Disney Star Wars Weekends

Welcome to Star Wars Weekends 2011!  I will be your guide as you prepare for this year's event. 

I’m going to take a wild guess and say that many of you have not been to Disney Star Wars Weekends.  Well, sit back if you haven’t already and enjoy my breakdown of this annual event at Disney World's Hollywood Studios Theme Park. 

The Line

If you are a hardcore Star Wars fan and in it for the autographs, your day starts off mighty early at "The Line."    Usually, the autograph lines will form the night before as the locals of Orlando will camp out for the “Autograph Fast Pass.”  This fast pass will allow you a guaranteed autograph at a specific time frame for the celebrity whose line you waited in.  For those of you like myself who do not have the luxury of living in Orlando, I suggest getting up bright and early in the morning at 3:00 a.m.  Yes, I am being quite serious.  What about transportation?  If you flew to Disney, you can utilize the local taxi service, Mears to bring you to the park.  If you decide to stay on the Disney properties, I suggest the Orleans Riverside or Caribbean Resort.  Both resorts are only a $5-$10 dollar cab ride from the park.

Now for the fun part.  Waiting... 

While waiting in line for about 3-4 hours, you have a great opportunity to hang out with your fellow Star Wars fans.  The “line” is my favorite part of the event, because it brings me back to when I stood in line to see the Star Wars Saga at the theater.  After the wait in the line is over, you can now attain those coveted autograph fast passes; a guarantee to meet with the guest stars for that weekend and get one item autographed.

Opening of the Park

One of the single most exciting parts of the SWW experience occurs at 8:00 a.m.  That is when the music starts playing and out come the stormtroopers and none other than Boba Fett.  Enjoy the video below from last year's event.

Meeting the Guest Stars

For those collectors out there and those who just want to meet the men and women behind the magic of Star Wars, this is your best part of the day.  Every year, the guest list may change, but the excitement remains the same  Make sure to bring a special item with you to get autographed as you are only allowed one per guest.  If you don't know what to bring, then I suggest heading over to Official Pix and ordering some officially licensed photos of the guest stars in attendance.  They are a great way to capture the moment and an 8x10 photo will only cost you $5.99 plus shipping.  Do be careful with your photo as to not smear the autograph in the Florida heat.  I suggest bringing a gallon zip lock bag to protect it.

The Shows

“Always two there are, no more, no less.”  Thanks for that quote Yoda.  Anyways, the first show is called the Stars of the Saga Talk Show involving the two guest stars of the weekend and the SWW event host.  The talk show is always a blast as it begins with the stormtrooper pre-show.   After the always fun and entertaining skit, the talk show commences with a similar style to a late night show.  There are always bound to be surprises during the show, but the one tradition always remains the same, the Mickey Mouse Club goodbye.

The second show is called Behind the Force.  As usual, this show is hosted by the beautiful Ashley Eckstein, voice of Ashoka Tano from the Clone Wars television series.  During the show, she explains what goes into making an animated television series.  There is even a small studio set-up on one side of the stage where fans are chosen out of the audience to voice characters from the Clone Wars.  At the end of the show, the audience is treated to a five minute preview of the new season.

The Parade

The Legends of the Force Parade takes place every weekend during the month long event.  The parade is a treat every year thanks to the fighting 501st and the Rebel Legion.  There are new editions to the parade every year, usually coming from the Clone Wars television show.

Jabba's Hutt

The perfectly named Star Wars Weekends shop only open during the event offers great Star Wars merchandise for every type of collector.  From an action figure to a voice activated R2D2, you can find some cool stuff in Jabba's Hutt.  For those who love to collect pins, Jabba's Hutt offers limited edition pins numbered out of only a 1000 every weekend.  Let me just say, be prepared to spend more money than you expected in there and we’ll leave it at that.

Character Encounters

The park is broken up between the Galactic Empire and the Rebel Alliance.  Characters from both light and dark can be found roaming around both sides of the park.  Naturally, the best side to catch unique encounters would be the Empire.  Stormtroopers and Tusken Raiders randomly join the crowd and interact with park guests and each other.  One year, Chewbacca was having a dance-off with one of the members of the Modal Nodes. 

Hyperspace Hoopla

This nightly show at 7:00 p.m during the Star Wars Weekends delights fans from all ages.  Watch Star Wars characters get their groove on as they compete in a dance competition decided upon by the fans themselves. This year's event will be moved over to the main stage in front of the Sorcerer's Hat in the center of the park.  Take a look at last year's show.

Final Thoughts and More Resources

I absolutely love this event.  Every year, Disney learns from its mistakes while adding new ways for you to enjoy an old classic.  If you are a Star Wars fan, you have to attend this event one year.  It is a lot of fun for one person or the whole family.  If you are looking for more information about this year's upcoming Star Wars Weekends, check out the following links.

 

Studios Central

Star Wars Weekends on Facebook

Official Disney Star Wars Weekends Page

Star Tours 2 Launch