The build-your-own lightsaber experience in Tatooine Traders at Disney’s Hollywood Studios has returned to normal after almost four years, allowing guests to build the lightsaber on their own without Cast Member help.
Build-Your-Own Lightsaber Experience
When Walt Disney World reopened in July 2020 after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the build-your-own lightsaber experience was heavily modified to accommodate physical distancing requirements and account for sanitizing. Only a couple of guests would be able to build a lightsaber at a time, from a single bin of parts brought to them by a Cast Member.
Now, guests can once again peruse the full selection of parts by themselves, choose their parts, try different combinations, and build their lightsaber without Cast Members facilitating. Cast Members are of course still on hand to help guests and explain the process as necessary.
This experience is significantly cheaper than the handbuilt lightsaber experience at Savi’s Workshop in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Guests can experiment with building a lightsaber before deciding whether or not to purchase. The Tatooine Traders lightsabers are also plastic instead of metal and the experience is less immersive.
Since 2020, the characters pictured at the build-your-own lightsaber have also changed. Yoda and Luke Skywalker were swapped out for the live-action version of Ahsoka Tano portrayed by Rosario Dawson and Mace Windu portrayed by Samuel L. Jackson.
The steps to building a lightsaber are listed above the bins of lightsaber parts. Guests choose an emitter, blade, and hilt. They then customize the hilt and choose an end cap or adapter. There are multiple bins and stations, so several guests can work on their lightsabers at the same time.
The collapsible lightsaber blades come in purple, white, green, yellow, blue, and red. There are several different emitter and hilt choices. Guests can build a single-blade lightsaber or a double-blade lightsaber (like Darth Maul). There is a deluxe emitter option that resembles Kylo Ren’s lightsaber emitter.
Pictures of the different parts are also next to the different steps, so you have an idea of what’s available before rooting through the bins. The bins should be organized by each part, but since they’re accessible to guests (particularly young kids), they can get mixed up.
In late 2021 and into early 2022, the experience was closed due to lack of parts because of supply chain issues.
Pricing varies depending on what type of lightsaber you build. A single-blade saber is $29.99 while a double-blade saber is $44.99.
Build-your-own lightsabers are available in the back corner of Tatooine Traders, the exit gift shop of Star Tours.
Are you excited the build-your-own lightsaber experience is back to normal at Disney’s Hollywood Studios? Let us know in the comments.
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