Your best Star Wars weekend strategies-Darth Vader/Jedi training

[stonecreekboys]

Hi! We are set to leave in 8 days. Going to surprise DS's 7 & 5 with a trip to Disney for the last Star Wars weekend. It is DS5's birthday. He LOVES Darth Vader. If we make a run for the Darth Vader line at rope drop, will he be there? I heard the waiting times have been running about 1 1/2 hours. Also, what has the wait been like for Star Tours? Some friends of ours sat through two Jedi Training shows and their son was never picked and was devastated. I know it is completely random, but are there any strategies for getting picked? Also, someone said if you talk to the information desk at the park you might be able to get your child in the Star Wars parade? All info is appreciated. Our boys think we will miss this years Star Wars weekends and are sad, but we are about to bust with the surprise.

 

[mom2cinderella]

DH was there last Friday and I asked him about his day (for a friend on another message board) - this was his response:

Character lines were remarkably easy "...from a certain point of view."
I expected to be waiting forever for each.
We probably could have gotten everybody within four hours. As it was, we
were in the park from 9:00 to around 3:00. Got everybody we wanted to - or
could because of Emmaline's sudden fear of he Dark Side. And we still did
the Muppet Movie, the Jedi Training Academy (including the 30 min
pre-show), the parade, a milk-shake break (the line for those things took
longer than Jango/Zam or Luke), shopping (didn't try to get to Tatooine
Traders, heard that was a horrible line from others complaining about it
while in the Vader line later in the day), 20 min in the Shrunk the Kids
playground, and a stroll up the NYC street while letting the munchkins get
sprayed by the "leaky" fire hydrant.

...We weren't very efficient with the character hunting, either. We never
picked up one of the Character Appearance Time Table sheets they were
handing out. When we passed a spot, we'd see whichever creature was there
at the time. We started by Star Tours and Anakin, ambled to Mickey
Avenue and the Dark Side, back to Jedi Mickey, over to Vader, back to
Chewbacca, then to the Muppet Movie, then Luke on the way out of that.

*Vader was the longest - around 20 minutes.
*Jedi Mickey was about 15.
*Anakin and Chewbacca were about 10...bonus at Chewbacca was the Jawa. He appeared at the end of the Chewbacca line (right after Chewie exit).
Unfortunately, he was not considered part of the Chewie line, so there was
one of those semi-circle "my kid was here first"..."no mine was, get up
there Jimmy" free-for-alls. We, and the people behind us from the Chewie
line, started the new queue for the Jawa. It took a second for the other
geniuses in the immediate area to catch on, but it worked eventually.
*Jango and Zam - 5 min.
*Mace, Shaak Ti, and Kit Fisto - 5 to 10. Unless you were behind Emmaline,
then it swelled to 15 or so. (-;
*Luke Skywalker - 5 to 10.
*Leia Organa and R2-D2 - 10.
...I know Darth Maul was in the park, but he was off killing Jedi while we
were cruising Mickey Avenue...and Emmaline had no desire to go back later
in the day.

We didn't try to get FastPasses for Peter Mayhew nor Rob Coleman....I don't
really care to ask them anything, and I know the kids didn't. However, the
entire allotment of passes for the two of them were distributed within 15
minutes of the park's opening. (That from a cast member working the Mayhew
line)

SW character/parade photos

HTH!! Michele

 

[kyirish25]

I think you will be just fine if you head towards Vader at rope drop. I would double check and make sure he is signing at that time though, for some reason I was thinking it was 10 before he came out. But most people will be heading for the store or the actor autographs so you will get a huge jump on the line for that.

Only tip on the Jedi training we were given was to ba all excited and even jump up and down saying pick me. Hope both your children are picked as I can see this turning the trip downhill for sure.

 

[QuickGold]

Darth Vader meet-n-greet is at Mickey Ave and starts @ 9 (park opening) so if you go straight there, he should be there.

Star Tours waits can go to about an hour, but most of the time it hovers around 20 minutes throughout the day. If you walk by and see the wait is longer, try again later.

As for getting picked, show lots of enthusiasm. The more, the better. Have your kid go nut, throw their arms in the air, jump up and down, wave something, be vocal, etc.

Also, check out http://sww.mgmstudios.org/main for lots of SWW info.

 

[hightown]

DD and I went last year and are going back the last weekend.

As for getting picked for Jedi Academy, The trick is to get noticed. DD wore Jedi garb and carried her own lightsabre. She's been a Star Wars freak since she was 3. She's now 11. I think it helped seeing a girl already geared up!

Have the boys at the front of the crowd even if you are further back.

Have your Bday boy wear a birthday button that you can pick up at any of the parks.

 

[stonecreekboys]

Thanks so much for all the advice! We have a closet full of costumes, many are Star Wars so I'll have to pack some Jedi things and get the boys in an excited mood. Hope that weekend isn't as crowded as the first one.

 

[darlene9947]

We were there on Saturday the 21st and Friday the 27th. Didn't get to Vader until the afternoon of the 21st, line outside was quite long, with a 30 minute wait inside the building. We didn't wait. Friday the 27th, we high-tailed it to Mickey Avenue and it took about 25 minutes total.
My grandson was adorable!! 3 years old and walked up to Vader with his own lightsabre and told Vader "You don't know the power of the dark side" We were all cracking up!!
It was so much more fun than I thought it would be. We got his picture taken with Queen Amidala (sp?). Her costume was gorgeous.

We were so busy running all over looking for Star Wars characters that the only ride he went on was the back lot tour. Had his picture taken in the gift shop as you exit the tour. It was him riding on one of the speed racers!! A surprice for his daddy who wasn't with us but who loves Star Wars.

Totally had a blast! Ya'll will enjoy and good luck with the Jedi training!

 

[Unofficial Fan]

We arrived at MGM before opening on Friday morning (before Memorial Day) and positioned ourselves to go right to the Jedi Training (right by Star Tours). Every single child picked for that session was in the front of the crowd, right by the rope. Have the child show a lot of enthusiasm.
I warned DD that she better put her all into it because there was no WAY I was waiting again through that preshow (even if it was funny) in that hot humid weather!

 

[dvcscott6]

Last year, all four of my boys got picked for the Jedi Academy. We saw the end of the previous show and asked a CM how kids get picked. He said to be at the front along the rope and show a lot of enthusiasm. I think there was 30 or 45 minutes between the shows, so we sat at the front and waited for the next show. Maybe a bit extreme, but it was well worth the wait to see two of them battle Darth Vader and the other two battle Darth Maul. As being part of the show, they each received a Star Wars figure. We are heading back again this weekend and will attempt the same procedure and see if we can make it two years in a row (although the 13 year old may not think it is cool this year!)

 

[princess-rn]

We were just there last weekend and I must say as a non star wars fan (or a closet fan my husband says.) I had a GREAT time!!! Disney was VERY organized this week. I was a little worried once I read all the threads about the 1st weekend..but this one was great. My DS (2 1/2) LOVES Vader too and the first day we were there (Friday) We did the Star tours area first and then headed over to mickey avenue and waited about 30 mins to see Vader..but we did figure out a better plan to see the "dark side" with hardly any wait...

Most people (95% I would say) immediately head toward Star tours (where most of the activity is) If you go to Mickey Ave first (we did this on Saturday) there are hardly ANY people over there. Mickey Ave is considered the "dark side" so that's where Vader, Darth Maul, Bobba fett, Jango Fett, the Emperor and other bouty hunters hang out. When we got over there Vader was the only one that was signing..but there was NO wait. (maybe 3-5 people ahead of us) then once all the characters came out we were able to see them all in under an hour because there were no or very short lines.

I hope you guys have a great trip. If you have any questions just ask!

 

[Idroveallnight]

Ok - we are getting very excited about the possibility that Star Wars weekends have been extended. We aren't counting on it, but just in case we are gathering info. Where is the Jedi Academy and what is it? It will be my DS birthday so he will be wearing his bday button and I know he would enjoy being in the show. Are the fastpasses for something else? Any info would be great!

 

[mmluvr]

Hi!

We did Star Wars weekend this past weekend.

I have a son who is five and is (like everyone else) a Star Wars nut. He dressed up as Darth Maul (just what every mom wants their little boy to grow up to be...) and had an awesome time. Before rope drop, we got into the "holding area" that is in front of Hollywood Brown Derby. We heard the opening music and we starting moving into the park. I glanced over at the main "holding area" on Hollywood Blvd and it was not moving. We dashed down the steps to the right of the Great Movie ride. As soon as we got to the bottom of the steps on Mickey Ave we saw Storm Troopers approaching. My son boldly strutted up to them and instructed them to get the Jedi!!!! (he really is Luke Skywalker at heart but likes the bad boys...) It was so cool. We got to see Darth Vader and the Emperor with absolutely no wait. Very very very cool.

The Jedi Training is not cool. If your kid gets picked then it is the highlight of the trip. If your kid does not get picked it is a major bummer for the kid. I spent alot of time trying to prepare DS for the fact he might not get picked and it is fun to watch, blah, blah, blah. We tried 2 times-both times we got there early and waited along time (he was in the front both times) and observed many adults behaving badly. Pushing their kids to the front, stepping on people's feet, pushing, arguing with other adults, adults telling kids not to cut, etc. I really think this has to be reworked. I cannot stand battling people for something that is supposed to be fun for the kids. When the time came to pick, DS jumped up and down and looked excited, waved his arms but the Jedi dude picked mostly from the left side of the stage and did not pick any kids from the right where we were standing. Needless to say, DS did not get picked and he was majorly bummed. We stayed to watch and he still enjoyed it but I was tormented with "But I didn't get picked..." I again explained the fact that sometimes you get picked, sometimes you don't and it was still fun to watch.

I felt bad for him. But, we did get to see Darth Maul and my son and Darth Maul really hammed it up. Took lots of pictures. I then tried to explain to to DS that the experience he had with Darth maul was much better than Jedi Training. Nope, still bummed. Oh well.

If only I did not go near that Jedi Training it would have been a really fun time... Just prepare your kids for the fact they might not get picked. If they do-they will have a blast. I suggest standing on the left side of the stage and get there early so your kids are in the front. Have a great time!!!

 

[bjakmom]

Thanks for the tips, mmlvr - taking my DNeph(7) this weekend and the Jedi training is something he's really been looking forward to. We'll be there all 3 days until he gets picked - please, please, please make it on the first day or we'll have to keep going back to each show to try again !