ericadawn16 | Star Wars Weekends Advice

If you ever find yourself going to Star Wars Weekends...

There are some things you should know.

First of all, autographs, do you really want one?
If you do, you should probably plan on sleeping all night at Hollywood Studios. They were lining up at 10 PM the night before for Billy Dee Williams.
If you don't, relax. You don't need to be in park until 10:30 AM. Either way, go towards Guest Services when you come into the park and pick up the map with Star Wars on the front from the table outside.

Celebrity Motorcade
For people not planning on autographs or the shows, this may be your only chance to see the celebrities, plus, it's a lot of fun to watch the kids who think they're seeing the REAL Darth Vader!
After 10 AM, you should pick your spot even though it's not until 11:40 or so. The best views will be along Hollywood Boulevard. If you arrive a little late, at 11 AM or so, try looking for a spot right at the front near the large double doors that everyone will come out of.
As soon as the employees pass at the end of the parade with the blue rope, join in behind them. Then, walk the entire parade route until you reach the stage beside Star Tours. Now, you will have a premium view for the Welcoming Ceremony.

During the day, there will be several shows featuring the celebrities. The most common are Stars of the Saga and Behind the Force.
Stars of the Saga is a Question and Answer session with whatever available celebrities were involved in the original six films.
Behind the Force deals with Clone Wars: The Animated Series...all about how an animated series is made along with special surprises and previews for upcoming seasons.
The good news about these shows is that they're held at the Premiere Theatre with LOTS of seats so if you show up five minutes beforehand, you should still have a seat.

On the other hand, there's Hyperspace Hoopla. This rivals the motorcade for best part of the day because you get to see your favorite characters dancing to anything from Kenny Loggins to Michael Jackson to Lady Gaga. However, it's at the same stage as the opening ceremonies so to really see anything, you have two choices:

1. Arrive EARLY and defend your spot by the stage...and by early, I mean, 6 PM or before that despite the show not being until 7 PM.

2. Arrive early and take a spot by the cafe next door. The patio allows for some good viewing and chairs provide back-up plans if tall people spoil your original plans. Early in this sense is by 6:30 PM.

If you want photos without waiting in line, stroll through the area between Pixar and Muppetvision 3D between noon and five PM. There'll be Jawas, stormtroopers, Boba Fett, Aurra Sing and Tusken Raiders wandering the crowds...and you can usually get them to stop for a picture or autograph.