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- Jan 16, 2006
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Getting a character's autograph entails waiting in a line of various lengths, not unlike regular Disney characters but probably a longer line. You can usually get fairly close to the side of the characters and they will often wave to you when they're between guests. R2-D2 even rolled over to my son to say hi, maybe because he was playing with his new spinning R2-D2 toy nonstop!
The schedules are a little hard to find info on online, so here's what it was this year:
Jedi Training takes place eight times a day, approximately at hour intervals. It is the normal show except with the addition of Asajj Ventris and Ahsoka who work with another set of kids on the area in front of the stage, taking the rolls of Darth Vadar and the Jedi trainer. They are not miked but do talk to the kids and the audience.
Padawan Mind Challenge is a Clone Wars trivia game that is on the same stage at 11am and 5:45pm. They bring up kids and ask them easy questions. There are two hosts (one of which is Deevy See from the DVC ads! love her!) and a Star Wars hero - we saw it twice and once it was Ahsoka, once it was Luke.
There are 2-3 different stage shows - Behind the Force (talk about Clone Wars) at 11am and 3:35p, Stars of the Saga (funny stormtrooper preshow and then talks with the live-action actors) at 1:15pm, and when Ray Park is there, Visit to the Maul, which was at 5:45pm but it's not listed on the guides so the times may change.
The parade starts at 11:40 and it ends at the Jedi Training stage. The two Padawan Mind Challenge hosts do voiceovers during the parade from the stage and are joined by various characters from the parade plus all the celebrity guests, until the stage is full of people (around 12pm.) They pose for a photo and fireworks go off.
The Hyperspace Hoopla show - the one with the dancing - is at 7pm. Crowd control is an issue - there are initially ropes that are set up for the extra Jedi Training area. The ropes are moved forward about 10 minutes or so before the Hoopla begins. CMs beg everyone to not move forward while they adjust the ropes - difficult because there is less "front row" when the ropes move up since there in a circle. We had been waiting an hour and twenty minutes in the front row, in the rain even, and of course, the group of people on the right side crept forward and then the whole crowd surged forward and we ended up three or four rows back. My wife was furious and I wasn't all that pleased either! We had our stroller so it was hard to make a fast move, and my son was not able to see, so I spent half the Hoopla holding him up. I wish they'd moved the ropes forward as soon as Jedi Training was over to cut down on the number of late arrivers who are able to muscle their way to the front.
There is also a stormtrooper show at the entrance before the park opens, but not on days with early Extra Magic Hours. I think it starts maybe 15 minutes before the park opens - we never were able to catch it.
Based on what I learned this trip - the must-dos are the parade, the Stars of the Saga show, and the Hoopla. If you're early enough for the Hoopla, you'll catch the Mind Challenge and the Jedi Training, too. The best place for the parade is by the stage. We waited early on Friday, but on Sunday, we were going past and just happened to get a good spot by the Fastpass entrance to Star Tours. I was able to see the parade (when it came down the road, not so much right in front of me) and the stage pretty clearly despite our late arrival - maybe 5-10 minutes or so before the parade arrived there.
The schedules are a little hard to find info on online, so here's what it was this year:
Jedi Training takes place eight times a day, approximately at hour intervals. It is the normal show except with the addition of Asajj Ventris and Ahsoka who work with another set of kids on the area in front of the stage, taking the rolls of Darth Vadar and the Jedi trainer. They are not miked but do talk to the kids and the audience.
Padawan Mind Challenge is a Clone Wars trivia game that is on the same stage at 11am and 5:45pm. They bring up kids and ask them easy questions. There are two hosts (one of which is Deevy See from the DVC ads! love her!) and a Star Wars hero - we saw it twice and once it was Ahsoka, once it was Luke.
There are 2-3 different stage shows - Behind the Force (talk about Clone Wars) at 11am and 3:35p, Stars of the Saga (funny stormtrooper preshow and then talks with the live-action actors) at 1:15pm, and when Ray Park is there, Visit to the Maul, which was at 5:45pm but it's not listed on the guides so the times may change.
The parade starts at 11:40 and it ends at the Jedi Training stage. The two Padawan Mind Challenge hosts do voiceovers during the parade from the stage and are joined by various characters from the parade plus all the celebrity guests, until the stage is full of people (around 12pm.) They pose for a photo and fireworks go off.
The Hyperspace Hoopla show - the one with the dancing - is at 7pm. Crowd control is an issue - there are initially ropes that are set up for the extra Jedi Training area. The ropes are moved forward about 10 minutes or so before the Hoopla begins. CMs beg everyone to not move forward while they adjust the ropes - difficult because there is less "front row" when the ropes move up since there in a circle. We had been waiting an hour and twenty minutes in the front row, in the rain even, and of course, the group of people on the right side crept forward and then the whole crowd surged forward and we ended up three or four rows back. My wife was furious and I wasn't all that pleased either! We had our stroller so it was hard to make a fast move, and my son was not able to see, so I spent half the Hoopla holding him up. I wish they'd moved the ropes forward as soon as Jedi Training was over to cut down on the number of late arrivers who are able to muscle their way to the front.
There is also a stormtrooper show at the entrance before the park opens, but not on days with early Extra Magic Hours. I think it starts maybe 15 minutes before the park opens - we never were able to catch it.
Based on what I learned this trip - the must-dos are the parade, the Stars of the Saga show, and the Hoopla. If you're early enough for the Hoopla, you'll catch the Mind Challenge and the Jedi Training, too. The best place for the parade is by the stage. We waited early on Friday, but on Sunday, we were going past and just happened to get a good spot by the Fastpass entrance to Star Tours. I was able to see the parade (when it came down the road, not so much right in front of me) and the stage pretty clearly despite our late arrival - maybe 5-10 minutes or so before the parade arrived there.
