The office is closed due to Hurricane Sandy today, so were just hanging out at home waiting out the storm. The power is still on, so I figured I might as well try and post a TR update before it goes.
It was our last full day at Disney, and we had one day left on our Park Hopper. The first order of business: none of us had tried out the new version of Star Tours. Would we be able to make a third straight Rope Drop? And would we continue to have the same luck with the crowd levels?
Yes, and no.
Wow....that's a lot of people. 
Clearly we were going to have to work a little harder to do everything we wanted.
Wed already made the strategic decision to split up once we got through the gate. Julie and Sarah would do the Toy Story Mania FastPass run, while I took the boys to try and sign up for Jedi Training Academy. Wed offered the chance to face Vader to all of the kids, and I thought theyd all want to try it (having seen the show before), but only Scotty wanted to sign up. Sarah and Dave love Star Wars just as much as Scotty, but I guess they were feeling camera-shy.
They opened the park (no pre-show) and we crept through the gates. We let Julie and Sarah go through first and quickly lost them in the masses heading for TSM. The first bit of the walk was slow going, but once the boys and I made a left to head for Jedi sign-ups, the crowds vanished like a fart in the wind.
Sign-ups were located in the Sounds Dangerous building foyer. We got in line and before long we were at the desk, where the CMs put Scotty through a vicious interrogation by the Spanish Inquisition to make sure he wouldnt ruin the show. After all, nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!
Basically, the interrogation consisted of 3 questions: You know youre going to be on stage, right? Can you follow directions? Are you going to freak out if you see Darth Vader?
Scotty must have used the Force, which can be a powerful tool against the weak-minded, because they signed him up for the 11:00 show. Wed gotten there right at Rope Drop, and there werent that many people in line ahead of us, but theyd already filled up 2 shows and were halfway through another. I thought something was a little fishy there--is there a way to reserve spots before you even get to the park?
Meanwhile, Julie and Sarah had accomplished their FastPass mission and were running wild through the streets of New York.
Love this picture.
We met up at Star Tours and got in line for our first ride of the day. Id heard there was a random Darth Vader scene you could get that was really cool. So that was the part we hoped to see.
The line moved fairly quickly and before long, we were flying through the galaxy...in 3-D!
None of the kids had ridden the previous incarnation of Star Tours, but they all loved this one, as did I. Even Julie, who usually gets sick on motion simulators, thought it was a great ride. Unfortunately, we didnt get the Darth Vader scene.
Youll never believe this, but the exit forced us to go through a gift shop. Scotty stopped for another Stupid Hat Picture. (I use that term just to annoy Kathy)
As I told Barry in a post on my thread, it's a good thing your kids are cute and you have a lovely wife, or I'd really be ticked off at you. By the way, he looks great in the hat!
And I begged and pleaded for this t-shirt, but it did not end up going home with us.
Dave also got in on the Stupid Hat Picture action.
Another cute kid!
But he doesnt have to wash his hands. At least, until I told him to. After all, I am his father.
Once the show started, they had the back line (with Scotty) head up on the stage, while the other line stayed on the ground in front. Then the trainers put the young Padawans through their paces. Scotty is on the right here, practicing using the Force. Either that, or hes doing that annoying mime-in-a-box thing.
Soon, the training was interrupted by Pure Evil.
And then, even more Pure Evil! So thats why they had 2 lines.
The young Padawans took turns facing off against Darth Vader and Darth Maul. Before long, it was Scottys turn. Here, Vader makes his appeal, asking Scotty to join the Dark Side. Scotty responded with an icy glare of refusal, which can often be confused for freezing on stage.
Enraged by Scottys bold stand, Vader attacked!
As you can see, Scotty gave as good as he got. First, he was the learner, now he is the master.
They fought to a draw. The collective power of the young Padawans was enough to turn away the Dark Side.
I love the bit at the end when they leave the Storm Troopers behind.
All in all, its a great show. We were really proud of Scotty for being brave enough to get up on stage. And he was proud of having faced down Darth Vader. The only hiccup came at the end when Scotty walked off without grabbing his Jedi Training Academy diploma, and we had to shout at him to run back and grab it.
Love that Scotty did this...it looks like so much fun(they didn't have this when our kids were small
I just cant seem to get the hang of pulling the string fast enough to fire rapidly. Also, the sun was in my eyes, and we were shooting against the wind the whole time. Julie was a very gracious winner, and only danced in front of me as we walked shouting Loser! until we reached the entrance to Star Tours.
You go Julie.
We got through the line again for our 2nd tour of the galaxy, and as we sat down and the voyage began, the Imperial troops stopped us and asked us if wed seen a Rebel Spy. They showed a picture of a sweaty forlorn-looking guy with glasses a receding hairline. Oh, wait--thats me! I am the Rebel Spy! And I look like crap!
The ride was great, but still no Darth Vader scene. So we jumped in line and did it again. This time, the Rebel Spy was a tired-looking kid in a blue Disney World t-shirt. Scotty!
I think they time the camera in order to get the shot when youre looking your worst. In any case, we all got a kick out of it. But in 3 rides, we never got to see the Darth Vader scene. Oh, well. He probably didnt want to face Scotty again anyway.
Love that two of you were Rebel Spies. I take great pride that I was a Rebel Spy in January.
Coming Up Next: Lunch with cheesy movies! And will we get to see another park?
3 wonderful updates under my belt and the best part - I can SEE your pictures! 
The pictures of TL are gorgeous and I am going there this summer, for sure, since we purchased PAP vouchers. I haven't been for years. All I remember is the Crush n Gusher goes fast. Hope I can talk Denny into doing it with me.
