Howdy,
Im not sure if it is the normal desert party viewing area. The viewing area was right in front of the left side pilar if that makes sense. It kinda felt a little empty, we were right up the front of the roped off section. In front was the wheelchair section which was completely empty so most of the kids were in this section.
The desert party itself felt pretty cramped, more cramped than the viewing section.
We had done most the activities, although not all.
Path of the Jedi and the Launch bay short movie, the front 2 rows are reserved for the tour.
Meeting Kylo Ren through the tour felt Longer. I dont know if they tell the handlers tour group people are coming in, but it was a twice as long and more in depth meet than the day before when we met him and it was in and out. This felt like a good 3 minutes of ....Kylo Ren being Kylo Ren..... he didnt like my Wifes BB8 Plush backpack hahaha.
March of the first Order was awesome. This was the highlight for me..... without ruining it, you will be bloody close to the Stormtroopers, closer than other parade followers.
The tour group people are quick to remove anyone trying to enter in to the tour group section while you march. Which is fair enough as you are paying for a premium experience.
I was the same, and it is going to be subjective. I was more do i really want to listen to someone talk for 7 hours about stuff i already know and am i going to be able to handle 7 hours.
It went pretty quick and you wont notice the time. Plus i was surprised with the information given, it was interesting and not over the top constantly in your face. The earpiece's were fantastic and not bothersome so it was easy to hear all the time.
We really did it as well we are from Australia and we aint coming back anytime soon, plus we love star wars so we had to do it.
To not have to worry about Jedi sign up was a plus, and we wanted to do the desert party as well so it was as you say, easy to not worry about planning.
Yes you can do it all on your own, but this felt stress free, with viewing points right up front with no one in your way blocking your view.
Plus with the big Star wars tour card on your lanyard stands out and i was suprised how many people asked what the star wars tour was throughout the day.
I hope my info throughout the day will help make it easier to decide on whether or not to take the plunge, yes its a fair chunk of money, and this is coming from someone who thought it was not going to be worth it..... It is worth it 100%.
There are a few surprises in there I have not mentioned, don't want to ruin too much for everyone or anyone doing the tour very soon.
May the Force be with your decision...... and its more fun on The DarkSide