National Lampoons Aussie Vacation - 12/12/16 to 25/1/17 Universal - 40+ Days at Disney World

Oh my goodness!! I've just finished binge reading your trip report so far!! Hubby and I are located in Townsville, North Queensland and returned from our first WDW/Universal/DCL trip in September 2016. We're already planning a return trip for Christmas 2019 and your report has given us so many ideas!!!

I'm especially interested to see how you found the crowds over Christmas/New Year? That's the one thing that's really scaring us off at the moment.

I LOVE and totally share your fascination with Walmart. Unfortunately on our trip we really didn't get to one which was a shame.

Your experiences on hiring a car are great insights for us too!!
 
Oh my goodness!! I've just finished binge reading your trip report so far!! Hubby and I are located in Townsville, North Queensland and returned from our first WDW/Universal/DCL trip in September 2016. We're already planning a return trip for Christmas 2019 and your report has given us so many ideas!!!

I'm especially interested to see how you found the crowds over Christmas/New Year? That's the one thing that's really scaring us off at the moment.

I LOVE and totally share your fascination with Walmart. Unfortunately on our trip we really didn't get to one which was a shame.

Your experiences on hiring a car are great insights for us too!!

Hello fellow Aussie, thanks for binge reading haha.
The crowds over Christmas and New Years are not that bad. If go in with the attitude of just being there amongst it all without sticking strictly to a plan you will have the time of your life. Christmas is an awesome time indeed, and as you probably read, we were happy just being in the parks.

You have to get to Walmart hahaha, you will be wishing we had something this awesome in our Country.

And even if staying onsite, the car became a lifesaver. Driving is very easy in Orlando, and it just opens up more freedom as to us the Transportation system is terrible.
Christmas 2019 sounds awesome, we are hoping 2019 or 2020 to get back for Start Wars land.

Thanks for the kind words and reading along.
:)
 
Oh my goodness!! I've just finished binge reading your trip report so far!! Hubby and I are located in Townsville, North Queensland and returned from our first WDW/Universal/DCL trip in September 2016. We're already planning a return trip for Christmas 2019 and your report has given us so many ideas!!!

I'm especially interested to see how you found the crowds over Christmas/New Year? That's the one thing that's really scaring us off at the moment.

I LOVE and totally share your fascination with Walmart. Unfortunately on our trip we really didn't get to one which was a shame.

Your experiences on hiring a car are great insights for us too!!

Hello, townsville cool.
Love far Nth Qld, so beautiful, my favourite part of Australia. Port Douglas, Cairns and Great Keppel Island are the best places I have travelled to here in Aus. You are smack in the middle of it haha.

Like Ad said you must check out Walmart..it will blow your mind.
Christmas will not disappoint, the atmosphere is amazing dont let crowds scare you off.
Disney Christmas really is magical.
 
DAY 34 - 14TH JAN : STAR WARS GUIDED TOUR PART 1

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The day had finally come, for when we could all nerd out on all things Star Wars. As soon as this guided tour became available we were quick to book, we did not want to miss out on this. There was a bit of negative talk about this tour before it had even started, but hey it's a long trip for us and we would not be back for a long time so this was a must for us.
The tour did not start until 1pm, so it was good to not have to rush to the park. However we were up pretty early as we were just excited. By 10am we thought we might as well just get going. All nerded out in Star Wars gear it was time to head to the car. We spotted a friendly Hammy (Squirrel) on the way and had to stop to watch his antics. Oh how we love squirrels, always good for a laugh.

Off to Hollywood Studios, a quick 5 minute drive, before we knew it we were back in our favourite park. It was only 11am and check in for the tour was around 12:45pm so we had a bit of time. Check in for the tour was at the Chinese theatre so we headed over that way to suss it out.

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The weather was overcast today, still warm , but we did not care even if it would be pouring rain. Today was going to be awesome. It was perfect timing as we approached the Chinese Theatre as the Star Wars Characters were coming out for their stage show. Time for snaps and video.

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Nothing better than seeing the good old Stormtroopers with Vader. And Chewbacca is always a crowd favourite. Plenty of people yelling out Chewy as he walked past. Vader and Chewbacca are bloody big guys. The Star Wars nerd fest was off to a great start. We headed back around to the front of the stage area to just have a look around. The show was about to start soon so we did a full lap of the stage and headed back towards the theatre. Of course we did not get far before the 1ST Order Stormtroopers stopped us once again, to check out the backpack.

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The were poking him with their blasters, having a good old time with him yet again. All our experiences with these guys had been because of our backpacks. Not once on our trip did we approach them, they would always come up to us from behind and scare the crap out of us all. Always a pleasure seeing these guys, I love how they just roam around, not stopping really for photo's just teasing or hassling people in the park.

We made our way around to the Theatre and asked a CM where about's check in for the tour would be. They would be setting up a booth near the theatre booth on the left. We still had plenty of time left before check in so we just stood around for a little. One thing we noticed was a lot of 501st members in the park. Plus plenty of people dressed like Princess Leia and some in dapper clothes. We had heard that many people would be in today in memory of the passing of Carrie Fisher. There were a few people in a group around the Chinese Theatre. One of the organiser of this get together came up and spoke to us for a bit. Pretty cool idea and nice to see that heaps of people came out to support this event. A tribute was to be held on the main stage later tonight.

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We then grabbed a quick drink and just hung out in the check in area. Why not pose for a fun pic. Yeah woo, awesome. Hahaha. It was a good time to check out all the Celebs hand prints outside the theatre. It was pretty cool to go through pretty much all of them. Yes Bec took pictures of all of them hehe. Was good to see a few Star Wars people in there.

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So even after looking at all the awesome hand prints etc, time had really not moved at all. Still an hour before check in, it was looking like it was going to start raining soon.

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And well it did. Not to heavy just a light spit. This was not going to ruin our fun. We found shelter in under the small theatre booth. No one else was really in this area, and we could not see anyone else really waiting around for the tour. Yes we were keen as mustard and probably way too early but oh well. It was then we heard a door open behind us, and to our surprise, BOBA FETT!!!. We quickly got out of his was, as all of them where coming out this door to prepare for the next stage show.

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The rain had stopped and the booth behind Boba was where we were standing when he surprised us. What an awesome little spot with no one around. We could get an awesome look at everyone coming out.

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Wow that was awesome. India was over the moon to see Captain Phasma. She does look pretty cool. Kylo was following behind and was looking very mean. About 10 minutes later we had noticed a few more people turn up for the tour and start waiting around as well. We had no idea what the tour limit was, but we were tipping it to be at max due to it being sold out. It was getting on to 1pm so it was already running late. Finally a few CM's turned up and started setting up their little booth.

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While they were setting up we could hear that the Stage show was finished. That could only mean one thing, that they would be walking back around to go through that door again. So back to our spot again to catch them all on the way back.

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Vader and his buddies were first. Vader meant business and was probably on his was to the Death Star. His Stormtrooper guards however where more interested in yes, the backpack. Haha. You can see 1 pointing already in the picture.

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They were happy to see the bag again. Actually they were happy to see all 3 bags, as they pointed at India and Bec and slowed down to check out the BB8 and Chewbacca bags. Ah gotta love Stormtroopers, my favourite for sure. Boba Fett was next, and him being from New Zealand and us from Australia kind of makes us neighbours.
And he was happy to see his neighbour, and yes he got very close indeed. We love Boba.

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Lucky Bec was next to me taking video and pictures as well, as he got too close, haha. I said hello Boba, and he nodded as he stood in front of me. The he moved along. Ok this was getting awesome. We were all having a Star Wars freak out hahaha. This was like being a kid in a candy store. And it just kept coming and getting better.
Kylo was next and he had his sights on something from a distance. He was walking slow and was walking straight to Bec. I did not know at this stage but Bec had taken her BB8 backpack off and held it up in front of her so Kylo could see. When I turned and looked at Bec she said to Kylo, I found the droid you are looking for.

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He stood and stared not moving. Then in true Kylo fashion he got grump and walked off, waving his hand about as if to say pffft. Maybe he was angry because he could not find BB8.
Ah Kylo we still think your awesome, just like an angry little teenager. Phasma and Chewbacca were soon to follow. India got very excited seeing them both again. It was great to the excitement in India's face. She had deserved this holiday as well, such an awesome daughter. So seeing her smile was gold for us.

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It had honestly felt like already we had a full day at the park. Seeing all these characters up close was a treat. It was a case of right place at the right time. The booth was setup and everyone on the tour was pretty much here. I took a quick head count and there was about 30 people for the tour. Time to check in. The CM handed us our passes. They were pretty cool and it was on a lanyard so you could put it around your neck. We were given a menu and told to make our lunch selection now. This was to obviously have everything ready for everyone when it was lunch time. When we made the booking on the phone we were asked are we light side or darkside, Darkside of course. The reason for this was they gave you a custom badge as well. They were the same style as the ones we had made previously in Launch Bay. We made our selection for lunch which was going to be the chicken and Vader Waffle's. The food looked pretty average but we would see what it was like later.

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We were all sorted, and all checked in. Now we just had to wait for the group to be checked in. The tour guide had already let us know it was going to be a late start, but that was nor problems. It was already a great morning just hanging around waiting.

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The tour had not even started and already this was just awesome. How much more awesome was this going to be?

NEXT : PART 2
 

Hello, townsville cool.
Love far Nth Qld, so beautiful, my favourite part of Australia. Port Douglas, Cairns and Great Keppel Island are the best places I have travelled to here in Aus. You are smack in the middle of it haha.

Like Ad said you must check out Walmart..it will blow your mind.
Christmas will not disappoint, the atmosphere is amazing dont let crowds scare you off.
Disney Christmas really is magical.

Funny enough my hubby's name is Adam too!! Those Adam's seem to be pretty good guys ;)

We're pretty lucky to live in this part of the world and we thought we knew what heat was but gee wiz Florida heat in September nearly killed us!! We topped out at 92 Fahrenheit one day while we were there. Still, we made the most of it. I've actually just started my own trip report if you're interested. Am loving your updates :)
 
Funny enough my hubby's name is Adam too!! Those Adam's seem to be pretty good guys ;)

We're pretty lucky to live in this part of the world and we thought we knew what heat was but gee wiz Florida heat in September nearly killed us!! We topped out at 92 Fahrenheit one day while we were there. Still, we made the most of it. I've actually just started my own trip report if you're interested. Am loving your updates :)

You made me laugh with your comment those Adam's...
but you are not wrong:cloud9:

Yes florida humidity is unlike anywhere else. Winter was hot so I am sure summer would be unbearable haha.

Send us a link so we can check your trip report out:thumbsup2
 
Oh wow, so much Star Wars awesomeness already and the tour hasn't even started yet!

You'll appreciate this, while you guys were starting your tour we had just boarded the Disney Fantasy an hour away for our week long Star Wars day at Sea cruise :thumbsup2 I've already read one report from peeps who did this tour so I'm curious to see your take on it (they, too, are huge SW fans like yourselves! :jumping3:)
 
DAY 34 - 14TH JAN : STAR WARS GUIDED TOUR PART 2

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A happy snap while we waited. They gave us free water to quench our thirst. Check in was still taking awhile as people were making their lunch choices. Our guide came over and introduced himself and asked whether we had checked out the Celeb Hand prints. He showed us a few which we had missed. Of course there was general Star Wars talk and he seemed disappointed when we told him we were not fans of Episode 1 to 3. He continued around the group getting to know everyone and showing people the Star hand prints.
India had sore legs at this stage from standing. She was doing well and had not whinged or moan while we stood around. She rarely did this anyway.

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She was happy just sitting down playing with her camera. Our guide finally welcomed us all as he got the group together. He went through a brief rundown of what the day had in store for us, and introduced his fellow guide as well. We were all handed a wireless box and earpiece. This could be hung around your neck with the earpiece in your ear. This would allow you to hear the guide throughout the day much easier. It was a pretty cool idea and it was never uncomfortable wearing it. Everyone then introduced themselves and said who their favourite Star Wars Character was. Lots of Vaders and Chewbaccas seemed to be the favourite. With pleasantries our the way it was time for the tour to begin. Our first stop was to be Path of the Jedi.

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We made our way over for the short film. A little bit of trivia was spoken about along the way. Our guide took us in our own private line so we did not have to line up with everyone else and wait. The tour group was let in first and had the first 2 rows reserved. It was nice knowing that we did not have to worry about lines today. It was a pretty short film, and nothing new that we hadn't seen on blu ray special features before, but still fun to watch. We all regrouped outside again where our guide took a head count on how many kids would be doing Jedi training academy. There were only around 5 to 6 kids doing it. This is where the group was split. Those without kids or kids not wanting to do it would go off and ride the Great Movie Ride, while the others went to Jedi Training. So we were off to Jedi training for India. This was going to be fun. And lets face it, what parent doesn't love seeing their kid swing a lightsaber wishing it was them hahaha.

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We made our way over to the sign up area. Once there our guide took the kids and got them checked in. Another bonus of the tour was not having to line up, or get to the park early just to be able to sign up for Jedi Training. This was a life saver, and there was no stress at all. All the kids were checked in and they were put into the rest of the group, ready to receive their Jedi robes. Ooo this was getting exciting. After a few minutes all the kids were geared up and ready to go. The kids came out in 2 lines and parents were asked to help walk them over to the temple. So on our way we went.

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India was getting excited, she looked so cool. She had said that she had not made her mind up yet if she was going to fight like a Jedi, or kneel and give herself to the Darkside. Haha so cute, I said that's your decision just go have fun. A photopass guy was handing out a card which had a code on it. This would be so you could download the Photos of todays Jedi training. After receiving this India was put into the other line, to which later on we result in us having the wrong car given to us. Not to worry we got it all sorted and were able to find our missing Jedi pictures. The parents of the guided tour were taken to their own section up the front. Now it was time to just sit back and get a sore arm from recording the whole thing... yipeee.

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The AT-AT looked epic in the background. All my dreams were coming true, haha. Oh how I wished it was me lining up for Jedi training. So here we were finally, living our dreams through our child.. haha. Bec and had a quick happy snap, then it was time for the awesomeness to begin.

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As the Kids walked on stage all of the guided tour Kids were in the line going to fight the Seventh Sister. India had been switched at the last minute and was in the line for Vader up the top. This was a bonus for sure, but as she said , she was not worried about who she ended up facing. The show got under away, and it was time for the kids to grab their lightsabers to learn some special moves. India was looking a little shy at the start, but once she saw other kids going crazy, she started to get into it.

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With training complete, the Dark Lord and Seventh Sister appeared. Wooo. This was getting cool. They both showed off their strength and got into position, in the hopes of luring the kids to the Darkside.

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Darth Vader was huge and menacing. Yes I had to give a cheer. He is so awesome, the original and the best. It was time to battle. One after another the kids came out and showed their stuff. A fairly young child was facing off with the Seventh Sister, and she began to cry. It was probably a bit much, even I would cry facing either of them. They were quick to settle her down and the show went on. It was time, our little India was next. As she walked out we let out a big cheer. Oh what was going to happen, this was exciting.

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This was the first time we heard Vader speak. He began to walk towards India trying to get her to turn to the Darkside. Deep down daddy was hoping she would kneel haha. He continued on talking to her as he felt the force was strong with this one.

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India was just staring at him smiling, She loved Darth Vader and wanted to hug him. She asked before we came to Disney World if she could hug Vader, and that he needed a good hug. But alas it was not going to be. He finished talking her down and stood back to raise his Lightsaber. The battle was on. India struck high and low, and had a great ducking technique. The final blow was epic as India leaped into the air. Even the Jedi master was surprised and commented on how he loved that last leap. Our little India had taken on Lord Vader and left an impression on him.

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Vader was impressed but also a little frustrated by the awesome power of India. He paraded to the front again to let everyone know he was still in control. India had the biggest smile on her face and so did we. And yes I was still wishing I could get up there. The show continued on, there was still a few kids to get through still. It was still fun watching everyone face off, and soon enough Kylo Ren was introduced into the mix. This Kylo did not seem very menacing. His saber skills were pretty poor, and he was a smaller looking Kylo. The Kids still loved seeing him, and it wasn't long before they were all force pushing him back into the Temple.

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The show came to and end where all the kids had passed their test. A final Star Wars pose was then taken.

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India was presented with a cool Jedi Training badge. Oh i was so proud of her, haha. Our tour group all met up again after the Jedi training. India was pumped and said she had a blast. Of course Mummy and Daddy were hounding her with questions, What was it like? Was Darth Vader big ? hahaha, it was like Bec and I were little kids wanting to know how it felt. Ah yes living the dream through our child. With Jedi Training done the tours next stop was going to be Star Tours. First though a quick toilet break was in order, then we made our way over to Star Tours. We were first led underneath the AT-AT in the little Ewok area. A little bit of Star Wars information was shared here.

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Time for our group to go in for Star Tours. We were led in up a separate line. This took us all the way up top looking down at everyone else in the line queue. It looked pretty cool from up here. We stopped for awhile and got a pretty cool history of Star Tours and how it came to be. It was not long before the groups own private ship was ready. This was also the time for others not wanting to ride it to go to the waiting area. There were 3 of us and yes Daddy was one of them. I love this ride so much, but after the last few rides it was not playing well and making me feel ill. This I did not want to feel again, especially as we still had a long day and night ahead of us. The group was led into the ride while I went through a secret path to go wait for the ride to end.


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We all met up under the tree area again. Bec said she was feeling a little ill as well after that. India loved it again, but Bec said she was done with that ride. Maybe it was the colds will still had but we both agreed not to ride Star Tours anymore, Bec was able to shake off that car sick feeling pretty quick though which was good. Another toilet break was taken as we now had to make our way over to the front of the park.

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Where were we off to? What was going to be next? Only time would tell. :)





 
Oh wow, so much Star Wars awesomeness already and the tour hasn't even started yet!

You'll appreciate this, while you guys were starting your tour we had just boarded the Disney Fantasy an hour away for our week long Star Wars day at Sea cruise :thumbsup2 I've already read one report from peeps who did this tour so I'm curious to see your take on it (they, too, are huge SW fans like yourselves! :jumping3:)

Cool. How did your cruise go? Was it star wars overload... If we were ever going to make it out the sea to experience a cruise this would be the reason for it..because it is star wars!!!
 
Cool. How did your cruise go? Was it star wars overload... If we were ever going to make it out the sea to experience a cruise this would be the reason for it..because it is star wars!!!

It was fantastic! But no, it wasn't Star Wars overload. It really was 'contained' to the one sea day (which was ALL Star Wars all day long!!) Lots of great character meet and greets, character interactions, themed foods, etc. Our girls also did Jedi Training on Star Wars day.If you do ever decide to do a cruise, you guys would love the Star Wars one!
 
DAY 34 - 14TH JAN : STAR WARS GUIDED TOUR PART 3

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We made our way all to the front of the park for a little sit down. Popcorn and water was waiting for us, and it was nice to sit down for a little bit. Our guide told us what was happening next. It was time for the March of the 1ST Order. We were sitting right near the gate where they would be coming out. Once they were all out and marching, we would then be right behind them marching down the street. This was going to be awesome. The music came over the speakers and we waited for the arrival of the 1ST Order and Captain Phasma. India was getting very excited, anything to see Phasma again. Out they came, oh it looked so awesome.

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Once they passed us our guides and the group slipped in right behind. And the march was under away with us in tow. There were a few cast members on this one to keep the group together, and to also stop anyone trying to join in. As we were marching you could see people who were watching the march looking and thinking, what the hell are those people doing. A few tried to jump in but they were quickly told they could follow behind the tour group. India was up the front having the time of her life, walking along eating her popcorn still.

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India was having a great old time. The crowd was pretty big watching this one. It was the last march of the day and with the Carrie Fisher tribute on today the park was pretty busy. The march continued on down the street where it was about to stop halfway while the 1ST Order checked the area for rebel scum.

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At this point a fair few people were pushing their way into the group to get a better look. One guy came just barging through with his electric buggy smashing into my leg and taking India out almost. The CM's though did a good job of letting people know this was a paid tour group and told to move back a little. Onward's we continued with the march down towards the stage. When we arrived at the stage we were led to the left through the crowd to a reserved area up the front. Even people following behind us thought they were able to get in this are as well but were turned away. It was a great spot right up the front with plenty of room for everyone.

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We stood and enjoyed the show of force of the 1ST Order and Captain Phasma.

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Such and awesome view we had.

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The show was over, we watched Phasma and her troops head off back down the street in perfect time with the march of the empire theme music. So good, we had just had an overload of Stormtrooper action. All the way through the show India was chomping away at her popcorn loving every minute of it. She had a cute smile and a puddle of popcorn all at her feet haha.

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With it all over, our guide said that we would be waiting here for the next Star Wars Story show. It was only going to be a short 10 minute wait. We were very happy with our reserved area. Made it so easy to not worry about securing a spot, a definite plus for being on the tour. We talked amongst ourselves while waiting, all of us were so far glad we had booked the tour, and India was still reeling from Jedi Training. Yes I was still wishing I could have done Jedi Training, haha. It was a good time for some happy snaps.

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A Star Wars Story was about to begin, and we had been looking forward to this one. C3PO and R2D2 came out first, it was cool to see these guys, they are like 2 comic relief sidekicks.

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From then on out it was just Star Wars heaven, apart from the Death Troopers. Sorry not Rogue One Fans, so we did not really care for any Rogue One material. Chewbacca had the biggest cheer out of any of them, the crowd went nuts for him. Boba Fett was pretty cool looking, shooting off his blaster across the stage.

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All this awesomeness was like a party for our senses. It was all things Star Wars and we were loving it. And India was still smiling and munching away on her popcorn.

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Wow, what a show. We thought it was good, I do think you have to be into Star Wars to probably really enjoy it. Our guide told us to just hang for 5 or so minutes while the crowd started to disperse. It was just after 4pm now, and next on our tour was to be a late lunch. The group all got together and headed off towards the Backlot Express. When we arrived we were seated in an area out the back all reserved for the tour. Our tables were seperated by the Darkside and the Lightside. So we grabbed our seats on the Darkside table.

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All our food had already been ordered and it was being prepared and brought out to us. On our way over to have lunch, India's strap on her Chewbacca backpack had broken. The bag was only a few days old which was a bit disappointing. I told one of the guides what had happened and they were awesome. They said leave it with us while you have your lunch. We will go get you a new one from Tatooine Traders. Such great service, they really did not have to do that, I was just going to go do it ourselves while they were having lunch.
Our food finally came out, and it was time to tuck in. As I said it was nothing too exciting, but it was food to curve the hunger away for the time being.

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So we sat and enjoyed our somewhat ok food. We were chatting with some of the other people on the tour, and many were surprised how far we had travelled and for how long we had been here. However we did have one annoying kid on our table sitting right next to India. Yes there is always one,haha. The whole day he had been annoying. Some of the things that was coming out of this kids mouth was amazing.... asking some of the other kids, are your parents rich? Mine are? Constantly hounding the guides while they try to speak to everyone else. It was never ending. As India was eating her meal he whipped out his lightsaber and waved it right into her face and held it there. It was pointed right at the end of her nose. I was surprised when the kids mum just looked at him and said nothing. Stuff this I thought, I grabbed his toy lightsaber and flicked it away and said to him you don't want to be doing that mate in someones face. Once again his mum had a blank stare of nothing and he was just , well lets face it, a little BLEEP!...

With our lunch all over and still a Desert Party to attend, our little family was still full of energy and raring to go. There was still more excitement to come.


 
DAY 34 - 14TH JAN : STAR WARS GUIDED TOUR PART 4

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With our late lunch done and dusted, the tour was almost really coming to an end. We were on our way over to the Launch Bay Theatre now. It was a slow stroll over there but our guide kept us entertained with some more trivia about Star Wars. There really wasn't any amazing sort of trivia or knowledge told about Star Wars, nothing that any fan would already know.
We were taken through the line at Launch Bay Theatre to check out some of the artwork that was on display. Some cool artwork here and how Bec and I just wanted that Revenge of The Jedi Poster. Another favourite was the Rancor Artwork, it looked amazing.

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Finally we were shown to the front of the theatre. Once again we were in our own private line and let in first with the front 2 rows reserved for the tour. The short film was shown, and once again it was nothing we had not seen before but still interesting to watch. It was a bit shorter than the Path Of The Jedi so it felt like we were in and out in 15 minutes. We all regrouped outside the theatre and were then shown around inside Launch Bay looking at lots of replicas. Our little family decided to hang out at the back and kind of do our own looking. Everything we looked at we wanted to take home haha.

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Boba Fetts Slave 1... Can I take you home please. :)

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We saw a few things that we had missed before so that was good to finally see everything. The tour group all met up again near the Desert Party entrance. We handed back our wireless earphones, and were told to go enjoy the Desert Party. We were given a time that the group would meet up again and be taken over to the viewing area. The viewing area for the guided tour is just the same area as the desert party, so really you could just end your tour right here, which is what we kind of did. We thanked our guide and in to the Star Wars Desert Party we went. Being let in a bit early allowed us to grab a pretty good table. Okay where's the alcohol? Give us some drinks please. The drinks were not the best tasting but it was alcohol and it was free. India was off grabbing some soft drink and desert goodies. We loaded up on some snacks and food and just relaxed for awhile enjoying ourselves.
Bec and I were proud of India for sticking it out all day. Not once did she whinge or get bored in anyway. The whole day she was very into it, and even found all the talking interesting. She was still so happy to have been so lose to Vader. Closer than what Daddy and Mummy will ever be haha.

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Another bonus for the tour was that you did not have to wait in the regular line to meet Chewbacca or Kylo Ren. So after our little snack and drinks we took advantage of it. First off to Meet Chewbacca. It was about a 20 minute wait but our tour guide was waiting near the lines and let us in our own private line right up to the CM. I felt bad for the other people in line but oh well, this was a perk for what we paid for. We were let in straight away. We were greeted by a cool CM inside. He said gee do you guys like Star Wars haha. Looking at our bags and clothes loving it all. We were up next.

My lord Chewbacca is huge. India ran up and said hello. She had her Chewbacca backpack in her hands showing Chewbacca. He grabbed the bag and started playing around with it checking it out. What he did next was funny. He sat her bag down behind him. Bec then suggested that he works too hard, go have a break and let little Chewbacca take over. He thought that would be a great idea.

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India loved Chewbacca and Bec was star struck as well. He was pretty vocal the whole time as well, talking to everyone. The Photopass guy and CM in this meet were pretty funny too. They loved little Chewbacca as well and took some nice pics. Bec then showed him her BB8 backpack and he was pretty happy to see that, waving at it. I then ruined his happy times by showing him my Stormtrooper bag and he looked a bit angry. Whoops. I said I love you Chewy but I am Darkside. I still got a hug out of him.

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We got lots of pics so we were happy. This meet and greet seemed to go on for ages. The people in front of us were not in for long but this just kept going. I was not sure if it was because of being on the guided tour or not. Even after the main Photo's were taken, Chewbacca was still interacting with Bec and India. This was an awesome meet, we were all very happy indeed. It was time to wave goodbye to our friend and we told him we would see him again in a few days.

Out we walked with nothing but smiles. Time to go get those smiles squashed by Kylo Ren. Yes that scary old fellow, but hey we loved him still. Back to our guide we went and we were shown into our own private line for Kylo. Instantly we were let in again and waited for our buddy Kylo. Lets see how this one goes this time hey. Already the photopass guy and CM's were much nicer. They were still playing a little part of being grumpy Empire people but it was nice tongue and cheek. They knew we were all down with the Empire so they were good to us.

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Instantly he went behind beck to check out BB8. Bec again said I have found the droid you are looking for. He had a good response of saying Good.

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All of us were trying not to laugh. Even India was cracking up. We couldn't look at him as we just kept laughing for some reason. He is an imposing figure and to us this is what makes it a fun meet. He's an angry kid and that's that. He said a few words to India and then came over to me. I was trying hard not to laugh, and he was scaring me haha.

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Funny stuff. We posed for a happy snap. FUN PIC.

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Afterwards it was back to checking out Bec's BB8 backpack. Bec was stirring him up a treat, and we could not stop laughing, then I called him Ben by accident. Okay we were getting him angry, but he kept talking about the Empire to which we said we love the Empire, and despise the Rebel Scum. He was nodding. This meet was going better than the other day and was way longer indeed. This was the Kylo meet we were looking for.

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Bec offered him the BB8 but he looked grumpy again and pointed for us to get out. We were all laughing, even India was waving bye to him. We loved this Kylo Ren, he played the part well and used some of the better voice replies, which all made sense this time. We waved goodbye and told him long live the Empire.
Ahh totally awesome meet indeed. We really enjoyed that one, especially India, she thought he was the best.

As we were walking out, and going back past the regular line for Kylo Ren, I spotted a Youtuber we had been watching for awhile standing in line. I looked twice to make sure. Yes it was Kyle from View from the Cheapseats. If you have not checked Kyle and his family out yet go look em up. He does lots of videos around whats going on in Florida at them parks etc and is a huge Star Wars fan. We gained a wealth of info from his channel which helped with our holiday.
I yelled out Cheap Seats and he turned around with a smile. We quickly said hello and how much we loved his channel. He was extremely friendly, and we did not want to hold him up as he was in line for Kylo. He had asked if we had checked out the Carrie Fisher tribute but we told him we missed it due to being on the guided tour.
We said our goodbye's and we were back in the Desert Party for more drinks and snacks.

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We made our way out of the Desert Party main area to hang out in our favourite spot need the Jawa area. Our bellies were full on snacks and drinks. We were having a great time, and it was good to relax and just hang out. Time was getting close for the fireworks and the tour group was slowly meeting up again. We were taken out, well most of the group was, many were still inside the desert party, and led to the reserved viewing area. Upon entering we were given our Chewbacca Cup and we grabbed our spot. We were really looking forward to this with much excitement. There was plenty of room in the viewing area and we had a good spot in the front section right near the rope. The lights dimmed and the show begun.

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That was the best Disney Fireworks we had ever seen by a mile, and the show itself was jaw dropping. All our senses were on overload. What a way to end an amazing day. So many wonderful things we had done, and all Star Wars. We felt we had gotten our money's worth for sure. And India who is only 7, powered on all day through the tour and loved every minute of it. She was a little sad that it was all over. And so was Bec and I.

We left the area and sat down for a good while to let the crowd die down. A few shops were still open so off we went exploring to see if we could find any goodies. A few small things were found and by then the crowd had pretty much left. We had conquered our Star Wars day, and it was time to get back to Pop and rest up. For me this had been the best Day by far, this is what we had come for, a Star Wars overload. We would not be forgetting this for a long time to come. Great memories indeed.

Back at Pop, we were all buzzing still and it took awhile to get to sleep. A new day was coming though and with that we laid our sleepy heads down, ready for more adventure in the morning.


 
Wow, well I'd say that tour is a MUST for huge SW fans such as yourselves! Heck, I think even *I* would want to do it :rotfl2:

Now what is it with these little buggers you seem to keep bumping into? I think secretly the universe put you in the right place at the right time to show these little spoiled brats a thing or two Bah, so much bad parenting at the parks. Yes I sound judgy and I don't care. Parenting shouldn't STOP when you are vacation :earseek:

Love that they went and got India a new backpack while you were eating, more of that famous pixie dust :jumping1:

Looks like a fabulous end to a fabulous day!
 
Wow, well I'd say that tour is a MUST for huge SW fans such as yourselves! Heck, I think even *I* would want to do it :rotfl2:

Now what is it with these little buggers you seem to keep bumping into? I think secretly the universe put you in the right place at the right time to show these little spoiled brats a thing or two Bah, so much bad parenting at the parks. Yes I sound judgy and I don't care. Parenting shouldn't STOP when you are vacation :earseek:

Love that they went and got India a new backpack while you were eating, more of that famous pixie dust :jumping1:

Looks like a fabulous end to a fabulous day!

It was cool that they sorted out India's bag. We were a little disappointed in broke after only a few days, but they replaced it no problems. We did have a great time on the tour, was worth it that's for sure. As for annoying kids, your going to get that and it never bothered us that much, but yes you do wonder sometimes that some parents have no control.

We just kept on with our own fun :)
 
DAY 35 - 15TH JAN : HANGING AT POP

Today was not going to be an exciting day. Yes it was time for relaxing again. We were worn out from the previous day and needed a nothing day. So we just hung out around Pop and well did not much at all. Haha.

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It was a pretty quiet day at Pop, crowds were very low. It kind of felt a bit like a ghost town, all the shops were quiet so we were able to browse around with pretty much no on around.
Bec headed out to get some lunch and bring it back for us. India and spent a bit of time in the game room playing Air hockey.

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Your on the wrong side of the road, and the wrong side of the car, haha. It is weird sitting on our passenger side back home to drive. Speedy Bec arrived back at Pop with our Lunch from Applebees, mmmm delicious ribs again. They are pretty quick for take away and this was a cheaper meal than eating in dirty Pop.

Our day was pretty much done. Not many days left of our holiday. We were starting to get sad about having to leave soon. Oh what fun we have had so far, and more good times were coming. We were going to wing it tomorrow, not fastpass+ reserved and no idea where we would end up. We would just get up and decide from then. :)
 
Just wanted to pop in and tell you how much I've enjoyed your trip report. It sounds like an amazing time. Looking forward to the rest of your Disney days. :tigger:
 
Just wanted to pop in and tell you how much I've enjoyed your trip report. It sounds like an amazing time. Looking forward to the rest of your Disney days. :tigger:

Thanks for reading along and the kind words. The trip report is nearly over. Not too many days left :)
 
What a great detailed report of the star wars tour day-glad to see how much you enjoyed it. You must be over the moon with the rumor/survey about a star wars hotel!
 
What a great detailed report of the star wars tour day-glad to see how much you enjoyed it. You must be over the moon with the rumor/survey about a star wars hotel!

Thanks, yes we loved anything Star Wars :). I just found out that Disney was thinking about a Star Wars hotel. If this happens we would be booking that in for sure hahaha.
 
I just spent an hour writing the next day and went to reply and it came up with a security problem. Refreshed the page and BAM.... all my typing gone... NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, hahahaha. Back to the drawing board again, oh dear.
 














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