Star Wars Weekends at Hollywood Studios

For four 3-day weekends each year, Disney's Hollywood Studios is invaded by characters from the Star Wars universe. This year, from May 16th to June 15th. It's a great time for those with a Disney and Star Wars obsession. My family was a little unsure about going because we'd heard that the crowds can be crazy! I finally convinced them that it would be fun to give it a try. We decided to go on a Friday during the second weekend in 2012. This was the perfect time to go. Star Wars Weekends are a blast!

There are several special events during Star Wars Weekends: Jedi Training Academy, the Star Wars Celebrity Motorcade, the Padawan Mind Challenge, celebrity autographs, character Meet & Greets, behind the scenes shows, as well as the Hyperspace Hoopla. And there are two new experiences this year: now you can have lunch with characters from Jedi Mickey to Darth Goofy at Hollywood and Vine or enjoy a Galactic Breakfast at the Sci-fi Dine-in Theater. And to cap off the night, Disney has added the new Symphony in the Stars fireworks. Each day is packed with a lot to see and do.

The Star Wars fun begins before you enter the park. Stormtroopers have been stationed above the gates and make comments about the crowds. They point out odd looking characters to each other and talk about what strange creatures the crowds are. Our favorite part was when the Stormtroopers decided that everyone must be holding up those little boxes (cameras) and pointing them as a way of greeting. The Stormtroopers then decided to greet the crowd in the same manner. It was hilarious! Throughout the park, you can hear many different themes from the Star Wars saga. I have always loved John Williams' themes, so I really appreciated this touch.

Ahsoka Tano

The Jedi Training Academy is extra special during Star Wars Weekends. The sign up station is moved near the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular and they take 30 kids for each show. (If you want to get a guaranteed spot, be there when the gates open and head immediately to the sign up station. Spots are filled very quickly, so you may wish to sign up during the week when it's less busy.) 15 Padawans, or Jedi Trainees, are up on the stage and 15 are on the ground in front of the stage. Jedi Master Vance Nadal trains those onstage and Ahsoka Tano, Anakin Skywalker's Padawan, trains those on the ground. The Padawans are taught a series of moves that they will be using to fight the Dark Side. Then, Darth Vader and his Stormtroopers arrive, along with a female Sith named Asajj Ventress. When Bean was selected to participate, she was delighted to be trained by Ahsoka and fight Asajj, as you can only see them during special times, like Star Wars Weekends.

Star Wars Weekends feature many character Meet & Greets that can only be found during these four weekends each year. The lines can be long, but you should be able to meet at least a few of the characters with relatively short wait times. Each character location has a fantastic backdrop from the films and a brief description of the characters that appear there. In Darth's Maul, we met a young Luke Skywalker. He was really nice and looked enough like Luke to be convincing. Sometimes, R2-D2 and C-3PO appear with Luke. After Luke, Princess Leia was meeting fans in the same locations. She also appears with R2-D2 and C-3PO at times. Near the Star Tours face painting station, we met Queen Amidala. The line for Amidala was fairly short and we only waited about 15 minutes. Near the speeder across from Star Tours, Chewbacca and a couple of Ewoks were posing for photos. In the Streets of America, near the San Francisco backdrop, you could meet either Anakin Skywalker, ShaakTi, Mace Windu, or Kit Fisto. Near the Phineas & Ferb and Cars Meet and Greet areas, you could find Captain Rex, Clone Troopers, Asajj Ventress or Ahsoka Tano. In the covered area near the Backlot Tour was a very long line to meet Darth Vader. By the ABC Commissary, you could meet Darth Maul or Goofy in his Darth Vader costume. Across from him, you could meet Boba or Jango Fett and stand with your arms and legs in shackles. Between the ABC Commissary and the Great Movie Ride was the area for Jedi Mickey, Leia Minnie, and Duck Maul. In addition to these character locations, there are also wandering characters, including Jawas, Tusken Raiders, Stromtroopers, and Tam Wesel.

Asajj Ventress

During our visit, we only met three characters, but they were all fantastic! Luke was very personable and kind to Bean and even spent several minutes talking with her and looking at her autograph photobook. Amidala was very in character and told us about her time in the Galactic Senate. ShaakTi suggested unique poses for each group of guests and really had quite a variety of fun poses to choose from. She was fantastic at putting guests at ease and getting them involved in some Star Wars fun.

In addition to the various costumed characters, different celebrities are available for autographs each weekend. To meet these celebrities, you must obtain a Fast Pass for that celebrity near the entrance to Hollywood Studios. There is a limit of one Fast Pass per person, so you must choose wisely. Also, the guest whose ticket was used to obtain the Fast Pass must be present to receive the Fast Pass, so you can't send one person with all of the tickets for a group to get your Fast Pass. Once you have a Fast Pass, you can go the the autograph for your chosen celebrity at the designated time to get your autograph. Also, you can only have one item autographed and one photo taken. Honestly, I'm not sure it's worth all of the hoops you have to jump through, so my family and I decided not to get any celebrity autographs.

The Star Wars Celebrity Motorcade is a parade of Star Wars characters. The parade lasts about 20 minutes and features groups of Stormtroopers, classic Star Wars characters, Mickey and friends in their Star Wars costumes, and cars full of Star Wars celebrities. Unfortunately, the celebrities can be somewhat obscure, such as a voice from the cartoons and may not be interesting to young children, but the costumed characters are a lot of fun. If you want to watch the parade, you'll need to get a seat early. I would recommend finding your spot at least 90 minutes before the parade starts as spaces fill up quickly.

The Padawan Mind Challenge is a trivia trial for kids age 11 and under. You do have to preregister to participate in this challenge. Kids use their knowledge of Star Wars: The Clone Wars to become Padawans, or Jedi Trainees. You can signup near the ABC Sound Studio, beginning when the park opens, but spaces fill up fast. There are only two shows a day, around 2 PM and 6:30 PM. The shows take place on the large stage set up in front of the Sorcerer's Hat. The crowds in this area can be very large, so if you'd like to watch the challenge, be sure to check your Times Guide and arrive early.

There are several special Behind the Scenes shows each weekend, hosted by one of the co-hosts of Star Wars Weekends. Ashley Eckstein, the voice of Ahsoka Tano, hosts Behind the Force: an insiders look at Star Wars: The Clone Wars cartoons. James Arnold Taylor, the voice of Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, hosts two different shows. The first, Stars of the Saga, invites that weekends celebrity guests to sit down for an interview about their work. The second, Obi-Wan and Beyond, is a glimpse into the world of voice acting. James Arnold Taylor voices around 150 characters, so he is the perfect actor for such a show.

One of the favorite stops for collectors during Star Wars Weekends is the special shopping area. Available only during Star Wars Weekends and located through the gates near Rock 'N' Roller Coaster, the name and theme changes yearly. In 2012, the shop was called Darth's Maul. During the opening weekend the line was a 90 minute wait to get in and a 90 minute wait to get out. By the second weekend, there was no wait to get in and very little wait to get out. Darth's Maul was a giant tent filled with Disney exclusive Star Wars merchandise. Limited edition merchandise is also available. 2012 saw the release of a new collection of women's clothing designed by Ashley Eckstein, the voice of Ahsoka Tano. The Her Universe collection debuted at Darth's Maul and included many shirts for women and girls as well as a few costume hoodies. The Princess Leia hoodie sported her famous hair buns and the girls Ahsoka hoodie looked just like Ahsoka. for the true collector, there were Darth Vader and Chewbacca costumes that cost over $100,000 each. Some of the limited edition goods were only available as a purchase with purchase. One was a photo frame with Duck Maul and Jedi Mickey. There was also a polar fleece throw with Duck Maul and a pin with the same design. There were quite a few pins that had been created especially for the event and two series of Vinylmation as well. We waited about 5 minutes to make our purchases, but the wait to purchase limited edition merchandise was 20-30 minutes. One of my favorite items was the Star Tours name tag. I purchased one with my name in Aurebesh, the language of the galaxy. You can also choose your home planet from one of the 15 available. I chose Endor because I love Ewoks. And new for 2012, the Droid Factory, a fun build-a-droid spot now permanently housed at Tatooine Traders.

One of my favorite collectibles from Star Wars Weekends was the R2-D2 popcorn buckets and lidded cups. The buckets were available filled with caramel popcorn, churros with chocolate sauce, a kids corndog and chips meal, or even a kids power pack with a cheese stick, carrots, yogurt, goldfish, and a cookie. The cups were available with either frozen lemonade, a milkshake, or hot fudge sundae. Other Star Wars treats included a Darth Vader cupcake, chocolate peanut butter flavored.Yum!

The final show of the night is the Hyperspace Hoopla. Described as an intergalactic dance competition, this show is loud and raucous. The characters dance to modern music with modern accessories. I have to say, this show was my least favorite part of Star Wars Weekends. The music is very loud! It can be heard throughout the park and is especially loud near the stage, which is located in front of the Sorcerer's Hat. I was also disappointed in the music, accessories, and dance styles that were used for the show. They were rather suggestive and not very family friendly. I wouldn't recommend taking small children to the Hyperpace Hoopla as I consider it to be an adult show.

If you want a VIP experience during Star Wars Weekends, those are available, too. The Feel the Force VIP dining event sounds like a lot of fun. You start with reserved seating for the Legends of the Force: Star Wars Celebrity Motorcade with beverages and snacks available. Then you also have reserved seating for the Symphony in the Stars fireworks which includes a Star Wars-themed dessert party. Finally, so the Force will be with you always, you receive a souvenir Disney Photopass card which includes complimentary Star Wars photos. This VIP event is a little pricey at $54 per adult and $32 per child, but I bet it's a lot of fun!

In all, I really enjoyed attending Star Wars Weekends. The characters were a lot of fun, the shows were great to watch, and the atmosphere was fantastic. I have always loved Star Wars and would recommend going to Star Wars Weekends to any fan.

Star Wars Land Update

Disney had some major announcements yesterday regarding Star Wars and it's presence at Hollywood Studios. It seems that there are many new experiences that will be opening in the coming months, starting December 1. The Star Wars Launch Bay will be a sneak peek behind the scenes of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. There will be special exhibits, merchandise, and the chance to meet Chewbacca and Darth Vader.

Star Tours will be adding a new adventure to its line-up. For the first few months, everyone will experience the new adventure. Afterward, it will be part of the random adventures we can see now. Disney shared a quick glimpse of this new adventure. I can't wait to see it in the park!

Another new experience is Star Wars: Path of the Jedi. Featuring scenes from all of the films, this will give new fans a chance to explore the galaxy many of us know and love. Finally, the Jedi Training experience for kids will receive a makeover and a new home. Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple will take younglings to the site of an ancient Jedi temple where they will face off against Darth Vader and the Seventh Sister. Bean is going to love it!

Unfortunately, with all these new experiences comes the loss of an old one. While construction is underway on the new 14-acre Star Wars Land, Star Wars Weekends have come to an end. While we'll now be able to experience a galaxy far, far away every day, I will miss this special event. I'm glad we had the chance to see it one last time this year. Which experience are you most looking forward to?

Star Wars Pins

There are several new Star Wars pins that have been created just for this years Star Wars Weekends at Disney World. Several of the individual pins feature key scenes from the Empire Strikes Back including a dimensional AT-AT being circled by a Snowspeeder. A massive jumbo pin in the shape of the number 30 is filled with characters from the movie. A boxed set of six characters and there vehicles has been created. There's also a set of Muppet Star Wars pins, a R2-MK (like a red R2-D2 but with Mickey ears), and a special limited edition pin. My favorite is the passholder limited edition pin which features Han Solo in carbonite. Finally, there's a limited release pin featuring the logo for the Star Wars Weekends.

May the Fourth Be With You Limited Time Magic

Disney

For 2013, Disney World has created special events called Limited Time Magic. The events and often special merchandise are often only available for one day only. In addition to the regular Star Wars Weekends, Disney World has planned a special day for Star Wars lovers. May the 4th, the unofficial "Star Wars Day" will be a day of Star Wars fun at Hollywood Studios.

Star Wars characters will show up in the most unlikely places. You might find yourself riding Star Tours with an Ewok or perhaps Chewbacca. For the first time, parents can join their children in Jedi Training Academy and learn to use the Force and battle the Dark Side and the Empire. A special dance party, with a DJ straight from Lando Calrissian's Cloud City, will end with a spectacular Star Wars themed fireworks show.

I would love to go to Hollywood Studios for May the Be With You. I'm sure it will be absolutely packed with fans and a lot of fun!

Star Wars toys

Every year, just in time for Star Wars Weekends, Disney releases a new set of Star Wars toys. This year, they have a set of 4 die-cast racers, the fourth set to be released. These new racers feature Yoda, a Clone Trooper, Battle Droid, and Jedi Master Plo Koon. Each car will be available for $5.95. There is also a new set of Disney characters dressed as characters from Star Wars. This years characters include Mickey as Luke Skywalker complete with green lightsaber, Minnie as Princess Leia in her Boushh disguise with removable helmet and thermal grenade, Donald as Han Solo with a staff and encased in a block of carbonite, Goofy as C-3PO, and Pete as Boba Fett with removable helmet, jet pack and blaster. Each figure will be packaged individually and available for $8.95. Some time later this year, Disney will be releasing a Star Wars themed vinylmation set. So far, only three images of the set have been released: Darth Vader, a Storm Trooper, and Lando Calrissian. I can't decide if I like the vinylmations. Some of them are really cute, but they have a lot of weird ones too. However, the pictures released for the Star Wars ones look pretty cool.

Happy Star Wars Day

Well, once again, it's May 4th. Known to some of us as Star Wars Day. At Disney World, they're gearing up for the grand re-opening, or as they say re-imagining, of Star Tours. The re-opening coincides with this years Star Wars Weekends, starting May 20th. I would love to go. Star Tours is Bean's favorite ride at Disney's Hollywood Studios. We've probably ridden it 100 times. To celebrate, Disney created a new Facebook app. You can use the app to make your own Star Wars passport. You simply select a photo, type in a few details and the app does the rest. Print it out, fold and glue and you've got an official looking passport to keep track of your trips to Star Tours new destinations. Make yours today and take it with you on your next trip to Disney World. There's a place on the back where you can get it stamped at Star Tours. You can also share your Star Tours itinerary on Facebook.

So, Happy Star Wars Day, May the Fourth Be With You!!

Star Wars Weekends Merchandise 2014

Star Wars Weekends will return to Disney's Hollywood Studios May 16 - June 15 this year. That means one extra weekend to feed your love of Star Wars. Disney recently released photos of some of this years merchandise and it looks amazing!

There will be several new pins and even a Battle of Yavin lanyard with a medal.

There are also several new toys this year, including Cars tractors dressed as stormtroopers. They're too funny! There will also be new Queen Amidala and Princess Leia Fashion sets.

Finally, the Star Wars: Series 4 Vinylmation mystery series will debut during this year's event. A new 9" and 3" set will feature the Rancor and his keeper. I really like the figurine set pictured above. I can't decide whether Chip and Dale or Donald in carbonite is my favorite.

Be sure to join the Rebel Alliance and find a treasure amongst the merchandise at Darth's Mall.

Photo Credit: Disney

Jedi Training Academy at Hollywood Studios

The Jedi Training Academy at Disney's Hollywood Studios can be a lot of fun for children ages 4 to 12. Each 20 minute show will teach 12 Padawans, or Jedi Trainees, the lighsaber skills of the Jedi. During Star Wars Weekends, the number of Padawans increases to 30 per show. Beginning when the park opens, you can signup in front of the ABC Sound Studio. The queue is located across from the Star Tours stage and behind the face painting station near the glass doors. Signups are usually available until noon. (During Star Wars Weekends only, the signup window is very brief, usually from 9-10 AM and is located outside the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular.) Children are assigned a number and told to return for a particular show. Once each show has been filled, alternates are also assigned numbers. Children are asked to return 30 minutes prior to their assigned show. Shortly before each show, if there are any spots that haven't been filled, alternates may be chosen. It is recommended that alternates check in 15-20 minutes before any show, and if there's an opening, the lowest alternate number will get to be in the show.

Before the show, each child is outfitted with a brown Jedi robe. The children are lined up and taken to the stage in front of the Star Tours ride, where they are given plastic lightsabers. A Jedi Master arrives and teaches the children a series of moves, repeating them, until everyone knows the order. Then, Darth Vader and his Stormtroopers arrive. Each Padawan has a chance to fight Darth Vader, one on one. Once each of the children has had a chance to battle Darth Vader under the watchful eyes of the Jedi Master, they work together to ward off Darth Vader with the power of the Force. The Dark Side is driven away, and each child is presented with a certificate declaring them an official Padawan.

Prior to the show, PhotoPass photographers hand special photopasses to each of the families. During the show, they take photos of all of the children who are participating, which are then added to the cards. After the show, you can take the special photopass to the Darkroom on Hollywood Boulevard where they will add the photos of your child to your regular photopass.

Bean loved being a part of the show and spend the next several days teaching everyone she could what she'd learned at the Jedi Training Academy. If your kids like Star Wars, either the movies or the cartoons, be sure to sign up for Jedi Training Academy. It is available 7 days a week at Hollywood Studios and shows occur twice per hour. So sign up early and enjoy!

As this is an outdoor show, it can be cancelled in inclement weather. This happened to Bean once, but the Cast Members offered a special photo session instead. We were taken into the handicapped access area for Star Tours and all of the children were lined up. A few minutes later, Darth Vader and two Storm Troopers walked in to take photos with each child. Bean, who was sporting pink Darth Maul facepaint, was very excited. We convinced here that she should give Darth Vader a hug. She ran up to him with her arms wide when it was her turn and Darth Vader stepped back and shook his head while the Stormtroopers shook their fingers. The Cast Member said, "There's no hugging on the Dark Side!" Bean spent the rest of the day talking about it!

Star Tours

Well, its that time of year again... Star Wars Weekends. Every year, I say I'll go, but I never seem to make it. This year guests will have a chance to ride one of the last trips to Endor on Star Tours. The ride is scheduled to close July 27 at Disneyland and September 8 at Disney World. They are going to be "reimagining" the ride with a new 3-D experience taking guests to familiar places in the Star Wars universe. They're also hosting a special "Last tour to Endor" party on August 14 during "Star Wars Celebration V" at Disney World. As this is one of Bean's favorite rides, I am rather sad to see it change. Sometimes I think Disney gets carried away trying to keep up with the latest and greatest. However, if it lives up to the promise and becomes an immersive 3-D trip through the universe of Star Wars, it may be alright. I just hope they don't totally change the outside of the ride as well. I love the Ewok village and AT-AT that shoots water from it's guns. Also, every year when we go, we take a picture of Bean on the speeder parked outside. It's a fun way of seeing how much she's grown. Here's hoping that the new ride is as much fun as the current one!

Autographs - An Adventure in Collecting, Part 3 Hollywood Studios

There are many opportunities to collect autographs at Disney's Hollywood Studios. For some characters, this is the only park where you can meet them for photos and autographs. The lines in this park are generally shorter than at the Magic Kingdom. At Hollywood Studios, I would recommend seeing Prince Caspian, the Incredibles, Playhouse Disney characters if you have little kids who enjoy the shows, Lightning McQueen & Mater, Mike & Sully, and the characters from UP. I haven't been to the Star Wars weekends yet, but I've heard that there are a lot of great characters to meet at these special events, as well as some of the actors who performed the roles in the movies. Most of the characters at Hollywood Studios are in special, themed areas specific to the character and are available throughout the day. Then there are rotating characters at the Magic of Animation building. These characters vary and may change multiple times throughout the day. As a result, you never know who you're going to get, but that can be fun if you have the time.

Characters that can be seen on normal days:
Mickey & Minnie Mouse, Sorceror Mickey, Donald Duck, Goofy, Pluto
Chip & Dale
Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Green Army Man*
Prince Caspian*
Power Rangers Green*, Yellow*, Pink*, and more*
Elastigirl*, Mr. Incredible*, Frozone*
Genie
Playhouse Disney: Handy Manny*, Jojo & Goliath*, Annie*, Quincy*, Leo* & June*
Indiana Jones* & Marion* (after the stunt show)
Lightning McQueen* & Mater* (they can't sign autographs because they don't have hands!)
Mike Wazowski* & Sully* (they can't sign autographs because Roz won't allow extra paperwork!)
Russell*, Mr. Fredrickson (Carl)*, and Dug* from UP

Characters that are sometimes available:
Belle
Mulan
Mary Poppins & Bert, Penguin
Villains: Captain Hook & Mr. Smee, Cruella DeVille, Frollo, Governor Radcliffe, Jafar, Prince John, the Sheriff of Nottingham, Queen of Hearts, the Snow Queen, Evil Queen
Tweedle Dum & Tweedle Dee, the White Rabbit
Rafiki
Snow White & Dopey
Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore
Pinocchio, Gepetto
Lilo & Stitch
Max
Pocahontas & Meeko
Suzy & Perla (the Mice from Cinderella)
Marie

Characters that are only found during Star Wars Weekends:
Chewbacca*, Ewoks*, R2-D2*, Jawas*
Darth Vader*, Boba Fett*, Stormtroopers*, Darth Maul*, Clone Troopers*
Jedi Mickey*, Stormtrooper Donald*, Vader Goofy*, Leia Minnie*

* = only available at this park
Tomorrow, on to Animal Kingdom.

Star Wars Weekends have Arrived

Disney

Are you ready for Star Wars Weekends?
The fun starts today!
It's a great time to show your Disney Side.

Star Wars Weekends

I'm over at Tips from the Disney Diva today talking about one of my favorite Hollywood Studios events: Star Wars Weekends.

Disney World Trip

I just got back from another trip to Disney World. I had a chance to visit all four parks and discovered a lot of new things to share with you. I finally had a chance to eat at Be Our Guest. The food was pretty good, but it has a few odd quirks which I'll be sharing with you soon. I also had a chance to try the new Harambe Market in Animal Kingdom. I really enjoyed the food, as well as the atmosphere. It's a wonderful new addition to the rather limited dining options at Animal Kingdom, especially with Flame Tree Barbecue closed for refurbishment. Finally, I ate at the Rebel Hangar Lounge. I loved the atmosphere! The food was surprisingly ample for small plates, and the number of characters we saw was astounding, especially considering we were there during the week and not over Star Wars Weekends.

I learned a bit more about the best way to use your magic bands and the my Disney experience app. I had the chance to see a preview of Inside Out, and made another trip through the Emotions Garden, which remains after the Flower and Garden Festival is gone for the year. I went to the Frozen Sing Along, which Bean and I enjoyed immensely. It really is a fantastic experience to sing Frozen songs with a few hundred of your fellow Disney fans. We only stayed once to watch fireworks. On Sunday night, we saw the Symphony in the Stars Fireworks, the finale to each night of Star Wars Weekends. They were beautiful and incredible, and I loved the way they were set to John Williams' music.

Unfortunately, I also paid a visit to Downtown Disney. What a mess! They've finished one parking garage, however, all of the other parking lots are torn up, as well as the road to the parking garage. We had to park behind the gas station in the former employee parking and get shuttled over in a van. Once there, I noticed that the changes from Downtown Disney to Disney Springs are moving along quite quickly. There is a lot of construction going on, but a lot of new shops as well. Bean and I especially enjoyed the new Super Hero Headquarters. It's filled with Agents of Shield, Avengers, and Guardians of the Galaxy merchandise. (Surprisingly, especially with regard to the restrictions on how Disney can use their Marvel characters, Youse Guys Moychindice in Hollywood Studios is now an Avengers store too. I was quite surprised to see so much Marvel merchandise inside the parks, but I hope this means we might see the characters there someday soon as well.)

Speaking of merchandise, the Character Warehouse at the Prime Outlet Mall in Orlando is preparing to remodel the store. As a result, everything was 50 percent off the lowest price. There were some fantastic deals. Hats and ears for $6.50 or less, pins for $2, scarves were under $10, and much more. However, I discovered my favorite deal at the register: Limited Edition Frozen Olaf Christmas Magic Bands for $8.50 each. You could only purchase two per person, but it was a fantastic deal. And they're so cute that I couldn't resist.

In all, we had a great trip. I look forward to sharing everything with you in greater detail in the coming weeks.

May the Fourth Be With You

Happy Star Wars Day! I love this ridiculously geeky holiday celebrating one of my favorite movie series. When we went down to Disney World for Star Wars Weekends last year, we took a lot of great photos. This is one of my favorites.

"Aren't you a little short for a Stormtrooper?"

Sneak Previews at Disney World

All images: Disney

Disney World has started to share special previews of the latest Disney movies. When I was there last week, we had the chance to see a fantastic preview of Tomorrowland at EPCOT.

It was shown in the Imagination Pavilion Theater. The preview gave us a glimpse into young Frank Walker and also the importance of the T pins to Tomorrowland. It looks so amazing!

The second preview was at Hollywood Studios. In the ABC Soundstage Theater, we saw a preview of Cinderella. After introducing the characters, they showed the fairy godmother scene where she transforms the pumpkin, mice, goose, and dress to send Cinderella to the ball. Helena Bonham Carter is hilarious as the fairy godmother! I can't wait to see the rest of the film.

On May 30, the Tomorrowland preview will be removed to make way for Inside Out to arrive. Disney handed out Inside Out character cards in the Emotions Garden during the Flower and Garden Festival. The characters are very interesting and the movie looks funny and insightful.

Cinderella will also be replaced soon. In honor of Star Wars Weekends, you can watch the Star Wars Rebels: Ultimate Guide. I saw this over May the 4th Weekend on Disney XD. It's a great way to catch up on what has happened so far. I'm looking forward to watching many more Disney previews in the parks this coming year.

Disney Tub Toys

Disney

I love Disney tub toys! We have several sets (it seems like at least one set is on clearance every time we go to Disney World), but my favorite is the It's a Small World boat with children from various countries. The children represent China, Mexico, Italy, Africa, and Japan. They sit in the boat and float along as your child plays in the tub. We purchased this on our one trip to Disneyland since Bean was born. She loves it and has played with it for several years. Recently, Disney released a new version of the boat with Donald in his Mexican costume at the front. The set also includes Alice in Wonderland, Aladdin, Stitch and Peter Pan. It is absolutely adorable!

Disney also has several character sets, generally in groups of 5 - 7, that come in a storage bag. We have 3-4 of these sets. My sister's favorite is the Nightmare Before Christmas set with Jack Skellington, Sally, Oogie Boogie, the Mayor, and Zero. We have a set with Alice in Wonderland, Aladdin, Peter Pan, Hercules, Pinocchio and Dopey. Another set is Pixar characters: Mr. Incredible, Dash, Buzz Lightyear, Sulley from Monsters Inc, Nemo, and Woody. The set I love is one that we haven't purchased yet, the Star Wars set: Yoda, C-3PO, R2-D2, Chewbacca, Darth Vader, Clone Trooper, and Boba Fett. Maybe when we go to Star Wars Weekends, if it's still available.

Other sets include a classic characters set: Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto; a Playhouse Disney set with Mickey & Minnie from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Handy Manny, Lumpy & Darby from Tigger & Pooh Supersleuths, and Leo & June from Little Einsteins; and a Princess set with Cinderella, Ariel, Snow White, Belle, Aurora, and TinkerBell.

In addition to sets, we have a few Donald Duck rubber duckies. My favorite is Donald in the Haunted Mansion Doom Buggy. We also have a few Princesses made for the tub or pool. Bean loves her Ariel that changes color with warm or cool water. In all, there are a lot of Disney toys for kids to have fun with in the tub.

Halloween Treats at Disney World

I was very excited to discover some new Halloween treats at Disney World recently. There were a few collectible popcorn buckets and drink cups that I was really hoping would be available. First up is a Nightmare Before Christmas popcorn bucket. It's Zero in his doghouse! And to make him even more special, Zero glows in the dark, and his nose lights up! I'm not sure if he's only available during Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party or not, but be on the lookout at popcorn carts around the Magic Kingdom.

The next cool container was inspired by the Evil Queen from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It's a scary apple with a drippy skull. The cup is a translucent red, and the skull is white and glows in the dark. This lidded cup can be found across from Pecos Bill's in Adventureland. It comes filled with your choice of soft drink and costs $8. And you can ask for your soda without ice for an even better deal.

The final Treat is a regular Disney popcorn bucket with a lid. I saw it earlier in the day, but wasn't sure I wanted to carry it all day. It has the Lonesome Ghosts chasing Mickey, Donald, and Goofy. It's from one of my favorite Disney shorts, so I had to have it. Unfortunately, they close a lot of the popcorn carts early during Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. I tried three different carts before I finally found it at the cart next to Gaston's Tavern in Fantasyland. They had already cleaned up the popcorn and closed the register, but when I explained that I had run to the cart just to buy that specific bucket, a very sweet Cast Member gave me the empty bucket anyway. I was very greatful! As silly as it sounds, I adore those ridiculous popcorn buckets and actually have about a dozen. However, we plan to start using them during movie nights, so it's alright.

Although they aren't Halloween, I did want to mention that I found a few of the special Star Wars buckets at Hollywood Studios. They had both Vader's Helmet and the Han Solo in Carbonite from Star Wars Weekends. I found them at the popcorn cart across from Toy Story Midway Mania. You can get them filled with either regular popcorn or caramel popcorn. (All of the popcorn is now PopSecret brand, which is more consistent than the popcorn they used to use.)

Disney World Trip

So we took another trip to Disney World last weekend. We bought annual passes again, and we had a blast! Luckily, we were able to visit the EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival for the first time. The gardens were beautiful and the food was fantastic. My favorite was the candied strawberries from the China Pavilion. They were SO good!

We also visited the Magic Kingdom. We rode the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train just as the park was closing the night we arrived. It was only the second time we'd ridden it, and it was a lot of fun. We also found a few new popcorn buckets. I love the new shaped buckets. We got Cinderella's Carriage and a Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Cart. Both have moving wheels, the Carriage has an awesome soft strap for easier carrying, while the Mine Cart sways, just like on the ride. It was dreadfully hot last weekend, so I also discovered a ton of new shady places to rest. I'll be sure to share them soon.

photo courtesy of Disney

Our final day was spent at Hollywood Studios. I love the way it looks without the Sorcerer 's Hat. However, the view was somewhat obscured by the stage they'd already set up in anticipation of Star Wars Weekends. There were also several photo spot backdrops ready for costumed characters from Star Wars. We took advantage of the fact that they were empty and snapped a few photos. It was hot that day as well, so we took the time to see a preview for Cinderella as well as a drawing class in the Animation Academy. We drew Minnie Mouse and mine turned out fairly well (which was nice, because my Tinker Bell from a few years ago had a strangely misshapen head.) We also watched the Indiana Jones Stunt show because I'm not sure how much longer it will be there. We ate at Backlot Express for the first time. I'm rather surprised we'd missed it; the food really isn't too bad.

The only disappointing part of the trip was when we discovered that you can no longer trade vinylmation in the parks. I don't know whether Disney plans to phase out the collectible entirely or whether they simply plan to make series you'd actually want to collect all of (like the new Frozen set or Avengers), but you won't be able to trade them in the park. Pin trading, on the other hand, continues unchanged.

At the beginning and end of this trip, we stopped at Character Warehouse at the Premium Outlets in Orlando. They had some fantastic deals! All of the Beautifully Disney makeup was marked way down. What was originally $24.95-$36.95 was now $3.99.and all of the nail polish, which were $11.95 each, were now 99¢. The best deal, in my opinion, was on the Vera Bradley bags. They've stopped selling the original blue pattern, so they had a few totes and hipsters left at the outlet store. I really wanted the hipster when it first debuted,  but I couldn't justify spending $75 on a purse. However, $19.99 was a great price, so I bought one. I was also able to find some of the Indiana Jones vinylmation for $3.99 each. And I lucked out and got exactly what I wanted: Indy, Marion, Sala, and the Golden Idol mystery figure from Raiders of the Lost Ark. As a huge Indiana Jones fan, I was ecstatic!

In all, it was a great three day trip. We had a chance to visit the theme park we love, ride a few of our favorite rides, see a beautiful festival from our Disney bucket list, and enjoy time together as a family. And isn't that what the magic of Disney is all about?

Shutterfly Autograph Book

Yesterday, I shared one of my favorite Shutterfly photobooks. Today, I'd like to share one that I made to use as an autograph book. Bean took this one a few years ago during Star Wars Weekends at Hollywood Studios and got great interactions with all of the characters because of it. They all wanted to find a photo of themselves before they signed. It was wonderful! She had a great time telling them about her favorite trips and when she'd met each of the characters before. I will definitely be making another for our next trip!

Photo of the Week

Jedi Mickey in the Star Wars Weekends Legends of the Force Motorcade