have one at home, get him used to pushing button/throwing it up (or use gravity), and then closing it up. The 'Jedi Trainers' are great about helping them out, and always have little quips to make the audience laugh about it.

They can also tie/knot the corners/edges of the robe they wear so that they don't trip on them. Pretty sure it is a standard practice, but if your CMs don't do that, it is a good idea.

Happy Birthday to your LO!

 

[To the honeypots]

Great ideas. We will definitely check out the YouTube videos. Thus far he had been fearless around the characters but I can see how DV could be the exception.

By the way, go Reds! We are from Dayton