Trip Report "Dreams Really Can Come True" 6/1/09-6/8/09 - COMPLETED 7/19 - Page 25 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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We usually only spend about 3-4 hours there and move on to another park or go back to the resort.
Yes, next time, I think I want to maybe do 2 mornings there with the afternoons back at the resort, or like you said, another park. We didn't have parkhopper passes this time.
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Glad to hear that you were able to ride Dinosaur. I that ride! Especially the part where they take your picture. I like to make funny faces at the Dinosaur.
And just reading the story of the little girl makes me hot and uncomfortable!
It is truly amazing just how hot it is at AK. you missed KRR, but there is always next time. Boma is my favorite buffet, but Sanaa is my new favorite. The food here was definitely spicier/hotter. In fact we had several things that were a very different hot than what we were used to -- one was hot and then cooled down. I'm more used to hot that just gets hotter the more you eat of it.
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Boma is my favorite buffet, but Sanaa is my new favorite. The food here was definitely spicier/hotter. In fact we had several things that were a very different hot than what we were used to -- one was hot and then cooled down. I'm more used to hot that just gets hotter the more you eat of it.
I can't wait to eat there! I'm going to have to think of a way I can eat there solo
My heart goes out to the family of Austin Wuennenberg, Monorail Pilot, rest in peace.
...
I was so excited and happy about this day of our trip, that I wrote this part of the TR first. I submitted it to sww.studioscentral.com as a “Weekend 3 Report”. It was a “just the facts, ma’am” kind of report, so it’s a little more edited than my normal rambling. (I added the pictures for this TR, and comments just for PassPorter are in blue, the studioscentral.com report is in black. I hope it’s not too confusing!)
SWW Report
Friday, June 5, 09 Weekend #3
We arrived @ DHS a little after opening. (EMH were at 8am.) There were Stormtroopers on the roof crackin' on people, trying to look intimidating, but people are just too happy.
The weather is partly cloudy, humid. Our party included me, DH, DS7 and DS4. We intended to use Touring Plans, but arrived a bit late. It was crowded but not crazy like I thought it would be. (Review after review warned that it was going to be crowded, so I was prepared. Historically, there are people who wait outside DHS starting at like 4am. They are the folks that are standing in line for autograph fps or limited edition merchandise. Our #1 goal was to get DS7 into JTA, and merchandise was 2nd.)
We headed immediately to the Jedi Training Academy by Star Tours. There was a large crowd by the stage, so we stayed in the back and watched the 1st show. When everyone left, we stayed at the rope and got a spot front row center. A few minutes before the start of the 10:20 show, 2 intergalactic comedians came out to warm up the crowd.
We had already heard the same jokes from the 1st show, but they were still funny. If you were there, the male comedian made a comment about my red t-shirt that had Leia and Chewie getting his hair done.
Suddenly, the music starts and a Jedi comes out and shows off his lightsaber skills. He then proceeds to use the force to seek out Younglings who were ready to begin training. There were many helpful parents who held their boys and girls up on their shoulders. Some also had homemade signs to help point the way. Most of the hopeful applicants had their own lightsabers, including our sons.
[It was serious in there. Yeah, it was fun, but you could almost feel the intensity, maybe even more so from the parents (guilty! ) Since January, we had been looking forward to this single moment. DS7 had been building up to 100 points with good behavior – the goal being the opportunity to get picked to be in the JTA. He made it with a few extra points to boot! I was actually stressed out – if he wasn’t picked, it was going to be bad. I had a back-up plan that involved Star Wars merch, but I was still nervous. What had I done? ]
The Jedi started choosing random boys and girls from the front row. DS7 was actually stunned when he got chosen, and I had to give him a little push to get him out there.
I won't give away the whole show, but they do actually go through lightsaber training. I don't know if it was because it was SWW, but Darth Maul was there with Darth Vader. DS got to fight him.
Darth Maul was very intimidating- he would come up to the parents and glare at them and hiss and bare his scary teeth. At the end of the "class", the Padawan get a certificate. (They got SW musical toothbrushes too!)
There were also several Photopass photographers who took many pictures of the recruits. If your child is picked, you can later go to Cover Story towards the front of the park and view the pics and have them uploaded to your Photopass card. We got 35 pics of our new Padawan. I'm so glad he got picked the 1st time - he'd been waiting for this for months. It was one of the highlights of our trip. There was a boy next to us that didn't get picked and he had tried twice. He was in the front and raising his hand, but he wasn't yelling and jumping up and down. If you want to get picked, you at least have to be heard! Also it seemed to help if the child was wearing Star Wars gear or t-shirts.
Note: It was crowded around the stage and hot and humid. A young lady passed out near us. Please stay hydrated and eat a little something before you get yourself into a crowd in the heat. We saw a grown man hit the pavement later that weekend - he was a doctor. We carried Gatorade and had camelbaks and that really helped. (Being a nurse, I always want to jump in and see if I can help, but at Disney the CMs are always Johnny-on-the-spot with folks that need help.)
continues…
After the JTA, we ate at the Backlot Express right next door, then waited for the Motorcade parade at 11:40. We got a decent place across from The American Idol Experience. The parade was fun - The Empire and the Rebels evenly represented. (Maybe more of the Empire – the good guys are always out-numbered.) Mickey and the gang were also in Star Wars costumes. Where did Darth Goofy leave his pants?! (Couldn’t get a picture of his boxers!)
(Some new Padawan walking with their parents behind the Jedi)
"He's a complicated man, but no one understands him but his woman."
There were plenty of SW characters around, but the lines were just too long for us. There are some characters just walking around, not signing autographs but ready and willing to stop for pictures. We saw a Jawa and a Gammorean guard actually being friendly with the little ones.
[DH had had enough of Star Wars by this time and he wanted to see the rest of DHS. It was all good – we had accomplished what we came to do. We headed to the other end of the park, thinking that the crowd might be a little thinner. Nope! It was very crowded! The High School Musical Parade looked like it was fun, but we aren’t really familiar with HSM (I know, I know… ) The Tower of Terror really dominates Sunset Boulevard and, of course, DS7 was getting nervous just looking at it. We learned our lesson yesterday, so we had already planned to do the swap. I can’t remember how long the wait was for TOT, but we got fps for RRC (just for Mom and Dad!) then went back to TOT.]
looking up at the hotel from the queue outside
This ride has got to be one of the best themed of the entire World. That dust must be some kind of spray! We did the swap, with me going first. It was just as creepy as I remembered it – what an awesome ride! I lost count after 4 drops. I switched with DH and sat there for a minute to collect my equilibrium.
DS4 was even spooked by the waiting area at the end of the ride.
What to do now? Our RRC fps weren’t up until 3:40 so we had a little wait. It was about 1:15, but we weren’t ready to leave. I wouldn’t have minded just walking around, but DH is more “goal oriented” . We decided to check out Toy Story Mania. I knew there was no chance of a short wait, but we went anyway. I Pixar Studios! You just have to smile while being there. Okay, like I said, the wait for TSM was 50 min – no way. It was Florida hot by now and it was time for a frozen coke! The Studio Café was right there, so we got fr. cokes and fr. raspberry lemonades and some famous popcorn. Like others have said, that popcorn is GOOD. There’s just something about salt and sugar together… After our snack, it was a good time for a sit-down. Muppets anyone?
After reassuring the boys that Muppet Vision 3D is funny and NOT scary, we headed over there. It was nostalgic and funny, a little dated, but still great. The boys were laughing and having a good time. (I left one of the boy’s sunglasses in the seat– doah! ) When we came out of the theater, we saw a short line for Lightning McQueen and Mater – cool !
There was a line forming next to Luigi’s Garage to pose in a giant action figure package. No one was there yet, but Ahsoka Tano (Anakin Skywalker's padawan in the Clone Wars series, if you didn't know) was supposed to be on her way.
We were waiting in line for Ahsoka Tano (3rd in line!) when a fast-moving storm came up and we had to seek shelter. Of course when it rains, the characters also seek shelter... (It was a good hard rain with lots of thunder, but we sheltered in the covered exit of the Muppet theater.)
It was time for just a little more Star Wars. The wait for Star Tours was 30 minutes at about 2:30 so we got in the queue. Suddenly everyone was like, "ooohhh", as a Stormtrooper and Vader himself went through the fastpass line. The theming was completely thorough as usual. We rode in the back row and it was an awesome and bumpy ride. The kids were like, "We never even made it to Endor!"
The ride lets out into Tatooine Traders I think, and boy was it wall-to-wall people in there! I had promised DS4 that he could have something from Star Wars, since he was such a good sport about not being picked for JTA. We hung out for a while in there, just browsing. The folks at Disney are masters at line control. You had to stand in one line to get to a cashier, and then you’re called up. This was no easy feat for the poor CM who had to handle the line as people got off the ride and poured into the shop. The privilege of having your purchases sent to your resort is fabulous!
The show that I had been waiting for was up next – the Lights, Motors, Action! Stunt Show! The wait to get into the show wasn’t long, but it seemed like it took a while for it to actually start. (Wow, is it hot in those bleachers! ) I impressed my boys with knowing most of the answers to the movie trivia on the big screen. I am the Movie QUEEN . It was as awesome as I thought it would be, and I haven’t watched a movie the same way since then. Everyone enjoyed the show and I'm glad we did it.
Teaser shot – don’t want to give any surprises away!
We ate at the Brown Derby (surprise!) and saw someone's autograph in the guestbook with a sketch of Gen. Grievous' face.
As DH is NOT a SW fan, that was the end of SWW for us, but we definitely enjoyed the rest of the park and the day. For souvenirs, we got blasters, a Darth Goofy trading pin, Jedi Mickey trading pin, and a SWW t-shirt.
Not surprisingly, the kids were getting tired. The fps for RRC had ripened, but I think we were just done for the day. No whining, just happily content. I’m so proud of DS4, he had made it a whole day without a stroller . We had an ADR for Jiko at 7:25. I had already cancelled this rez in my head b/c DH was thinking that the food would taste the same as Boma. I tried to convince him otherwise, but the truth is that I really didn’t know . We were all hungry by this time and it was getting late. We would have to commit to a QS meal and cancel Jiko or just get a snack and go to Jiko. We were just wandering around wondering what to eat, when we came upon The Hollywood Brown Derby. I don’t know what possessed us to go in there – I hadn’t even considered it b/c it was 2 TS credits and we already had Jiko with 2 TS credits. Knowing it was a long shot, we went in. I calmly went up to the distinguished-looking CM and asked if he had any openings that evening. (Trying to sound all upper crust with my bright red Star Wars shirt on. ) “We have an opening now. Would that be good for you?” YES. It was 5:30 and heck yeah it was good for us! I tried in vain to call and cancel the rez for Jiko so some other lucky souls could get in, but I was in a weird cell phone dead zone and the CM and I couldn’t hear each other. I hope she understood me, as I hated being a no-show. By the time I got back into the restaurant, it was time to be seated. I am SO GLAD we were able to eat there! Review to follow.
Next up: Review of The Hollywood Brown Derby and the end of day 4
Angela - just started your TR - and wish I had found it sooner! You remind me so much of myself and what our family has experienced, especially your story of how this trip came to be. (We homeschool, too.)
WHY have I never thought about going during a SW Weekend?!?!? It looks and sounds like so much fun. Definitely on my dates to keep in mind for the future.
Angela - just started your TR - and wish I had found it sooner! You remind me so much of myself and what our family has experienced, especially your story of how this trip came to be. (We homeschool, too.)
WHY have I never thought about going during a SW Weekend?!?!? It looks and sounds like so much fun. Definitely on my dates to keep in mind for the future.
Can't wait to read more!
SWW was great! We were looking forward to it as much as anything else at Disney There were some things we didn't get to do like the Padawan Mind Challenge and Hyperspace Hoopla, but just walking around was fun.
Great update! And how exciting that your DS got picked for JTA. Awesome! You all really did get a lot done in spite of the heat. I can't wait to hear your take on the Hollywood Brown Derby, too.
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that ride! Especially the part where they take your picture. I like to make funny faces at the Dinosaur. 
you missed KRR, but there is always next time. Boma is my favorite buffet, but Sanaa is my new favorite. The food here was definitely spicier/hotter. In fact we had several things that were a very different hot than what we were used to -- one was hot and then cooled down. I'm more used to hot that just gets hotter the more you eat of it.
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I love your photos from Animal Kingdom. 
]
We headed to the other end of the park, thinking that the crowd might be a little thinner. Nope! It was very crowded! 
The High School Musical Parade looked like it was fun, but we aren’t really familiar with HSM (I know, I know… 
That dust must be some kind of spray! We did the swap, with me going first. It was just as creepy as I remembered it – what an awesome ride! 
I lost count after 4 drops. I switched with DH and sat there for a minute to collect my equilibrium.
. We decided to check out Toy Story Mania. I knew there was no chance of a short wait, but we went anyway. I 
After our snack, it was a good time for a sit-down. Muppets anyone?
) When we came out of the theater, we saw a short line for Lightning McQueen and Mater – cool 
!
) I impressed my boys with knowing most of the answers to the movie trivia on the big screen. I am the Movie QUEEN 
. It was as awesome as I thought it would be, and I haven’t watched a movie the same way since then. Everyone enjoyed the show and I'm glad we did it.
. We were all hungry by this time and it was getting late. We would have to commit to a QS meal and cancel Jiko or just get a snack and go to Jiko. We were just wandering around wondering what to eat, when we came upon The Hollywood Brown Derby. I don’t know what possessed us to go in there – I hadn’t even considered it b/c it was 2 TS credits and we already had Jiko with 2 TS credits. Knowing it was a long shot, we went in. I calmly went up to the distinguished-looking CM and asked if he had any openings that evening. (Trying to sound all upper crust with my bright red Star Wars shirt on. 
I tried in vain to call and cancel the rez for Jiko so some other lucky souls could get in, but I was in a weird cell phone dead zone and the CM and I couldn’t hear each other. 
I hope she understood me, as I hated being a no-show. By the time I got back into the restaurant, it was time to be seated. I am SO GLAD we were able to eat there! Review to follow.
There were some things we didn't get to do like the Padawan Mind Challenge and Hyperspace Hoopla, but just walking around was fun.
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