I know a bunch of folks hate Disney and for good reasons, but if you are even a moderate Star Wars fan the newer areas at the parks are unbelievable. I just got back from the one in Orlando but I was absolutely blown away. It was a totally immersive environment, kind of in the same vein as the areas at Epcot or Magic Kingdom but much more so.

And the newest ride, the Rise of the Resistance, is insane. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever even heard of before and is more of an experience than a ride.

If you find yourself going on a vacation to the parks make sure you take some time to check the new areas out. I’m really not a big fan of Star Wars and have only seen a few of the movies but I loved it.

We were at Disneyland when it opened, the crowd there was insane, so we didn't venture inside. May end up there this summer, so will check it out if we do.

Yeah I heard that when they opened they’d close the area off. No such problem now, or at least in Orlando. Maybe when summer rolls around it will be a problem again but my friends were there on NYE when the parks were at capacity and said it wasn’t an issue then either. I think the massive fans flooded the parks when they opened.

We were there over Thanksgiving and did Smuggler's Run a couple of times. Left a few days before ROTR opened. We'll be back in the summer and we'll check it out. My wife is on top of the planning.

Son built a BB-style droid, which was pretty cool. We left just before the real crowds came in.

It's entertaining, if you're into that sort of thing. Although it's absurd how much they charge for a thermal detonator Coke. I think they were like $7 for a 12oz bottle or something like that. Pass...

Family got some good pics with stormtroopers.














Tony.

My niece is working at Disney world and was selected to be on the team that opened the area up and is still working the show. We got to see a lot of behind the scenes pictures from the weeks leading up to the opening.

Needless to say, she is having the time of her life.

That looks really cool. I carried some of the steel for the Disneyland attraction, so I will always have a little piece of my labor in it.

I do wish they had done more of A New Hope time period. I just like the looks of a T-65B X-Wing more than the T-70, and the Falcon should have a round dish, dammit! I guess I'm a child of the 70's who first saw it in a theatre, so the pull of nostalgia is strong with this one.

Who’da thunk it in 1977 when I saw the original?
And I am still amazed by the memories.

My 19 yr old son just asked if we could go to Orlando for Spring Break. He is a Sophomore in college and wants to go to Disney and not Daytona...

Any tips on making the most of the trip?

Although I went to Disney World a couple times in the early-mid '80's, due to some of their stances apparently now held by the corporation, I won't be spending any money on their products or experiences...but having said that I'll admit that, based on benny 6's pics, I am very impressed with the effort that went into their recreation of the Star Wars universe.

It would be interesting to talk to the engineers and designers involved with building such an amazing recreation.

Out of curiosity, are visitors able to climb aboard the Millennium Falcon or the X-Wing?

Those pics really take me back to when I was a kid, prodded by an engineer father who loved all things science and sci-fi, I was the same...and I remember saving the Time magazine article on the phenomenon that was Star Wars...and being so excited, probably more excited than on Christmas morning, while standing in a line with my family that extended for blocks past the entrance of a New York City movie theater just to see one of the '77 showings.

Some day...after the apocalypse, should I happen to survive, I'll roam the U.S. and will make my way to Disney World to see the spectacle of Star Wars land.

No you can’t climb into either. I went in October. The newest ride, resistance whatever wasn’t open yet. The other ride, the Millennium Falcon ride was. Your ride is in the Millennium Falcon. It sucked. Seriously. They put 6 of us in the ride at a time. It’s one of those simulator type rides. Two of the seats up front are the “pilots”. They get a good view of the screen and play like Han flying. The other 4 are gunners or something. Obstructed view and can’t do anything but push a button. I was wildly disappointed. The land is cool but the ride sucked. Glad to hear the new ride is better.

The best ride in all the parks is flying the beast from Pandora. That was a great ride.

quote:

Originally posted by armedprof:
My 19 yr old son just asked if we could go to Orlando for Spring Break. He is a Sophomore in college and wants to go to Disney and not Daytona...

Any tips on making the most of the trip?

Oh, that’s going to be a long post...

I’ll type up something tomorrow morning. Start planning now.

quote:

Originally posted by armedprof:
My 19 yr old son just asked if we could go to Orlando for Spring Break. He is a Sophomore in college and wants to go to Disney and not Daytona...

Any tips on making the most of the trip?

As noted above, plan ahead. Find out what you like (Epcot, Magic Kingdom, etc.). Then choose your places to eat, get your fast passes, etc. I'll wait to see what is posted. I've been a few times (about 13-14), and can offer some advice as well.

If you wish to ride Rise of the Resistance here is my tip is to plan now to get to the park somewhere between 4:30AM to 6:00AM with your phone Disney app ready and updated. Make sure you have a good WiFi signal and get onto a boarding party right away when it opens. We went the week after Christmas not knowing this and the one day we had to go we were told at 9:00 AM that we would not be able to ride, boarding parties filled up shortly after the park opened. That was our first trip and first experience in the park. Also, hit the Launch Bay at Hollywood Studios and enjoy the character meet and greets, store, and march of characters. Be ready for the line backed up for security searches. You can bring backpack, snacks, drinks, etc. (highly recommended). Don’t bring a knife or weapon, they’ll find it. They are pretty thorough. Bring lots of money! The Galaxy’s Edge is more of a sales gimmick and experience than it is ride. You’ll find so many things you’ll want if you’re a Star Wars fan. The lightsaber build is cool. Hit up YouTube and watch so,e videos before you go in. I wasn’t impressed with the food in Galaxy’s Edge but there are other places to eat in Hollywood Studios. We could only afford one day passes but we visited several restaurants at the assorted resorts. Ohanas at the Polynesian Resort was great food. We went late and got a window seat and watched the fireworks over the castle while we ate. Make sure you have plenty of cash available if you’re going to stay in Orlando for the toll roads. It was in the 60’s and 70’s weather wise in Orlando in December. Great weather temperature wise but it also rained several times on our park day. Bring rain ponchos and plan shoes knowing you may have wet shoes and socks.

Reading everyone's posts about the crowds, I really feel fortunate that the park was relatively light when we went last year. I think our wait for smugglers run was about 90 minutes, ROTR was not yet open.

My experience was a little different than most it seems. As a Star Wars fan since childhood I really enjoyed seeing the recreated star fighters, the Millennium Falcon and things like the Stormtroopers walking around "policing" folks but that's where the theme ended for me. The Smugglers run ride itself didn't seem to tie into the movie franchise at all and the more you looked around at the details, the land was more "some space port from a sci-fi movie" than places and themes from the Star Wars franchise. It just seemed kind generic under the surface when they could have pulled in so much detail from the movie and used it so that you really felt you were "THERE." I still enjoyed the experience though, we had a great day, it just seemed a bit generic to me.

For the Rise of the Resistance ride they are doing a different type of line.

You have to get a boarding pass to get on the ride and they are all gone within a couple minutes of the park opening. The way you get a boarding pass is to be on the app or be with a park representative who has a tablet at 7:00am

The catch is that you and all of your party has to be inside the park at that time. Anyone who ha not been scanned in cannot get a pass. So dad can’t go at 6 and get the whole family in.

We got to the park at 6am and we were inside by 6:30. We found a representative just in case we had app issues and stayed with him. As soon as 7 hit the button on the app went live and I hit it. We got group 42.

Then you wait around until your group is called and you have up to two hours after you are called to check in. We got called at about 10:30 and the line was pretty short once we checked in.

The ride seems to break down a lot so they don’t always get the same amount of groups in every day. It’s getting a lot more stable but I’d recommend being ready as soon as you get called and not waiting the two hours.

It sounds like a pain in the ass and in some ways it is but I think this beats the hell out of running to the ride the second the park opens and waiting in line for hours.

There was a time when the dollar per minute of enjoyable time at Disney was acceptable for me, but that time passed long ago. Entrance fees are obscene and the amount of time spent in lines for rides or attractions is insane. I’m so glad my kids are old enough to not be mesmerized by the Disney cult and have been a few times when younger so they didn’t miss out. It’s ridiculous how many people are allowed in on any given day to the point that it’s so crowded that you can reach out and physically touch a stranger at any given moment.

quote:

Originally posted by armedprof:
and wants to go to Disney and not Daytona...

Daytona? To see old Harley guys and gals?

Pass.

We had just graduated High School in 70' and went up in the winter of 71' when it first opened. My girlfriend and another couple. I loved it, and we'd spend all day in the park. Of course as kids back then and not a lot of money, we'd stay in one of the local motels for quick changes and snacks and back to the parks. Both Disney and Epcot were amazing. One night we closed the park, we were running from one side of the Space Mountain to the other, I think it was an Alpha and Omega sides of the ride. We went on both several times. It was actually quite cold that night if I remember for Florida winters.

Over the years been up there to pretty much all the parks and local attractions. After many visits we'd be going to visit Old Town for the car shows, shopping at the outlets, and many of the great Steakhouses up that way. We'd just cram as much as possible in a visit. Stayed at many places both inside the parks and out. We'd usually make the trip for guests and out of state friends that came here to visit.

What great memories and I'm a extreme roller coaster lover so a few times the visit would be premised on a new one opening up after completion. Always a good time. Haven't been up to visit in over 10yrs now, I due for another fix Though this time as an old geezer I may opt for a motorized cart if possible!

Space Mountain opened in 1975. I rode it shortly after it opened and my greatest memory was how it looked like the two trains were going to crash into each other. The next time I went, some 45 years later, I was telling my kids about it and someone else in the water taxi tells us it's just a mirror.

Buy your tickets now and make Fastpass reservations 30 days in advance for the park you're going to visit. There's no Fastpass for Rise of the Resistance or Smuggler's run. Every person gets three Fastpasses per day.

Go to this website and create an account...
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com

There, you can buy tickets and look at the park map.

You can view every place to eat and see what's on the menu...
https://disneyworld.disney.go....g/hollywood-studios/
I really enjoyed Mama Melrose Italian restaurant. For a multi-day park visit, you can filter the results for the park you're in. If you're going for spring break, I think you're within the window to make dining reservations at restaurants that take reservations. If you leave the park early enough and don't find any of the dining within the park appealing, I highly recommend Chef Art Smith's at Disney Springs. It's really good southern cooking.

I had the fried chicken and it was amazing.

Since you're going to Disney World, make sure you download the Disney World app and not the Disneyland app! They are two separate apps. The Disneyland app does not work in Orlando! This will be critical to boarding a group for Rise of the Resistance unless you find a person in the park with a tablet.

More to come...