Star Wars Weekend Tips ~ 2011 Update

[yulilin3]

Great summary...thanks. Did your dressed up kids get any extra attention or coments? My son is thinking of dressing up in either jango fett or a storm trooper and I'm worried about the heat and the costume. Was it worth it for the kids to be dressed up?

My daughter dressed up as Padme with the blue nightgown with the pearls (Episode III) and got alot of attention, some people eve asked to take a picture with her or by herself, all the actors loved it. It is a comfortable dress (silky) so she felt fine, I actually made her change before Hoopla, but remember to take some clothes for them to change, some costumes can be very hot.

I'll be there on Fri (EMH morning) on the 3rd weekend. I'll have GAD passes, which we'll use for TSM and ST. My kids won't do the other "big" rides, so I think we'll be ok there. I still want to see Indiana Jones, LMA, and the animation studio (if possible).

For the SW stuff, does nothing start before 9 on the emh mornings? Can you see the storm troopers from inside the park, or will we need to go back outside to see them at 8:45?

Nothing starts before 9am. The issue with JTA is that people already in for EMH apparently are allowed to make the line to sign up so people without EMH are at the back of an already long line by rope drop. You can see the stormtroopers from inside the parks on a bad angle and the speakers are all outside the turnstiles so you might not hear them well.

So for JTA where should we go to sign up? We plan on being there by 8:00, and heading straight there at RD. Should we head to the Star Wars stage or Sounds Dangerous? We'll be there on Friday 5/28 and possibly Sun 5/30. Thanks!!

As of yesterday JTA sign up is at Sounds Dangerous during SWW, during regular days it's still by the stage. I can't stress this enough, it was chaotic yesterday for JTA mostly due to EMH, so plan accordingly. I really have no other tips for you. Today I'll ask my CM's friends if they have a good tip on how to get kids signed up.
Assaj is doing the bottom part of JTA and she is really AWESOME, really scary looking, even more than Darth Maul.

 

[Vickie46]

Ok.. this is one event I don't ever care to go back too... Granted we are not into Star Wars... we were just there the weekend it was going on so we said why not... well.. it took the bus from our resort which was Cornado an hour to get there! We were so stuck in traffic and then it was even worse in the park.. not our cup of tea!

 

[Ginger03]

We will be at DHS for the June 5-7 SWW weekend, but also on other days. If my son wants to do JTA, should we do that event on another day- say Thursday, 6/4. Would the lines be better?

 

[thorphin]

I see many people plan to see Star Tours on a SWW day. Is there anything special related to Star Tours during SWW? It seems like it would make more sense to go on ST during a non-SWW instead, when the lines are likely to be shorter.

 

[Cinderumbrella]

I see many people plan to see Star Tours on a SWW day. Is there anything special related to Star Tours during SWW? It seems like it would make more sense to go on ST during a non-SWW instead, when the lines are likely to be shorter.

Its just a good way to get out of the beating sun for a bit and still keep you in the SWW mood.

 

[december]

We are only planning one DHS day, so we'll have to do ST that day. I'm sure my GAD passes will be worth a fortune to us that day!

 

[Wolf359]

I was excited about this, we were planning on going Sunday June 6th. All this talk of extreme crowds has got me worried though. Would you recommend a first timer to go during SW weekends or go a different time?

It looks like even being there at rope drop wouldn't be good enough as people are in line at 5am?!

 

[thorphin]

I was excited about this, we were planning on going Sunday June 6th. All this talk of extreme crowds has got me worried though. Would you recommend a first timer to go during SW weekends or go a different time?

It looks like even being there at rope drop wouldn't be good enough as people are in line at 5am?!

To be honest, I don't think that SWW would be the best time to experience DHS for the first time. I think it would be too many bright shiny objects at once! It will likely bit harder to navigate during SWW if you don't already have some sort of working knowledge of the park layout, due to the extra people. How long is your trip? Could you go to DHS on a regular day early in the trip and then attend SWW later in the trip? That might be a good way to get a proper intro to the park.

If you DO go ONLY on SWW, you should plan to return to the park on a regular day (this trip or next) before you form your opinion of DHS!

Don't stress out about the 5am morning. That's only if you really need to get a celebrity autograph or specific merchandise. There's plenty to experience if you arrive at rope drop, or even later.

 

[TDC Nala]

I believe the people who get in line at 5 AM are after either celebrity autographs or limited edition merchandise, or both. If that doesn't interest you, rope drop is fine.

I'd also say that if you are not interested in the Star Wars events at all, maybe try to choose a weekday for your first visit to DHS.

 

[tksbaskets]

Boy this thread is making my homesick for SWW. Next year I'm going to get my guys to agree to go. It is a HOT time to go to Florida that's for sure but worth it.

TK

 

[DisneyGerry]

Ok.. this is one event I don't ever care to go back too... Granted we are not into Star Wars... we were just there the weekend it was going on so we said why not... well.. it took the bus from our resort which was Cornado an hour to get there! We were so stuck in traffic and then it was even worse in the park.. not our cup of tea!

agreed--it would have been nice to take advantage of the other parks instead of dealing with SWW crowds.

Although I was one of the fools to stand some 2hrs in the 'exclusive' ins, etc--thus missing the 1140a parade.

So, will need to return another weekend to see the parade

 

[DisneyGerry]

and speaking of a SWW and a non-SWW crowd mixture wait to the Gay Days crowd is added in

 

[Wolf359]

To be honest, I don't think that SWW would be the best time to experience DHS for the first time. I think it would be too many bright shiny objects at once! It will likely bit harder to navigate during SWW if you don't already have some sort of working knowledge of the park layout, due to the extra people. How long is your trip? Could you go to DHS on a regular day early in the trip and then attend SWW later in the trip? That might be a good way to get a proper intro to the park.

If you DO go ONLY on SWW, you should plan to return to the park on a regular day (this trip or next) before you form your opinion of DHS!

Don't stress out about the 5am morning. That's only if you really need to get a celebrity autograph or specific merchandise. There's plenty to experience if you arrive at rope drop, or even later.

Thanks for the help.

I saw the holographic stitch, and that is the exclusive item right? I'm fine without that, but are there other non-exclusive items that are easily available? I think I read about a Stitch Vader and Stitch Yoda.

 

[Cinderumbrella]

Anyone have a photo of the blanket yet????

ETA: found 1 on ebay already

http://cgi.ebay.com/DISNEY-STAR-WARS-WEEKENDS-2010-WOVEN-TAPESTRY-BLANKET-/260607433512

 

[Supermom3]

We will be at DHS for the June 5-7 SWW weekend, but also on other days. If my son wants to do JTA, should we do that event on another day- say Thursday, 6/4. Would the lines be better?

I'm having the same thought about JTA. If we can get that done on a non-SWW day, it might free up more time for character lines or other SWW specific events. It might also be a little easier to get into a JTA show on a non-SWW day.

 

[angipoo]

We are only planning one DHS day, so we'll have to do ST that day. I'm sure my GAD passes will be worth a fortune to us that day!

Just curious, what is a GAD pass? Thanks!

 

[TDC Nala]

Just curious, what is a GAD pass? Thanks!

Give A Day Get A Day promotion (which is now over as far as being able to get a free pass).

 

[OB1]

I was excited about this, we were planning on going Sunday June 6th. All this talk of extreme crowds has got me worried though. Would you recommend a first timer to go during SW weekends or go a different time?

It looks like even being there at rope drop wouldn't be good enough as people are in line at 5am?!

If you like Starwars, then go. The rides backup from crowds, but there is so much to do, see, and experience. The parade, 2 different interview sessions in a theater, characters from the movies, and more. You can be walking in various parts of the park and have characters walk right by you, that may stop for photos. You can still work in a few rides, but this is a very special event. Sunday is a good day to go. The store is only open on the weekends of StarWars, and there are some great items in it. Pins, posters, clothing, and more. The big lines are for autographs and special character photos.

 

[The Rivers' Rats]

This is our first trip to SWW and my son is desperately looking to get autographs. Aside from being in line at some ungodly hour, do I also have to plan ahead and get something for the celbrity to sign or will there be photos provided for the signatures?

 

[december]

Just curious, what is a GAD pass? Thanks!

As the PP said, GAD is from Disney's promotion from this year. 5 of us participated, so we got 5 vouchers. We have park tickets with our package, so we are using them for FP cards during 5 of our 7 park days. You can get a FP card for up to 6 people in your party (and many are reporting getting more) that can be used for 6 rides each. There is a lot of info in the GAD forum.