May the Force Be With You: SWW 2014

This phrase was used over and over again during the Star Wars Weekend events at Hollywood Studios.  Each year on designated weekends in May & June, Hollywood Studios is completely taken over by Jedis, Siths, and Storm Troopers.  It is truly a fun, energetic atmosphere!  I had never attended a Star Wars Weekend, but it turned out that one coincided with the 24 Hour Rock Your Disney Side event.  So of course, we took full advantage of the opportunity!

We made sure to be there at rope drop (and not just because we had early breakfast reservations).  Imagine my surprise when the rope drop ceremony was different!  We were welcomed by Storm Troopers ...

After the video (which I shut off because I thought the skit was over), they actually continued speaking, and they were hilarious!  Oddly, after rope drop, people did not just run to Toy Story Midway Mania, as is usual.  People were definitely there for the event itself!

We headed past the stage, redecorated with Hans Solo frozen in Carbonite:

And then we headed to our destination: The Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater for a special Star Wars breakfast!  Now, there were two version of a breakfast offered this year.  Hollywood & Vine offered a breakfast with Mickey, Minnie, and the gang dressed as characters from Star Wars.  We chose to dine at Sci-Fi, because we got to meet the characters themselves.

When we were escorted in, we immediately got to meet Darth Vader and Boba Fett.  After posting this pic on Facebook, we were reminded that we probably should have looked more frightened, what with a Sith Lord and a bounty hunter surrounding us...

We were seated, and we were given our menu:

And while we were waiting, we were treated to scenes from Star Wars movies on the big screen.  It was so odd to see a different montage, but I really enjoyed it, especially the sing-a-long!

And now, the food:

I love the C3PO chocolate muffins especially!  

Why yes, that is a honeydew shaped like Yoda!

And what would a character breakfast be without... characters?  They were very interactive, and I had SO much fun meeting these characters.

All in all, I would definitely recommend the breakfast.  Of course, there were other great goings-on as well!  There was a special store selling all sorts of Star Wars merch.  People were sporting R2D2 dresses, special ear hats, full-out Jedi and Princess Leia costumes... it was really fun.  The park was decorated, and there were special maps.

There were other meet and greets throughout the park as well.  I just missed getting a picture with Princess Leia, as it was too close to parade time.  I did manage to snap a pic of Chewbacca:

And of... Ewoks?!

I snagged what I thought was a great place for the parade... only to discover at the last minute that it was NOT such a great place.  Tip: get there early for a good spot along Hollywood Blvd or near the stage!  I did manage to get a couple of good pics, though, of Jedi Mickey and the real live Star Wars Stars who were on hand visiting guests!

So many events, and each weekend was slated to be slightly different!  The evening are wrapped up with a fabulous fireworks display; a Symphony in the Stars.  If you are a Star Wars Fan, you simply must try to attend one of these weekends next year.  

Of course, all of your favorite attractions are open as well, so don't forget to ride those while you're at it!  :)