We are a family of HUGE Star Wars fans! When the kids learned we would be visiting Disneyland, and thus, Galaxy’s Edge, one of the top things on their list of things to do at Disney was build a droid. Lucky for them, I already had the plans in the works.
They were so excited to find out we would be visiting the Droid Depot at Disney and couldn’t wait to build their own astromech unit! If you are considering adding an activity on your next Disney vacation, we highly recommend this fun experience.
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What is Disney’s Build Your Own Droid?
When Galaxy’s Edge (Star Wars Land to most of us…) opened at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World, so did several unique experiences. One of the fun things to do in Galaxy’s Edge is the ability to design and build your own droid at the Black Spire’s Outpost industrial depot (aka the Droid Depot).
So what does it mean to build your own droid? Guests have the opportunity to customize and build their own astromech droid with several options, including the droid series-type, color, and even personality (for an additional cost).
What to Expect at the Droid Depot
Price of Build Your Own Droid Astromech
At the time of publication, the cost to build your own customer droid at the Droid Depot is $99.99 plus tax.
How Many People Can Be at the Droid Depot?
Each builder can have one guest join them while they design and build their custom droid. This means younger children can be accompanied by an adult or older sibling (minimum 14 years-old), which is very helpful during the assembly stage!
Check-In and Payment for Build Your Own Droid
We had a later reservation but were able to check-in early since it was a quieter day at Disneyland. Once we checked in, we were directed to the register to pay for the droids before we built them. Disney accepts not only all major credit cards, but also Disney Gift Cards as payment for the droids. Learn more about purchasing discounted gift cards to save some money on your next Disney vacation!
How to Build a Droid at the Droid Depot in Disney
Choose the Style of Your Unit
At the droid depot, you can build a traditional R-Series Unit (R2 through R6 to be more precise), or a BB unit, like BB-8. Both of our kids chose to make an R2 unit because they love R2-D2 so much!
Once you decide what kind of droid you’d like to build, you can start selecting parts. The basket to hold your droid parts details which parts you will need, depending on which series you are making. Below is a list of the customizable parts for each series.
BB- Series:
- Dome
- Dome Connection Plate
- Body Sphere
- Motivator
R- Series:
- Dome
- Body
- Center Leg
- Set of Side-Legs
Droid Depot Color Options and Parts Selection
The best part of building your own droid unit is customizing it to your style. Droid parts in various colors and shapes roll by on a conveyor belt, and you can select from those pieces. Depending on how indecisive you are, this can take only a few minutes or MANY more!
There are many color variations on the belt. Red, blue, purple, black, orange; these are just some of the color options available to choose from.
For an R-Series unit, you can customize the head, side-legs, center leg, and body of the droid. We were a little disappointed in the color options for the legs and bodies. Bailey chose a purple and white head for her R2 unit, but there were no other parts with purple coloring. I wish the color options were available on all of the droid parts!
Assembling Your New Droid at Disney
Once you have all of your parts picked out, you will head over to the droid assembly area. Here, everyone has a separate workspace that includes assembly instructions and the tool you need (power screwdriver) to complete the droid. Older kids should do well at this stage, but younger kids will most likely need some help.
Activating Your Droid at Droid Depot
Here is a quick video to show how they activate your droid after you are done assembly. The tech links a remote control to the droid during activation. It’s fun to watch your droid “wake up” for the first time!
After you droid is activated, the Droid Depot tech goes over how to use the control, and makes sure that the new droid owner is comfortable with its operation! These guys can move fast, so it takes a few tries to get the sequencing down.
Shopping for Your Droid
Inside the Droid Depot, there are many accessories you can purchase for your new droid! You can buy colorful stickers to customize your droid even more, different “personality” chips to alter your droid’s default persona, and also a perfectly-sized backpack to easily transport your droid around the park. We didn’t purchase any of the upgrades, but the kids were still thrilled with their custom creations!
Droid Interactions in Galaxy’s Edge
Each droid is equipped with Bluetooth technology, allowing it to interact with other droids and elements in Galaxy’s Edge. We did not spend a lot of time looking for those elements because the kids wanted to play with the droids instead!
There was a quiet area along the path near the bathrooms where new droid owners could practice controlling their droids. Even though the Disney websites state that droids cannot be operated while in the park, they obviously made an exception for this one section. We built our droids in Disneyland. I am not sure if the Hollywood Studio’s Galaxy’s Edge offers the same option.
Tips Before You Build Your Own Droid at Disney
Take Your Time
Building your own droid at Disney is not cheap. The experience is fun, but it can feel rushed. Take your time selecting the parts and colors you want for your droid. No one is rushing you through the process. There is no time limit. Unless you have a FASTPASS or a dining reservation that you have to make, slow down, and enjoy the process.
Use the “Alert Tech” Button
This may seem silly, but I did not notice the button until we were almost done at the Droid Depot! Right next to the “Activate” button at the assembly station is a yellow button labeled “Alert Tech”. That is how you, uh, alert the tech that you are ready to activate your droid!
I’m not sure why I didn’t see it, but we stood and waited a few minutes for a tech to come to help us, and eventually, I got their attention. I could have saved some stress and waiting if I had just looked down!
Pick a Reservation Time Wisely
You can make reservations to build your own droid up to 60-days ahead at Disneyland and up to 6 months ahead at Walt Disney World.
When choosing a time, remember this: After you build one of these cute custom droids, you will have to carry it around the park! The Droid Depot gives you special cardboard containers with handles. However, they are bulky and on the heavier-side, which means mom and dad (or other adults in travel party) will be transporting the droid around the park all day!
If I had planned a little better, I would have picked a droid-building time that was closer to when we would leave the park for our mid-day break. But I guess then R2-B1 and R2-L1 (our new droids’ names), would never have gotten to experience the thrill of riding Big Thunder Mountain Railroad!
Plan Ahead for Transport Home
If you are flying home from Disneyland or Walt Disney World, think ahead about how you will transport your droid home. We did not have any extra space in our luggage for them, so the droids became a carry-on item for each kid.
We flew Southwest Airlines home, so we didn’t have to worry about carry-on restrictions, but I know some airlines or ticket options limit you to a personal item, and that is it.
Our Overall Review on Build a Droid at the Droid Depot at Disney
For any Star Wars-loving family, building your own droid is a fun activity! It is expensive, but you are paying for the experience as well as the droid, and I thought it was worth it. The droids are a one-of-a-kind souvenir. They not only received a lot of attention in the park but also on the plane ride home!
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