Chic, IL SW @ Disney World

Hey gang--

Yeah, I'm back! Didya miss me? (Don't answer that, you smartalecks!) The holiday bustle and some intense days at work kept me from the boards, but I'm resolved to keep up better this year. Plus, I have more free time since Billy Barty died--I'm shutting down my Unofficial Fan Page next week.

Anyway, the family and I went to Disney World for the holidays, and of course, this meant a pilgrimage to Star Tours. My dad got nauseous, but I still love that ride.

I also made a few SW-related purchases:

--Two Star Tours pins, one rectangular that says "Star Tours: Tattooine Express" and another that says "Star Tours: The Leading Force in Galactic Transport" (or something, I forget). I got heavily into this pin-trading thing they got going, but made sure to buy those two for sure so that I had them for my personal collection.

I also saw other pin traders carting around these really cool pins from the Star Wars weekends they had there. The top of the pins say "Star Wars" and then there's a dangly piece at the bottom that features a specific character--Chewie, Leia, R2 and others. I'm gonna try trading for them as soon as I get my collection together after the trip.

--The Lego store at Downtown Disney had these superrad little boxes that each contain three SW Lego figures, along with little pedestals and cardboard backings, so you can set them up on your mantle/desk/whatever. I bought all the ones I saw, so I have the Luke/Han/Boba Fett box, the Chewie/Speeder Trooper/Another Speeder Trooper box and (the coolest one!) the Vader/Maul/Palpatine box. They all have the cutest little evil capes! Really neat collectibles and I can't wait to put them out.

Anyway, happy new year to all, and to all a good night...

Matt

 

Say Matt, I was down there July 1999 and they were in the middle of remodeling. How did it turn out or is it still the same.

JediLars

 

I was hoping to go to Walt Disney World last year when they had their Star Wars Weekends at the Disney-MGM Studios, but plans fell through. I haven't been to WDW since 1978. They were just building EPCOT when I was there. Man, I need to go sometime this year!

Phil

 

When I was ten, my dad promised he'd take me and my brother to Disney World the next summer if I would be good. That was many years ago, and I _still_ have never been to Florida.

 

Y'know, I think a combined Midwest trip to Walt Disney World could be fun.

Phil

 

I went on the old Star Tours ride about five years ago. I was hugely disappointed. It was a bad motion controlled seats while you watch a film on a tiny little screen thing. Don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed this kind of ride at the Mall of America before, but the motion made no sense and was jerky and the ride was too short. Although I did like the all SW store at the end of the ride though. Very much. I liked the Indiana Jones stunt show better, and I like SW much better than Indy. Although my favorite was the store. That and the life-sized AT-AT and Ewok Village.

 

I suppose I should mention that I've been on Star Tours when I visited Disneyland in 1992. It's a lot of fun. I went on it several times that day, even squeezing in for the last ride of the day.

Phil

 

Um, I am really jealous right now, 'cause out of all the 19 and a half years I've lived, not one of them has been to Disney World or Star Tours. Sad, I know. But, I've made it one of my goals in life to get down there and get on Star Tours.
I'll make it someday.

 

Bobafemme, you know why you've never made it--you've just never been good, that's all.

Re: remodel. I don't know that they've really changed it much at all in the times I've been on it. The film, the pre-show--all of it still looks vintage late eighties. But still very cool.

as for the ride, I dunno--it always works for me. The film screen creates a great illusion of looking out the front window of a starship, and the motion seems to match up pretty tight. I also like the live-action animatronic robot pilot.

Midwest FanForce field trip to Orlando? Sign me up!

Matt

 

Yeah, Phil, I was also at WDW when they were building Epcot.

I finally went back a few years ago, on my mom's husband's tab! Mom and stepdad took me and my hubby to WDW for a --5 DAY-- stay. It was awesome. And then, also, not so awesome. After all, some parents are not the coolest. Stepdad has a few extra dollars, so that's cool, but he's old and conservative, so that's boring.

A trip with FanForce? Now THAT would be --superrifically AWESOME-- !!!!!!

And Matt, I can tell you for a fact that Erica has so been good. So there. ::raspberry::

 

Add another one to the FanForce WDW trip... but when? Last time I was there was October '98, kinda in the off-season. Good time to go!

Thom

 

I'm on a Disney listserv. I just received word that the Disney-MGM Studios is going to be doing Star Wars Weekends again in May. What would be the interest in trying to make one of these weekends?

For those of you who hadn't heard of it, Star Wars Weekends featured guests from the films, Q&A sessions with them, characters in costume. Here's the article that Starwars.com posted about it for last year: http://www.starwars.com/episode-i/news/2000/08/news3a.html Here's a photo report from the first weekend of last year's festivities: http://www.starwars.com/episode-i/news/2000/19/news1a.html Last year the guests were Kenny Baker and Hugh Quarshie (Weekend #1), Peter Mayhew and Ian McCaig (Weekend #2), Jake Lloyd and David Prowse (Weekend #3), and Jeremy Bulloch and Carrie Fisher (Weekend #4). Billy Dee Williams had been scheduled last year, but had to cancel.

The guests haven't been announced yet, but it looks like a ton of fun regardless.

What do others think?

Phil

 

There's no way I could do Disney this spring. There's an important wedding (my husband's one of the groomsmen), I hope to be helping my father MOVE OUT of my house (which is barely even big enough for hubby and me, much less anyone else), and also there is a kind of marriage encounter deal that has several weekend sessions, and it's highly likely we'll be doing some of that in May also.

I vote with Thom - go in the off season. It's still warm in Florida, and it's plenty crowded in the off season, the ON season must suck horribly. On the other hand, going with friends would be much better than going with my mom and stepdad, so on-season might be fine too. But not May.

 

I would tenatively be up for a May SW weekend. I would really love to check one of those out. However, I would only be in assuming we could find some way to do it fairly cheap (with a group, this could easily be possible--we may have to stay off-site but could split a car rental) AND if I could go a few days early and enjoy the parks. I'm thinking, personally, a Wednesday night to Sunday night trip. But that's just me.

Also, jedigal, my guess is that early May would count as "off-season"--typically, the busy times run pretty close to when kids are out of school and available for vacations. the weather would be nicer, so I could be wrong, but I'd guess it'd be less crowded because it's not technically summer yet.

Barring May, October sounds pretty sweet to me too. maybe both?

Matt

 

Are they really doing it again this year?

If so, that gets me PSYCHED! I got roped into doing a Choir Festival at Disney, and im going like in may (memorial day weekend), and that would make my week!

Lapis
"I thought it was strange when your, car was found..."

 

Here's a fansite with pics of last year's Star Wars Weekends: http://www.starwarsfan.org/bluemilk/swweekends2000/index.html

Phil

 

How long would you be going down?
My parents are part of a timeshare program and if I could somehow get enough money to go, I could convince them to let us use a week. That would cut down on a lot of costs since it is only a couple hundred for the condo, which includes a kitchen so we could bring our own food down. The last one they got had two bedrooms and a large living room.
There are two problems though. The first is that I would have to get the money to go myself. The second is that it can only be gotten for a week at a time.
If you decide that this would be the best deal and I am unable to go, I will also see if they would be willing to sell you the week. I don't know about that though, but let me know if you are interested.
I will also try to find out the exact cost.

 

Here's another site reporting on Star Wars Weekends from last year: http://www.passporter.com/wdw/rideathon.htm

Empyre, are you coming to the meeting on Sunday?

Phil

 

For those who were unable to make it, the condo is listed for eight people and would cost $400 for the week.

 

Forgot to mention for those who don't do math, that this works out to be $10 a day if it is for five days and $7 if it is for a whole week. I forgot which it is. Also you would need to worry about car rental, but you can probably rent a van for a week for less than $300. A five day park hopper pass is $217, and plane tickets would be $300, unless you can get a really good travel agent. Altogether it is only $600 per person without food. And you could cut it down even $350 total if people are willing to drive

 

I've driven to Florida before. It's not that bad really. There were three of us who went, we drove straight through on the way there, taking driving shifts, and those who weren't driving trying to sleep so they could take a shift. We were ALL very tired at the end, but if there had been even one more person to share the driving I bet it would have been a lot better. And we recovered from the drive quickly while we were there. Had a great vacation. The drive back, tho, sucked. But still it was worth it. But that was from St. Louis, and everyone else is coming from a few hours farther north, so who knows what you'd think.

 

I have driven down. We had only two of us One person slept while the other drove and it was not bad at all. You do need to make a few stops to stretch out though. If you do drive, I would suggest leaving in the late afternoon. You will get down there in the afternoon the next day and be ready and able to crash in your room. It is about a 20 hour drive. A bit long but sometimes worth the money saved.

 

I was down in WDW with the family in early Sept during the hurricane that was threatening Orlando. We only had one day that it rained all day and the rest of the week was fantastic.

Here are some pics of the week.
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=952370&a=9064188

The Star Tours ride was weak. The atmosphere was cooler than the ride. Most everything in the store can be found elsewhere at lower prices, but the few things that were exclusive are pretty neat. I picked up a bunch of the ID's and security passes along with the Star Tours pins.

Hey Matt I never saw any of those special pins you were talking about. Let me know if you find any more of those. I would love to get a set.

Later
TK895

 

I was just at TFN and they had posted who was gonna be at Star Wars Weekends beginning May 4 of this year. Chewie, Amidala, and Maul are gonna be there. Sounds cool. Now, I don't know if they meant not the real actors and just people in costume or not, but I'd love to go either way, even though I can't.
Anyway, you can go hear and read about it for yourself.

http://www.theforce.net/holonet/index.html#9165

 

I think they meant costumed characters, although they had actors last year and I'm sure they'll have them this year. Peter Mayhew did it last year. He's been coming to Chicago Comicon every year for a while, too.

Phil