STAR TOURS!!

I'm sooo sorry - I really thought of you last nite! I think you're going to love it! The simulator movie is soooo cool! I kinda wished we had gone to Naboo...maybe next time

Okay, so details. I have friends in from out of town (by the way...want to see all of your friends from all over the country without ever hopping a plane? Live in Central FL! ), so I met them for dinner the other nite. They were staying at the Hilton Bonnet Creek, and we just grabbed a bite there - pretty forgettable, so I won't even go into details. But we had planned to hit the parks for a little after dinner. Service was soooooo slow, though, that DHS was the only park that we thought we could get some good time in. It's well documented that DHS isn't my fave, but I knew I must be missing something since y'all like it so much. So off we went.

It was probably 9 or after when we walked in the park - I don't even know - and it was BUSY! However, the more we walked around, we realized that LOTS of people were leaving. We thought there would be NO WAY to get on the ride on opening day with no fastpass. But we headed over anyway. To our surprise, the line was 40 minutes. Well, we're a couple of chatty girls with iPhones to amuse us, so no problem! But no way did the line take that long. It moved fast, and of course, there was lots of theming to keep us entertained! C3PO and R2D2 were right in front as you came in and went through the cow lines. And another little robot was behind glass, cracking jokes.

Everything was neat and clean and seemed new. I thought before, you watched a movie in a holding area before you went in? Well, we didn't do that this time. I don't know if we just didn't, or if it was down, or late, or because the line wasn't long...anyway, we went straight from the first holding area, through the little walking area, and into the place where you sit. Everything there seemed pretty similar to the old set up, although the new 3d glasses are really cool looking - not like the yellow ones you get everywhere else. We put on our seatbelts, and away we flew! C3P0 was our hesitant pilot; he was preparing us for flight, when Darth Vader appears, looking for the rebel spy in our midst, so we high-tale it out of there!

On our flight, we ended up on the Wookie planet. Not to repeat, but the film was really, really beautiful. Now it, didn't seem all that 3D-ish to me, but my friend slipped off her glasses and said it was totally blurry, so it must have been.

I can't speak to the crowds for the rest of the day, but we did wait in lines there, and at Toy Story Mania, but managed to get on both without much of a wait, and no fastpasses.

Overall, I thought it was great, and I can't wait to ride again! I want to see the other journeys. But this has always been a favorite of mine, so I'm glad it got some attention and updates.

Jeff...It's jerky. I don't know if it's "too" jerky, but it definitely felt realistic when you thought you were about to crash, and as you were flying. If doc doesn't give you the green light, I'd think twice. Having said that, I can't imagine it's any more traumatic to your neck than everyday driving is. That was always my litmus test when I was pregnant - is this ride any worse than driving in a car. Think of it that way. Maybe that will help you decide.

Thanks everyone for your sweet comments. It was definitely an unexpected surprise, and a really great memory.

DD - Ooh - can't wait to hear what they share! So it's a go that you got in on that? Awesome!

I definitely want to go back, and hopefully visit lots of other planets! Can't wait to see what they all look like.