The Moist Exhausting Free Trip Ever - Link to Part II Thread pg. 244

[glennbo123]

Day 2 - Part 2

After we finished our pop-gun assault on the Toy Story characters it was time for James and I to go get a Star Wars celebrity autograph. The ladies said they were going to check out the Star Wars Weekends merchandise that was in a little shop in that part of the park, not too far from Pixar Place. The autographs were being done at Echo Lake, so James and I went through Streets of America to get there. I took a few pictures along the way.

I love the name of this place, so couldn’t resist taking a picture of “Youse Guys Moychindice”.

James near “The Streets of San Francisco”. Yes, I remember that show. I wasn’t old enough to stay up and watch it, but I remember it. Michael Douglas and Karl Malden, if I’m not mistaken.

Soon we arrived at the tent where Peter Mayhew was signing autographs. He played Chewbacca in the Star Wars movies. There was almost no line, so we handed in our fastpass tickets and wound through the ropes.

Here he is as we await our turn. You have to love the comfy shoes.

He’s a big guy.

James gives him his autograph book and pen. His hands were enormous.

And signing.

I got into the shot because, hey, I’m a fan too!

He seemed like a nice enough guy, but there was no interaction at all. James didn’t say anything, I think he was just in awe, and I was taking pictures so I wasn’t much help. In retrospect I should have said something like, “It’s a pleasure to meet you Mr. Mayhew. We’ve both been fans for so long.” Followed by a good ‘ol “Punch it Chewie!” But I didn’t. We were in and out of there in no time.

We looked at the autograph tent that was set up next to Peter Mayhew’s, and it was Ray Park, who played Darth Maul. There were no fastpasses left for him when we had entered the park, so a picture was the best we were going to get. Ooo, look at that toddler’s hair. Yes, it was a hot, moist day at DHS!

If you don’t know who Darth Maul is in the Star Wars saga, here’s the wikipedia page. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darth_Maul

We walked over to the tent for the other fastpass we had, James Arnold Taylor, who is the voice of Obi Wan Kenobi in the “Star Wars, The Clone Wars” cartoon series. Unfortunately, it was nearing the time for his next break and the cast member said we wouldn’t get in before he left, so we should come back at the next time he’d be out, which was 1:00 pm.

I took a quick picture of some people in their Star Wars garb.

I called the ladies and they were in line for Star Tours, so James and I decided to go over and check out the Star Wars Weekends merchandise at the shop that the girls had visited earlier. On the way, we ran across a Jawa. We had to wait for a lady taking pictures of her kids with the Jawa and getting autographs. I couldn’t remember exactly what happened, except that she took a looong time and I had gotten annoyed. While writing this I asked James if he remembered what that lady had done (I hadn’t commented to him about it at the time) and he reminded me that she pretended that she was going to trade her daughter to the Jawa. (In Star Wars, the Jawas collect old droids and trade them – they’re the used car dealers of the Star Wars universe.) It seemed like she was trying to “force” (no pun intended) the character interaction a little too much, not to mention taking a long time while we were patiently waiting. Patiently, as in tapping our feet and drumming our fingers. Anyway, we finally got our turn to meet a Jawa, and our quick picture and autograph was worth the wait.

The lines you can see behind James and the Jawa were for some Jedi characters. We weren’t interested in waiting in lines that long!

More streets. Sorry, is this a New York City skyline?

We looked through the shop and other than a lightsaber (which I wouldn’t let him have because he has enough already), James didn’t want anything there. He wanted to go on Star Tours, so we started heading back.

On our way back through the Streets of America, I said we had to duck down one of these streets and get some pictures. Our stop? The Chinese Restaurant to get some karate pics, ala jordanyosh. Our homage to Jordan.

Then James took a couple of me. I was attempting to do “the tongue thing” and karate moves at the same time.

The crane!

I called Judy and we met up before James and I got in line for Star Tours. Our fastpass window was opening soon, at 11:20, and Lauren volunteered to go to the other side of the park to get fastpasses on Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. Then we all went our separate ways – Lauren on her fastpass run, Judy and Marlene went shopping somewhere, and James and I to Star Tours. We arranged to meet at Sci-Fi Dine In at 11:30 for our ADR.

I took this picture as James and I entered the Star Tours line. Looks like Endor to me!

Then, a couple more in line.

We enjoyed our ride, as always. It’ll be interesting to see what they do with this attraction during the refurbishment that will take place later this year.


Up next: Fastpass volunteering ain’t like dusting crops girl, and lunch at Sci-Fi
Link to next chapter

 

[KatMark]

Day 2 - Part 2



James gives him his autograph book and pen. His hands were enormous.

His hands ARE huge and look how long his fingers are.

Then James took a couple of me. I was attempting to do “the tongue thing” and karate moves at the same time.

The crane!

Those pictures are great. Looks like you and James had a great time.

 

[Aristocath]

Great update! Peter Mayhew actually lives outside of Fort Worth, I think in Granbury. He used to live in Arlington (where the Dallas Cowboys stadium is)but I know he moved. Anyway, we were eating lunch at Babe's Chicken House in Granbury and he came in. Some people looked at him like a freak and then other people recognized him and it was hilarious to see all these grown men getting all giddy over Chewy. I can't imagine what SWW are like.

 

[nittanyliongirl02]

I must say, I was patiently tapping my fingers waiting for your next post, but lo and behold, I come home to find it! FABULOUS!

I love that your first pic is of the "Youse guys" store front. I actually had to take a picture of that myself while on a trip, because my dad constantly uses the word "youse" to pluralize you (let it be known that he went to school in NY, and is now proud Jersey through and through!). When I showed him, he said "see...I told you it was a word".

And yes, your 11th picture down is of the NY skyline. You've got the Flat Iron building (Broadway runs past), with the Empire State Building and Chrysler Building in the backgrounds.

P.S.....I'm loving James' PSU shirt! Season is coming soon.....can't wait....next to WDW it's my 2nd Happiest Place on Earth!

 

[eandesmom]

well I'm happy to see that at least one other DISer is as bad at the tongue thing as I am.

The crane looked good though!

James looks like he is having a blast, that's the best part!

 

[FairyGodmotherJen]

Ok, DH will be very jealous of the Ray Park photo (that's one of his favorites!). We looked for Jawas but we didn't find any. Jack was bummed because we did read that they would interact with you better if you had something to trade with them, so we'd come prepared...though it sounds like that lady went a bit overboard! Looks like you and James had a good time together!

It's probably ok that you didn't try to make small talk with Peter Mayhew...I've heard interviews with him, and the man is a bit hard to understand!!

 

[vamassey1]

Very cool! Star Wars pictures and pictures in front of the Chinese Laundry. How did you explain this to James? He looks like he was game to participate. Sadly I was all alone when I came upon it, so all I got was a picture of the building, no karate.

 

[All7OfUs]

Fun stuff- love how you do the divide and conquer thing! Shop and greet- very appropriate!

I didn't think you did too badly at the tongue pose- but then again, I've not tried it yet. I think it's something you have to perfect over time.

Yes, looked just like Endor! Is the podracer still there??

 

[SurfinTX]

Day 2 - Part 2

Then James took a couple of me. I was attempting to do “the tongue thing” and karate moves at the same time.

The crane!

For a second there I thought I was looking at The Sweaty Asian - Jordan!

I agree with ya on waiting in those lines for character greetings. No way were we going to stand around in the dead of summer.

Fastpass volunteering ain’t like dusting crops girl!

Without precise calculations we could walk right through a parade route or
bounce too close to a Hoopla and that'd end your trip real quick,
wouldn't it?

 

[Flossbolna]

You just made my day with the crane pose!

It isn't it great when your kids are old enough so they can go and get fastpasses for the whole family? But I am a bit scared that something went wrong in the process because of the next title...

Oh yeah, the words are just as offensive, but I guess we've heard them so long that they're not so abrasive anymore.

When you mentioned advertising from my Belgium flash back TR it made me think of a certain picture in this installment!

Well the German term is even more offensive, but implies the same action. It's interesting how two different cultures/languages come up with the same metaphor for a certain behaviour...

And yes, that's exactly the update I was thinking about!

 

[All7OfUs]

This post is being made so that the chapter I am about to load will appear at the top of the next page rather than the bottom of this page.

How do you know that it will do that?? Obviously I carry none of the posting finesse you do.

 

[MEK]

James Mayhew's hands are HUGE!!!!!!!! How does he ever find gloves to fit?

Great update. I am not really into the Star Wars thing, mostly because I haven't watched the movies for awhile. But I remember when my kids were younger they LOVED those movies.

I am anxious to see what Star Tours looks like after the rehab, too.

Great karate pics! Nice update.

 

[englishrose47]

Great Updaten Glen !!I was there for a Star Wars weekend a couple of years ago !!It was interesting !!!!!!

 

[onelilspark]

I'm trying to persuade my boyfriend to go next May...he's a big Star Wars fan, but for some reason he doesn't want to go!

 

[brookelizabeth]

Holy cows! That dude's hands are HUGE! In the group shot it seriously looks like he could palm your DS' head!

Awesome Chinese Laundry/China Bowl pics!!! I hope Jordan is able to catch up on the DIS and see them sometime soon. I love that you got your child to do them with you...I'm wondering if Henry is old enough to take my directions into a crane pose...

Yeah! I love it when I can start my replies off with a welcome, so...
brookelizabeth! Thanks for joining in! I've seen you posting on other threads, but somehow I missed your TR all this time. Which is strange, because I usually try to stay on top of the AKL trip reports since I'm such a big Kidani fan. From that last sentence you can deduce that I did some skimming of your report...some in-depth highlights, if you will. I need to sub, although you're probably almost done. Sorry about that!

No worries!!! I'm glad to have you there now! And we are almost done with the Disney part, but about to head to New Orleans for a few days, so sit tight and enjoy the ride! Plus at PTR is coming QUICKLY on its heels....I am itching to start it.

There are so many TRs that I have completely missed - like Liesa's, that I've had open about 22718 times, but always was intimated by due to size. Finally I just skipped over all the chapters and read the latest - then went back and read when I could. I'm so glad I did!

How do you know that it will do that?? Obviously I carry none of the posting finesse you do.

You are not alone, I do not posses his awesome prowess either.

 

[JPFamilyMom]

Sounds like you and your son had some nice bonding time that morning. Love the karate pictures so fun.

 

[marvali]

Nice update! There were a lot of glennbo-do and James-do sightings, but no Judy-do sightings. I was hoping for a chance to catch up with a cache of points since I was late getting to the last update.

Cool that you got to meet/see some of the actors. And I thought I had pulled off a coup when we were there in 1996 right after the summer Olympics and I got the autograph of a rower who had won the gold medal and was in like his 4th straight Olympics.

BTW, what is that on James' shirt? It looks like a panther or something. Did you find that at Kidani or AK?

For a second there I thought I was looking at The Sweaty Asian - Jordan!

It was uncanny, wasn't it???

Without precise calculations we could walk right through a parade route or
bounce too close to a Hoopla and that'd end your trip real quick,
wouldn't it?

How do you know that it will do that?? Obviously I carry none of the posting finesse you do.

You are not alone, I do not posses his awesome prowess either.

The force is strong with this one!!!

 

[glennbo123]

Those pictures are great. Looks like you and James had a great time.

Thanks. We did! It was hot, but we had a good morning.

Great update! Peter Mayhew actually lives outside of Fort Worth, I think in Granbury. He used to live in Arlington (where the Dallas Cowboys stadium is)but I know he moved. Anyway, we were eating lunch at Babe's Chicken House in Granbury and he came in. Some people looked at him like a freak and then other people recognized him and it was hilarious to see all these grown men getting all giddy over Chewy. I can't imagine what SWW are like.

How cool! I had no idea where he was from. I probably would have gotten a little giddy too.

I must say, I was patiently tapping my fingers waiting for your next post, but lo and behold, I come home to find it! FABULOUS!

Phew, I must have gotten it posted just in the nick of time!

I love that your first pic is of the "Youse guys" store front. I actually had to take a picture of that myself while on a trip, because my dad constantly uses the word "youse" to pluralize you (let it be known that he went to school in NY, and is now proud Jersey through and through!). When I showed him, he said "see...I told you it was a word".

It sounds very NY/NJ to me!

And yes, your 11th picture down is of the NY skyline. You've got the Flat Iron building (Broadway runs past), with the Empire State Building and Chrysler Building in the backgrounds.

I think the Chrysler building is what I recognized most.

P.S.....I'm loving James' PSU shirt! Season is coming soon.....can't wait....next to WDW it's my 2nd Happiest Place on Earth!

Thanks! I can't wait either. I love State College on game day!

well I'm happy to see that at least one other DISer is as bad at the tongue thing as I am.

The crane looked good though!

It doesn't come as "natural" to me as it does to Jordan!

Thanks.

James looks like he is having a blast, that's the best part!

Yes it is! We had a good time.

Ok, DH will be very jealous of the Ray Park photo (that's one of his favorites!).

Well, that's as close as we got. No autograph or photo with him or anything.

We looked for Jawas but we didn't find any. Jack was bummed because we did read that they would interact with you better if you had something to trade with them, so we'd come prepared...though it sounds like that lady went a bit overboard! Looks like you and James had a good time together!

I guess we just happened to walk through the right place at the right time. Yes, the lady went a little overboard and took too long while others were waiting (in my opinion). After I posted I was hoping that it wasn't someone in your party....that could have been an awkward DIS moment.

It's probably ok that you didn't try to make small talk with Peter Mayhew...I've heard interviews with him, and the man is a bit hard to understand!!

Interesting. I guess it was good casting!

Very cool! Star Wars pictures and pictures in front of the Chinese Laundry. How did you explain this to James? He looks like he was game to participate. Sadly I was all alone when I came upon it, so all I got was a picture of the building, no karate.

I didn't explain to him why, and he didn't ask! Actually, that was kind of funny, to me at least. I should have made a note in the TR. He still has no idea.

Fun stuff- love how you do the divide and conquer thing! Shop and greet- very appropriate!

I think this was the first time ever, at Disney anyway, that we divided this much. Before, the most we've divided was me getting a fastpass or us going into our respective Men's and Women's restrooms. We've pretty much stuck together. But the kids are getting old enough, and they know the parks' layouts pretty well now.

I didn't think you did too badly at the tongue pose- but then again, I've not tried it yet. I think it's something you have to perfect over time.

It's not as easy as Jordan makes it look, and I was multi-tasking!

Yes, looked just like Endor! Is the podracer still there??

I think you're talking about the speederbike (I didn't know what it was called, had to google it, but I knew that a podracer is something different). Yes, it's still across from Star Tours, but there were a million people around it.

For a second there I thought I was looking at The Sweaty Asian - Jordan!

I had the sweaty part down!

I agree with ya on waiting in those lines for character greetings. No way were we going to stand around in the dead of summer.

It was too hot for that! I was glad we have pictures of James with stormtroopers from back in 2005.

Without precise calculations we could walk right through a parade route or
bounce too close to a Hoopla and that'd end your trip real quick,
wouldn't it?

Very good! I'm glad someone's paying attention! Nice Disney-fication of it.

 

[mickeyfan71]

Love the Jordan tribute pics!

The lines for the SW's characters were unreal!

 

[glennbo123]

You just made my day with the crane pose!

That's great! My work here is done.

It isn't it great when your kids are old enough so they can go and get fastpasses for the whole family? But I am a bit scared that something went wrong in the process because of the next title...

Yes it is!

Hmmm....you're just going to have to wait for the next chapter.

Well the German term is even more offensive, but implies the same action. It's interesting how two different cultures/languages come up with the same metaphor for a certain behaviour...

And yes, that's exactly the update I was thinking about!

I thought so! I was going to post the picture, and then thought I'd just link instead.

How do you know that it will do that?? Obviously I carry none of the posting finesse you do.

Liesa, Liesa, Liesa. In DISorientation (yes, I'm Disoriented) you learn that every completed page has 15 posts. No more, no less. "Fifteen shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be fifteen. Sixteen shalt thou not count, neither count thou fourteen, excepting that thou then proceed to fifteen. Seventeen is right out."

James Mayhew's hands are HUGE!!!!!!!! How does he ever find gloves to fit?

Hand-me-downs from O.J.

Great update. I am not really into the Star Wars thing, mostly because I haven't watched the movies for awhile. But I remember when my kids were younger they LOVED those movies.

So do my kids....mostly James!

I am anxious to see what Star Tours looks like after the rehab, too.

Great karate pics! Nice update.

I'm expecting a major upgrade...should be good.

Thanks!

Great Updaten Glen !!I was there for a Star Wars weekend a couple of years ago !!It was interesting !!!!!!

Thanks Rosie. Your "it was interesting" quote can refer to people-watching alone!

I'm trying to persuade my boyfriend to go next May...he's a big Star Wars fan, but for some reason he doesn't want to go!

He should! I know it's tough because we spend so much time planning in order to avoid the crowds, and here we are diving right in. It's hot and it's crowded, but it's a good time.

Holy cows! That dude's hands are HUGE! In the group shot it seriously looks like he could palm your DS' head!

Easily!

Awesome Chinese Laundry/China Bowl pics!!! I hope Jordan is able to catch up on the DIS and see them sometime soon. I love that you got your child to do them with you...I'm wondering if Henry is old enough to take my directions into a crane pose...

Thanks! Me too. Later in the TR I will also have pictures inspired by, let's see, hope I don't forget someone....Winkers, All7OfUs, jenbear, and Great Biscuit!

No worries!!! I'm glad to have you there now! And we are almost done with the Disney part, but about to head to New Orleans for a few days, so sit tight and enjoy the ride! Plus at PTR is coming QUICKLY on its heels....I am itching to start it.

Ooo, let us know when you start the PTR.

There are so many TRs that I have completely missed - like Liesa's, that I've had open about 22718 times, but always was intimated by due to size. Finally I just skipped over all the chapters and read the latest - then went back and read when I could. I'm so glad I did!

I know. When you come upon a good, but big TR, it is very intimidating.

You are not alone, I do not posses his awesome prowess either.

I have revealed the secret above.

Sounds like you and your son had some nice bonding time that morning. Love the karate pictures so fun.

We did. Later in the TR I will get similar occasions with each of my kids.

Nice update! There were a lot of glennbo-do and James-do sightings, but no Judy-do sightings. I was hoping for a chance to catch up with a cache of points since I was late getting to the last update.

Since Sleepingbooty was asking about the game recently, I thought we should give her the first opportunity to post the answer this round.

Cool that you got to meet/see some of the actors. And I thought I had pulled off a coup when we were there in 1996 right after the summer Olympics and I got the autograph of a rower who had won the gold medal and was in like his 4th straight Olympics.

Hmmm, I think Marv is trying to test my witty response abilities with this post. How about this?:

That's no coup. Here, there's like five pages of listings in the Yellow Pages for gold medal winning Olympic rowers who have been in four Olympics.

BTW, what is that on James' shirt? It looks like a panther or something. Did you find that at Kidani or AK?

Now....don't make me sic Nittanyliongirl02 on you!

The force is strong with this one!!!

Something like that.