Is it really necessary to get a FPP for these shows? They are tier 1 and we’d have to give up TSMM. We’ve never been so in not sure how these shows work. TIA.
The lines were pretty long last year and we spent most of one day in them so we could hit all the shows. It will be interesting with them now in the BatB theater. It is bigger but not much shade while you wait to enter. Last time the line was in the extended Muppets queue which was completely shaded.
I didn’t do many of the shows last year, but I did use a FPP for a 5:15 PM show on the Friday after Memorial Day. Since we were returning from an afternoon break and I didn’t know the best route to get to the Premiere Theater we didn’t arrive back there until about 5:05 PM, at which time there was a very long standby line. Guests were already being admitted into the theater by then, but we were able to bypass the standby line and enter through the separate FPP door. We may have gotten in using the regular line (I’m not sure if anyone was turned away, but it’s possible they were given the crowd I saw outside). In any case, if a show is important, then I’d use FPP for it again this year.
Regarding Toy Story, that was my first stop after rope drop on this day, after which I proceeded to a short wait to meet Darth Vader. With the 8:00 AM opening, there’s time to see headliner attractions with reasonable waits in the morning, though that’s also a prime time for some of the popular character meets. Last year was my first Star Wars Weekend, but I was also trying to make sure a friend who hadn’t visited the park in more than a decade saw a lot of attractions, so we had to balance seeing some Star Wars activities and all the headliner attractions. Deciding your priorities ahead of time should make the decision on how to use FPP easier.