It's The End of the World as We Know It-The TCD Gang's Last Fort Trip (BC)

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

After we watched the Stormtroopers, the rope was dropped, and the stampede was on.

 

This may seem very similar to a the Sunday morning DHS rope drop that I reported on earlier in this thread.

 

That's because it is.

 

For us, and the thousand or so people behind us, the first stop at DHS is always Toy Story.

 

After that, our story will vary a bit from the last time, so pay attention.

 

Watch what we get done in our first hour in the park.  Later, the wait times for all the major attractions will exceed an hour.  And we will laugh.

 

For now, though, our mission was to be in the row of guests immediately behind the wall of Toy Story castmembers.

 

No problem:

 

 

 

The CM's were walking kind of slow today- which meant I had newbies trying to elbow their way in front of me.  That was not going to happen.  We marched right toward the stage:

 

 

And hung a right:

 

 

I know earlier I informed you of the benefits of going through that small opening on the left.  Apparently, there were several people in the crowd who read that tip, as there was a jostling to get over to that opening.  We chose to not lose our place right behind the Castmember wall, and went through the large opening. This lady over here on the left went through the small opening, and then tried to get ahead of the CM's:

 

 

That kind of thing does not fly.  She got yelled at, and fell back.

 

We did not lose our place in front:

 

 

There it is- the Pixar sign.  It's 7:41 am.  Pity the fools who are just now showing up at the gates for the advertised 8 am opening of the park:

 

 

It was here that Twin #1 broke off to get Fastpasses.  I saw her get to the a machine first.  She would be along in just a couple of seconds:

 

 

Twin #2 and I marched on behind the CM's, and entered the queue just as Twin #1 ran up to rejoin us with Fastpasses in hand:

 

 

At 7:47 am, we were through the queue and ready to board our ride vehicles, with these Fastpasses secured for later:

 

 

That high score for the vehicle score is Twin #1's, she was just shy of the high score for the day.  Of course, the day had just started, so somebody in the first group of riders that we were in had earned that score:

 

 

As you may recall, when we were here two weeks earlier, we headed off to meet Chewbacca and the chipmunks at this point.  If we wanted to meet any of the other Star Wars characters, this would have been the time to do that. but we didn't.

 

Instead, we planned to walk on both Rock N Rollercoaster and Tower of Terror and then take a breakfast break before returning for our 8:40 Fastpass time.

 

So, we headed that way.

 

As we headed toward RNRC, I made a detour into the little shop next to Starring Rolls.

 

DaveInTn reported quite a while ago that he bought a carrot cake cookie in there.

 

I thought he was mistaken.

 

But, I've been meaning to check.

 

And, today, I remembered.

 

Here's the display case:

 

 

I took a look.  These were not the cookies I was looking for.

 

But, hang on- look at this sign on the right:

 

 

That thing on the tray does not look like a carrot cake cookie, but it looks like there are two signs under this tray.

 

But, it appears that they do, in fact, sell carrot cake cookies there.

 

Finally, DIT has been vindicated.

 

And I apologize for doubting him.

 

I could have gone further and confirmed with the CM there that the carrot cake cookies here are the same as the ones at the Writer's Stop, but we had no time to dawdle.

 

We knew that guests were now streaming in to the park, and if there was any attraction we wanted to experience before the wait times got ridiculous, this was the time to do it.

 

We were on and off of Rock N Rollercoaster by the time I snapped this photo of our ride photo at 8:17 am:

 

 

And, it was 8:29 am when I snapped this photo when the doors opened atop the Tower of Terror.  That is Blizzard Beach you see over there to the right:

 

 

Our ride photo:

 

 

How do you like my Star Wars t-shirt?

 

It says #1 Dad.

 

The twins gave it to me as an early Father's Day gift so I could wear it to the park today.

 

It is good to be TCD.

 

So, it's a little past 8:30, and we have done Toy Story, Rock N Rollercoaster and Tower of Terror.  There will be guests arriving in the next hour who would have to wait hours to ride those three rides, or perhaps not even be able to get all three done.

 

Had we wanted to, at this point, we could have ridden either or both of RNRC and TOT again, with little or no wait.

 

But, we didn't want to.

 

We wanted one of those breakfast sandwiches that we had last time.

 

And then we would head back to cash in our Toy Story Fastpasses.

 

So, this little break slowed down the number of rides we took in the first hour, but that is what we chose to do.

 

I guess that says something about the breakfast sandwiches.

 

And our priorities.

 

Here's the breakfast menu for Fairfax Fare:

 

 

I took a couple of crowd shots while I had a brief wait in line.  Check out the guy with the Salacious t-shirt.  Note he already has a shopping bag in hand.  I'll bet he hit the merchandise tent first.  That is a certified geek:

 

 

You can see from this shot that the crowds were not swarming down to this area of the park. The crowds act differently for Star Wars Weekends.  I'll bet it's crowded over by Star Tours:

 

 

While I waited for my order, I noticed the lunch menu:

 

 

They copied the Fort's Southern Smothered Hot Dog!

 

And they serve a hot dog with macaroni and cheese and truffle oil!

 

I would be willing to try either or both of those.

 

But, $8.59 for a hot dog?

 

I've got a problem with that.

 

Note, however, that they are served with chips.

 

If you order the hot dog and have them hold the chips, then the price might be in an acceptable range.

 

But, I also know that I can get a hot dog in a pretzel roll over by Echo Lake.

 

So, I'm not sure I'm ever going to get one of these dogs.

 

But, I digress.

 

Here are our breakfast sandwiches:

 

 

Man, those were good!

 

The people watching was starting to heat up.

 

I'm sure this guy thought he looked like a cool Jedi, but to me, with the haircut, beard, and how his robe fit, he reminded me more of a monk:

 

 

 

After breakfast, we hoofed it over to Toy Story.  We were eligible to return at 8:40, but we were a little late, as by this point, we had mapped out our morning, and we didn't need to rush.

 

We wasted a few minutes on the way enjoying the antics of Boba Fett:

 

 

 

And then zipped right through the queue and rode Toy Story for the second time today.  Twin #1 honored me by riding with me, and here are our scores:

 

 

I don't have to tell you whose is whose.

 

And guess what?

 

Twin #1 got the high score for the hour!:

 

 

Mind you it was only 9:14 am when I took that photo, but maybe nobody came along in the remaining 46 minutes and beat her score.

 

Maybe.

 

Had we wanted to, we could have grabbed new Fastpasses for Toy Story on the way on for this second ride, and insured a third ride in the early afternoon with no wait.  But, we planned to leave the park for lunch, so I held off on pulling new Fastpasses to see if I could snag some a bit later with an evening return time.

 

For those of you who were not paying attention, this means in just the first hour and 15 minutes the park has been officially open, we have accomplished two rides on Toy Story, and one each on RNRC and TOT.  Plus had a quick serve breakfast.

 

For now, we decided to head over to Star Tours.  We planned to ride that, and then check and see if we could snag a good spot for the parade at 11.

 

On the way there, I noticed something that had never registered with me before.  This mermaid, from the movie Splash, does not have any clamshells:

 

 

I wondered what DIT would think about that, since he is an admitted clamshell fan.

 

By the way, if you're a mermaid fan, I have two more mermaid photos to share before this TR will be done.

 

Darth Vader was right nearby attracting a good crowd:

 

 

As we approached Star Tours, we encountered the first crowded conditions of the day.

 

We arrived at the Star Tours entrance at 9:22, and found that guests were lined up all the way outside, and the outside queue was full.  But, the line was moving, and the posted wait time was 20 minutes.  Since we were here, and didn't have an alternate plan at the moment, we decided to join the line.  I knew at the very least that it wouldn't take us long to get to the inside part of the queue, and that the AC would give us a nice escape from the building heat and humidity outside.  So, we hopped into this line at 9:22:

 

 

We are at 30 photos, so you'll have to wait for the next update to see how long our actual wait was.

 

And then we will be moving on to some really good photos.

 

Of really big Star Wars geeks.

 

And, in some cases, I mean that quite literally.

 

TCD

[DaveInTN 3,247]

 

 

That thing on the tray does not look like a carrot cake cookie, but it looks like there are two signs under this tray.

 

But, it appears that they do, in fact, sell carrot cake cookies there.

 

Finally, DIT has been vindicated.

 

And I apologize for doubting him.

 

I could have gone further and confirmed with the CM there that the carrot cake cookies here are the same as the ones at the Writer's Stop, but we had no time to dawdle.

 

 

 

I can't believe you ever doubted me. 

 

I am wrong about a LOT of things, but I never forget a meal.  Or a snack.  Never. 

 

Now, since there is the possibility (remote) that the CCC here is different than the one's they sell at Writer's Stop...in the same freaking park....here is a photo of a CCC I purchased at the place next to Starring Rolls.

 

 

And here is another.

 

 

They look the same to me from what I remember of pictures folks have posted.  But I could be wrong about that. 

[ftwildernessguy 778]

Celebrity alert. First of all, that guy across the row from you on TOT could be your long lost brother.

The guy with the Salacious t shirt is Jon Cryer.

Guy in the robe - Al from Home Improvement

None other than Oprah under the Star Tours sign.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I can't believe you ever doubted me. 

 

I am wrong about a LOT of things, but I never forget a meal.  Or a snack.  Never. 

 

Now, since there is the possibility (remote) that the CCC here is different than the one's they sell at Writer's Stop...in the same freaking park....here is a photo of a CCC I purchased at the place next to Starring Rolls.

 

 

And here is another.

 

 

They look the same to me from what I remember of pictures folks have posted.  But I could be wrong about that. 

 

Yes, that cookie looks the same as what they sell in The Writer's Stop.

 

This is good to know.  There is a nice seating area there at Starring Rolls, while there is not much seating at the Writer's Stop.

 

Buying a carrot cake cookie from the place next to Starring Rolls is now on the official TCD to do list.

 

 

Celebrity alert. First of all, that guy across the row from you on TOT could be your long lost brother.

The guy with the Salacious t shirt is Jon Cryer.

Guy in the robe - Al from Home Improvement

None other than Oprah under the Star Tours sign.

 

Very good!

 

That fellow on TOT is rather good looking now that you mention it.

 

Your mention of the Salacious t-shirt reminded me of something I meant to say when I posted that photo.

 

Does anyone know the meaning of the word salacious?  I understand that this t-shirt refers to a character in one of the movies:  Salacious Crumb.  But the t-shirt just says salacious.  If you don't know what that word means, look it up.  It's not really something that is appropriate for someone to wear in a theme park, or anywhere else for that matter.

 

TCD

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

I love looking t ToT ride pictures.  The range of emotions is just hilarious.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

I love looking t ToT ride pictures.  The range of emotions is just hilarious.

 

Me too.  Plus, I think it's obvious that Mr. Duck Dynasty did not get the memo that only folks on the right side of the elevator are supposed to put their arms up. 

[dvccamper 32]

I think a few things point to the fact that you may be a closet Star Wars geek, the very ones you mock. First, the Darth Vader t shirt, then the fact you know who Salacious Crumb is. I think you throw out all your Star Wars questions pretending not to know the answers, but in fact you know them all. You certainly make it to quite a few of these Star Wars weekends....hmmmm.

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

Me too.  Plus, I think it's obvious that Mr. Duck Dynasty did not get the memo that only folks on the right side of the elevator are supposed to put their arms up. 

check out the look the guy behind TCD is giving the dude on his left side... he looks a bit concerned.

[caveat lector 181]

I don't believe you are a fan of "the Office," but they had a similar Halloween joke. Dwight came dressed as a Sith Lord, but when Phyllis was pressured to guess what he was, she thought he was monk.

In one TR, you demonstrated the filming ability of Lucas and the writing ability of a sitcom script. Nicely done

I an definitely Pro "sans seashells"

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I love looking t ToT ride pictures.  The range of emotions is just hilarious.

 

Good point.  Same here.

 

 

Me too.  Plus, I think it's obvious that Mr. Duck Dynasty did not get the memo that only folks on the right side of the elevator are supposed to put their arms up. 

 

Mr. Duck Dynasty?

 

How did FWG miss him?

 

I think a few things point to the fact that you may be a closet Star Wars geek, the very ones you mock. First, the Darth Vader t shirt, then the fact you know who Salacious Crumb is. I think you throw out all your Star Wars questions pretending not to know the answers, but in fact you know them all. You certainly make it to quite a few of these Star Wars weekends....hmmmm.

 

Kind of true.

 

But, my appreciation of Star Wars came from attending Star Wars Weekends.

 

The very fist one we ever attended was in 2011.  At that time, I had seen only 2 of the 6 Star Wars movies, and the TCD twins had seen none.

 

We have since watched them all.

 

I wouldn't really consider myself a Star Wars geek.  A geek, maybe.  But a Star Wars geek, no.

 

check out the look the guy behind TCD is giving the dude on his left side... he looks a bit concerned.

 

I should have mentioned Tennis Mom on the row behind us.

 

She came charging through the line looking for her husband and kid, and didn't find them.

 

So she rode solo.

 

As luck would have it, she got paired with that little kid and the guy next to her, who was her uncle, not her dad.

 

Tennis Mom said since her husband and kid left her, she would ride with the little girl, and she proceeded to say a bunch of annoying stuff I guess to try to scare the poor kid.

 

I understood real quick why her husband ditched her.

 

Also, she was wearing a tennis outfit.

 

I don't believe you are a fan of "the Office," but they had a similar Halloween joke. Dwight came dressed as a Sith Lord, but when Phyllis was pressured to guess what he was, she thought he was monk.

In one TR, you demonstrated the filming ability of Lucas and the writing ability of a sitcom script. Nicely done

I an definitely Pro "sans seashells"

 

I only started watching The Office in the last season or two, and not regularly, but I know who Dwight and Phyllis are.  That scene sounds hilarious.

 

I  am fine with seashells or no seashells, I appreciate both.  But there is one mermaid attribute that I feel strongly about.  We will get to that discussion a bit down the line so stick around.

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

One more update for today . . .

 

There is a lot of bonus material for us to get to.

 

We left off at 9:22 am with us joining the very long queue at Star Tours.

 

As was the case when we were here two weeks before, the entire outside queue area was in use this morning.

 

This seemed somewhat unnecessary this morning, as we walked very quickly through it almost non-stop.

 

I didn't really mind.  I like the detail in the outside queue, which is built to resemble and Ewok village:

 

 

There is also a big Imperial Walker standing right above the queue:

 

 

The FP return times being offered were from 10 to 11.  I had considered getting us Fastpasses, but instead we got in line, hoping that the posted wait time was right, which would get us in and out of there before 10.  Not many people were claiming the Fastpasses:

 

 

It was really busy in this corner of the park, with the Jedi Training Academy going on right next door:

 

 

I have never liked the fact that the back of the big Imperial Walker is unfinished:

 

 

 

As Devores pointed out in an earlier post, the idea here is to show guests how movie props are built.  I get that.  On the other hand, it destroys the illusion that I'm on Endor and about to go in to a Space Travel Station to take a ride through space.

 

From the Star Tours queue, guests get a good look at the back of the tallest buildings on the New York City Street:

 

 

Something tells me that if that beautiful cypress tree doesn't stop growing, it's going to get it:

 

 

The Star Tours queue also provides a view of the Chewbacca meet and greet which stays busy all day long:

 

 

Don't mess with the Ewoks- they have weapons! :

 

 

 

When we looped back around near the JTA stage, the #1 Dad himself was out to scare the kiddies:

 

 

From here we entered the inside part of the queue, and sailed through that.

 

We were outside longer than we were inside.

 

Here we are at 9:39, ready to board our tour:

 

 

We got in the line at 9:22, and were through it at 9:39.  That's 17 minutes, I believe.

 

Not bad.

 

Again, none of us were chosen to be the Rebel Spy.

 

The Force used to be stronger in us.

 

I don't know what happened.

 

But, it was still fun.

 

I spotted a new t-shirt in the gift shop:

 

 

In case you can't read the price tag, that one will set you back $24.95 plus tax.

 

As you may recall, on our last visit we got to the chipmunk line early, as we heard reports of it taking an hour or more.

 

The line at 9:51 this morning wasn't too bad.  I would say maybe 30-45 minutes:

 

 

The plan from here was to go and scope out a parade spot.

 

But, the girls were giving me grief about not wanting to sit around for an hour waiting for the parade.

 

They thought it would be lame.

 

And hot.

 

I told them that I thought they would like it, and that we could probably still find a spot on the curb in the shade to wait.

 

They said they would rather go and meet Mike and Sulley, who would be arriving at their meet and greet at 10.

 

I said if we did that, we would never get a good spot for the parade at 11.

 

So, I offered to go and try to find us a spot, and they could go and meet the monsters and then join me.  Less of a wait for them.  And less whining for me to listen to.

 

So they went to find the monsters, and I headed to Hollywood Boulevard.

 

But, I went by way of Toy Story.

 

I wanted to see if I could get some Fastpasses that would be good for the evening.

 

Now, just before 10 am, the wait time was 80 minutes, and it would not be going down all day:

 

 

The Fastpass return time was from 6:05 to 7:05. That would work, so I got us all another Fastpass.

 

And then I went to find us a spot for the parade.

 

It was way more crowded than the last time we were here.  And it was still an hour before start time.

 

It looked like I wouldn't find a decent spot in the shade for us to sit and wait.

 

But then I noticed there was some space behind an area a grandmother had reserved by laying two ponchos down along the street.  Kind of like how BFM does it, but with ponchos instead of a table cloth.

 

I assumed kids would be sitting on the ponchos, so we could stand behind them and see.

 

I grabbed that space, and set my backpack next to me.

 

I texted the girls and let them know where I was.

 

They arrived about 10 minutes later.

 

I asked how the monsters meet and greet went.

 

It didn't.

 

They arrived to find about 30 people in line already.  And the monsters didn't come out at 10.  They came out about 5 minutes late, and the line moved really slowly since each group was getting multiple photos.

 

Oh well.

 

They liked the spot I staked out.

 

We even were getting a little bit of cool air blowing out of the open gift shop door behind us.

 

After a while, Twin #2 asked if she could have a frozen lemonade.   I was tired of sitting, so I offered to go and get her one. The stand was right across the street from us.

 

As I waited in the frozen lemonade line, I got to watch a kid in an Ewok costume interact with some people in the crowd.  Also note that he has a block of carbonite there in his stroller:

 

 

I brought Twin #2 her lemonade, and I decided that I would take a little walk and visit a restroom before the parade.

 

I headed out around Echo lake, which was right behind the area where we were sitting, and I came across a bunch of tents that had been set up for the celebrity meetings.  I didn't know that is where these were.

 

Here's Tom Kane's tent:

 

 

I wasn't sure where the closest restroom would be, but I knew where the restrooms were at the Prime Time restaurant, so I headed there.

 

I was able to walk in, and found that there was some kind of character breakfast going on next door:

 

 

I stopped to take a look around the bar:

 

 

They had menus sitting there, so I snapped a photo of the front and back:

 

 

 

I assume this means that guests sitting at the bar can order from these menus.  That is good to know for adults in small parties who do not have reservations for the dining room.

 

Those prices make that $9.00 hot dog sound pretty good, though.

 

The AC in here was awesome.  I seriously considered grabbing one of these seats and skipping the parade, but I knew that would not be popular with the twins, so I didn't:

 

 

On the way out, I walked all the way around the lake to see who was in the other tents.

 

Hey, look, Billy Dee! :

 

 

I believe this man's name is James Arnold Taylor.  I have no idea who he is:

 

 

I didn't see a tent for Peter Mayhew or Ashley Eckstein.  Maybe they rotate the celebrities through these tents?

 

Now, I'm back on the boulevard.  Our spot is over there on the right.  You can see Twin #2 siting down eating her frozen lemonade, right below the guy in the red shirt:

 

 

We were lucky to get that spot.  Both sides of the street were packed:

 

 

The wheelchair area was packed solid.  I saw several guests in wheelchairs get sent away:

 

 

You can't tell very well from this photo, but the people across from us were in the hot sun, while we were in the cool shade:

 

 

We still had about 20 minutes until the parade would start.  That gave me time for some people watching.  Check out this guy in the Yoda shirt. It says An Elf I am Not.  Or something like that.  That's a Christmas shirt, right?  And look at the size of the kids in that stroller.  I disapprove of that type of thing:

 

 

Dang.

 

That's the 30th photo.

 

And, I have some great people watching photos to share.

 

I'll have to share them in the next update.

 

And we will also get to the parade in that one.

 

There was quite a lot to see.

 

As you will see.

 

TCD

[Beckers 1,136]

I actually watched the entire thing. You owe me 7 minutes of good TR content.

Same here.

[Lou... 3,118]

Same here.

 

Suckers, that's 7 minutes of your lives that you will never get back.

When the end is near for you, remember that you could have had 7 more minutes if it weren't for TCD.

[ftwildernessguy 778]

Suckers, that's 7 minutes of your lives that you will never get back.

When the end is near for you, remember that you could have had 7 more minutes if it weren't for TCD.

7 more minutes lying in my own filth in the home. No thanks. I'll take the loss.

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

  From left to right in that photo, they were for: Ashley Eckstein, James Arnold Taylor, Tom Kane, Peter Mayhew and Billy Dee Williams.

 

If you said "who?" to any of the above, thank you for making my point.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfRHseYWQoY

In case you didn't know how big a star Billy Dee Williams really is!

 

And i would stand in line to meet Chewbacca.  I am a geek and proud of it.

[ImDownWithDisney 342]

 

 

 

Jeez.

 

I was thinking they were warning about a little shock, not molten copper and death.  Why are those stickers on all the boxes?  Who is that warning directed at?  I've heard that there were campers who messed with the boxes in order to plug in more Christmas decorations.  I wonder if that is what prompted the warnings?  But, as an average Joe with no knowledge of electrical engineering, that sticker means nothing to me.

 

 

 

 

That sticker is just a CYA for them. A little breaker like that is no big deal. 

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Yes, that cookie looks the same as what they sell in The Writer's Stop.

 

This is good to know.  There is a nice seating area there at Starring Rolls, while there is not much seating at the Writer's Stop.

 

Buying a carrot cake cookie from the place next to Starring Rolls is now on the official TCD to do list.

 

Thanks to you both for saving me some walking!  Mmmmmmm...

 

Oh and you definitely can sit at the bar in the Tune-In Lounge and order off the 50s Prime Time menu.  We've done it several times. 

[thecplusplusguy 7]

 

 

Good job.

 

Sorry if you're dragging at work today.

 

But, it was worth it, right?

 

TCD

 

It was worth it.  Work wasn't bad and I don't have to go back until Monday  :jumpforjoy

 

Dan

[mommy rainbo.....Bo 41]

Finally caught up. Thanks.

[jjbescher 17]

The bigger characters actually get rooms in the Air conditioning.  I know a few years ago some were in the building that housed that Drew Carey ride/show.

 

jon

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

Caught up.

Looking forward to the pics of the Star Wars geeks.

I have not seen the Billy Dee MF episode. We are watching season one on dvd; about half way through.

I did finally read all the hunger games books after recommendations from you and a few others here.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Same here.

 

OK, you can go stand over there next to DIT, and wait for the 7 minutes of good content.

 

Make sure to go to the restroom first, and maybe bring a snack,  you are going to be waiting a long time. 

 

 

 

Suckers, that's 7 minutes of your lives that you will never get back.

When the end is near for you, remember that you could have had 7 more minutes if it weren't for TCD.

 

Man, I feel bad for wasting everyone's valuable time.

 

7 more minutes lying in my own filth in the home. No thanks. I'll take the loss.

 

There, now that puts it in perspective.  I'd rather spend the seven minutes watching the stormtroopers.

 

In case you didn't know how big a star Billy Dee Williams really is!

 

And i would stand in line to meet Chewbacca.  I am a geek and proud of it.

 

I don't recall this episode.  That was a great show!

 

Since you are an admitted geek, you will love the next couple of updates.

 

That sticker is just a CYA for them. A little breaker like that is no big deal. 

 

CYA?  For what?  Is there a risk of shock from plugging in my camper's power line?  Or is that warning only if I plan to mess with the breakers?  I recall Donnie once saying that he got a good shock just from plugging his 5th wheel in.

 

Thanks to you both for saving me some walking!  Mmmmmmm...

 

Oh and you definitely can sit at the bar in the Tune-In Lounge and order off the 50s Prime Time menu.  We've done it several times. 

 

I recall your reports about sitting at the bars of various restaurants and ordering from the menu. This is something good to know for busy times when you haven't been able to make an ADR.

 

It was worth it.  Work wasn't bad and I don't have to go back until Monday  :jumpforjoy

 

Dan

 

Lucky you.

 

Have a great weekend!

 

 

Finally caught up. Thanks.

 

Good, because we are about to move on.

 

The bigger characters actually get rooms in the Air conditioning.  I know a few years ago some were in the building that housed that Drew Carey ride/show.

 

jon

 

OK, but then why was Billy Dee outside?  Are Peter Mayhew and Ashley Eckstein bigger stars then him?

 

Caught up.

Looking forward to the pics of the Star Wars geeks.

I have not seen the Billy Dee MF episode. We are watching season one on dvd; about half way through.

I did finally read all the hunger games books after recommendations from you and a few others here.

 

I have plenty of Star Wars geek photos for you to enjoy, and I'm working on an update full of them now.

 

The Billy Dee Modern Family episode was from the season that just concluded. It was centered around the family's visit to a resort on New Year's Eve.  It is a great episode, and Billy Dee is a great sport playing himself.

 

That's cool that you read all the Hunger Game books as a result of recommendations from this site.  I guess I can say that I watched all of the Star Wars movies, and had the girls watch them too, based on recommendations from folks here. It's funny how fans of the Fort, even though very diverse, seem to have common interests.

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Update time.

We are waiting for the parade to start, and I have returned to our place for the last 15 minutes before the parade is to begin.

It is very, very crowded in the place we chose. Having that gift shop door behind us is a bad thing. People keep coming out of there, have no place else to go, and keep packing in behind us. And we couldn't feel any more cool air- there were too many bodies blocking it now.

But, the good news is that they are behind us, and we can all see the Boulevard fairly well.

I enjoy watching the guests who show up for Star Wars Weekends, especially how they choose to dress.

For example, check out the girl with the Wookie backpack and boots- it is going to be above 90 degrees today:



This guy was sporting a sweet faux-hawk haircut:



That is a good look on a young kid- but not on a grown man.

That guy over there has a shirt that says "Han shot First." :



I thought about that, and had no idea what it referred to. So I just googled it. Oh Boy! Little did I know that there was a huge brouhaha in the Star Wars geek community relating to a change made by George Lucas in a special edition re-release of one of the Star Wars movies in 1997. He apparently changed a scene in which Han shot somebody. The geeks were in an uproar, and had on-line petitions and such.

I am not making this up. I had no idea. But the guy with the t-shirt obviously did. I guess he has geek-cred.

Which brings up something that bothers me too. The versions of Episodes IV to VI that I watched on Blu-Ray have been altered from the original versions. George added new special effects, and changed some scenes from what theater goers originally saw. I am on the side of my geek brothers and sisters on this issue. George should have not meddled with the originals at all.

Back to the parade.

There was a walkway to the left of us that CM's tried to keep open. Knucklehead guests kept on trying to stop in the walkway and stand there to claim a spot for the parade. I felt sorry for the CM's who had to try to keep the walkways clear. Guests can be real jerks. You can see the congested walkway in this photo, and you can also see that there was stuff happening on the big stage to hype the parade:



You can see that the walkway across from the one on our side of the street is almost full of guests trying to cram in for a spot to watch the parade:



A few minutes before the parade start, a couple of entertainers came out on the stage and started cracking Star Wars jokes and asking trivia questions, and engaging the crowd by asking them to hold up their light sabers and such:



We still had shade on our side of the street, for which I was very thankful. Several people on the other side were smart enough to use umbrellas for shade. We were now just a few minutes from the parade start, and people kept squeezing in to every possible space on our side of the street. I thought this granny with the big head and sunglasses was going to be a problem with me seeing the parade, but it ended up that she was no problem The guy in the green shirt you see here, who just squeezed in to that space, is another story:



Right at 11, the parade music began, and they simultaneously closed the walkways next to and across from us. You could almost here a whoosh as the guests standing around there pounced on the last remaining open space and completely filled it:



And almost instantly, the parade was coming down the street right in front of us! :

Our view wasn't bad at all:



Before I go on, let me give you fair warning- my photos are no where near as good as the photos fellow Fiend Devores took on the first Star Wars Weekend. If you want to see clear, high quality photos of the parade, you want to look at his photos. He showed up two hours early and had a perfect, unobstructed view of the parade. I showed up an hour early, and had to deal with the obstructions. Also, Devores, photos showed great costumes, and the good parts of the parade, while I kind of focused on the geek angle.

So, if you keep reading, no complaining about the bad photos or my occasional picking on a geek.

This next photo illustrates the obstructions I had to deal with. Here's a photo of Chip, and you can also see Dale behind the big head of the lady who decided to suddenly stand up right in front of me:



And the lady didn't just have a big head-she also had a big camera, which she held out away from her so she could see the display as she took her great unobstructed photos:



No big deal. I just had to shift around and try to take my photos around the women with big heads and big cameras in front of me. But, I also had a lady behind me who had no concept of personal space, and who would stick her arm and camera over my shoulder, right in front of my face, to take photos of what was coming down the street. While having a strange lady pressing up against you may sound like a good thing to some of the men reading along, trust me, it wasn't. She was sweaty, and she was what Disney fans refer to as Pooh-sized. But what could I do? Basically, we were trapped where we were, so we had to stay and watch the parade and make the best of it. And that is what we did.

Here comes Minnie dressed a Princess Leia, and Goofy dressed as Darth Vader with boxer shorts. I don't understand the boxer shorts:



I wanted another photo of Goofy as he got closer, but then green shirt guy started up with his photo taking:



Do you see the wing span on that guy? Impressive. I think he could stick his arm about 3' out into the street. So, I had to take my photos when he didn't have his arm stuck out.

Next came Storm Trooper Donald. I think this costume is lame. They need to figure out a way for him to have a helmet. What's a stormtrooper with no helmet?:



You could see them coming up right behind Donald in the last photo- these are the kids who signed up to participate in the Jedi Training Academy activity. They get to march in the parade, and their parents march right behind them. I am not sure that this is smart- I think the kids don't get to see the parade since they're marching in it:





As all of this was going on, I noticed an old friend of mine across the way. You can see him in this photo. It's iPad guy! He is holding up his iPad with the neon green cover right over there above everyone's heads:



So, it's hot and crowded. The next thing you know, green shirt guy's kid takes his shirt off, and green shirt guy got me again:



I forgot to mention that they were not from this land. I began to worry at this point that green shirt guy might soon be no shirt guy.

Next comes the best part.

The 501st Legion, Florida Garrison!:

As Devores told us in his report, this is a group of normal people who make their own Star Wars costumes and live for moments like this.

As you might suspect, there is an overabundance of gentlemen Star Wars enthusiasts, and not so many ladies. In fact, I was not expecting to see any ladies, but the 501st Legion had that covered. They had all of their female members march right up front:


I think there are at least three females in that last photo. There might be more, but some I'm not so sure about.

As I have already mentioned, I had to deal with a couple of ladies in front of me with huge heads, the big sweaty lady behind me, and the green shirt guy with the freakishly long arms. As if all of that weren't enough, I then see this guy with some kind of pass bobbing around out in the street. You can see him in this next photo along with the ladies? in red and the emperor:


So are these ladies?:


I don't know.

But I do know that this is the emperor himself:



Remember, this is just some normal guy who made his own costume and has come here at his expense to march in this parade. The guy was loving life! He was walking from side to side on the street scowling and making faces at the guests:

We need to take a closer look at this dude:



This guy was in his glory. And good for him. Other men his age are sitting someplace playing bingo or driving buses for Disney, but this guy is here living his dream dressed up as the evil emperor and scaring kids.

Awesome!

Check out the giant hat and shiny boots on this guy:



Why is his hat so big?

So who are these guys in black?

I don't remember them from the movie.

They are clearly supposed to be bad guys.

And menacing.

But then there is this guy:






Yes, I took those photos. And I may have snickered when I did. I thought about not posting them, because I don't want to be mean or ugly-that is not what this site is about. But, in the end, I decided that I would post them. Actually, I think it's a great thing that the 501st Legion apparently will let anyone with an appropriate costume join in their fun. And, I think that's great. That man (or woman?) in the last three photos is a Star Wars geek and he (or she?) wants to march in the parade, so they let him (or her). Good for him (or her) and good for the 501st legion! I know I have poked fun at the geeks, but it is somehow heartwarming to see people who have such a love for Star Wars have a place where they can let it all hang out and have fun. They have a great time, and you can see how much the guests love the parade, so everybody wins!

We are once again at the photo limit, but there are a lot more parade photos to share.

If you thought that last bunch of photos was fun, wait until you see the next ones.

TCD

[BuckeyeFortFan 35]

I think those guys in black are TIE fighter pilots.  I hope those TIE fighters are roomier than they look.

[devores 382]

Couple of comments:

 

First:

 

The "new" scenes in the star wars saga movies are actually not new at all. They were filmed as part of the movie back in its original production. The ideas were all Georges and was supposed to be part of the original movies. The problem? Even George couldn't figure it all out and the technology and techniques just would not permit him to add those scenes to his satisfaction. As technology progressed, he was finally able to add those scenes he wanted to later. One scene stands out to prove my point. There is a scene where Han Solo is talking to Jaba the Hut. In the scene, Han walks over Jabas tail, its a full view of Jaba and Han walks on his tail. Its obviously a younger Harrison Ford and was filmed back in original production. But George could not get Jaba to turn out the way he wanted so he cut the scene. Now, with newer technology, he could finally get that scene right and added it to the digitaly enhanced versions.

 

Thanks for the plug and compliments on my parade pics.

 

The guy with the pass walking down the street is a Disney photographer. I see him around all the time at most major events. If you goto the car masters at DTD this weekend, look for him there as well. He is assigned to photograph Chip Foose. Ive talked to him a few times, but never caught his name.

 

The guys in black are Tie Fighter pilots. though that last one would have trouble getting into the cockpit of one. Good thing there isn't gravity in space.