So it’s been a little over a month since Disney wrapped up week five of Star Wars Weekends. Being there all five weeks was exhausting, but quite rewarding. I know this particular blog is a little later than I wanted, but to give you some insight, in the middle of the weekends we discovered we were having to move from our home of 4 years by the end of June. Not only was the move unexpected, my family and I had nowhere to go. Fortunately the doors we needed opened and we found a place to go, but it was about 1200 square feet smaller. I have to throw a special shout out to my best friend Robbie, without him, that move would have been impossible to have completed. Thank you buddy, we make a better team than Han and Chewie.
Now down to business. Star Wars Weekends 2015.
This year was quite the roller coaster for me. The Weekends packed their usual excitement, fun, and fabulous celebrity interactions. This was also a year where Disney decided to do a lot of changes to the weekends. Some great, some not so great, but I can honestly say I understand why each change was made. For example, the expanded and divided Darth’s Mall was incredible. A collector’s dream if I may be so bold. If it was Star Wars you would find it there. From Mickey dressed as a Jedi, to Sideshow Collectibles merchandise, to Legos, there was something for all ages, for all types of collectors. Awesome!
There was the Backlot Express restaurant flipped to become the Rebel Hangar in the evening. I personally loved the pass holder posters they gave away. Like I needed another reason to come back, we got a different one each weekend. The character meet ups, the shows, and the motorcade were incredible, as we have always come to expect. The Star Wars themed fireworks show in the evening was simply breathtaking.
Then there were the people. Oh Star Wars fans are the best, are we not? This is why I keep coming back. Meeting fans, young and old. Fans are why Disney does this event year after year. Fans are why they constantly work to improve the event each year as well. Some improvements work out great and we love them (i.e. The Rebel Hangar). Then there are others changes which spark the wrath of the fans.
This year’s wrath was directed at the schedule. Dissatisfaction reared its ugly head the most in week four. See, this year, the autograph sessions and the shows hosted by the fabulous James Arnold Taylor overlapped. In other words, you had a choice to get an autograph or see the show. It was next to impossible to do both. To clarify, it has never been like that in the past. Used to be you could catch all of the shows and not worry about missing anything. I do admit, I was not pleased with this change, but I understand why it was made. With our fandom growing, attendance at events like Star Wars Weekends are growing. So to accommodate the numbers of new fans, you can choose what to do. I do admit I missed the old way. Matter of fact, this schedule caused this to be the first year since I have started going that I did not get an autograph each week, but I don’t care. I had so much fun I do it again in a heartbeat.
Overall, this year I will still give Disney 9 out of 10 stars on Star Wars Weekends 2015. It’s obvious that with the passion of the cast members each year will get bigger and better. Who is going to join me next year for all the fun?
To contact me and tell me your thoughts about the Weekends or all things Disney and or Star Wars of course! You can find me here on Twitter, and of course you can always email me here at CWK.
So until next time remember,
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