There are a few words I would use to describe this week's Star Wars Weekends: Extremely Hot, Extremely Crowded, and Extremely Fun!

Memorial Day weekend is crowded anyway, but with Star Wars Weekends as an attraction, it was hard to get anywhere fast with all the masses of people. It was also very hot; I'm certain the heat index was up in the triple digits!

Friday was the worst, I think, as far as crowds go. It was Extra Magic Hours day for Disney Resort guests, and it was very hard watching thousands of people go into the park while I was stuck back in line waiting for 9:00 and my turn to go in. When I finally got in, I headed directly for the autograph lines. Jake Lloyd was definitely the hottest star of the weekend, but Matthew Wood didn't do badly, either. I got a FastPass for Matt Wood (I got Jake last year), then headed over to WWTBAM.

There I found out that my good friend Wendy was in the Hot Seat last Sunday (I wasn't there! ) and she did very well! Watched and played the shows, and once again, when the buzzer rang signalling the end of the last show, I was in first. But one of the games was quite interesting; one guy got onto the Million Point question! I was sorry when he answered the question incorrectly.

After that, we decided to see how long the wait was inside Wicket's Warehouse. Surprise! There was no wait at all. I suppose that since all the framed pin sets and Jedi Mickey "Big Figs" were sold out on Weekend 1, there wasn't such a demand for merchandise. I just walked in, waited for about 2 minutes, and got this weekends Limited Edition pins.

After lunch, we headed over to Stars of the Saga. My impression of this year's version (hosted by the one-and-only Warwick Davis) is that it's much more fun, if a bit less informative, than in previous years. A young fan was selected from the audience to play Episode I: Podracer against Jake Lloyd, and a woman was chosen to try out Matt Wood's Grievous voice-changing program. (I so wished I was her! )

Yet another "nice fan" moment happened during the Tatooine Trivia Trials. My brother and a woman (I believe her name was Megan) were playing for first. The question was: "Who was in charge of the Jedi Archives for 30 years?" My brother answered "Jocasta Nu", and Megan answered "Madame Nu". The judges ruled: my brother won. We were all shocked silly; everyone thought that "Madame Nu" was a perfectly acceptable answer and the game should have continued.

But Megan (I sure hope that was her name!) was so very gracious, and didn't even complain one bit about coming in second, even though it wasn't fair. That is the spirit of a true Star Wars fan!

It was time for our autograph session with Matt Wood. I took my "Sith" poster (the one that you could get from Wal-Mart that went with the "Jedi" poster) for signing. I was wearing my "These Federation types are cowards" fan-made shirt, and Matt Wood saw it and asked me if I liked Star Trek. I do, and I told him so. He said that he's a fan as well, and we chatted about the upcoming movie. That was truly an experience!


Saturday was less crowded, but miserably hot. I'd seen a General Grievous figure I really wanted autographed in a store on Friday, and decided that I would try to get another Matt Wood autograph. I needed a late morning or afternoon ticket, as my family had decided to do WWTBAM, then head over to Animal Kingdom to ride Kali River Rapids and Expedition Everest. I got an early afternoon autograph ticket, and was gravely disappointed; I wanted that figure!

After another unsuccessful attempt at getting into the Hot Seat at WWTBAM, we left the park and went to Animal Kingdom. Our plan was to get FastPasses for Kali River Rapids, then possibly go on Expedition Everest while we were waiting. We walked into the park at about 12:40, and there were no FastPasses whatsoever. The standby times were 100 minutes for Expedition Everest, and 80 minutes for Kali River Rapids! "Forget it," we said. "We'll do it tomorrow."

So, back to Disney-MGM we went. I was in time for my autograph session (yippeee! ), so I went everywhere looking for the Grievous figure I wanted. It was nowhere. Not at Golden Age Souvenirs, not at Tatooine Traders, not at Wicket's Warehouse. Not one store had any Grievous figures in stock, at all. Disappointed, I settled on an 11x14 ROTS poster, even though it didn't have even a picture of Grievous on it.

Just outside Matt Wood's autograph location, I once again met Pete (the guy I told you about last week who was so nice to me before the Trivia Trials). I'd run into him whilst on my hunt for Grievous, and I was surprised to see him again so soon. He saw what I had for autographing, and I told him that I'd been looking for something Grievous but hadn't had any luck. He pulled a folder out of his bag and showed me several Grievous pictures he'd gotten at Celebration III. "Those are cool!" I exclaimed. "Which one do you like?" he asked me. I pointed one out. He handed it to me and said, "Take it."

I was so surprised! This guy I barely even know has been so nice to me for absolutely no reason at all, except that we're fellow Star Wars fans. My eyes mist up every time I think about it. I could never, ever express how grateful I am. Pete, if you read this, you are the ultimate Star Wars fan. I only hope to be as nice to other fans as you have been to me.


Sunday, we decided that my dad and brothers would go to Animal Kingdom at park opening to get Expedition Everest FastPasses, and that my mom and I would go to WWTBAM so that I could try for the Hot Seat. It was nice not to have to rush anywhere. My mom and I took our time, and actually got a nice, leisurely breakfast of fruit from a stand near the Tower of Terror before the show.

We just happened to get in the door as they were handing out Fastest Finger Row tickets, and we got the last two! I'd been wanting to get in the FFR for a couple of years, and it finally happened! When the show started, I punched in the answers to the Fastest Finger Question. I'm never fast enough; even when I get it right I'm usually not in the top ten. But then, they revealed the top seat number... it was me!

I was so nervous! Warwick Davis was really great; he helped me several times. If you were in the audience, and you answered the question about the actors correctly, I am forever in your debt! I never would have won if it wasn't for you guys. I really don't want to toot my own horn but...

I WON THE CRUISE!!!!

I hope that I can take my sister and her family (they live in Texas and I haven't seen them for years) with me on my cruise at the same time my brother takes the rest of my family. That would be a great vacation!

After the show, the wonderful Darth Beagle and his awesome wife came to congratulate me. They suggested that since Warwick helped me so much, I should get my 1,000 Point Winner baseball cap autographed by him, so I'm doing that next weekend.

My mom and I got slushes and cookies to celebrate, and we went back to watch the second game. When we came out, my dad and brothers were waiting to take us to Animal Kingdom. I played it cool, telling them that I had been in second place at the end of the last game (which was true! ). They were shocked and surprised when I went to Package Pickup and retrieved my prizes! That was funny!

Also worthy of mention: a lady named Paige got into the Hot Seat during the second show, and made it to the 500,000 Point question. Good job, Paige!

We went to Animal Kingdom, and got on Expedition Everest. I don't like roller coasters much, (I especially hate the drops! ) and I was terrified! I sat in the very front (the mildest ride; though many think otherwise), and hung on for dear life. I thought I would hate the ride, but I absolutely loved it! In the very front, I didn't get much air time at all on the big drop. I even liked the backwards part! I'd heard a lot about how real the Yeti looked, but though it moved as though it were real, it looked kind of fake to me. I rode two more times (my family members gave me and my younger brother their FastPasses), and in the future I plan to work my way back through the car, and maybe even (in a couple of years ) get brave enough to actually sit in the back.

All in all, this weekend was a most memorable one. The fans were absolutely great, and so were the celebrities. I'm sorry that I have to say goodbye to Wendy and Pete, since they won't be joining us next week. But I look forward to seeing the rest of you there!

May the Force be with you,
-- i12bajedi