Star Wars Weekends

This is our family's first year attending Star Wars Weekends at Disney. Like anything else, I did some research on the computer before attending to make sure we were prepared so not to miss out on anything. I am truly shocked at just how many people show up completely clueless and then complain when things aren't as they imagined. That being said, NOTHING I had read could have COMPLETELY prepared me for the actual experience.
Week One

The first weekend (Saturday) we showed up around 4:30 - 5 am. I knew I had to get there early if I wanted a guaranteed Fast Pass for the celebrities. What I did not know was exactly how early was early enough, as many of the reports on the computer were conflicting. Upon arrival to the studios you find all of the lanes at the gate closed except one. You drive right through as there is no attendant there at that hour and just proceed to follow the blue line to park your car. There is no parking lot staff there either at that hour. The first weekend we got there, we parked in the first lot, which is apparently typically reserved for Diamond Club members (AAA package parking) and we were told by security to park in the Music Lot.

When we arrived at the ticket gates, we found there to be four lines already established. One for each celebrity and one for merchandise. Some of the lines were already substantial but it wasn't a huge crowd. I found the line for Jeremy Bulloch and got in it, but I wondered if I would be able to also get autographs for Daniel Logan and Warwick Davis. The reports on how the autographs worked were also conflicting. So.... to describe the scene ... some people were standing around in groups, some people were sitting quietly in lawn chairs and others were sleeping on sleeping bags or just the bare concrete. It reminded me of New Year's Eve in Pasadena waiting for the Rose Bowl Parade.
It quickly became apparent that most of the people who were already on line at that early hour were regulars. The pros, the experts, the Star Wars junkies. Men, women and children who come out every year since Star Wars Weekends began, and some who come everyday of each weekend. A little overwhelming for first timers, but a nicer bunch of people would be hard to find. And all were very happy to explain how things really work and to give advice on how to best navigate through the day. Thank you to all for your advice and kindness.

Now ... as far as lines go, things are very orderly and everyone watches out for everyone else. When 6-6:30 rolled around, people started to pack up their sleeping bags and chairs and bring them back to their cars. No need to worry about losing your place in line as people will watch out for you. By 7 o'clock they brought each line inside the park, single file, kindergarten style. (If you happen to arrive later than 7 o'clock, you will see the signs for the lines at the entrance with no one on them. You need to proceed through the turnstiles and they will ask you if you are going in for autographs and will let you in.) For the next two hours the lines inside the park advanced very slowly and orderly to the actual Fast Pass machines. They do not distribute the actual Fast Passes until exactly 9 am.

To back track again... I found out lots of good information while waiting on line from the experts. Apparently the lines for the autographs vary from day to day, year to year, and from one guest to another. One day you might get there at 6 o'clock and find no problem getting a fast past for a particular celebrity. If you arrive the next day or the next weekend for the same or a different person at 6 o'clock, you just might be out of luck completely. It all depends on the popularity of the character, and how many times the actor has been in attendance on previous years. Also ... the number of Fast Passes given out for each celebrity is NOT equal. It depends on how quickly it takes each celebrity to greet each person, and sign an autograph for them. Some can do it quicker than others.

I was told that at that particular time, on any other weekend, it would usually be way more crowded. I was told that for the following weekend when David Prowse was to attend, If I wanted a guaranteed autograph, I had better be there much earlier as he doesn't attend regularly and he is very popular. I was grateful for the advice. I was also told that once I got a Fast Pass for my first choice celebrity, that I could get right back in line for the next celebrity and depending on how crowded the line was, I might be able to get a Fast Pass for them as well. They also give out numbered Stand By Passes which are not guaranteed autographs but are utilized when a particular actor has finished all their guarantees and has extra time. If you get a Stand By Pass, don't be discouraged because there is still an excellent chance that you will be able to get an autograph.

So, between the three of us, we were able to obtain Fast Passes for all three celebrities. We lucked out. I just want to mention that MOST people bring their own merchandise, posters, action figures, and photos for the celebrities to sign. I had heard that they provided black and white photos to have signed if you didn't bring anything. I thought that would be a good idea as I didn't want to have to worry about carrying things around. When I saw the photos I changed my mind. They aren't the nice 8 x 10 glossies that you would expect. The good news is that there are plenty of places to purchase memorabilia, Posters, and Photos in time for the first signing. Just don't forget your credit cards as the matted photos are 20 bucks a pop. At this point we are all already wilted. The heat is crazy. My son wore his darth vader costume and knowing it would be hot, I had him wear his bathing suit underneath. I tried to persuade him to take it off but he insisted on wearing it a little bit longer.

So we get online to see Queen Amidala. Now, for those who attend Disney regularly or for those who do not attend regularly, the lines for all the other characters are just normal wait your turn lines. These lines are always, always, always longer than they look. There were only like 6 families in front of us but I swear we waited on that line for an eternity. Why isn't the line moving? That is the question I hear every time I go to Disney. Each character usually likes to greet each child, talk to them, play with them and make them feel special. Star Wars Weekends are no different. It takes time for the child to get an autograph in their book and then take a picture or two.

Here comes my gripe... There was one family there that had at least 4 children with them, maybe 5. I kid you not ... each child had Queen Amidala sign a T-shirt, and a hat and an autograph book etc... and each child had to have an individual picture and then a group picture and everyone had to wait while the parents found each item to sign and put the other away ... etc. I wanted to scream "Helloo Mom and Dad.... What are you thinking?" I am all for each child getting quality time and not being rushed but enough is enough. Show some consideration for the others in line in back of you. I feel guilty when I ask for just one more picture because the first one came out a little blurry. And for those of you who don't know... Disney has a rule (Correct me if I'm Wrong) that each character is only allowed to be out in the sun for 15 or 20 minutes max. After that, they need a break so you will need to continue to wait in line until they return. Their break is normally pretty quick. The bottom line is that you might be online for an hour or more depending on the character.

After Queen Amidala it was time for our autograph session with Jeremy Bulloch. It was soooo hot out and we were all feeling the pain. I saw many people chatting with the celebrities but as wilted and hot as we were, we quickly got our autograph, and a picture and went to find a place to sit down. It turns out that even us regulars underestimated the heat at SWW's as we usually don't need to stand in all these lines in the hot sun on a normal day.

I knew from reading other reports that if I wanted to get a good seat for the parade, or for anything else, I needed to find a place early. At about 10:50 we got seats for the 11:40 parade as close as possible to the Star Wars Stage and just waited. (There was already many people waiting) At this point, my son shed his Darth Vader costume on his own as he could no longer stand the heat. Well, it was worth the long wait. The motorcade was impressive even to those of us who aren't die-hard Star Wars Fans. My son was beaming from ear to ear.

Right after the parade we headed to Tatooine Traders and got on line to see Luke and Lea. We were second in line so we didn't have a long wait. After a short break for lunch we got on line to see Jedi Mickey. We didn't realize that on this particular line the character changes every 15 minutes. We must have been online for about half an hour. The line went from Mickey, To Goofy and Donald, and then to Minnie. So.. we wound up with a picture of Minnie. I didn't know at that point that once you reached the front of the line, you could get in another line to wait for the next character if you wanted to.

Then we headed over to see Darth Vader. We waited on that line for over an hour. It was a good thing that Lord Vader is a bit of a comedian and was very entertaining to watch.

After that it was around 4:15 or 4:30 and time for our autograph sessions with Daniel Logan and Warwick Davis. I can't tell you how many people came over to inquire about how they could get a Fastpass for an autograph and then walk away disappointed. Once we were done there, we did the Great Movie Ride and headed over to the Tower of Terror and rode that twice. At that point, exhaustion set in and we called it a day. Next week we would be better prepared.