The ever popular STAR WARS Weekends started last Friday (21st. May and run through until June 11 - 13

Held at Disneys Hollywood Studios, it unbelievably celebrates it’s 30th. year getting more and more popular as the years go by. The  Jedi Knights, Sith Lords and Star Wars are all there for special shows, presentations and photo opportunities. There is no need for you to travel to another Universe or Galaxy to come face to face with droids, alien creatures and Star Wars characters.

The young ones can have fights with their lightsabers (naturallly on sale!!!) and prepare to do battle with Darth Vader. There are prize giveaways, rides on a Starspeeder and a parade of distant Worlds.Plus, there are plenty of conversations, autograph sessions and motorcades with the celebrities and creators.

 This year’s celebrity hosts for all 4 weekends are Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett) and Ashley Eckstein (voice of Ahsoka) where you can choose from either the Light Side or the Dark Side of the Force to hear a special message from a Star Wars character inviting you to be a part of this special event!

This is a must for all STAR WAR Fans. A good tip is to grab a FASTPASS before the Park opens to ensure your place in line for celebrity autographs.You will see the autograph FASTPASS kiosk outside the Front Gate entrance, be early as they will go fast and ther numbers are limited.

Each day ends with the Hyperspace Hoopla! show, where many favorites let loose with music, comedy, dancing and more. With Ewoks, Wookiees, stormtroopers, Jawas and more invading all yoiu young Padawan Learners and their parents would be wise to have your  cameras ready.It all sounds great to us old Grandparents, just wish we were over there.

MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU

Mary & Larry

There was no respite as the earthquake worsened, and now the tanker was leaking fuel. Soon the power lines could resist no longer and came crashing to the ground sending sparks dancing in all directions. Rivers of gasoline were ignited and within seconds the truck exploded in a huge fire ball.

The rain had been relentless and without any further warning a flash flood hurtled down the canyon walls towards us. The foaming wall of water threatens our very existence but mercifully stops just short of our tram. As the cascade subsides we can see that the fires have been extinguished and the ground is no longer shaking…but it had been a close call.

This was Catastrophe Canyon, the highlight of Hollywood Studios Back Lot Tour.

The excitement begins after exiting the Harbour Attack special effects movie shoot and as you board the tram there is no inkling of the terror you are about to face.

In fact, at this time, your knowledgeable guide is happy to point out photo opportunities for the iconic Earful Tower and bombard you with a plethora of mesmerising statistics about its height and weight.

Even moving on through the Boneyard which is home to a number of props from some major film successes such as Star Wars, Herbie the Love Bug and Pirates of the Caribbean,  there was still no indication of what dangers lay ahead.

Then we slowly turned the corner and entered through the narrow walls of the canyon ….you know what happened next.

The fascinating thing, after the flash flood subsides, is to watch the whole set reset itself ready for the next tram load of unsuspecting guests.

Our ride continues around the back of Catastrophe Canyon where the huge tanks and water canon are housed. Another chance for our guide to shower us (forgive the pun) with more mind blowing facts and figures. But it was interesting to understand how the special effects were performed.

Towards the end of the ride the tram passes an old Dakota aircraft affectionately known as ‘The Mouse’. This, we are informed, was the original plane that Walt Disney flew in when looking for the ideal location in Florida to build his theme park dream.

We are returned to our start point and guide bids us a cheery farewell.

It had certainly been an eventful trip.

But, let’s start at the beginning!  First I should clue you in to avoid 3-D movies (my kids were always terrified of these!) and also the flight simulators are too intense though your toddlers will be too small to be allowed on anyway!  If the adults choose to do the intense rides in the park, you can take advantage of the baby-swap that Disney offers for families with small children.  You will avoid having to split up and wait in line twice.  When one of you disembarks, you swap the children and the other can get right on! 

Upon entering the park, you will come to “Hollywood Boulevard” where you will encounter “The Great Movie Ride”.   There are scenes that could be disturbing to young children, so it is my recommendation to avoid this one.  

Next you will come to “Echo Lake”.  Avoid “Sounds Dangerous” as parts of this show are in complete darkness with special effects that will surely upset young children.  The only attraction in this area that you may want to consider is the “Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular” which is full of live action and adventure.  Sit as far back as possible since  there are fires and explosions causing some of the scenes to be a bit frightening for  youngsters.  If you sit far back enough, this will decrease the intensity. Use your judgment here as well as consider their attention span as this show is 30 minutes in duration.   “Hollywood and Vine” is in this area and this is an excellent choice for lunch or dinner as they serve a very family-friendly buffet.  For an extra special meal with the Playhouse Disney characters, I would recommend calling ahead to book “Play ‘N Dine at Hollywood and Vine”.

In “Streets of America”, if you have a little guy who loves fast cars, then make sure you see “Lights, Motors, Action!”  It may be a lot of stimulation for some children, but this one should hold their attention!  Afterwards, let them expend some energy at the “Honey I Shrunk the Kids Movie Set Adventure”.   It’s a larger than life playground that the kids are sure to enjoy!

Don’t miss “Voyage of the Little Mermaid” and “Playhouse Disney – Live on Stage” in “Animation Courtyard”.   These performances are geared to the younger set.

“Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage” on “Sunset Boulevard” is a 30-minute live musical performance that the whole family should really enjoy.  Again, take into consideration your child’s attention span.  

The grand finale at MGM is “Fantasmic” which is one of my all time favorite Walt Disney performances.   Most of this program is delightful for all age groups.  Unfortunately, though, there are some larger than life encounters with the Disney villains that will probably terrify youngsters, so I’m sorry to say that this is best left to when the children are a bit older!

A question which we remember asking ourselves before our very first visit to the Sunshine State was ’should we go to Universal or Disney Studios?’  And it’s a question which many guests have asked us since.

And, for us, the answer is very easy.  A trip to Disney Studios is a must!  But then it becomes less easy.  Because a visit to Universal Studios is a must as well!  Both of these parks are themed around the movies, and certainly they have similarities - but they are sufficiently different that, if your vacation allows the time, it would be a shame to miss out on one of these great attractions.

Disney Studios

This is one of the smaller theme parks in Central Florida - but a lot is packed into a small area.  Rollercoasters?  The Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster is sure to excite - and is right next to The Tower of Terror, another adrenalin rush.  Prefer shows?  ‘Indiana Jones’ and ‘Lights, Motors, Action’ are two huge scale shows for the whole family.  Love the movies?  Try ‘The Great Movie Ride’ or ‘Muppets 4D’

But this is only just scratching the surface of a day at this park.  Plenty of characters, and fabulous scenery makes for a busy day

Universal

Whilst Disney Studios offers a great day out, Universal offers more of the same - or rather, more, but with a different viewpoint.  Rollercoasters - a recent addition is ‘Revenge of the Mummy’, whilst ‘Earthquake’ is a different take on a ‘coaster.  If shows are the reason for your visit, Universal has some great musical offerings, including the excellent ‘Blues Brothers’.  But if the movies are what’s wanted, Universal competes with Disney by offering Terminator 2 and Shrek 4-D.  Again, this is only a small part of the entertainment on offer.

And The Winner Is

Truth is, whichever of these two parks you choose to visit first, a full day of entertainment, thrills, excitement and laughs awaits.  Everyone will have their personal favourite, but still enjoy a visit to the other.  And perhaps that is part of the reason for the popularity of Central Florida as the ‘Vacation Capital of The World’.  No matter what you do when on vacation, there is always plenty more saved for your next visit.

So there is no reason to choose one over the other, just a decision on which to visit first!

There are 3 participating restaurants in different price categories.  Listed from most expensive to least expensive, they are Brown Derby, Mama Melrose and Hollywood and Vine.  The best part about this package is that there is no additional charge! By booking the Fantasmic Dinner Package in advance using your credit card, you pay a fixed dinner price and are given a reserved seating pass for the show.    

We opted for the buffet at Hollywood and Vine.  The food was really good and there were plenty of choices for every member of our family including our fussy young son!  They had a special section for children which included chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese.   It was a hot day and the cold selections were especially appetizing.   The dessert bar offered a fabulous finish with a variety of sweets in tiny portions which gave us the opportunity to sample everything and go back for more of our favorites! 

At the end of our meal, the waiter presented us with our seating passes for Fantasmic with special instructions on where to enter and when to be there.  We were able to wait until only 30 minutes prior to start time to arrive and we were ushered in through a special entrance – no wasted time waiting in line!!  We were taken to a special reserved section and seated immediately. 

Here are some tips if you plan to book this package for your next trip to Disney:

1 – You can book this up to 180 days in advance by calling 1-407-WDW-DINE.   If you’re going during a peak holiday period, then book early.  We were actually able to book the package only a couple days prior as it wasn’t a busy time, but the only restaurant available was the Hollywood and Vine and only for the early seating. 

2 – The reserved seating section is on a first-come-first-served basis.  All the seats are great, so there’s really no value and arriving early to choose your seats.  However, take note that if you sit in the first few rows, you will get wet!

3- If you have elderly or disabled guests in your party, take into consideration that it is quite a long walk from the entrance to the seating area.  So, arrive early if this is the case.  No matter how early you arrive, you won’t have to wait in line – you will go straight to your seats!

We had been told that there was limited seating capacity and that it fills up quickly and so we returned in good time to ensure we got in but there was no problem for the late comers and there were spare seats, although these were at the sides.  (We visited on a Sunday in early March – it might be different in high season) For the best views you want to be in the very middle or alternatively in the middle of one of the two sides.  You can judge is when you arrive by looking at the high pillars that mark the edge of the centre area.  Towards the edges there is some slight distortion of the images.

It was completely different to any thing we had ever seen before with most of the effects being created by lights and lasers reflected onto water fountains.  Actually it would take a more skilled writer than me to describe the visions and atmosphere that was created.  We had my mother with us and she is still talking about it as the highlight of her holiday.  “It was fantastic!” she keeps saying. 

The show is set in an amphitheatre with a lake and a central island.  Without spoiling the plot or any of the surprises the story tells of Mickey’s dream and nightmare where a vast number of the good and then bad Disney characters fight for dominance.  The water displays are interspersed with activity on the island or on the water.  However, the experience is greater than the sum of its parts and it really appealed to all ages.  

There are no problems about returning to a park later in the day and you don’t have to pay for parking again.  It is also a good opportunity take some more rides or see some of the attractions again.