What is Star Wars weekend like?

[alaMode]

Hi!

We recently booked a trip that coincides with Star Wars weekend in June, 2010.

We've never experienced this before--DS and DH are huge SW fans, so we're looking forward to the celebration.

Does every park have a SW celebration? What are the crowds like?

Any info/feedback is much appreciated!

Tess
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popChristmas (leaving tomorrow!)
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[Kenny1113]

Took my DSs for the first time for DS8's bday. They had a blast! There are characters from SW movies as well as SW clone wars. The characters are in character the whole time, during meet and greet bobo fett would run out and grab a kid dressed like hans solo! There are parades and liitle shows. When we went crowds were not bad for rides at all 30m for ToT and RnR. TSM was 90+ min. Star tours was 5min wait. There were long lines for the characters though.

[Tygger7]

I did some digging, because I didn't recall seeing the "official" dates for 2010 Star Wars Weekends. Keep in mind, it MAY NOT occur end of May/beginning of June. For example, in 2006, it was every weekend in May...there were no June dates.

There will be a MAJOR Star Wars Convention taking place at the Orlando Convention Center in August, so there is speculation that there is a POSSIBILITY that SWW could be moved to August to coincide with the convention.

Just didn't want you to be under the impression that the 2010 dates were locked in....based on past years, they're usually announced in late January. :yoda:

[alaMode]

Sounds like it would be fun to experience Star Wars weekend if it indeed happens while we are there!

Tess

[KylesMom]

As has been mentioned, official Star Wars Weekend 2010 dates have not yet been released. However, we've been attending them intermittently since 2000 - and they truly are a blast for my family. We've seen dates change intermittently, so we'll need to wait until the official announcement to see if it will be in May, May/June, all June, or some other time altogether. Disney's Hollywood Studios is the only park that participates in the celebration.

They've taken out two of the big things for adults over the years (WWTBAM - Star Wars Edition and the Trivia Contest) but there are plenty of meet and greet opportunities with both real Star Wars celebrities as well as face & costumed "characters". There are panel discussions with the celebrities, a Star Wars parade each morning Friday-Sunday, special screenings of creating the Star Wars Universe behind the scenes, and a party at the end of each day.


There will be a MAJOR Star Wars Convention taking place at the Orlando Convention Center in August This is Celebration V, and it was just recently awarded to Orlando. Of course, it occurs a few days after we leave in August! :( Tickets actually go on sale tomorrow. I would be very surprised, however, if SWW occurs at the same time as Celebration.

The pictures that we've got of DS over the years with his SW faves are priceless at Disney's Star Wars Weekends. If you have the chance & you have Star Wars fans in your family, it's one of those "must-do" things!:mickey:

[Donalds Duckie]

Thanks for your post that your family enjoys Star Wars Weekends, KylesMom.

I just got engaged and we're planning a May 2010 WDW Honeymoon at for Star Wars Weekends.

Do you think dates may be announced soon? We really need to get this honeymoon booked but it's difficult without the 2010 Star Wars Weekends dates. We're hoping to catch the end of F&G Show (those dates have been released) and then at least one Star Wars weekend.

Any suggestions on how to book/plan for this w/o dates?

Thanks in advance.

[MOJoe]

The dates for SWW were "leaked" early in January last year. Nothing official came out for weeks after that. So we may know shortly after the new year rolls in.

As to the event itself, it all happens at the Disney Studios. No other parks are involved. The crowds are big, but no larger than during any major holiday period. The big draw are all the Star Wars Characters that fill the left side of the park. There are meet and greets all over. The parade is a must see, and many like to get to the park early and get a ticket to meet one of the celebrity actors in attendance. Last year my DS 10 was lucky enough to meet David Prowse and Jeremy Bulloch, the actors who played Darth Vader and Boba Fett. These actors also have an interview session done with a celebrity host during the day.
The conclusion each day is the Hyper Space Hoopla, held on the Jedi Training stage. It is a 20 minute "party" filled with corny jokes and a dance off between Star Wars Characters. It can be a riot, but it is notoriously hard to get a good view. Get there early if you must see it.

We love SWW. If you have Star Wars fans, you should go at least once.

[KylesMom]

Do you think dates may be announced soon? We really need to get this honeymoon booked but it's difficult without the 2010 Star Wars Weekends dates. We're hoping to catch the end of F&G Show (those dates have been released) and then at least one Star Wars weekend. Unfortunately, I don't have any sound advice for you on this one. Historically, if you go with the numbers, a predominant amount of SWW have been the last two weeks of May / first two weeks of June. However, they really could throw a curveball in there & schedule all June dates - or something else entirely. Lots of rumors out there right now - but I remember last year the rumors said it would be an all-June event. Nope!

If you are really willing to change your vacation dates to include SWW in case they aren't the last two weeks of May, you could make a resort reservation now & hold off on air travel for the next 30-60 days until Disney releases the dates. You could always change those ressies for the resort & re-do your ADRs. OR if you really need to book now, you could make the late May dates & hope for the best.

Congratulations on your upcoming nuptials! DH and I honeymooned at Disney back in 1991 (my first time there), and we had an unforgettable time!

May the Force Be With You! :mickey:

[ibrowse17]

It sounds impressive, most impressive...:thumbsup:

[LVT]

We did this in May for 1st time. 3 adults. The crowds are primarily on the Star Tours side of the park. We enjoyed the Parade, the Hoopla (poor
viewing area though) and the extra characters scattered around. If your son wants to meet anyone you will be in line. I liked the random sightings rather than autograph lines. A lot of people dress up, but it is HOT in May/June. If you
want to do anything special I would encourage a lot of planning and reading tips from the regulars, due to the extreme popularity of these weekends.
It sounds like a lot of children end of dissapointed.