Official Star Wars Weekends 2013 Tips and Tricks

[VeganCupcake]

I just checked out all the characters on Kenny's blog.....my daughter is going to want to meet a ton of those! C3PO, Luke, Anakin, Chewy, Boba Fett, Jango.....seriously, what are the odds? The lines have to be like crazy long, right? And the fast passes are only for the actual celebrity actors/actresses, right?

Just be aware that the characters don't have their own lines all the time. You could be waiting for an Anakin and be next or almost next in line then they will switch out for Mace Windu. Same with Jango and Boba ans C3PO & R2. So just be prepared for that. We started(DH &I) getting in lines about 20 minutes apart from each other for some of the characters last year. It worked out better for us that way. Also drink a lot( carry water who you) it gets hot fast you may forget hopping from line to line or waiting in line. I almost passed out waiting for a character one year and even after I rehydrated I was zapped the rest of the day.

 

[mesaboy2]

Just be aware that the characters don't have their own lines all the time. You could be waiting for an Anakin and be next or almost next in line then they will switch out for Mace Windu. Same with Jango and Boba ans C3PO & R2. So just be prepared for that. We started(DH &I) getting in lines about 20 minutes apart from each other for some of the characters last year. It worked out better for us that way. Also drink a lot( carry water who you) it gets hot fast you may forget hopping from line to line or waiting in line. I almost passed out waiting for a character one year and even after I rehydrated I was zapped the rest of the day.

I will recommend Kenny the Pirate's site to combat this problem. Dude was spot on last year with the timing of character rotations like these. I won't say it works every time--I doubt he would either--but it is light years better than guessing. It did work every time for me the day I went.

 

[lovethattink]

There are also roaming characters. Lines may form to see these, but the character will not stay at a line and will roam away. These roaming characters included Jawas, the Cantina Musicians, Gamorean Guard, Aura Sing, Zam Wesell, Tuskan Raiders. The Jawas traded with guests.

 

[lovethattink]

It was brought to my attention that there was a question that was overlooked. The question asked will the afternoon parade still be Pixar or do they change it for SWW? Second question, what is the hyper space hoopla? A dance party? A show? When and where is it? Third question, do they still have Fantasmic?

DHS will have all their regular shows and parades. The SWW shows and parades are in addition to all the regular ones. During SWW the regular shows may be moved to different locations. For example, High School Musical will probably not perform at the Sorc hat stage, and will be relocated.

The Pixar parade and Fantasmic will be shown, check times guides.

Hyperspace Hoopla is a dance off between the good guys and the bad guys of Star Wars. It's a high energy, very funny show. It's performed on the stage at the Sorc hat. Last year it was at 8pm and marked the end of the Star Wars for the day. Typically people claim their spot for the show hours before, and the area will be packed with people.

It's also shown on the Idol screen. This area is great as there is an unwritten rule that people stay seated to watch this on the screen. Also people don't seem to crowd each other here either. My son has sensory issues and this was perfect for him. He donned his earphones and didn't have to worry about anyone brushing up against him.

 

[CentralFloridian99]

Yeah, if you want to meet a specific character that swaps, be prepared as you may not get that character. On the first weekend in 2012 I was in line for Boba and then they just switched him out with Jango. Everyone around me in line got mad.

 

[ajh88]

I will recommend Kenny the Pirate's site to combat this problem. Dude was spot on last year with the timing of character rotations like these. I won't say it works every time--I doubt he would either--but it is light years better than guessing. It did work every time for me the day I went.

We had fantastic luck using Kenny's SWW guide last year - it was spot on almost down to the minute!

 

[CalSea12]

I am very excited about Vader, I can not wait to meet him!
I am also very excited about the Ewok, since my kiddo will be one, unless the outfit is way too hot, then we will think of something else.

I think I am going to have to study Kenny's website, thank goodness for him!

 

[wdw&sonny]

Sorry, if this has been asked before. Just couldn't read 20 pages to find the answer.

We are not SW fans. No interest in being there for the SW weekends, but my current itinerary and ADRs has us at HS on June 9, 2013. Should I rearrange our itinerary or will we be able to maneuver around and have a normal day despite the SW thingy?
TIA.

 

[VeganCupcake]

I am also very excited about the Ewok, since my kiddo will be one, unless the outfit is way too hot, then we will think of something else.

I saw some clever parents just bring their child's costumes in a backpack and then have them put it over their clothes when they were a few people back from getting their picture taken. Just a thought. It tends to get very very hot.

 

[mesaboy2]

Sorry, if this has been asked before. Just couldn't read 20 pages to find the answer.

We are not SW fans. No interest in being there for the SW weekends, but my current itinerary and ADRs has us at HS on June 9, 2013. Should I rearrange our itinerary or will we be able to maneuver around and have a normal day despite the SW thingy?
TIA.

You should be able to maneuver around fine.

 

[lovethattink]

Sorry, if this has been asked before. Just couldn't read 20 pages to find the answer.

We are not SW fans. No interest in being there for the SW weekends, but my current itinerary and ADRs has us at HS on June 9, 2013. Should I rearrange our itinerary or will we be able to maneuver around and have a normal day despite the SW thingy?
TIA.

There are places it can bottle neck. Back between the Premiere Theater and Star Tours before or after a show is one that comes to mind.

Other than there, I had don't remember having any problems pushing around my son's wheel chair.

 

[dutchdisneyfamily]

We will be at SWW the last Friday. What time is the SW parade?

 

[lovethattink]

We will be at SWW the last Friday. What time is the SW parade?

12:40 if it keeps the same time as last year.

 

[dutchdisneyfamily]

12:40 if it keeps the same time as last year.

Thank you!

 

[CentralFloridian99]

Kenny's guide is spot on!

 

[PrincessMom4]

Is the Sunday weekend of Memorial day really busy?? We are arriving the 26 and we're going to wait until the following Friday and Saturday to go to SSW. Any thoughts? All help is greatly appreciated.

 

[Alimarie12]

Can someone point me to Kenny's guide?

 

[mesaboy2]

Can someone point me to Kenny's guide?

I can't find it on his site per se, but here's a PDF with his info on characters: http://kennythepirate.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/star-wars-weekends-characters.pdf

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

Is the Sunday weekend of Memorial day really busy?? We are arriving the 26 and we're going to wait until the following Friday and Saturday to go to SSW. Any thoughts? All help is greatly appreciated.

5-26 is our arrival day, too.

Friday is the Gay Day park of the day at DHS/SWW, and following TP rules to avoid any park with a special event, we're going somewhere else that day. DHS isn't very tolerant of crowds. I believe last year's event brought in over 100K, so I'm going to take my elbow room.

Saturday will bring a lot of locals, so just have a plan and follow it.

What do you want to do at SWW? That's going to drive the bulk of your plans.

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

Can someone point me to Kenny's guide?

I can't find it on his site per se, but here's a PDF with his info on characters: http://kennythepirate.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/star-wars-weekends-characters.pdf

Here, try this:

http://kennythepirate.com/2012/05/25/star-wars-weekends-tips-and-tricks/