TIPS: Star Wars Weekends 2011

[chicagoshannon]

Can I get your opinion Should we go the sunday of the 1st weekend or the fri of the 2nd which do you think would be better?

Fri of the 2nd. I'd avoid the 1st weekend if at all possible!

 

[Moira222]

Question: to view the rope drop show, must you enter the park? We will be there for the first day & more than anything DH is looking forward to seeing the storm troopers en masse ---- and that is what I understand is part of the rope drop "show". yes?

The crowd conversations do have me a bit concerned (we are not crowd folks!) and we already have planned to be at DHS only as long as it takes for one of us to be irritated. I"m hoping its more than five minutes!

So do you have to go in to the park to view the opening show? or is it viewable from the gates? We've never done rope drop, never even know there was a reason to!

 

[yulilin3]

Question: to view the rope drop show, must you enter the park? We will be there for the first day & more than anything DH is looking forward to seeing the storm troopers en masse ---- and that is what I understand is part of the rope drop "show". yes?

The crowd conversations do have me a bit concerned (we are not crowd folks!) and we already have planned to be at DHS only as long as it takes for one of us to be irritated. I"m hoping its more than five minutes!

So do you have to go in to the park to view the opening show? or is it viewable from the gates? We've never done rope drop, never even know there was a reason to!

Here's a video of the stormtroopers show before rope drop: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciPN-voyrf8
You can watch it from outside the turnstiles and it's about 20 minutes long, they do stay up there after the park opens for another 30 to 45 minutes.

 

[yulilin3]

This should be treated as rumors but it's always good to keep in mind for planning :
Rumor 1.- the Imagineers are behind schedule with Star Tours 2.0 They only have one simulator finished and are not sure if all 6 simulators will be operational for May 20th.
Rumor 2.- They won't offer FP's that first weekend to give everyone the same waiting times and to keep the lines running.
As I said these are rumors but if you're planning on grabbing FP for that first weekend have a plan B.
George Lucas is still a rumor and will probably not be confirmed at all if he is coming. Prepare for craziness that first weekend, if you are not confortable or tolerant of crowds go during the week.
If you are going, just have fun and don't try to do too much. I'm going May 20th and 21st and I'm still not sure if I will ride Star Tours.

 

[Sawhiskey]

I am going to be there Friday morning. My plan is to get a picture with Darth Vader, Rider Star Tours and get some merch, I have 5pm ADR at Boma so Ill be out of the park by 3. I might go back Sunday depending on the experience I have Friday. See yall there!

 

[Disneymomma41304]

Just ordered shirts from ZAZZLE for SWW!!! I will post a pic as soon as they arrive! Have to say Iam getting so EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[jegsnakkernorsk]

: Dress the part!!

This does not necessarily mean dressing up in your fave SW characters- although you can do that as Disney allows people in SW costumes during SWW- but remember it is hot and humid during May and June, so plan accordingly. If you or any in your family wants to dress up bring a change of clothes in case that Darth Vader costume gets too hot and sticky.

- Warning - if you are an adult and you dress SW you may be mistaken for a CM.

My sister, 27 at the time, was dressed in her home-made Princess Leia costume - the white one - three years ago when we went for the first time. She had long brown hair and used her own hair, a lot of pins, and my help to make the famous buns.

She had gone out of her way to get the limited edition pin and had that along with some others on a lanyard. We were on our way out the gates at mid-day (it was hot!) and had stopped so I could take a picture of her near the sign.

Well a mother and young kid come up to her and the kid asked to see her pins. My sister said sure and bent over for the kid to look. Then he wanted to trade and she said well okay and of course the kid wanted her Star Wars pin. She said "no I can't trade that one but how about..." and picked out another. Well the mom steps up and gets really angry and says "No, you have to trade any pin". And to be honest my sister had never done Pin Trading, she buys ones she likes and wears them in the park. That's basically it.

So my sister is kind of thrown off by this woman demanding she give up her limited edition pin that she made the rest of us hike all over the park to find. There were some uncomfortable moments until the woman finally realized that my sister was just a guest and not a CM. My sister was really flattered to be mistaken as a "Disney Princess" and everyone had a good laugh. But that is something to think about if you are going to dress up as an adult.

We're headed back this year, but this year my DSis plans to wear the Princess Leia Minnie t-shirt ("Aren't you a little short to be a storm trooper") and not a full costume!

 

[All American]

Just ordered shirts from ZAZZLE for SWW!!! I will post a pic as soon as they arrive! Have to say Iam getting so EXCITED!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can't wait to see them! I love the T-shirt route because it's an easy way to get into the spirit of things. I saw your ticker, and I hope they arrive quickly--3 weeks for you--

jegsnakkernorsk: That is great story!

 

[xxliz28xx]

Ok so me and my fiance are torn on what to do. We are going to DHS the Sunday of opening weekend. I say we go get a FP for TSMM then go wait in the ST line. He says it should be the other way around. What should we do to minimize wait times, if at all?

 

[Disneymomma41304]

Can't wait to see them! I love the T-shirt route because it's an easy way to get into the spirit of things. I saw your ticker, and I hope they arrive quickly--3 weeks for you--

jegsnakkernorsk: That is great story!

We had alot of FUN designing the shirts , my 7 year old picked the whole thing down to color!! I did the EXPRESS ship soooo should be here this week-end!!!!!!

 

[shannoook]

Ok so me and my fiance are torn on what to do. We are going to DHS the Sunday of opening weekend. I say we go get a FP for TSMM then go wait in the ST line. He says it should be the other way around. What should we do to minimize wait times, if at all?

Just a rumor... But I've heard they may not be issuing fp on opening weekend to try & equalize the wait times. So, take it with a grain of salt but something to consider. May be even more applicable if the schedule rumors are true re: the finished simulators & the ride being behind.

 

[Prolif1k]

I am not sure if this has been posted, but here is my advice: DON'T GO! We went 8 years ago and had a good time. My kids had tons of SW character interaction. We were there way before park opening and enjoyed the day. Last year we went to the first day of SWW and it was a total nightmare. I have NEVER even at Christmas seen a mob like that!!! My (then) 6 year old and 12 year old sons were dressed in jedi costume and we were at the park wayyy before opening because we wanted DS6 to see the stormtroopers come out. There were 7 of us and my parents were on their way. We called and stopped them and told them not to waste a day of their park tickets at DHS--even though they really wanted to see the boys with the characters. We were able to do one thing and one thing only and that was to wait in line to have the boys pic with Darth Vader. We ended up leaving the park (totally wasting a day of our passes since we did not have hoppers) without doing one other thing. I am an obsessive planner and had all my notes printed out from the DIS. I had big plans for my kids to do all kinds of activities. I have never been in an oppressive crowd before, but now I know what that means. AWFUL. Never again! I am so glad we had one year of enjoying SWW before it got out of control.

I don't really see how not going is good advice. If you or your kids are Star Wars fans, then it's an awesome experience. You can't really make solid plans for SWW weekend, except for knowing what characters are on your priority list and where they will be located. Get there hours before opening if you want autograph FPs. We've been to the past 2 SWW and some other ones in the past before it got big, just like you, and every one has been amazing. Simply skipping it leaves you with no Star Wars experience at all....

 

[yulilin3]

Summer's Mickey Monitor is out (AP magazine) and has some information about Star Tours and SWW. All of it has already been leaked but here's the official announcement for the merchandise:
Don’t miss out on merchandise designed
exclusively for Passholders! It’s available
throughout all of Star Wars Weekends.
(Or at least whil e supplies last.)
Just head out to the Jabba’s Hutt tent
located behind Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster®
Starring Aerosmith. The tent will be open
every Friday, Saturday and Sunday
during Star Wars Weekends.
here's the link to the complete MM: http://adisneyworld.disney.go.com/m...eng/nontheme/passholder/MMSummer2011Final.pdf
So now we knoe for sure that the SWW merch. will be behind RnRC. I hope the tent will be A/C

 

[Mouse Skywalker]

I just wanted to take a second to remind everyone that we're hosting a special breakast inside DHS at the Backlot Express on Sunday, May 22 before park opening. It will be a fundraiser for Give Kids The World, and we have a great group of DISers and others from the Disney Fan community already signed up. You can find more details below...

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far, away….

Episode X
Confronts the Power of the Dark Side​

It is a dark time for Disney/STAR WARS fans. Star Tours remains an empty shell after the evil lord Darth Vader and his bounty hunter Boba Fett closed the attraction with a thermal detonator.

However, a creative group of young IMAGINEERS have re-established a new, improved STAR TOURS base in the mysterious tropical SWAMP world of Florida.

To commemorate this event, and pay tribute to legendary VICTORY celebrations of the Ewoks, Naboo, and Gungans, a party of EPIC proportions was planned with invitations extending deep into the far reaches of space….

The Power of 10 Confronts the Power of the Dark Side
Fundraising Event for Give Kids The World

Sunday, May 22nd from 6:30-9:30am
Breakfast Buffet inside Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Location: Backlot Express adjacent to Star Tours

Details: Join us for breakfast inside Hollywood Studios, before the park opens, on the first Sunday of Star Wars Weekends. The party will be held at the Backlot Express Restaurant (next to Star Tours), with fellow like-minded Disney/Star Wars fans. There will also be a silent auction of items to raise additional money for Give Kids The World (silent auction ends at 8am). Once the park opens at 8am, you may leave the event if you choose and enjoy any of the attractions in the park (theme park admission required), or you can stay and mix and mingle with us until 9:30am. Note: attendance at this breakfast will NOT guarantee first in line or first ride status for the new Star Tours attraction.

Breakfast Buffet would include:
Orange and Apple Juice
Assorted Muffins, Bagels, and Danish
Plain Scrambled Eggs
Breakfast Quesadillas with eggs, sausage, onions, peppers and cheddar cheese
Smoked Bacon
Turkey Sausage
Tater tots
Sliced fruit and Berry yogurt
Coffee, Decaf Coffee, and Tea

Cost: $50/adult (ages 10+), $25/child (ages 3-9), children 2 and under are free. The admission fee goes towards paying for breakfast, reserving the venue, and making a donation to Give Kids The World via the Power of 10: Give Kids The World $1,000,000 Challenge.

Click here to officially sign up and pay for the event

About the Power of 10:
We are a group of Disney fans who want to help share our passion for Disney with those who need it most: children with life threatening illnesses and their families. When these children ask to visit Walt Disney World through organizations like the Make-A-Wish foundation, many times those organizations reach out to Give Kids The World to make that wish a reality. Our goal is simple. We’re looking to raise $1M to help this worthy organization in their mission to turn no child away. For more information about the Power of 10, please see:

http://www.powerof10.us/

 

[marsh0013]

looking for opinions. i wonder if i can meet the following in 1 day - chewbacca, darth vader, boba fett, and then 1 set of mickey/minnie or goofy/donald, or however they end up being. sunday june 12.

best way to do it? opinions?

i'm thinking chewbacca right at rope drop. i went in 2009 (same weekend) and i was second in line and he came out at 9:15ish. is this still the same? then head over to get vader. again, this is exactly what i did in 2009 and i waited about 10 minutes. from what i've read, i should then line up for mickey/minnie/goofy/donald. and get boba fett after that. could we do this all relatively easily?

actually, boba fett is my boyfriend's absolute favorite. but i know he will rotate with jengo, so we may have to plan strategically. am i correct to assume this line will take 30ish minutes max? that's what i think i've read.

anything else would be icing on the cake. we'll probably try to grab FP for star tours, but we'll be back to the studios on monday so can always do it then.

trip right now is planned for sat june 11-tues june 14 (30th birthday is june 13). i'm thinking about adding on friday just so we can do star wars on both sat and sun. but if the above is doable on sunday, i'd rather save the vacation day. this is supposed to be a super budget trip, so yeah.

sorry this is so long. any help much appreciated

eta - we also want to see the 11:40am parade and the hyperspace hoopla of course!

 

[yulilin3]

Finally official confirmation on celebs and logo:
http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...ekends-2011/?CMP=SOC-WDWFY11WDW_SocMedBFB0015

 

[kschafer]

I know lots of you have been waiting for official word:

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...ekends-2011/?CMP=SOC-WDWFY11WDW_SocMedBFB0015

My boys will get the big news on Sunday that we are going...I can hardly keep the secret anymore

 

[kschafer]

Finally official confirmation on celebs and logo:
http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...ekends-2011/?CMP=SOC-WDWFY11WDW_SocMedBFB0015

You JUST beat me!

 

[Karpkg]

Finally official confirmation on celebs and logo:
http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...ekends-2011/?CMP=SOC-WDWFY11WDW_SocMedBFB0015

My AP's expire before Wknd 3!!! And Matt Lanter(voice of Anakin in Clone Wars) will be there at that time!!!



I was hoping to get them again late next year w/Fantasyland's expansion nearing completion....argh.....

 

[yulilin3]

You JUST beat me!

I'm just glad it's official...there seems to be a celeb missing for weekend 1, all other have 3 plus the 2 hosts...and no mention of the show STars of the Saga Q&A. The logo is a little plain for my taste, they have done some creative things in the past, I thought that it would be something to do with Star Tours