Hollywood Studios offers so much for Star Wars lovers, young and old. Did you know that younglings, ages 4-12 can participate in Jedi Training to begin to learn the Path of the Jedi? At Jedi Training, they will be trained by Jedi Knights on basic lightsaber techniques, as well as how to use the Force.
Rob has turned Evan and Flynn into HUGE Star Wars fans, so Hollywood Studios is always a must do for us. Flynn had an obsessive fascination with the Dark Side, and for a few years, he was convinced he was going to be Darth Vader when he grew up. Thankfully that has passed, and he is more Team Light Side these days!
Our kids first trip to Walt Disney World was in 2013, and Flynn was too young to remember most of it, but both Carolyn and Evan participated in Jedi Training Academy. Then, in 2016, Flynn was 1 month shy of being able to sign up for Jedi Training…he was pretty heartbroken about it. When we told the kids about our Land and Sea trip for February 2017, we knew that no matter what else we did, we would fit Jedi Training into our 2 days in the parks.
On our second day at WDW, we planned on Rob taking the boys to Hollywood Studios. There were Extra Magic Hours that morning (one of the many perks of staying on property!), so he had them up bright and early to get to the gates about 20 minutes before opening, and as soon as they were in the park, everyone booked it over to sign ups, between Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, and 50’s Prime Time. They were given their return time for training, and Rob text me to let me know to be at Hollywood Studios by 12:30. (I spent the morning at Magic Kingdom, while Carolyn spent the morning sleeping in).I got to Hollywood Studios after Rob checked the boys in for their training Here they were told about the Path of the Jedi, and they received their robes.
After this, everyone lines up, and they are led by the Jedi Knights in a parade to the stage show. Here, the Younglings begin their official training, learning to use the Force, and lightsaber 101.
When the training was complete, the stage was overtaken by Darth Vader and the Seventh Sister Inquisitor. It is up to the young Padawans to take turns fighting them off in a classic battle of good vs. evil.
Seeing both my boys participate in Jedi Training was bittersweet…this would be Evan’s last time.
The age limit caps out at 12, and the next time we will be at Walt Disney World, he will more than likely be too old, unless we can sneak one more trip in before next October. Flynn, on the other hand, has many more trips to continue his Jedi Training!
A couple of things to keep in mind when including Jedi Training Academy in you plans…to participate, you will need to sign your children up as soon as Hollywood Studios opens. Plan on getting to the park about 20 minutes prior to opening, and onces you go through the gates, you will need to head back, with your younglings that want to go through training, to the Jedi Training sign up line, between Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular and 50’s Prime Time. Space is limited, and is on a first come basis. If there are extra magic hours, you will need to be at the gates for that early hour! Also, your children that want to sign up for training have to be present at sign ups. (You can’t send one parent to sign ups, while the other takes the kids to any of the attractions). Also, they are very strict about the ages of participants, they must be between 4-12 years old to train. When you receive your return time, you may need to go into your My Disney Experience app to change times for some of your scheduled Fastpasses.
This is such a must do experience for anyone who loves Star Wars. You may find yourself telling your children as they go off to train, “May the Force be With You!”
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