Star Wars Weekend Tips 2012

[sam_gordon]

This will be our first time to SWW and the boards have been very helpful on what to expect!! HS opens at 8:00am and we plan to go straight to JTA also in hopes of getting the first opening. We have an ADR for Sci-Fi at 1:20pm and am anticipating that we will have our JTA complete before our ADR. But that is in HS. We are pushing through this one without mid-day breaks! Our break will be lunch. Good luck!!

ec

I don't think you'll get the first JTA unless you're there around 7AM (an hour before gates open). That will almost guarantee you get the first class.

 

[evcollins]

I don't think you'll get the first JTA unless you're there around 7AM (an hour before gates open). That will almost guarantee you get the first class.

That's our plan!

ec

 

[lelei]

Does anyone happen to know what time the parade will likely start at? I swear I saw 11 am somewhere, and then 1 pm somewhere else...

 

[Music City Mama]

If your Fp says "10:00am to 10:15am" get to the celeb area (tent) about 5min. before your first time (in this case 10am) you should have to wait only around 10min.
If you don't get there in time, (lets say the complete session is from 9:45am to 10:45am and your fp is 10:00am to 10:15am) and you get there at 10:30am, for example, let the CM know and they will let you in.

Thank you -- good to know you don't have to wait too long once your time comes up. Still undecided if we'll get there early enough to get a FP, but was wondering just in case.

This will be our first time to SWW and the boards have been very helpful on what to expect!! HS opens at 8:00am and we plan to go straight to JTA also in hopes of getting the first opening. We have an ADR for Sci-Fi at 1:20pm and am anticipating that we will have our JTA complete before our ADR. But that is in HS. We are pushing through this one without mid-day breaks! Our break will be lunch. Good luck!!

ec

We're probably going on a different weekend than you, be we too have a 1:20 ADR at Sci-Fi. I figure that allows enough time in the event the parade is at 12:40 (I think I read that in previous years it was at 11:40, but was at 12:40 last year). We're not going to sign up for JTA this time, but may do PMC, so I'm thinking our ADR won't interfere with that (again, based on last year's times). This is our only HS day and we will be there from open to close -- we're staying at the BC, but I still don't think we're going to take a mid-day break. And we'll be sleeping in the next morning -- I'm sure we'll need it!

 

[maybs607]

We are taking my son who is toilet training. If we get there really early(7AM) are there washroom facilities before being allowed into the park?

 

[Victoria3]

We are taking my son who is toilet training. If we get there really early(7AM) are there washroom facilities before being allowed into the park?

Yes. There is restrooms located outside the park.

 

[CentralFloridian99]

Are the FP turnstiles the CM ones? Also, is there a chance JAT will be avalible around 8 AM?

 

[yulilin3]

Does anyone happen to know what time the parade will likely start at? I swear I saw 11 am somewhere, and then 1 pm somewhere else...

Last year the SW parade was at 12:40pm, it will likely be at that same time this year but no official word yet

Are the FP turnstiles the CM ones? Also, is there a chance JAT will be avalible around 8 AM?

No, they give out the fp's all the way to the right, there are large gates you enter thru those, the CM will give out the fp, wristband and scan your tickets, then you enter thru backstage near the restrooms and the stroller rental. That's what happened last year.
As to the JTA question, there are plenty of people getting kids sined up for this and it goes by very quickly, like I've said before it's booked up 25 min. after park opening.

 

[CentralFloridian99]

As to the JTA question,

That wasn't a JTA question, that was to James Arnold Taylor.

 

[delmar411]

Last year the SW parade was at 12:40pm, it will likely be at that same time this year but no official word yet


No, they give out the fp's all the way to the right, there are large gates you enter thru those, the CM will give out the fp, wristband and scan your tickets, then you enter thru backstage near the restrooms and the stroller rental. That's what happened last year.
As to the JTA question, there are plenty of people getting kids sined up for this and it goes by very quickly, like I've said before it's booked up 25 min. after park opening.

They didn't scan tickets last year for celeb FPs. You lined up, they banded you long before they handed out FPs and then at the 'go time' they handed you FPs as you got to the front of the line. Then you went and used your ticket to get in the park.

 

[yulilin3]

They didn't scan tickets last year for celeb FPs. You lined up, they banded you long before they handed out FPs and then at the 'go time' they handed you FPs as you got to the front of the line. Then you went and used your ticket to get in the park.

This goes to show that they tried different things last year...We got in line for celeb fp only in weekend 1 or 2 , cannot remember. But when we did, they put the wristbands on us, then we walked thru the gates I mentioned above, they gave us the fp and scanned our tickets right there, we went into the park via backstage so we didn't have to line up outside the regular turnstiles.
Years prior to last, you would line up on the far right, get your fp, no ticket or wristbands required, and then line up in the regular turnstiles to get into the park.
we'll never know until that first weekend is done
EDIT: now that I think about it I'm sure it was the Saturday of week one, because I saw some of my friends from studios central in line that day and we always meet the first Saturday

 

[maybs607]

Anyone have the best area to watch the parade from, we are goingto line up pretty early as my 4 year old only wants to see the parade.

Thanks in advance

 

[yulilin3]

Anyone have the best area to watch the parade from, we are goingto line up pretty early as my 4 year old only wants to see the parade.

Thanks in advance

The parade route, once again, will be from the entrance of the park to the Hat Stage. There's a spot right at the begining of the route by Sid's Cahuenga's store that's great and partly shaded. The only thing is that there's a big SW group of fans that always sits there and they chant loudly the name of the celebs when they are coming (it's not a problem for us, we actually join in and have fun) but some people don't like it. Here's the video I took from that spot: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WzpWFsUezA&feature=plcp
That's where we always sit so I don't know about other spots but I'm sure someone can give you their opinions as well.

 

[megan511]

Thanks for the responses! I think we are going to cancel our ADR. Better safe than sorry and JTA is our priority. We will also try and get there earlier around 7!

 

[kswm30b]

I don't think I've posted in this thread since about page 5, so I spent today reading through everything. Love all the tips & pics! We're going the first weekend & I'm getting nervous already, lol!

I'm going just to meet the characters, I don't care about meeting the celebrities, but I was wondering *where* the celebs meet. Is it inside or somewhere that you could pass by & snap a pic of them (not with them, obviously.)

 

[VAfamily1998]

I don't think I've posted in this thread since about page 5, so I spent today reading through everything. Love all the tips & pics! We're going the first weekend & I'm getting nervous already, lol!

Nervous! That's kind of the way I feel too...all anxious that we're going to "miss out" on things if we don't do them exactly perfect/in the right order/at the right time!

 

[JenGC]

We're going the first weekend & I'm getting nervous already, lol!

My daughter and I are going that weekend too! We are only doing Friday since that has to be the less busy day of the whole month!

Nervous! That's kind of the way I feel too...all anxious that we're going to "miss out" on things if we don't do them exactly perfect/in the right order/at the right time!

I feel the same way. I am going to get one shot at this and I dont want to be one place when something else really cool is going on!

 

[evcollins]

Thank you -- good to know you don't have to wait too long once your time comes up. Still undecided if we'll get there early enough to get a FP, but was wondering just in case.



We're probably going on a different weekend than you, be we too have a 1:20 ADR at Sci-Fi. I figure that allows enough time in the event the parade is at 12:40 (I think I read that in previous years it was at 11:40, but was at 12:40 last year). We're not going to sign up for JTA this time, but may do PMC, so I'm thinking our ADR won't interfere with that (again, based on last year's times). This is our only HS day and we will be there from open to close -- we're staying at the BC, but I still don't think we're going to take a mid-day break. And we'll be sleeping in the next morning -- I'm sure we'll need it!

I hear ya' on that one! We will definitely be sleeping in, too. We'll be there the second weekend. I went on previous year's times also to try to put some sort of plan together. That's how I decided on the 1:20 ressie....the 11:40 or 12:40 parade should be over by then. Fingers crossed! Now if they would just put out the time for the parade, our TPs will be great!!

Have a great time out there!!
ec

 

[Karpkg]

I don't think I've posted in this thread since about page 5, so I spent today reading through everything. Love all the tips & pics! We're going the first weekend & I'm getting nervous already, lol!

I'm going just to meet the characters, I don't care about meeting the celebrities, but I was wondering *where* the celebs meet. Is it inside or somewhere that you could pass by & snap a pic of them (not with them, obviously.)

The celebs meet at the black tents surrounding Echo Lake(where the dinosaur in the water is). When the celebs aren't there the CM's leave out autographed celeb pics. When the celebs are there you can approach the CM at the exit of the tent and ask for a previously autographed pic and they'll hand you one. It's also out in the open where you can use your own camera to take a pic of the celeb.

Last year Anthony Daniels was the only one who used the Sounds Dangerous building so no one without a celeb FP can see or take a pic of him, then Ashley Eckstein did the same(in this case, it may be because of the heat). I don't know if other celebs will follow suit; but most tend to be in the open so the public can see them.

Here's a link where Josh talks about SWW; scroll to 2/3 down and you'll see the black celeb tent.

http://www.easywdw.com/worth-2/star...f-characters-events-shows-and-more/#more-3920

 

[mesaboy2]

The celebs meet at the black tents surrounding Echo Lake(where the dinosaur in the water is). When the celebs aren't there the CM's leave out autographed celeb pics. When the celebs are there you can approach the CM at the exit of the tent and ask for a previously autographed pic and they'll hand you one. It's also out in the open where you can use your own camera to take a pic of the celeb.

I didn't know that. So it's no trouble at all to pick up an autographed pic of a celeb even if you're unable to meet them? Do they typically run out or are there lots?