Jedi Training Academy--Changes for 2013

Jedi Training Academy is an opportunity for children ages 4-12 to take on the evil of the dark side and learn lightsaber moves.  Some changes have been made for 2013 to this great experience:

• More children can now participate in each show, as the “stage” has been expanded to include the area below the original stage area.  This has doubled the number of kiddos that can get the opportunity for each show.  Based on our experience, the taller children have the lower portion of the stage area.
• Darth Maul has been added to the show—definitely a plus!

What hasn’t changed:

• The need to head to the Sound Studio as soon as you arrive in the park—if your child or children ages 4-12 is interested in participating—and reserve their slot for a show.  You must have your child present when you register.
• Arriving at the Sound Studio 30 minutes prior to your slotted show time.
• Photopass photographer on hand to capture the magic and the memories—you are given a card with the event number and can add the photos to your Photopass account.

The boy has been participating in Jedi Training Academy since he was, well 4.  While the show hasn’t change much over the years—except for the addition of Darth Maul, the process of how children get into the show has.   The sign-up and come back system is definitely the best!

Some things to know and tips to help you:

• Visit with your child(ren) prior to your trip or arriving at Hollywood Studios to see if this is something they want to do as signing up early is important.  The day we were at Studios there were 15 shows with double the kids and all were full with a “wait list” before 3:00 pm.  It your child isn’t sure, have them watch some of our videos to help them decide.  We have seen many disappointed adults and children who stumble upon Jedi Training Academy while walking by and then try to get their child in a show, only to find out that all the shows are full or only slots are available for shows much later in the day.  You want to plan ahead for this experience.

• When you sign-up for a slot, it doesn’t have to be the next available slot.  Know the plan for your day and pick the time, if available, that words with that plan, including ADR’s.  The boy and the husband went off to sign-up as soon as the park opened (I headed to Toy Story to get Fastpasses).  The husband requested the 3:40 pm show, even though he was the first person to sign-up for that day and would have normally been assigned the first show (9:20).  The 3:40 time worked in our schedule for the day better knowing that we would need to be there by 3:10 pm and would be done by 4:00 pm—our dinner ADR was for 4:30 pm.
• Be sure your child knows that they are borrowing the lightsaber and the robe for the training.  Each child does get a certificate to take home and there are “make your own” lightsabers for sale in Tatooine Traders nearby and at Downtown Disney.
• Have your camera ready!

Jedi Training Academy is another reason Disney’s Hollywood Studios is a top park for us at Walt Disney World.  The changes for 2013 have made the experience better for the participants.  The boy was thrilled that he got to take on Darth Maul and looks forward to our next trip.  Time is running out for us, as this experience is for children ages 4-12.  We better hurry!

Jedi Training Academy 2012

Jedi Training Academy at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is a way for children ages 4-12 to play out their Star Wars fantasies.  The 30 minute show featuring participation of the padawans is held multiple times a day on the stage outside Star Tours.  Check your Times Guide for a listing of times.

The boy has been in Jedi Training Academy since our first or second trip to Walt Disney World.  We have seen the selection of participants go through many renditions from selecting from the audience to lining up and hoping you were in the next show to the way it is done now.  Those interested sign up for a time slot at the former Sounds Dangerous location which is between Indiana Jones and Star Tours.  Look for the signs and head inside.  Have the child or children with you that want to participate—it’s a requirement.

Now, since we arrived at Hollywood Studios at rope drop and the park opened 15 minutes early, I headed to Toy Story Mania to get Fastpasses while the husband and the boy went off the sign-up for Jedi Training Academy.  We had already checked the Times Guide and had an idea of what show would work best in our plan for the day—the 2:20 pm show.  When the husband and boy arrived, the Cast Members were filling up the first shows and when the husband said he wanted the 2:20 pm show, it sort of threw them off.  They hadn’t anticipated someone asking for a later show; they were just filling in time slots.  But after consulting with each other, they decided it was okay and gave the husband a slip of paper with the show time and the number slot assigned for that show, which was #1.  This slip of paper is important as you will need it when you return for the show.  He was told to arrive and check in at the same location 30 minutes prior to the show. . . 1:50 pm.

We knew about the 30 minutes ahead of time check-in requirement, which was another reason for selecting the 2:20 pm show time.  We had a 3:45 ADR at Mama Melrose for our Fantasmic Dining Package and well, the time just worked out better with our plan for the day.

We arrived at the appointed time and checked in with the slip of paper in hand.  We watched as others checked in, but for one reason or another didn’t have the little slip of paper.  For example, one parent headed off to check-in 30 minutes prior, but the other parent had the slip of paper.  Nope, you have to have the child or children, slip of paper, and be there 30 minutes ahead.

Then, we watched those who were on the “wait list” hoping for a chance to participate.  We’ve been in that spot before, but we were confident it would work out—click here to read more.  In this instance, there were tears coming from the children who were waiting and parents who were trying to figure out what they could do to make this dream happen for their child or children.

When all children had gathered with proper paperwork, the group is assembled and goes to the staging area in a line.  Parents are asked to walk along the line to make sure others don’t join in the line.  At this point, the children are all carrying their little slip of paper with them and then the papers are collected once the group of 15 gathers at the stage in exchange for their brown hooded robes.

Parents are now finding spots to photograph the event, but remember to stand behind the line painted on the ground, as that area is reserved for the Photopass photographer who rolls on a chair around the stage to capture photos of children in the Jedi Training Academy.  

Parents are given a special Photopass Card indicating their child was in a training session.  Before leaving the park, be sure to stop at The Darkroom or Cover Story before leaving the park to select and add the pictures taken at Jedi Training Academy to your Photopass account.  You can then edit and add fun borders to the pictures—see below.

The Jedi Training Academy show is fun and revolves around the young padawans being trained to fight the dark side.  Each participant gets to go up against Darth Vader during the show.

The participants are given a certificate of participation at the end, which can be personalized and framed upon returning home.

Another special note is about asking the Photopass photographer at the end of the show about “magic photos” of you and Darth Vader.  We forgot this trip, but have done it before.

The boy seemed less interested in Jedi Training Academy this trip, but was glad he took the time to do it.  And, as you can see in the pictures and videos, he is definitely enjoying himself.

Our best tips are to arrive early, have the child with you when you sign up for the show time you want,  keep track of the little slip of paper given to you as you will need it later, and arrive 30 minutes prior to the start of the show.

Interestingly, questions about this experience are the most often asked when we are waiting at the gates at Hollywood Studios. Maybe it is our matching t-shirts that tip folks off that we have done this a few times or maybe it is the fact that we are traveling with a young boy that may give it away that we know how to do it, but each time, we have been waiting for the park to open, we get asked about Jedi Training Academy.  In fact, the husband had other families follow him to the sign-up location.  He was happy to help.

Jedi Training Academy 2011 at Disney's Hollywood Studios

Jedi Training Academy beckoned during our last visit to Walt Disney World, and specifically, Disney’s Hollywood Studios.  We skipped Jedi Training Academy when we were at the World in November 2010. . . well, Star Tours was closed!  So, in July, not only did the boy and the husband ride the new Star Tours multiple times, the boy also took on Darth Vader in the Jedi Training Academy.

To read about our previous adventures with Jedi Training Academy—click here.

Jedi Training Academy is an audience participation opportunity for youngsters (under 12) to don brown robes and a training lightsaber.  The practice, also the show, then includes an opportunity to take on Darth Vader.  Who wouldn’t want to do that?

Jedi Training Academy has certain performance times.  The times when we were there in July were as follows: 

9:15, 10:00, 10:50 & 11:45am, 12:40, 1:30, 2:20, 4:00, 4:45, 5:45, 6:40, 7:35 & 8:30pm

You can find the times for performances in the Times Guide that you pick up with your park map or through various web-sites or mobile apps.  Walt Disney World LiveEntertainment web-site is a good one—click here.

If your youngster wants to be in the performance, head over to the former location of Sounds Dangerous where you will see the sign to register for Jedi Training Academy.  Have your child with you when you do this.  You will be given a ticket for a spot in a show, your child will be asked a few questions like if they are able to follow directions—hence the need to have the child present—and told to return to that location 30 minutes prior to the performance in which they have a ticket/reservation.  For example, if your child has a ticket for the 10:50 am performance, you would need to arrive by 10:20 am to the former Sounds Dangerous location which is no Jedi Training Academy registration and check-in.

After the group arrives, you will go to the Jedi Training Academy performance stage which is located next to the Star Tours attraction entrance.  This is where the children will receive their brown robes.  They will receive their training lightsabers when they go on stage.

The number of children in Jedi Training Academy for each performance is limited, but don’t be afraid to ask to be put on a “wait list” and given a number for the wait list.  We did and it worked like a charm.  Here’s what happened:

We arrived at Hollywood Studios on a Sunday afternoon just before 3:00 pm.  We found a spot to watch the Pixar Countdown to Fun Parade which begins at 3:00.  When it was over, we headed to Jedi Training Academy—the actual stage, as we didn’t know the registration location had moved, and then backtracked to the registration location.

Since we had a 4:20 dinner ADR at Mama Melrose for the 9:00 Fantasmic performance, I asked for a spot in the 6:40 pm or 7:35 pm performance.  I was told they were both full, but there was a spot at 4:00.  No, that won’t work due to our ADR at 4:20 and the 8:35 performance wouldn’t work due to the 9:00 pm Fantasmic.  (See how important it is to know times before arriving!)

We agreed to a wait list number, which I want to say was number 8) for either of the two requested shows.

Off we went with our wait list number, confident that all would work out.  If no Jedi Training Academy today, well we had 2 more opportunities at Hollywood Studios to try again.  We met Phineas and Ferb—click here to read more, and went to dinner.

When we finished dinner, we returned to the Jedi Training Academy check-in.  It was about 6:00 pm.  The boy was the first “wait list” child to check in.  We were told to wait on a certain side of the room.  More children came in, some with tickets for the show, others with wait list numbers.  Soon, the waiting ended.  The boy was IN!  He had the lowest “wait list” number and was in the show, as others who had tickets for the show had not checked in.  Two other “wait list” children made it, too.  The others had to try again later.

Our spur of the moment decision to agree to a “wait list” as well as our patience and perseverance had paid off.  The boy got to be in Jedi Training Academy.

Parents are welcome to watch the show and cameras were plentiful.  We took video and pre-show photos.  I let Photopass do the rest of the work for me.

A Photopass photographer is on hand and will give each parent a slip to give to the Photopass store at the front of the park indicating which Jedi Training Academy performance the child was in.  The guests simply look through all the photos of that particular Jedi Training Academy performance and pick the ones of their child to either add to their Photopass Account or purchase.  We added all the photos to our Photopass Account.  We had pre-purchased the CD, so all of those photos would be added to the Photopass CD.  Voila!  

The participation process for Jedi Training Academy has improved over the year.  We remember being in the crowd in front of the stage, hoping to get picked.  And, yes, the boy was picked several times when this was the process.  Then, it was line-up at the stage area and then so many kids were in the first show, the next so many in the second show, etc.  This meant potentially standing in that line through several shows until it was your turn.  Then, it was go to the line and get a ticket for the show you would be in, which has now morphed into a completely separate registration/check-in area that includes a more organized process that is covered and air conditioned!  

Now, since Jedi Training Academy is for the young set, we found out something we could do for, shall we say, more mature Star Wars fans.  And, that is a Photopass magic photo with Darth Vader digitally imposed in the photo later.  Guests can ask the Photopass photographer at Jedi Training Academy after the show for this magic shot and are given a lightsaber to hold for the photo.

The husband loved this Photopass magic photo, as he has always wanted to be in Jedi Training Academy!

Jedi Training Academy is an example of how Hollywood Studios really does allow guests to “be in the movies” during their visit to the park.

Jedi Training Academy

Young Star Wars fans can take on Darth Vader and the evils of the Dark Side daily at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Near the Star Tours attraction, there is a queue just for children who would like to be a Padawan in Jedi Training Academy.

The queue fills up pretty fast, with the first 15 children selected for the first show and the next 15 children for the next show, etc. The kids or their representative have to stay in the line in order for the child to be in the show and the child has to be in the line when the children are selected, ticketed, and robed for the show. Children ages 4-12 are eligible to be in the show. We have seen children change their minds, so even if your child is 32nd in line, stay there, as they may still be in the 2nd show of the day. We have also seen parents stumble on the show and decide that their child would like to be in the show, only to discover that the queue has enough children for the next several shows. So, if this is something you think your child would enjoy, plan on participating early in the day. The boy made his way to Star Tours at 9:20 am and had to wait for the 10:50 show. Arriving early is the key!

Jedi Training takes place several times a day: 9:55, 10:50, 11:45, 12:40, 1:30, 2:20, 4:00, 4:45, and 5:30** and 6:15**. ** Except Sunday. The show last 20 minutes.

After children are selected, they are given a brown robe/cape to wear and a practice light saber. The children then go through a practice routine that they will use against Darth Vader. Darth Vader and the Storm Troopers come after the training session. (see photo above.)

A master Jedi helps take the Jedis in training through their moves. His or her comments can be quite funny. The Jedi Master pictured above made note that the boy had been in the training before, and he was right. This was his 4th time being a Jedi in training.

At the end of the training, each Padawan is given a certificate of participation in the Jedi Training Academy as a souvenir.