Keepin' it Savi (Custom Sabers)

I can honestly say I am not a die hard Star Was fan, but all my childhood love for Star Was lit up like a Christmas tree from the moment we walked into Star Wars Galaxy's Edge.  My first priority of this venture was the "big ticket item;" the custom built lightsabers from Savi's Workshop.  I had to have one, HAD TO!
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Nestled between the Droid Depot and Dok Ondar's Den of Antiquities, it is easy to overlook Savi's workshop. Savi's Workshop, like many magical experiences at the Disney Parks, can require reservations booked in advance.  You can book your time slot at 180 days prior to your trip.  I had my time slot booked for Sunday of our trip, but was SHOCKED to find that they were not very busy on Saturday.  So, I took the opportunity and built it a day ahead of schedule.  When I asked how long the wait would be to purchase some "scrap metal" I was told 10-15 minutes.

I had been waiting to build my saber since I first learned of Savi's, so I had most of my design ideas finalized before I even set foot on the property.  First you must choose which of four styles of lightsabers you want to build.  I had determined that Elemental Nature was my flavor of saber.  They give you a lovely pin to signal the "gatherers" what pieces to bring you.  Groups of up to 14 builders, each with one guest, are then lead into a secret chamber hidden away from the prying eyes of the First Order (lightsabers are outlawed).

There our lead Gatherer talked about the history and significance of the lightsaber and we were then asked to pick our kyber crystals.  The kyber crystal is the heart of a lightsaber and determines it's color.  You can choose from green, blue, purple and red.  I had to have my baby be green!  Yellow and white crystals can be purchased at Dok Ondar's as well as other the initial colors.

 I thought assembling the saber would take me no time at all, but I learned the pieces did not slide together as easily as I had anticipated.  At first I was impressed with the weight of each piece.  These aren't flimsy plastic pieces, each piece of "scrap metal" is actually made of metal.  There are 5 pieces to choose from, with at least 2 variations to pick for each piece.  Essentially, 2 tops, 2 bottoms, 2 switches, and 4 different shaft pieces to choose from for each style of saber.  

The core is plastic housing for all the electronics in your saber.  Once you slide that kyber crystal into it's slot, the saber begins to sing and light up.  Ooh, I tingle with anticipation.  First, the activation plates must be put together around your crystal.  Then either shaft can be placed on top or bottom, screwed into place, followed up by the tops and bottoms to finish off your hilt.  Fully assembled the hilt has a nice heft to it.  Then the magic really begins.

Once assembled, the gatherers are invited to plug our lightsabers in.  We get some mystical dialogue from our favorite little green man Yoda, contacting us through the force.  And our sabers are activated.  I was grinning like a complete idiot.  I couldn't contain myself or stop myself from waving my new green pretty all over the place.  Each motion was accompanied with the crackle and sounds of a lightsaber.

​As we walked out we were each given a bag to safely carry our saber home in.  The bag has a foam tube inside to protect the light-up blade.  And boy does it light up!  You can see it glow even from within the bag.

If you've been to Hogwarts to get wand, it is magical, but only one person gets to be the center of attention.  At Savi's you feel like a jedi of old, because we all get to have the same AWESOME experience, but this is not a cheap thrill!  Custom sabers at Savi's run 200 credits plus tax.  So, expect to pay roughly $225 for a very awesome new toy.  It was worth the experience for me!  I would probably build another saber on my next visit.  I couldn't think of spending that kind of money for each of my children, though I saw plenty of families building sabers together.

If your child really wants to be able to take home a custom saber, there are alternatives.   There are three locations where a fully plastic custom saber can be built while visiting Walt Disney World.  In Disney Springs you can find the Build-a-Saber at the Star Wars Trading Post.  While visiting Disney's Hollywood Studios you can also build sabers at the shop at the end of Star Tours or alternatively at the Star Wars Launch Bay.  These sabers run from $25 to $50 depending on whether you build a single or double saber.  It can't compare to what you get from Savi's, but its a saber on a budget for the kids.

Spoiler alert... here's the video of my lightsaber experience!!