Would YOU sign up for a 7-hour Star Wars tour of Hollywood Studios?

[21stamps]

Every time I could come up with $3, I'd go buy a new action figure.

Had to get the landspeeder and the tauntaun used from friends.

"Big" items like the X-Wing fighter were strictly Christmas gifts. Never could swing the Millennium Falcon.

Sold 2 Darth Vader cases full of figures on Ebay in 2000 or so. Had to pay the rent.

Cautiously hoping for brilliance with SWL.

My son has the Millenium Falcon from the 80s, and Annakin's space craft, and several other "original" SW items. Hand me downs from my brother, and then his son. They're all battle bruised, so not worth anything, but I will definitely say that it is made better than any of kiddo's "new" SW fighters. Last year I paid $200 for a R2D2 that projects Princess Leia on the wall, programmable, and seemed to be all around awesome. My niece touched R2D2's head one day..moved it 180 degrees, and the stupid thing hasn't worked since. That was 4 months after I bought it.

 

[HauntedPirate]

Well let's see what you get for $122 PER PERSON

• Seeing stars during a screening of the movie, Star Wars: Path of the Jedi free with regular admission
• Kylo Ren-dered speechless while witnessing 2 live stage shows—Star Wars: A Galaxy Far, Far Awayand March of the First Order—from a reserved viewing area free with regular admission (but you get a reserved standing area)
• Enrolling younglings ages 4 through 12 in Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple free with regular admission
• Launching into hyperspace aboard a Starspeeder 1000 on Star Tours – The Adventures Continue. Free with regular admission and can be FPed
• Sinking your jawas into a Star Wars-inspired dinner at Backlot Express A CS meal that costs at most $20 ( kids $8)
• Joining forces with new friends at a Chewbacca and Kylo Ren Character Greeting free with regular admission
• Orbiting around saga-centric exhibits featuring replica props, models, concept art and artifacts at Star Wars Launch Bay free with regular admission
• Chewy-ing on inter-stellar sweets at Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular Dessert Party cost with regular admission $69/$39 kids
• Experiencing a reserved viewing of the obi-wan and only Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular nighttime fireworks event included with the dessert party
• Restoring freedom to your galaxy and taking a personalized souvenir of your tour home with you to commemorate your adventures

So you could do this on your own and pay $80/$47 kids and stand in lines for JTA signup and the M&Gs.

Or you could pay $33 more to possibly skip a couple of lines AND get a souvenir of questionable value.

Or you could pay nothing, eat elsewhere for dinner, grab a snack from a kiosk, and watch the Starwarsland Spectacular with the rest of the great unwashed. Hmm. Decisions, decisions.

I was just thinking... I'm guessing this was introduced now, in advance of SWL, with the intent of adding in one or both of the two new SWL attractions to the list and thus getting people to buy the tour instead of waiting in what will surely be long lines once SWL opens. Oh, and the price will go up then as well.

So, they are getting people to essentially pay twice to visit DHS, with the bonus (to TDO) of keeping those people out of the regular & FP lines for the other handful of attractions at DHS that day. A win win for TDO!

 

[HauntedPirate]

My son has the Millenium Falcon from the 80s, and Annakin's space craft, and several other "original" SW items. Hand me downs from my brother, and then his son. They're all battle bruised, so not worth anything, but I will definitely say that it is made better than any of kiddo's "new" SW fighters. Last year I paid $200 for a R2D2 that projects Princess Leia on the wall, programmable, and seemed to be all around awesome. My niece touched R2D2's head one day..moved it 180 degrees, and the stupid thing hasn't worked since. That was 4 months after I bought it.

That had to be extremely frustrating!! It again proves the old adage that they really don't make'em like they used to.

 

[Magenta Panther]

NO.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

My son has the Millenium Falcon from the 80s, and Annakin's space craft, and several other "original" SW items. Hand me downs from my brother, and then his son. They're all battle bruised, so not worth anything, but I will definitely say that it is made better than any of kiddo's "new" SW fighters. Last year I paid $200 for a R2D2 that projects Princess Leia on the wall, programmable, and seemed to be all around awesome. My niece touched R2D2's head one day..moved it 180 degrees, and the stupid thing hasn't worked since. That was 4 months after I bought it.

There's some good SW merch out there, but you have to know what you're buying. Lego product is always top notch, and I really like the Disney Store Elite Series as well as the Black Series figures.

 

[Chef Mickey]

It is currently a collection of poorly conceived and rushed through "we know we're missing the boat" filler that's an incoherent mess.

And I grew up with the original film (now what the youngsters refer to as episode 4 I believe)

Kind of a harsh assessment, although I don't disagree that some of it was rushed. Since they've improved the fireworks/night time show with the permanent speakers, projection, and lasers, I think it's much better now. They can't build a Star Wars Land before buying the company, so that's still coming. I think they've done a decent job with the Stormtrooper march and character meet and greets. Kylo Ren and Chewy are always outstanding.

It can get repetitive if you go a lot, but kids love it and between the daytime show, march, meet and greets, and training, they've done quite a bit while Star Wars Land is being built. I'd argue the Star Wars additions made DHS more bearable in light of all the closings and transitional period it's experienced for the last several years, even before Star Wars was purchased.

 

[marni1971]

Kind of a harsh assessment..

I don't think so. There's just bits of Star Wars here, a bit there. And some over there. And some more here. Most of which is clearly filler. A stage show of film clips? An "exhibition" in a space obviously designed for something larger? I enjoyed seeing what was on display, but the environment is like a cousin of Innoventions west in its final days. It really felt like an unplanned assortment of Star Wars related displays with no thought of placement or cohesiveness. The Disney Star Wars and some other things Studios.

The fireworks set up was a rush. They opened still trying to get it finished.

 

[Tom P.]

It's been Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope since 1981.

I was born in 1976. To me, the original three films are and always have been called Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. Yes, I know the episode numbers and names have been around ever since Empire came out. But when I was growing up, no one ever said "Episode IV" or even "A New Hope." The original film was always just called Star Wars.

So there.

Now get off my lawn.

 

[Chef Mickey]

I don't think so. There's just bits of Star Wars here, a bit there. And some over there. And some more here. Most of which is clearly filler. A stage show of film clips? An "exhibition" in a space obviously designed for something larger? I enjoyed seeing what was on display, but the environment is like a cousin of Innoventions west in its final days. It really felt like an unplanned assortment of Star Wars related displays with no thought of placement or cohesiveness. The Disney Star Wars and some other things Studios.

The fireworks set up was a rush. They opened still trying to get it finished.

The Star Wars Launch Bay is pretty permanent looking and checks the character meet and greet box pretty well. The Fireworks are good. Jedi Training next to the ride is good. The march is good.

I enjoyed the fireworks when they were "completed" much more than when they were thrown together in the beginning. It's a much better show now. Apart from building a "Fantasmic" area for it, I think it's pretty good.

I think your and my frustration is still the stage show which was obviously thrown together to give Star Wars presence. The little movie is also somewhat lame. I also think the park feels pretty dominated by Star Wars because there aren't a lot of other offerings, making the "issues" more obvious.

To me, EPCOT is clearly far worse and Star Wars was a shot in the arm DHS needed.

 

[Princess Leia]

They made quite the tidy sum off the Depp Pirates movies too and they've been flogged to death.

Based off of the returns of Depp's latest films, I'm not sure how Pirates 5 will do. I don't imagine it flopping by any means, but those films should have ended years ago. I love 1-3, because for me, it was never just about Capt. Jack Sparrow. I know they're bringing Orlando back for 5, but without Keira, I'm not sure that my interest level is high enough to see this one in theaters.

Anyways, because I still haven't read a single review for this tour (which started on Monday), my response is a Hamilton quote: "Say no to this".

 

[JIMINYCR]

If I had a lengthy vacation where I knew I was able to accomplish most of my Disney desires and could justify using a 7 hour stretch of time using one of those days..... I might. Knowing the cost, it would just be an added feature put into my budgeting and saving plan

 

[21stamps]

There's some good SW merch out there, but you have to know what you're buying. Lego product is always top notch, and I really like the Disney Store Elite Series as well as the Black Series figures.

The Legos are great!! We don't have any of the giant sets yet. I had purchased the Death Star for my nephew years ago when it came out, He loved it! (I think that specific one may be retired now?) My family isn't quite ready for that large of a project, no matter how much my kid asks for one.lol
Everything toy wise that I have purchased was on the "top toy" list. Things like- Poe's fighter, xwing fighter, rogue one vehicles- they're "OK" but I don't see them lasting 30 years intact. The hand me down millenium falcon just feels sturdier, and has made it through my brother, myself, my sister, and his son. I'd love to be wrong though! It would be nice if my son will be able to pass his SW toys to his own son someday.