Our family participated in the Star Wars tour in HS on 1/29/18. I had trouble finding anything online about the newly revamped version of the tour since it was decoupled from the SW dessert party. I’m hoping this might help some readers considering the experience.
As a starter, both DH and I felt it was absolutely worth the price for our family. There are four in our family: DH, myself, DD 11 and DS 9. All of us like Star Wars but *especially* DD who is OBSESSED with Chewbacca. She also has some special needs so anything we could do to make the day easier would help her out. That said, you could achieve almost all of this on your own without paying the extra for the tour.
The park opened at 9:00 that day, but the tour started at 8:00 am. We got there around 7:45 and after checking our name off a list and scanning our magic bands they let us into the park. It was basically empty and a great time to snap some pictures. We were gathered around the Starbucks on the main strip as the rest of the guests showed up for the tour. They brought us a menu from Backlot Express and took our lunch order in advance and told us we were free to order something from Starbucks as we waited. We were each given a plastic access ticket on a lanyard to hang around our neck showing we were members of the tour. On the back was a translator of Star Wars characters to English. They also asked if our kids wanted to participate in Jedi Training and got their name(s) on the list.
Once we were all gathered (I didn’t look at my watch but it was definitely after 8:00 am) our two tour guides introduced themselves and gave us a little background. They went around and asked where each of us were from. There were 21 guests and two guides, but I believe they don’t cut off a group until around 42 people so it could’ve been twice as large on a different day.
The first thing we did after the introduction was head over to Star Tours. As we walked though the queue our guides pointed out some cool facts about some of the items in the queue. The park was still closed so we were the first ones on the ride that day. After the ride we had a restroom break.
At 9:00 we headed over to watch “Path of the Jedi.” We had great seats because we had the whole theatre to our group of 21.
At 9:30 we headed over to the Star Wars Launch Bay. They split us into two groups and one headed off to meet BB8 and Kylo Ren while the other went to see Chewbacca. We got right to the front of the line and only had to wait for others in our same tour group. We also, I feel, we’re allowed to spend a little extra time and weren’t rushed though like we often are in a regular character meet and greet line. (DD hugged Chewie so long I thought she might be crying from happiness.). Around 9:53, after meeting our first character, the groups switched to see the other character.
Afterwards we gathered together again and at 10:02 headed over to the Queue to see the Star Wars prototype posters and the tour guides pointed out some fun and interesting factoids about them.
10:09 we headed to Meet the Makers in the launch bay.
10:21 we gathered in the celebration gallery and had an opportunity to do photos with some Stormtroopers and shop.
Next we previewed the gallery with more interesting factoids from our tour guides.
10:42 was another bathroom break and at 10:51 we headed back towards the park entrance.
At 11:00 the March of the Stormtroopers started. CM’s had cleared the street ahead of time, and though guests are asked to stay on the sidewalk to watch, we were able to JOIN the march and walk behind the stormtroopers in the parade. My kids thought this was SO cool.
We marched toward the stage set up where we got to watch the stormtroopers performance.
At 11:10 we headed over to the backlot express. We had a reserved area in the back and since our lunches were pre ordered the food came right out. We found gifts at each of our seats, including a Captain Phasma flip top mug, a SW name tag (in either Empire colors or rebel colors - they had asked that morning which side we were on.). The tags printed our names in Star Wars language. They are the same name tags that you can buy in the shops for (I think?) $10. The kids got certificates, too.
After lunch they treated us to a special dessert... light saber churros! They were covered in either red or blue sugar and came in a cardboard “holder” that looks like the handle of a light saber.
12:20 we headed back to the stage where they had roped off a viewing area front and center reserved for us. We got to watch the “A Galaxy Far Far Away” stage show with great views. Lots of SW characters were in the show including Rey, Kylo, Vader, etc. Reserved viewing was fabulous for my kids, who are still too short to see much in a sea of adults.
At 12:45 the show was over and those who had kids headed over to the Jedi Training lines in preparation for the 1:10 tainting show.
At 1:00 I left DH with the kids and I walked to the Jedi training stage to get a spot. (As expected, the training was one of the highlights of the day for my kids. This was a must do for us, and not having to worry about reserving a spot when the parks opened was really nice.)
At 1:40 the tour was officially over and we were free to head out on our own.
Later that night, before the night show started, people were already gathering and packing themselves into the Main Street to watch the light show. We asked a cast member about reserved seating (shared by both the tour group and the dessert party guests) and we were directed to the upper area front and center. It was almost completely empty when we arrived, and we were able to sit on a curb at the back of the area. It was almost strange to have a perfect view looking forward and a mass of people packed in shoulder to shoulder behind us. Although more people did arrive it was never super packed or full, and everyone in the reserved viewing area stayed seated so we were able to watch both light shows while sitting down. (A bonus as our feet were tired.).
I’ve seen some people say they didn’t like the reserved viewing area because it’s too close to the projections, but we LOVED it. We were completely immersed in the sights and sounds and felt like we had the best seats in the house.
Since I’m the one in charge of planning our Disney Trips, I was surprised by how relaxing and enjoyable it was to not have to be in charge all morning. I was able to relax and just enjoy the sights and experiences! The knowledge of the guides added a fun new dimension to the things we saw. And getting front of line access (no lines!) made it an efficient morning.
Extra special things like marching with the stormtroopers and reserved seating made my kids giddy. At one point my son said. “Mom, we are the luckiest kids in the world!”
So could you do all these things without paying the prices the tour? Yes. But if it’s in your budget it was wonderful to participate in the tour and get the full VIP treatment. I’m normally pretty frugal but I have no regrets paying for this special splurge.
***
One more thing...
The day after the tour we got a call from the YC front desk that we had a floral delivery. It turns out it was a Chewbacca goody bag. It included a Chewbacca backpack, Chewbacca mug, two SW Pez dispensers, SW collectors pins, and a BB8 rice krispy treat. It was all nicely wrapped up in cellophane and a bow. The only issue was it had no tag, so we have no idea who sent it! I wonder if maybe the tour guides sent it? At lunch I asked if they had any Chewie mugs left, and they said no, they only had the Captain Phasma mugs. I wish we knew who it was from so we could say thank you!
As a starter, both DH and I felt it was absolutely worth the price for our family. There are four in our family: DH, myself, DD 11 and DS 9. All of us like Star Wars but *especially* DD who is OBSESSED with Chewbacca. She also has some special needs so anything we could do to make the day easier would help her out. That said, you could achieve almost all of this on your own without paying the extra for the tour.
The park opened at 9:00 that day, but the tour started at 8:00 am. We got there around 7:45 and after checking our name off a list and scanning our magic bands they let us into the park. It was basically empty and a great time to snap some pictures. We were gathered around the Starbucks on the main strip as the rest of the guests showed up for the tour. They brought us a menu from Backlot Express and took our lunch order in advance and told us we were free to order something from Starbucks as we waited. We were each given a plastic access ticket on a lanyard to hang around our neck showing we were members of the tour. On the back was a translator of Star Wars characters to English. They also asked if our kids wanted to participate in Jedi Training and got their name(s) on the list.
Once we were all gathered (I didn’t look at my watch but it was definitely after 8:00 am) our two tour guides introduced themselves and gave us a little background. They went around and asked where each of us were from. There were 21 guests and two guides, but I believe they don’t cut off a group until around 42 people so it could’ve been twice as large on a different day.
The first thing we did after the introduction was head over to Star Tours. As we walked though the queue our guides pointed out some cool facts about some of the items in the queue. The park was still closed so we were the first ones on the ride that day. After the ride we had a restroom break.
At 9:00 we headed over to watch “Path of the Jedi.” We had great seats because we had the whole theatre to our group of 21.
At 9:30 we headed over to the Star Wars Launch Bay. They split us into two groups and one headed off to meet BB8 and Kylo Ren while the other went to see Chewbacca. We got right to the front of the line and only had to wait for others in our same tour group. We also, I feel, we’re allowed to spend a little extra time and weren’t rushed though like we often are in a regular character meet and greet line. (DD hugged Chewie so long I thought she might be crying from happiness.). Around 9:53, after meeting our first character, the groups switched to see the other character.
Afterwards we gathered together again and at 10:02 headed over to the Queue to see the Star Wars prototype posters and the tour guides pointed out some fun and interesting factoids about them.
10:09 we headed to Meet the Makers in the launch bay.
10:21 we gathered in the celebration gallery and had an opportunity to do photos with some Stormtroopers and shop.
Next we previewed the gallery with more interesting factoids from our tour guides.
10:42 was another bathroom break and at 10:51 we headed back towards the park entrance.
At 11:00 the March of the Stormtroopers started. CM’s had cleared the street ahead of time, and though guests are asked to stay on the sidewalk to watch, we were able to JOIN the march and walk behind the stormtroopers in the parade. My kids thought this was SO cool.
We marched toward the stage set up where we got to watch the stormtroopers performance.
At 11:10 we headed over to the backlot express. We had a reserved area in the back and since our lunches were pre ordered the food came right out. We found gifts at each of our seats, including a Captain Phasma flip top mug, a SW name tag (in either Empire colors or rebel colors - they had asked that morning which side we were on.). The tags printed our names in Star Wars language. They are the same name tags that you can buy in the shops for (I think?) $10. The kids got certificates, too.
After lunch they treated us to a special dessert... light saber churros! They were covered in either red or blue sugar and came in a cardboard “holder” that looks like the handle of a light saber.
12:20 we headed back to the stage where they had roped off a viewing area front and center reserved for us. We got to watch the “A Galaxy Far Far Away” stage show with great views. Lots of SW characters were in the show including Rey, Kylo, Vader, etc. Reserved viewing was fabulous for my kids, who are still too short to see much in a sea of adults.
At 12:45 the show was over and those who had kids headed over to the Jedi Training lines in preparation for the 1:10 tainting show.
At 1:00 I left DH with the kids and I walked to the Jedi training stage to get a spot. (As expected, the training was one of the highlights of the day for my kids. This was a must do for us, and not having to worry about reserving a spot when the parks opened was really nice.)
At 1:40 the tour was officially over and we were free to head out on our own.
Later that night, before the night show started, people were already gathering and packing themselves into the Main Street to watch the light show. We asked a cast member about reserved seating (shared by both the tour group and the dessert party guests) and we were directed to the upper area front and center. It was almost completely empty when we arrived, and we were able to sit on a curb at the back of the area. It was almost strange to have a perfect view looking forward and a mass of people packed in shoulder to shoulder behind us. Although more people did arrive it was never super packed or full, and everyone in the reserved viewing area stayed seated so we were able to watch both light shows while sitting down. (A bonus as our feet were tired.).
I’ve seen some people say they didn’t like the reserved viewing area because it’s too close to the projections, but we LOVED it. We were completely immersed in the sights and sounds and felt like we had the best seats in the house.
Since I’m the one in charge of planning our Disney Trips, I was surprised by how relaxing and enjoyable it was to not have to be in charge all morning. I was able to relax and just enjoy the sights and experiences! The knowledge of the guides added a fun new dimension to the things we saw. And getting front of line access (no lines!) made it an efficient morning.
Extra special things like marching with the stormtroopers and reserved seating made my kids giddy. At one point my son said. “Mom, we are the luckiest kids in the world!”
So could you do all these things without paying the prices the tour? Yes. But if it’s in your budget it was wonderful to participate in the tour and get the full VIP treatment. I’m normally pretty frugal but I have no regrets paying for this special splurge.
***
One more thing...
The day after the tour we got a call from the YC front desk that we had a floral delivery. It turns out it was a Chewbacca goody bag. It included a Chewbacca backpack, Chewbacca mug, two SW Pez dispensers, SW collectors pins, and a BB8 rice krispy treat. It was all nicely wrapped up in cellophane and a bow. The only issue was it had no tag, so we have no idea who sent it! I wonder if maybe the tour guides sent it? At lunch I asked if they had any Chewie mugs left, and they said no, they only had the Captain Phasma mugs. I wish we knew who it was from so we could say thank you!
