If you are a Star Wars fan, or are looking for a fun experience that comes with an amazing souvenir, the Droid Depot might be a great add on to your day at Hollywood Studios.
Here I will talk about how Droid Depot works, the pricing, and my review of this experience.
To build a droid you will first want to make advanced reservations. This is an extremely popular stop in Hollywood Studios, and spaces are limited. You can make a reservation in advance on Disney Website. Reservations can be made 180 days in advance.
You will be required to use a credit card to hold your reservation, but you will not be charged at the time of booking. However, you will be charged the entire price of the droid if you are a no-show to your reservation. So if you can't make it be sure to cancel online, call Disney to cancel, or stop by Droid Depot in person to cancel.
If you are unable to find any open reservations, you can check for availability in person. There will be a number of walk up spots open, but they are first come first serve and are not guaranteed. I would recommend you arrive to the park early if you plan on trying to do a walk in Droid build.
When you arrive you will see 2 lines. One for advanced reservations, and one for walk in guests. If the line is long you'll see a Cast Member with a sign showing the estimated wait time for building a droid.
Keep in mind your reservation is for one person plus one guest. Your entire party will not be allowed to watch the build. Cast Members will make exceptions for small children who would otherwise be left unattended, but it is at their discretion.
Building a droid at Droid Depot costs $119 plus tax. There are no discounts with Disney annual pass or DVC for this experience, but you can use those discounts for any of the extras or accessories that you purchase for your droid.
The price above includes the building experience (which I'll go over below), the droid, a remote control, and a cardboard carrying case.
You can also purchase a backpack made especially for your droid for $49.99.
You will pay for your experience and these optional extras when you check in for your reservation. If you aren't sure about the extras don't worry, you can purchase them later if you would like. The Droid Depot is also a shop that sells pre-made droids, shirts, toys, droid accessories, and more. So you can always make additional purchases later (and these additional purchases will allow for passholder and DVC discounts).
If you want to just walk around the shop you can do that by entering through the shop entrance to the right of the main Droid Depot entrance. You'll see droids standing outside. Look for this blue and white sign written in Arebesh.
How Does Building a Droid Work?
When you arrive at Droid Depot you'll be given a choice of 2 types of droids that you can build:
Once you make your selection you are asked to pay for your droid in advance. You are then given a basket and brought to a conveyer belt that has droid parts going by. Your basket will show you the various parts that you will need to build your droid. You'll choose which parts you want as they pass by on the belt, and keep them in your basket.
When you have all of the pieces for your droid you are brought to a building station. A Cast Member will help you to assemble your droid using instructions found printed on the basket you are carrying.
The Cast Member will double check your assembly and place your droid in an activation chamber. You hit the button to activate, and watch your droid come to life! He rolls, talks, and can even react to things around Galaxy's Edge.
If you want to ship your droid home, you can have it shipped from Disney World to your house.
You have a few options to do this. If you are in Galaxy's Edge you can ship your droid while you are at the Droid Depot. You can also head over to Dok Ondar's Den of Antiquities to have it shipped. Or you can head to your resort's gift shop location. Rates vary, but we paid $18 for shipping from Orlando to the Chicago area.
If you decide to try and bring your droid on your flight home, the TSA does allow them. But you'll want to double check with your airline before you go.
Building a droid at Droid Depot is a really fun experience for any Star Wars fan. Unlike Savi's Workshop (where you can build a custom lightsaber) this experience is perfect for both adults and children. Disney recommends that participants be at least 3 years of age.
I personally would not recommend this for kids younger than age 5. Assembling the droid requires the use of an electric screwdriver. The person building it would also need to be tall enough to see and reach over the building station.
If you want to customize your droid even more, you can purchase several extras during or after your build. Extras include things like personality chips (available for $12.95), and decals for your droid.
Note that the R-Series has more options as far as additional parts and customization.
Droid depot is a fun experience for any fan of Star Wars. I found the assembly to be quick and easy. It’s 6 simple steps, and a Cast Member is there to help you out if you get stuck (I personally attached the leg pieces on my R-Series droid backwards. So the Cast Member was able to quickly spot that and help me out.).
I also enjoy that for the price you walk away with a pretty nice, working droid. My kids have several different droids that they enjoy playing with. Some are expensive, and large droids. Others are inexpensive kid’s toys. I feel like the quality of this droid fits the price you pay. Add in the experience, and the fact that you got it at Disney World in Galaxy’s Edge, and this droid is worth the price every time.
If you are looking for an experience that is more theatrical or that is meant for Star Wars fans who take the fandom seriously, consider building a lightsaber at Savi’s Workshop instead.
If you want more information on Galaxy's Edge, including information on rides, food, touring, and more, check out the full guide to Galaxy's Edge
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See you at the parks,
-Julie
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