Showing posts with label Star Wars Celebrity. Show all posts
Star Wars Weekends: Legends Of The Force Motorcade
When the Walt Disney World Resort invites the celebrities and characters of Star Wars to Disney's Hollywood Studios each year for Star Wars Weekends, no single event is more enjoyed than the Legends of The Force motorcade. This Star Wars themed parade combines Star Wars fandom and Lucasfilm characters along with a few Star Wars celebrities for added excitement.
Legends Of The Force Motorcade
Each day of the five weekends that make up the Star Wars Weekends have a special parade at 11:00am that is called the Legends Of The Force Motorcade. The parade is led off by Mickey Mouse portraying the brave Jedi Mickey!
Jedi Mickey is followed by fellow Disney animated legends Minnie (Princess Leia), Goofy (Darth Vader), Donald Duck (Stormtrooper), and Chip 'n Dale (Ewoks).
501st Legion - Star Wars Diehard Fans
A regular part of this parade now belongs to the most loyal of Star Wars fans. The 501st Legion and the 501st Florida Garrison march in the parade in their homemade Star Wars costumes. They have truly taken cosplay to another level and their costumes rival the ones developed by the film studios.
We are constantly amazed by the awesome collection of dedicated Star Wars fans that dutifully march each year in every parade for the entire Star Wars Weekends. Al of these characters represent the Empire and the Dark Side of the Force.
The Good Guys - The Rebel Legion
The Empire may be mighty, but it is not the only side of the Force represented by the loyal fans. The Rebel Alliance is supported by the Rebel Legion and they take their costumed roles just as seriously as their Empire supporting counterparts.
On the good side we find, Jedi knights, fighter pilots, clone trooper, and an odd assortment of characters including Ewoks and one very tall Wookie.
Star Wars Characters - Jedi, Sith, and so much more!
The official characters are not to be outdone. All of your favorite Star Wars characters usually make an appearance along the parade route. There is equal representation for both the Empire and the Rebel Alliance during this peaceful parade.
Fans love to take pictures of their favorite characters as they pass by. There is also excitement to capture the newest characters from the latest Star Wars movies and animated series. Currently Chopper, Ezra, and Sabine from Star Wars Rebels represent the newest characters.
Star Wars Celebrities!
No Legends Of The Force Motorcade would be complete without Star Wars Celebrities! Each weekend brings a different collection of Star Wars actors, voice characters, and/or people that were intimately involved in making the Star Wars Movies or the animated series.
During this particular weekend we captured: Warwick Davis (Wicket the Ewok), Silas Carson (Nute Gunray), James Arnold Taylor (voice of Obi Wan Kenobi during Star Wars: The Clone Wars & Star Wars Rebels), Ashley Eckstain (Voice of Ahsoka Tano during Star Wars: The Clone Wars & Star Wars Rebels), & Vanessa Marshall (voice of Hera Syndulla during Star wars Rebels)
Star Wars Weekends Parade
Don't miss the Legends of the Force Motorcade during your visit to Star Wars Weekends. This is your best opportunity to see all of the Celebrities and Star Wars Characters at one time. It is also your only chance to see all of the great Star Wars fans from the 501st Legion and their incredible costumes! Also don't miss the great photo opportunities at the end of the parade when all of the Star Wars Characters and Celebrities all appear on stage together.May the Force be with you!
Star Wars Weekends Feel The Force Premium Package Review
One of the ways to make the Star Wars Weekends at Disney's Hollywood Studios even better is to add the Feel The Force Premium Package! This special package allows Star Wars fans a way to get closer to their favorite characters and celebrities without spending all of their time waiting in lines.
Feel The Force Premium Package!
The Star Wars Weekends Feel The Force Premium Package that we tried out for this review included 3 main benefits:
- Preferred viewing location for the Legends
Of The Force Motorcade, which is the special daily parade that includes the 501st Legion and all of their fantastic members in Star Wars Costumes, Disney Star Wars Characters, and Star Wars Celebrities. The special reserved location also includes unlimited: Ice Cream Treats, Popcorn, Soft drinks, and bottled water.
- Special FastPass and viewing location to one of the special Star Wars Weekend Shows during the day. We chose the Legends of the Stars Talk Show that features host James Arnold Taylor interviewing the Star Wars Celebrities that are visiting that weekend. Our review weekend featured Warwick Davis (Wicket the Ewok) & Silas Davis (Nute Gunray).
- Special Star Wars Themed Dessert Party and preferred viewing area for the end of day closing show with the Star Wars Characters and the Symphony in the Star Wars themed Fireworks show.
Cost for the Premium Package is $69 per adult of $39 per child (ages 3-9).
Review of Feel The Force Premium Package
Star Wars Weekends is one of our favorite Disney World Special Events and we enjoy that the majority of Star Wars Weekends can be enjoyed with normal admission to Disney's Hollywood Weekends on the Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays during the 5 weekends of the event. That being said, SWW has become wildly popular and crowds are large during this event. If you are more than just the casual observer then you may enjoy the extra privileges that the Premium Package affords you.
The special viewing area of the Legends of the Force Motorcade certainly allowed for great views without camping out for hours. Although we arrived to the special viewing area approximately 45-50 minutes prior to the parade and were still about 3 rows deep for viewing. The biggest benefit here was the refreshments that were plentiful and much enjoyed in the hot Florida sun. This made waiting for the parade quite enjoyable. We also had access to move near the main stage after the parade had passed by to get close viewing of the characters and the celebrities.
The special seating for the Star Wars Show was excellent, but not a lot better than what we could get for a similar wait in the stand by line If you are willing to get there early great seats for every show is available in the newly position theater. They used the large theater that normally house the Beauty and Beast Show which made the Star Wars shows accessible to much larger audiences.
The Star Wars Themed Dessert Party was excellent. The was a great way to cap off a long day and the Star Wars Themed desserts were unique and tasted great. We did not care for the included alcoholic drink options and quickly switched to bottled water as the preferred drinks for the evening. This was certainly a big disappointment. A simple beer and wine selection would have gone over much better. All other aspects of the dessert party went off without a hitch. The desserts were plentiful and were constantly being replenished. There were also multiple tables from which to select desserts so that guests never had to wait in long lines The viewing of the stage show was excellent and the fireworks were amazing.
Most frequent Disney World visitors know that Disney's Hollywood Studios does not have fireworks on a regular basis, so seeing them here is a special treat that was certainly enjoyed by all in attendance
Review Summary
The Feel The Force Premium Package is not cheap at $69 per adult Although we would have preferred the price to be about $20 less, we enjoyed the special extras that this package added to our Star Wars Weekends experience. A lower price point would make it an absolute MUST Do, but a higher price point would most likely lead us to not recommend it to others. At the current price point we thought it was great fun, but make sure you can take advantage of all of its features before paying the steep price of the package.
Remember that the Legends of the Force Parade, the Star Wars Shows, and the Symphony in the Sky Fireworks are ALL included in the normal price of admission. The FTF PP only gets you better views and snacks and desserts.
