We Shared a SWW...and more! Done...At Home! (10/17)

[jmskinner]

Great updates!!! This looks like so much fun!!

You were right, Pina Colava was the name. Funny, I have never been to the pool at POR, what is wrong with me? Already have plans next week to be at POFQ drinking poolside. And sorry to hear you have a hubby like mine.

Sadly, I didn't take my camera down to the pool. So no pics from me. I do remember going with Vickie to look for the kids and not being able to find Jacob in the play area. He was in line for the slide. Surprised me because he really likes the buckets that dump water all over you.

And the pool bar there had the Pina Colava also. I have to say, the drinks aren't that good with the paper straws. Hate the paper straws, but understand why they have them.

Ok, Vickie, waiting on you to begin SWW!!! Interested to hear what you have to say since it is one of our favorite times to go. Let's see, I went to 3 weekends this year. Missed one due to our trip to NC. I'm sure a Geek.

 

[SimmerBaggins]

Ok, Vickie, waiting on you to begin SWW!!! Interested to hear what you have to say since it is one of our favorite times to go. Let's see, I went to 3 weekends this year. Missed one due to our trip to NC. I'm sure a Geek.

Dang, you are a TASK MASTER!! I was trying to load the next pictures into Shutterfly, and it keeps going blank on me...maybe I can get going on it tomorrow....(yawn)

I think the geekness began with the comic book store...it was inevitable. After all, it's where you met Jonas -- your fate was sealed. (I know it's not TRUE geekness...I think it's geekness by association!)

 

[SimmerBaggins]

We didn't eat a good breakfast before we left -- I remembered a plan to eat at Starring Rolls together at the park. Here's Jordan, finishing off one of the cupcakes from the previous night that we couldn't really eat.

We gathered everything up, including our mugs that we intended to get coffee with.

We got our coffee at Johari, and to be honest, I thought it was just fine! But, I'm no coffee expert. When we got to the bus stop, Melissa and her family were already there. I really liked her t-shirt!

When we got to the park, the Stormtroopers were guarding the place! I had seen something about this, but didn't know we could hear what they were saying!

This one would pick out people in the crowd....

It was rather intimidating to think he would pick you out!

He and Boba Fett would often say things across the way to each other!

Suddenly, although we were being talked about as "prisoners", the Stormtroopers decided to open the gates and let us in -- hurray!

We really didn't rush; we walked purposefully to the right, over to Starring Rolls.

Starring Rolls was empty. I watched it for a while, and soon there seemed to be activity inside. However, we had reached about two rows of people away from the rope right here, and it was apparent that we weren't going to eat -- we were waiting for rope drop.

Behind us:

After a few hungry moments, I asked anyone if they wanted anything from there, as I was going in to scope it out. No one was interested. So, I went in, and using a snack credit, got a cheese danish. I went ahead and cut it into 4 pieces, and all of my family took one. I should have bought more.

Right on time, the rope dropped -- and everyone took off! Melissa took the lead, at Jonas' urging, I think. The plan was for her to get everyone fast passes, then jump into the stand-by line, where the rest of us were all going.
It was a sacrificial move! But, there were seven of us. I felt badly, just like when we used the EE FP line.

Neither Robert nor I got pictures of our results, but while he was winning almost from the very beginning to the very end, I somehow -- at the VERY end, won!!

 

[jmskinner]

SWW!!! SWW and MNSSHP are my two favorite events at WDW. I love SWW because my boys love Star Wars so much. When the original movies were rereleased many years ago, Jonas took the next day off work so he could go see them at Midnight, and then take me. My boys, Jonas and Jacob, spend Friday nights watching Clone Wars together. I like seeing all the characters, especially the Disney characters dressed up like our favorite SW characters.

Be warned, lots of pics coming. First up, Jacob was goofing off while waiting on Vickie and her family and the bus:


By the way, if you go with other people, do you wonder..."If the bus comes before they get here, do we get on it?" Luckily I wasn't faced with that dilemna. J/K Vickie, we wouldn't have left you behind.

Another pic on the bus:


Hmmm, what exactly was in that mug Vickie?

Once we got to DHS, I snapped this pic of a sign out front:

It would be kind of cool if they had characters on the tram like that, but I'm sure it would be a huge safety concern.

And this one:


I would love to have these posters to frame and hang up in Jacobs room. Too cool.

I love the preshow:


Now, Vickie may not have known that Bobba Fett was a new edition this year for 30th Anniversary of Empire Strikes Back. I had heard that he was a surprise during the preshow this year (love the internet) and hadn't told Jacob. He was really surprised.

To me it's funny seeing Storm and Clone Troopers (I still can't tell them apart) around the Mouse, but seeing them next to Palm Trees cracks me up to:


As Vickie said, we made it over by Starring Rolls. This shocked me because the other times I have made rope drop at DHS, we were stopped there where you turn for ToT and RnRC. Guess this meant they expected really large crowds.

This guy made his way in before us:


Guess he wanted to get those FP's for TSMM too.

And a pic of Vickie and her clan:


Like Vickie said, when they let us go, it was crazy. I think it was made even crazier by the fact there was the group of us starting at Starring Rolls, and the group coming from the front of the hat. And everyone ended up separated. I got in line for FP's. Vickie kept texting me they would wait for me, but I was not going to try to walk past people in that line, plus I have been able to ride TSMM 3 times in one hour, so I could miss one ride.

Met a very nice lady in line for the FP's who happened to be from TX. They had driven.

After getting our FP's, I found a spot by the exit to wait. And I waited and waited. Now I started to worry that maybe the exit was moved for the amount of people out front because I saw no one coming off the ride. I even asked the CM, but she said that was the exit. Finally a few minutes later people started coming off the ride. And finally Vickie, Robert, Natalie, and Jordan did:





And finally my boys:


At this point we headed back towards ToT, but just to give you some idea what was still going on for TSMM:

These people are the line for FP's.


And this is the back of the line for FP's:


Yup, almost all the way back to Walt's Dream. And notice how everyone is getting in that line after walking to the front and realizing that is the line for FP's.

Ok your turn again Vickie.

 

[SimmerBaggins]

I see Jacob rubbing his shoulder -- that ride is a great arm workout, but when I tried to switch arms like you said you do, Melissa, that left arm just didn't quite do the best job!

I do like the pic you got of us outside Starring Rolls...the bag hides a lot.

 

[TinksThree]

Wow! That park was busy! Much busier than when we went on Monday.

Of course I love TSM but my arms were sore after our 2nd ride...but I think it was a result of me trying to not get slaughtered by DH!!

 

[SimmerBaggins]

Wow! That park was busy! Much busier than when we went on Monday.

Of course I love TSM but my arms were sore after our 2nd ride...but I think it was a result of me trying to not get slaughtered by DH!!

Oy, it was busy -- the Star Wars Weekend parade emphasized how busy it was! Going around Star Tours area, it was so packed that you wanted to avoid it!

...I, too, am a little competitive with DH!!

 

[SimmerBaggins]

I love this park, where they glorify movies and get you excited about them! I thought this was an interesting shot of the back of the Chinese Theater.

It's almost evil-looking!

Had to get a proper pic of Jake, not as a bush.

I love my BFF. Just had to say it. She's lots of fun.

Is it a great day to be scared? As we neared ToT, I wondered if I really wanted to ride it again. The first time, I was like, eh. It was SO LONG, and I just couldn't keep my butt in the seat...would it be the same?

For the moment, we went for my FAVORITE RIDE, RnRC! Jonas went in the single-rider line, and of course, was out much sooner. Jacob never rides...but I can't remember what Melissa was doing...getting us ToT FPs??

I've always been fascinated by this door. Why? Why the marbles??

About to GO IN!! I love the little studio scene...it gets the blood pumping!

I took the girls right up to the front of the glass...

When we got to the ride, I wondered how Natalie would like it! But she was game the whole way. I was so excited...I would get to ride with my DH!!

What can I say? I did hear Natalie scream...I wonder why?

Natalie's face is priceless!!!

My DD found her alter-ego in the store:

Afterward, apparently, is when we went back and rode TSM again...because here's my picture of my winning against my DH, again!

We went back AGAIN to the OTHER side of the park, to ride ToT...I was still unsure if I was riding.

Oy. It was really hot. We stood around, waiting for our FP time to arrive.

Do you think I ride it?

 

[jmskinner]

I see Jacob rubbing his shoulder -- that ride is a great arm workout, but when I tried to switch arms like you said you do, Melissa, that left arm just didn't quite do the best job!

I do like the pic you got of us outside Starring Rolls...the bag hides a lot.

My arms were falling off that day is did it 3 times in one hour. But, all the experience on this ride helped me use a hand pump to blow up 50 balloons.

Oh, you got a couple of pics of me I wish I had a bag.

Wow! That park was busy! Much busier than when we went on Monday.

Of course I love TSM but my arms were sore after our 2nd ride...but I think it was a result of me trying to not get slaughtered by DH!!

DHS is horrible during SWW, but part of the fun is the people that dress up for it. Me, DH, and DS are competitive on these rides. I normally win at TSMM, Jacob wins at Buzz, and DH (usually doesn't win, doesn't get enough practice.)

Well, I wanted to do an update, but DH is in here painting and he says I type to loudly. I'll get it done later.

 

[jmskinner]

So, you are probably wondering what it was I did with Jacob while everyone else was riding RnRC, which I love. I remembered the parade and that they let kids participate as Jedi's. So, I took Jacob to go see if we could sign him up. Now, thought I saw something that said go to informaion booth up front. Walked around up front, couldn't find anything, went to the Information building. The CM there told me they just pick kids randomly from the park. Well, I knew that wasn't correct. So from there I went to the information booth for SWW that I knew was over by Sounds Dangerous. While I am waiting to speak with a CM, I overhear her say all spots for the Padima Challenge and Jedi Training are filled for the day. So I told Jacob we were out of luck and maybe we could try one more time next year. Hopefully he doesn't grow much.

So, headed off to RnRC to meet everyone. Jonas came out first and we waited on Vickie and her clan. It was time for our FP's for TSMM, so I went ahead and grabbed FP's for ToT.

Like Vickie said, we then headed back to TSMM. Now, I didn't do so well this time. I watched a video on Youtube by a guy that knows all the little secrets to the "bonus" games and gets the high score every time. I was busy trying to figure out those bonuses, so my score was horrible.

From there, it was almost time for our ToT FP's, so we headed there.

Here are the girls, poor Natalie has no idea what is coming.




I didn't remember there being so much mist:


We got on the ride, Jacob took the chicken out exit, as usual. I was in the back row with Jordan and Natalie. Now, Natalie hid her face first thing. I told her she needed to watch, that it was really cool. This was my first time on it since they had done the new upgrades, which I thought were cool.

So, how did Natalie handle the drops....


I think that explains it very well. I laughed so much.

From there we decided it was time to find a good parade spot. I remember Vickie wanted food, which we all did, but I knew there wasn't time.

Vickie, your it!!!!

 

[cinderella crazy]

Lovin the trip report so far! You DD friend is cracking me up in those pictures! The rooms you stayed in are so nice. Makes me want to go back to AKL.

 

[SimmerBaggins]

Lovin the trip report so far! You DD friend is cracking me up in those pictures! The rooms you stayed in are so nice. Makes me want to go back to AKL.

Thanks, Alicia! Natalie was a hoot -- she was game for anything, but nearly that entire ToT ride, she had her head down!

 

[jmskinner]

Vickie, I forgot to tell ya, your look on RnRC is priceless also. Your screaming your head off, but still you can see a great big smile.

And just looked at my ticker, 4 more days!!!! Funny, I know we leave Thursday, but seeing that 4 days gets me more excited. You would think I haven't been in awhile, well it has been more than a week.

 

[jenniferkeala808]

hey vickie! I'm so sorry I've been MIA but i'm back now and I gotta go back and catch up!! I'll be right back!!

 

[TinksThree]

Natalie's face on ToT is great!! Love it!!

I love ToT and RnR...such awesome rides!! Those two rides and TSM is worth the trip to DHS for me!!

Melissa: Aren't you heading back and staying at POFQ soon??

 

[jmskinner]

Melissa: Aren't you heading back and staying at POFQ soon??

Yes, Thursday!!!

The bad thing is, Jonas started feeling bad last week and is sick enough he decided to go into the doctor today. I started feeling bad last night.

 

[SimmerBaggins]

Vickie, I forgot to tell ya, your look on RnRC is priceless also. Your screaming your head off, but still you can see a great big smile.

And just looked at my ticker, 4 more days!!!! Funny, I know we leave Thursday, but seeing that 4 days gets me more excited. You would think I haven't been in awhile, well it has been more than a week.

Yes, as I'm going to explain: I did enjoy this ride much more than the last one!

hey vickie! I'm so sorry I've been MIA but i'm back now and I gotta go back and catch up!! I'll be right back!!

Hey, Keala -- have missed you, girl, but family comes first! Glad to see you back.

Natalie's face on ToT is great!! Love it!!

I love ToT and RnR...such awesome rides!! Those two rides and TSM is worth the trip to DHS for me!!

I think it's everyone's rite of passage to do the trip across the park to do these rides -- I kept seeing the same people!

 

[SimmerBaggins]

I don't have any pictures, but one, for ToT (and it didn't turn out), so this post is going to be different, with no pics!!

We went into the line about 1 minute early...I was a little hesitant, hearing about the militant way the CMs could be about FPs, but they waved us through.

Having given my FP, and with my DH committed to going, I was going to ride. Now, last year, this ride was horrendous -- I'm not a huge fan of falling/drop rides, but this one lasted FOREVER. My DH sat it out with Jacob last year, and I didn't have him to hold onto, but my DD and my DGD (8) were on either side of me. I swear I had a deathgrip on the seat handle (only had one, since my DGD had the other one), and I felt like I was trying to keep my butt in the seat -- I was constantly being left behind!!

My DD agreed with me at the end of this one -- last year's was about twice as long on the drops.

It was fun to tease Natalie about the scariness of the ride, but in retrospect, maybe we were too good at that!! We "spooked" it up in the little waiting room -- my DH was pleasantly surprised at the "Twilight Zone" tv blurb.

When we got to the elevators, Jacob left in his special, shiny elevator. I was slightly envious. As we lined up on the numbers, there was confusion as to who was sitting BY WHOM?? How does this work in relation to that box? I always get confused, even with the little diagram. But now, it was time to get in...we piled in, my heart racing. Duh. Why was I doing this AGAIN?? Stupid, stupid, stupid....

My seat was in the front, by the wall, as you could see. My DH sat beside me, his camera around his neck. He didn't take any pictures, or I'd have them. Maybe he has a video? I dunno.

I kept hearing Melissa say, as we started going forward (my favorite part, bad ending), "Natalie, watch this! This is good!" Natalie already had her head down!! I even tried to say something consoling, but...anyway.

The picture of us was disconcerting -- at least, my face was disconcerted!! I looked SCARED!! I was like, "Oh, no, oh, no, here it comes, it's coming now, oh geez..."

That thing dropped us, and that first drop was just as crazy as I remembered, and then it wasn't. My DH started laughing, "Whoa!" And I started watching him -- he's hilarious!! Every time we'd drop, he'd let his arms go limp, and they floated up in front of him!! I started watching him do that every time, and then -- it was over. I couldn't believe it...what happened?

"It's over," I think I heard Melissa say.

"No, IT ISN'T!!" I couldn't believe it. It was so LONG, before!!

"Oh, man!" said my DD, "is that IT?" This was her favorite ride, last year, and she knew how different it was, too.

I tried to take a picture of us in that official box, but it didn't turn out. Natalie's head was completely down -- I have no idea how she did that!!

We wandered around in the store for a little while, and the girls bought a couple of things. Natalie bought a wallet with all the little figurines on it, and Jordan bought a pin that looked like an old key, with the The Hollywood Tower on it.

And, then, I believe, we were off -- to the parade? I don't have my pictures to confirm, but I believe that was next.

 

[SimmerBaggins]

I believe Melissa and her family went to stake out a place for the parade, and we were to meet them. Turns out they got a place right across the street from American Idol; in front of Indiana Jones (which we STILL have not seen!!).

It was around noon...it was hot...the kids were grumpy...and so was I. If you recall, my breakfast had consisted of 1/4 of a cheese danish. The ugly person started coming out in me!!

"Where is there something to snack on around here?" I asked, looking around the pond.

"There isn't," I was told, or at least, is what my hungriness heard.

There weren't many people in the area Melissa and her family had staked out. The kids sat down on the concrete and satisfied themselves with the misty fan.

I felt sorry for them, and for myself. "I'm going to look for something to eat," I determined...and walked all the way around the pond until I found Min and Bill's Dockside Diner. It didn't have a lot of stuff, but I got some chips, I think a water, and a frozen lemonade with 4 straws.

By the time I got back with my treasure, our area was PACKED!! People glared at me as I stepped over them to get back to the "street" part where the kids were sitting -- everyone was glad to see the lemonade, and scoped out their straws, greedily slurping from it and cooling off -- and the chips were gone in a flash. It was enough for the moment.

Then, the parade started!

Here's the kid parade Jacob didn't get to be part of.

She looks cool.

Ewww.

more to come...

 

[jmskinner]

Vickie, I love your writing. You tell such a great story. I forgot Robert went on ToT with us this time. Did he enjoy it? I think I was worried about getting a spot for the parade by the time we got off and got everyone out of the store. I'm going to update because we have to get a move on. Need my portion done before I leave. Hoping to avoid that $10 internet fee at WDW.

Now, for the life of me, I can not remember why we split up. I know Robert was with us, so it was just Vickie and the girls. I had hoped to get a shady spot (there are a few) but that was not to be. When Vickie did arrive, I could tell there was a "bear" coming out. I remember commenting to Robert about it. I'm the same way though.

Oh, and I needed to backtrack a little, I downloaded all my pics and videos off of my phone to get ready for the next trip and look what I found(its a video so click on the pic):



I don't think I have posted video from Smugmug before, so please let me know if you can't see this. This is when the guards allowed us in. I remember getting all excited like a little kid. Actually, I got excited watching it.

In case you were wondering, this is what the packed parade route looked like:


I've seen pictures from in front of the hat that day and it was really packed all over.

And this is Vickie after a little food:


I know, you can't believe she was ever turning into a bear, can you?

Now, somehow my pics look to be out of order, but the TR will go on. For whatever reason, I can never get a good pic of Jedi Mickey. He turns every single time I try to snap his pic, this is my 3rd SWW to attend and still no good Mickey photo.

But I got Donald:


And the young Jedi's:


Trying to post some different characters than Vickie:


This was a rather large Ewok:












Love it when the characters spot my camera:










Now, I remember Vickie commenting on how dirty they were: