**Official** Star Wars at DHS, Galactic Spectacular Dessert Party/Galactic Nights/Launch Bay/JT

[rteetz]

So I have to be honest. I just watched the new Star wars fireworks show on youtube and I thought it was horrible. I recently went to HS in May and saw the old one, symphony in the stars, and wow it was the best show I have ever seen anywhere. It was a pure fireworks spectacular. After watching the youtube video of the new one I was so disappointed. They scaled back so much on the fireworks and made it more about the show on the screen.

( The one I saw )

( The new one they have now )

Its like night and day. Very disappointed with Disney on this. I assume they didn't wanna spend the money on all those fireworks. The new one takes away from what made the old one great. I just am glad I got to experience the old one. That was the best show they have ever done.

If you have never seen video of the show before the new one, you gotta check it out above

The new show isn't sold as a fireworks show its sold as a spectacular with projections and fireworks, they tell you that from the get go. The launch site for the fireworks did move and is closer to AK which is not good for the animals at night. Disney also has 7.1 surround sound in this show which has never been done before.

 

[nicolebridget22]

We'll be at HS on 9/27...how am I to know if there will be Star Wars fireworks? Also...the march of the Storm Troopers (or whatever it's called), when and where does this take place? Sorry to sound like such a newb but, well, I don't know why this info isn't widely available? DH is a Star Wars fan and I'd like to be able to plan for him to see these things. Thanks in advance!

 

[CJK]

Do you still have to request a Mickey ice cream bar or are they now part of the buffet?

 

[yulilin3]

We'll be at HS on 9/27...how am I to know if there will be Star Wars fireworks? Also...the march of the Storm Troopers (or whatever it's called), when and where does this take place? Sorry to sound like such a newb but, well, I don't know why this info isn't widely available? DH is a Star Wars fan and I'd like to be able to plan for him to see these things. Thanks in advance!

They have been updating the data of the shows, for your dates, I expect the schedule to be or in the next couple of days
I keep the first page of this thread with all updated info, you can see information on the March there. It's basically Phasmaand First order troopers marching out, they do a short drill and go back in

Do you still have to request a Mickey ice cream bar or are they now part of the buffet?

I forgot to check on that, I did see people with mickey bars. Maybe @Princess Michele knows

 

[MouseEars4Ever]

Do you still have to request a Mickey ice cream bar or are they now part of the buffet?

Behind the table that has the Nutella dessert (which is delicious!), there is an ice cream cart that has the Mickey bars and another ice cream option. I'm sorry to say I forgot what the other option was though...

 

[LvsTnk]

Behind the table that has the Nutella dessert (which is delicious!), there is an ice cream cart that has the Mickey bars and another ice cream option. I'm sorry to say I forgot what the other option was though...

It was a raspberry fruit bar the other night.

 

[cseca]

For the 9:30 show here's what we did:
7:30 checked in and get our wristbands
8:00 went to dessert area (there were already people in there so maybe they opened a couple minutes before we got there)
9:00 Walked over to roped area. They said that we keep our kids in the stroller in the general area.
They handed our Chewie steins and a plastic bag to hold them. And once the big group comes in, they prioritized the wheelchairs and scooters then they let us move the kids into the front area without the strollers. They made sure that our kids stayed in front of us. I think the crowd was small today. There weren't many kids in the front area.

Overall we thought it was pretty good. Although there was a really tall man holding a small child in the kids/wheelchair section who decided to stand up when the show started. Unfortunately I had to be the bad guy who asked him to please sit down since he pretty much covered our view of the Chinese theater.

Oh I forgot to add, during our dessert party portion we watched the lines for Chewie and Kylo went from 30min down to 5min. So we were able to run in and out of both character spots within about 7 mins... Total. Not sure if that's normal but we were glad to completely skipped the 30min wait prior.
Also just an interesting point to add, WDW Chewie and Kylo do not talk... We did a M&G at DL and both characters were "talking" . So we were quite surprised that the ones we met here did not "talk".

 

[capegirl]

I have the feeling that everyone's viewing experience will be somewhat different, and unpredictable from night to night. You could get lucky and have a great view, it will all depend on the situation within the wheelchair area. I think the setting for the of the DHS fireworks contributed to the issues think Disney could make

I'm 5'2" and I had a great view tonight apart from that one tall guy in front of me
The thing with this show is that you will not have a 100% unobstructed view. There are the rigging from the stage, trees, light posts
I still believe that, if you don't want to wait for an hour or more for a front of the taped spot, the dessert party is the best option.
Just by leaving the party 30 minutes before the fireworks instead of waiting for 15 minutes before, you will have a better view.
I'll upload the pics and video tomorrow

I definitely think your viewing experience will depend on the situation in the wheelchair section.
I would have to agree that although there are issues with the view, it is still much better than than the alternative. I have had so many frustrating moments over the years trying to hold onto a spot for parades and fireworks, I
think it was money well spent to avoid the drama. We did not leave the party early, but on our night it would not have made a difference since we were able to stand directly behind the rope when we arrived. Our viewing issues revolved around those standing in the wheelchair section.
I knew we could leave the dessert party early to claim a spot, but I have to point out that if you have any young Star Wars fans with you, being escorted to the viewing area by the Stormtroopers was one of the highlights of the evening for my 9 year old DGS; he is still taking about this moment when he was marching through the crowd behind the Stormtroopers holding his lightsaber, so this is something to consider.

 

[yulilin3]

I have the feeling that everyone's viewing experience will be somewhat different, and unpredictable from night to night. You could get lucky and have a great view, it will all depend on the situation within the wheelchair area. I think the setting for the of the DHS fireworks contributed to the issues think Disney could make


I definitely think your viewing experience will depend on the situation in the wheelchair section.
I would have to agree that although there are issues with the view, it is still much better than than the alternative. I have had so many frustrating moments over the years trying to hold onto a spot for parades and fireworks, I
think it was money well spent to avoid the drama. We did not leave the party early, but on our night it would not have made a difference since we were able to stand directly behind the rope when we arrived. Our viewing issues revolved around those standing in the wheelchair section.
I knew we could leave the dessert party early to claim a spot, but I have to point out that if you have any young Star Wars fans with you, being escorted to the viewing area by the Stormtroopers was one of the highlights of the evening for my 9 year old DGS; he is still taking about this moment when he was marching through the crowd behind the Stormtroopers holding his lightsaber, so this is something to consider.

I couldn't agree more.
This projection show is very well done, has amazing effects and it's completely immersive, but DHS doesn't have the best facilities for it.
Unlike Celebrate the Magic at MK, there's no elevated, obstruction free building on where to project so there really isn't anywhere with a 100% obstruction free view, no matter how early you grab a spot.
The dessert party offers the luxury of not holding a spot for an hour and a half and still gives you a better viewing that most other areas

 

[CJK]

Do the Jedi Training Academy show times vary much? MDE is only showing show times through Aug. 13th. Should we expect the same show times for late August too? I compared show times for today, compared to the 13th of August and they appear to be identical.

 

[yulilin3]

Do the Jedi Training Academy show times vary much? MDE is only showing show times through Aug. 13th. Should we expect the same show times for late August too? I compared show times for today, compared to the 13th of August and they appear to be identical.

they should stay the same.

 

[DisneyKeepsUsYoung]

Curious about when the firework show is over. Do they take the party ropes down to disperse the crowd easier or do they stay up. I hate the surge of the rushing crowd after late shows and would love to be able to stay in the roped off section out of the crowd till it dispersed some. Is this possible? Probably silly to some but if so that increases the party "value" to me even if my view is less than perfect.

 

[DisneyKeepsUsYoung]

I knew we could leave the dessert party early to claim a spot, but I have to point out that if you have any young Star Wars fans with you, being escorted to the viewing area by the Stormtroopers was one of the highlights of the evening for my 9 year old DGS; he is still taking about this moment when he was marching through the crowd behind the Stormtroopers holding his lightsaber, so this is something to consider.

Do you need to line up somewhere a bit early or be positioned somewhere in particular to be towards the front of the big group? I can't imagine being towards the back of a line 140 people long and having any idea who is leading it. The Stormtrooper leading "sounds" awesome but I can't help but wonder how the 100 people in the back "experience" the fact that there are Stormtroopers at the front.

 

[EmmyKay]

Where does the Jawa trading take place? Inside the launch bay? Do you have to wait on line for them or do they just wander around?

 

[Cluelyss]

Curious about when the firework show is over. Do they take the party ropes down to disperse the crowd easier or do they stay up. I hate the surge of the rushing crowd after late shows and would love to be able to stay in the roped off section out of the crowd till it dispersed some. Is this possible? Probably silly to some but if so that increases the party "value" to me even if my view is less than perfect.

Have not done this particular one yet, but have done other dessert parties in HS and we were able to remain inside the ropes while the crowd dispersed. It was actually quite nice!

 

[may12th]

Do the Jedi Training Academy show times vary much? MDE is only showing show times through Aug. 13th. Should we expect the same show times for late August too? I compared show times for today, compared to the 13th of August and they appear to be identical.

We are going in October and I was wondering the same thing. Hoping that didn't mean they would not be doing Jedi Training during that time.

 

[Cluelyss]

Where does the Jawa trading take place? Inside the launch bay? Do you have to wait on line for them or do they just wander around?

Yes, inside Launch Bay. They just roam but often a small line or crowd will form around them.

 

[Lisa F]

Is there a bathroom in/near the Launch Bay? My child is notorious for the ill-timed "i have to pee." Or do I have to have the "I DON'T HAVE TO GO" "JUST TRY AND GET OUT WHATEVER IS IN THERE" battle before the dessert party? He is on the spectrum and very literal - apparently "have to go" means "about to burst." :-/ He is a lot more amenable to "trying even if I don't have to go" lately but... just trying to plan ahead

 

[BraveLittleToaster2]

Will Kylo Ren sign autographs??

 

[LvsTnk]

The bathroom is right at the entrance to launch bay and you can come and go as you please out of the party. My son has that problem as well and it worked well.

Kylo did not sign nor did Chewie but Chewie has a special card he gives out sometimes.