Disney Day Four - Hollywood Studios

Today was a great day. We woke up early so we could sign the kids up for the Jedi Academy at Hollywood Studios. We were there as the park opened and got right in line but we still had to wait about 40 minutes in line. Thankfully we were able to secure them a spot and once that was done we all headed over to the Star Wars section. 

I'm actually surprised that Disney hasn't done more with Star Wars since it is a popular and growing franchise. At least three quarters of the people in the park were wearing Star Wars gear and we were no exception. All four of the boys had on new shirts from Nana and James and I wore Star Wars shirts too. 

Matching boys

AT-AT

Since it was still early there was not a long line so we went on the Star Tours ride twice. The kids loved it and were thrilled to be accosted by Darth Vader in one of the videos. After that the boys got to do a little shopping and finally buy the lightsabers they had been waiting for. All the kids were able to build their own. Will, Jon, Riley and Mackenzie modeled theirs after existing Jedi or Sith but Christian made one of his own design. Grammie Libby had given each of the boys a Disney card which they had saved, despite many temptations, for this very thing. They were so proud to pay for it themselves!

Enjoying the Star Tours line

There were lots of cool things to see in line

Christian builds his lightsaber

Will works on his lightsaber

Jon making his lightsaber

Chewy backpack!

Little R2-D2

On the far side of the park are two of the bigger rides, Rock N Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror. Not everyone wanted to go on these so while James, Diana, and Noel took Christian to meet Chip and Dale, I took the bigger kids over to the coaster. Last time we were here Will went on it and it scared him. At that time he left the ride saying that he wouldn't go on it again until he was "twenty...or maybe eighty". But here he was only three years later excited to go on again. Riley though was a little nervous. He said that he was scared (but he still wanted to ride) and asked if he was going to die on the ride. Quickly Will replied, "The other name for this ride is 'The ending to Rogue One'". Thankfully though that was not the case and we all had a good time. I was very proud of Riley for being so brave! 

Christian was so happy to see Chip and Dale!

Giving Chip an extra hug

 After that we all met up at the Tower of Terror and Diana, Riley and I waited with the bags while everyone else went on. Christian was especially happy to go on a scary ride. While Tower of Terror should have been a clue, I didn't realize how spooky it was or I would have kept Jon with me. Ghosts and the like bother him and he seemed a little freaked out by them. Will though was critical of the ride's story and spent a lot of time discussing whether or not it was scientifically accurate.

The ride itself sounded great and everyone loved it. Will spent the rest of the day begging us to go on it again but alas we had no time. Christian enjoyed the ride and didn't yell or scream as the elevator plummeted to the ground. But then, after all that, as they were exiting the ride he saw a small statue and screamed. Everyone laughed. 

My little goofball

Diana and two wiggly boys

It was a very hot day and we were all tired but the boys Jedi academy passes weren't until mid afternoon so we couldn't leave early. So instead we had lunch, did a little shopping, saw the Little Mermaid show, and went to meet some Star Wars characters. I wish we had skipped the show though because we only had time to meet Chewy. He was great! He was very friendly and we were able to get a lot of pictures. We also enjoyed some of the Star Wars exhibits like seeing Ahsoka's lightsaber and Rey's speeder. Jon and Will were even able to have a quick lightsaber battle with some of the Disney employees.

Meeting Chewy

Jawa!

Staring contest

Jon is so excited to see Ahsoka's lightsaber

Christian holds a lightsaber

Lightsaber battle!

Boys fight with lightsabers

Under arrest

Will surrenders

We fight back

Finally it was time for Jedi Academy! James and I were really nervous about letting Christian do it since he doesn't always like to follow rules and has, in the past, gotten a little too into character when fighting. But he was fantastic! I was so proud of him.

Waiting patiently for Jedi training

Riley is a serious Jedi

Jon takes being a Jedi seriously

Will walking towards the Jedi training

Jedi training is no joke!

The show was so much fun to watch! All the kids gathered in one spot and were given their robes before marching to the stage over in the Star Wars section. There they were trained by a Jedi Master to do specific lightsaber moves. Then all the Jedi and children used the force to push open the temple door out of which came Darth Vader and a Sith Assassin. Christian's face when he was using the force was so serious and adorable!

Force pushing the parents back

Opening the Jedi temple

Darth Vader!

Kylo Ren also came out of the temple

Christian fights Dath Vader

The kids were split up in to two groups and all of ours were in the group that fought Vader. Each padawan had a chance to step up to Vader and use the lightsaber moves they had just learned. The boys and Mackenzie all did a great job and I loved watching them. After everyone had a turn they all used the force again to push the Sith back into the temple and close the doors. This was a wonderful experience and definitely worth getting up early for!

Jon faces Darth Vader

Mackenzie fights Vader

Riley refuses to turn to the darkside

Will against Vader

The young padawans salute their parents

After Jedi Academy we split up and each went back to our separate hotel rooms for a rest in air conditioning. After a lovely, cool nap and a delicious dinner we went back to the park for the Fantasmic show. We were a bit late getting there since I didn't realize how far the show was from the entrance but finally we met up with Noel and her kids and found our seats. I haven't been particularly impressed with the shows here so I wasn't expecting much but this was very well done and a lot of fun to watch. We sat near the front so we were a little misted by the fountains of water but we had a fantastic view. It was a great show! At the end a dragon appeared and set the water on fire which was a cool effect.

Fantasmic show

Mickey does magic

As we left the park we were able to catch the tail end of the Star Wars fireworks show which also looked great. But by the time we left it was pretty late so now it is time for bed. The boys were disappointed that we didn't get to swim today but hopefully we can work it in tomorrow. Goodnight!