Is Star Wars Land’s $200+ Lightsaber Worth It?
Savi’s Workshop – Handbuilt Lightsabers is one of the most popular things in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Walt Disney World and Disneyland. This review offers photos & video from this build-your-own lightsaber shop, reservation details, spoiler-free info, and whether it’s worth the high price. (Updated February 25, 2024.)
Savi’s Workshop is an unassuming storefront located in the middle of Black Spire Outpost next to Dok-Ondar’s Den of Antiquities and Droid Depot. Under the guidance of the Gatherers, guests are ushered into a covert workshop where they are using unusual parts to build lightsabers amidst the First Order.
Originally, we planned on skipping Savi’s Workshop. To be honest, I laughed at the idea of a $200+ lightsaber, and might have used the word “sucker” to describe our friend who wanted to do it. This is no knock at Star Wars fans (well, I guess it is), but I spend money on plenty of things others would consider silly or frivolous, so to each their own. Since you’re seeing this review, we did end up doing Savi’s Workshop, so there’s also that.
February 25, 2024 Update: Disney Visa has announced that Cardmembers receive 10% off at Savi’s Workshop for Handbuilt Lightsabers at Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World. Previously, this was one of the excluded locations, but it now joins other retail and restaurants in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge offering 10% off select merchandise when using the Disney Visa credit card or debit cards.
Note that this only applies to the Savi’s Workshop location at Walt Disney World in Florida. It does not apply to the outpost in Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland in California. At least, not for now. The discount just launched, so it’s possible Disneyland will offer the Disney Visa discount soon, too.
However, we wouldn’t bet on it. There’s already a pricing difference at Savi’s Workshop between the two coasts, with the Walt Disney World version costing $249.99 and the Disneyland version costing $219.99. Even without the Disney Visa discount, Savi’s Workshop at Disneyland is still cheaper.
Savi’s Workshop at Disneyland did cost $250 for a brief bit, but fell from that price back down to $219.99 last year. When it comes to Disney, any drop is a big one, as prices typically only go in one direction–up. That’s still up from the $200 price tag on the Savi’s Workshop lightsaber building experience when it first debuted, but pretty much everything at Disneyland is more expensive than it was ~5 years ago.
As for the reason for the decrease, it’s likely that demand dropped for the Disneyland version of Savi’s Workshop after the price increase, and this was the way of fixing that. Honestly, this is not a huge surprise. Savi’s Workshop is still a relatively popular reservation at Walt Disney World thanks to a steady stream of new tourists.
By contrast, Disneyland is more dependent upon a local fanbase. It’s thus likely that the California park has largely exhausted demand for lightsaber building among locals, and is now reliant on the smaller slice of tourists that visit Disneyland.
This would also explain the addition of the Disney Visa discount at Walt Disney World–demand is starting to drop for Savi’s Workshop, but is still fairly strong. Offering a targeted discount is a way to entice more guests to do Savi’s Workshop, while stopping short of decreasing the price for everyone. Good ‘ole price discrimination in action!
With the 2024 pricing and discounts at Savi’s Workshop addressed, let’s turn to the normal one and start with the titular question. Despite that title, this really isn’t expressly about whether the lightsaber itself is worth $220 (Disneyland price), $225 (Disney Visa Cardmember at Walt Disney World price) or even $250 (full price).
I cannot envision a single scenario in which I’d view a lightsaber as holding that amount of value. Perhaps once the technology gets to the point that it’s an actual tool I can use to carve a Thanksgiving turkey or defend myself against the First Order, but even then, it’d be a tough sell. To someone, I’m sure a lightsaber could be worth more than $200. I am not that person, though.
With that said, the lightsaber itself has heft to it, is substantial, and feels really good in the hand. Then again, I’ve never wielded a high-end lightsaber, and am comparing this (no joke) to the industrial design of my DSLR camera lenses. For all I know, this could be on the low end of replica-caliber lightsabers. I do know that it’s significantly nicer than anything I’ve ever seen in Walt Disney World or Disneyland.
For me, the question about whether this is “worth it” comes down to the hand-built lightsaber itself plus the overarching experience at Savi’s Workshop. As you’ll read in the review that follows, we were absolutely blown away by the show component of Savi’s Workshop and have zero regrets that we did it. The workshop itself along with having a nighttime lightsaber battle below the Millennium Falcon rank highly among the things we did in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
However, value is in the eye of the beholder and it’s very much a your mileage may vary type of thing. Ultimately, you’re looking at a 25 minute experience plus a lightsaber for $250, plus the effort of snagging a reservation or waiting in line to do Savi’s Workshop.
This brings us to the capacity of Savi’s Workshop, which is abysmal. There’s a lot to be said for the intimate environment of the workshop, which definitely enhances the show. Nevertheless, the decision to make this a single room (rather than modeling it after multi-room meet & greets) is a puzzling one. The result is a shop with an hourly capacity of under 50 lightsabers.
Scarcity is the other reason why the question of value is nearly irrelevant. With such a low number of daily time slots for Savi’s and such a high number of Star Wars fans with surplus disposable income (or willing to save and splurge for something special), Savi’s could charge double its current prices and never have a problem filling up. (Not to give Disney any ideas…)
When we did Savi’s Workshop, it did not offer reservations. This mean that a line formed each morning and you had to wait to sign up, then return and have your group called to enter Savi’s Workshop took a lot of time. (Sort of like how Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance works now.) Consequently, we had nearly 2 hours of “lost time” as a result of the system.
The good news is that Savi’s Workshop now offers advance reservations online and via both the My Disney Experience and Disneyland apps. At both Walt Disney World and Disneyland, reservations are available 60 days in advance. For both, we highly recommend making reservations ASAP before your travel dates.
This system streamlines the whole process, but the downside to that is it means you can get shut out entirely if you don’t think to make reservations well in advance of your vacation. Typically, reservations typically fill up faster at Walt Disney World than at Disneyland. If you aren’t able to score your desired slot early, keep checking the system–especially the day before, as cancellations do occur.
If you’ve already decided you want to do Savi’s Workshop and are only not going to do it in the event that something discourages you, stop reading now. This is not going to be that “something.” We loved the experience, would do it again if money were no issue, and would highly recommend going in without having anything about it spoiled for you…
Again, to avoid spoilers, stop reading/scrolling now.
Seriously. Don’t ruin this for yourself if you plan or want to do it.
For now, Savi’s Workshop truly is a ‘covert’ location: there’s no discernible signage, and save for the long line, crowds, and cash registers outside, it doesn’t even appear to be a storefront in keeping with the design-style of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
Prior to paying, you’ll select one of the four themes. These are Peace and Justice (with salvaged scraps from fallen Jedi temples and starships in Republic-era designs), Power and Control (forged by dark side warriors, using remnants from the Sith homeworld), Elemental Nature (embodying the Force and comprised of living things, like Brylark trees, Cartusion whale bones, Rancor teeth, etc.) and Protection & Defense (mysterious materials that reconnect users with the ancient wellspring of the Force).
These are a starting point, with the exact pieces chosen and assembled within the workshop. Pictured below is a full set from Elemental Nature:
After paying, you will be given your pin and a credential that will serve as your group number. The pin is your key to enter the secretive workshop and it also identifies which of the 4 lightsaber designs you’ve chosen.
Naturally, we chose Elemental Nature because one of the options for that is a Rancor tooth. We felt that’d give us the most street cred in intimidating the neighbor’s dog. (As we know from firsthand exposure, dachshunds are ferocious.)
Once your group is among the next to enter the shop, you’ll be allowed to enter a courtyard where you’ll wait to be allowed entrance by one of the Gatherers.
Here’s a brief video offering a snippet of the opening act inside Savi’s Workshop for Handbuilt Lightsabers:
As you can see, inside Savi’s Workshop, introductions are made and a solemn tone is established for the ceremony of crafting a lightsaber.
The Gatherers go over Jedi history, lightsaber lore, and the power of the Force. It’s a good preface, and effectively sets the mood.
Following that, you choose a kyber crystal, which will give your lightsaber its color. The options are red, blue, green, or (for the Samuel L. Jackson fans out there) purple.
At “only” $13 each, kyber crystals are probably one of the best pieces of merchandise in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge; each one changes the color of your lightsaber blade.
You’ll also receive a hilt kit with the necessary parts to choose from to assemble your hilt. Each box of parts includes 1 hilt, 4 sleeves (pick 2), 2 emitters (pick 1), 2 pommel caps (pick 1), 2 sets of activation plates, and switches (pick 1 set).
Gatherers circulate to assist in this process, which takes several minutes.
We’d recommend finishing quickly to give yourself a few minutes to appreciate the themed design of the workshop.
As with everything in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, the design of Savi’s Workshop is brilliant and moody. Savor it, because you’ll probably only ever be in here once.
Once everyone is finished assembling their hilts, Gatherers help attach the hilts into assembly pods at each building bay. This is when the bonding ceremony begins, which is the highlight and wow moment of the whole experience at Savi’s Workshop.
At the conclusion of this, the blade of the lightsaber is ‘magically’ attached and everyone raises and activates their lightsabers in unison as the voice of Yoda enters the chamber.
I had the Yoda portion of this spoiled for me prior to this (as I never thought I’d do it), and my initial reaction was disappointment that it wasn’t a hologram of Yoda making an appearance.
While that would’ve undoubtedly been cooler, it’s impossible to put into words just how cool the culmination of this ceremony is.
Savi’s Workshop hits all of the right emotional notes; there’s a sense of urgency, solemnity, and pride upon completion. Yeah, you’re just assembling a glorified toy lightsaber, but it feels like so much more.
We both agreed that this was a really powerful experience, and we say this as people who are not heavily invested in Star Wars. I can only imagine how moving it would be for someone who grew up on Star Wars, and has a strong nostalgic bond.
Ultimately, we have zero regrets dropping $200+ to do Savi’s Workshop. I’m actually glad we didn’t go with the original plan of only me entering (for free) to watch our friend build his lightsaber, because my reaction to Sarah upon exiting would’ve been, “you have to see that.” In fact, Sarah’s reaction upon exiting Savi’s Workshop was, “we have to do that again and get another lightsaber so we each have one.”
To be clear, we definitely are not going to do that–it was simply Sarah’s reaction in the heat of the moment. The point here is that our first impressions–even as frugal people who aren’t hardcore Star Wars fans–were so satisfying and the end result so cool that we were fine having dropped over $200 on it.
However, Savi’s Workshop now costs $50 more than when we did it. While I’m glad we got the chance to do it once and found the experience to be incredibly memorable, it’s tough to say the already-high price we paid would be worth $250 to us. It’s a close call, but I’d probably do it for the first time even at $250. Again, value is in the eye of the beholder–and what you’re getting here is not just a fancy lightsaber.
Even at the $250 price-point, Savi’s Workshop is truly something special–an experience to be savored and remembered long after the lightsaber breaks or dies. This is one of the most popular Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge offerings at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland, and for good reason. It’s not going to be something that everyone can afford to do in terms of time or money, but it’s something we recommend as a splurge for those who can do it. You won’t regret it.
If you’re planning on visiting the new land, you’ll also want to read our Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Guide. This covers a range of topics from basics about the land and its location, to strategically choosing a hotel for your stay, recommended strategy for the land, and how early to arrive to beat the crowds. It’s a good primer for this huge addition.
Your Thoughts
Have you stepped inside Savi’s Workshop for Handbuilt Lightsabers? Is it something you’d like to do, or is the $250 price tag a non-starter for you? If you’ve done it, do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Think it was (or will be) worth the money and time commitment? Any questions? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
We’re going to WDW in December and definitely want to do this. It’ll cost us more than $200 the way the Australian dollar is doing at the moment. I noticed that someone commented if you could pull them apart to pack in your luggage but Tom you said you carried yours on as personal luggage with no issues. Just in case I do have a problem, can you actually pull them apart?
This is my query too. Coming from Australia I want to know I can get it home for my starwars fan after shelling out the big $ after currency conversion. A friend on mines son was unable to bring home one they made at wdw last year (obviously not from GE) as international carrier at LAX wouldn’t let them carry it on. I don’t want to be in same situation. What is the rough length? And is it able to be disassembled into hilt and blade reasonable easy?
To both of the people asking, up until this date, there had not been any problems with these being allowed as a carry on by TSA. The author left out that the builders get a saber sheath as they are leaving. Material much like a pool noodle is used to protect the blade. Of course, removing the batteries is a really good idea. If you disassemble your sabre, make sure your suitcase is at least 36 inches long. The blade from the workshop is 31 inches long but they can purchase one 34 inches long from Doc Ocnars. Again, removing the battery is a really good idea.
$200 toys for arrested development adults (i.e. Millennials). And they do come in handy in the real world. Should I even write a What Would Walt Think? questions when no one really cares. I was at a Disney outlet store this weekend and they literally can’t get rid of the ‘pricey’ versions they had been selling in WDW until (I dunno … last year). They have had sales … even done two-for-ones etc. I think they are now $69.99 and no one is buying. I don’t care how impressive you found the experience of selling you a $200 toy that generously cost them $10 to create. This is what Disney is about in the 21st century. Enjoy your new toy!
Look kids! Another grumpy person yelling at “Millennials” to get off their lawn! *yawn*
You need to get checked out by a professional.
Funny thing….I’m sitting here in SWGE, waiting for my husband and daughter to take another “run” for Hondo. I pull up my email and see this post. We JUST came out of Savi’s! OMGosh! I had no idea it was gonna be so cool. We are “average” Star Wars fans, grew up with the movies, but we are now far behind on all the new ones. But we have loved SWGE. We are just finishing our third reservation. Glad we are here to see the sun go down and the lights come up. I can tell it’s gonna be beautiful!
Back to Savi’s, we never thought we would get a light. But an unexpected check came in the mail for my husband and he pronounced that he wanted a light saber. I had no idea that it was gonna be so cool. I loved the whole experience. So highly recommend it. I even got a little choked up at the end when all the builders held up their sabers. I’m a sucker, I freely admit it! Too much fun! Here, take my credits! 😉
This sounds great! This is making me think you are allowed to go in and not make a light saber, is that correct? My husband really wants to do it but we only need 1 and I dont want to wander around the entire time hes in there. Thanks!
You can take in one guest with you. My wife went in with me and photographed me building the lightsaber.
I think Disney is acutely aware and tuned in to the people they are targeting with this new “land” and it’s offerings, and from what I’ve gathered so far, people are really enjoying it. If Disney hadn’t have built a Star Wars themed land, someone else would have eventually and it “could have gone very bad”, as Lucas himself pointed out.
Disney is basically one big splurge as it is. Some people spend over 10 grand on their vacations. If a $200 lightsaber seems outrageous to you, that is fine! There are plenty of people who will run to be the next in line for this experience. I know I’ll be one of them. I’m a very frugal person, and normally would never drop that kind of money on something that will sit on a shelf and at best I’ll play with a few times a year. But I’m a die hard Star Wars fan and they just look so cool and the experience sounds absolutely amazing. Disney is all about escaping the real world and replacing it with one filled with magic and wonder. I can’t imagine a better way to do that than Savi’s at Galaxy’s Edge as described here (great work, Tom!). It will be a couple years before I get to do it (missing the opening at WDW by four days this time around) but I’ll be first in line when I get the chance. Plus, my wife is happy because I can’t tell her that she can’t drop $200 on a Disney Dooney if I’m going to drop $200 on a lightsaber (fair is fair!) Hopefully the experience doesn’t change much between now and then and it is just as magical as it is today.
Sorry for the double post, wasn’t seeing the first one showing up!
Would this experience be wheelchair accessible? My brother is a paraplegic but was hoping to take my son (he’s 7) when we go in the new year. Just wondering if you noticed a special accessible area (lowered counter, no steps, etc) or other accessibility features inside?
Disney is basically one giant splurge as it is. Some people are dropping 10 grand plus on a vacation. If an extra $200 is too much for this experience to you, that’s fine. Plenty of people will disagree, and that’s why the schedule is filling up in minutes. I know I want to do it, and I’m usually very frugal. I fully admit that it’s a big, dumb splurge that I will seldom use, but I’m a die hard Star Wars fan and want the experience of building my own lightsaber. Disney is all about being transported from your every day world to a magical place of wonder and magic. I can’t think of a better way to experience that, for me, than Savi’s. Plus, my wife is pleased because if I want to drop $200 on a lightsaber, I can’t stop her from doing the same on a Disney Dooney (I mean, fair is fair!) Great job on the review Tom, can’t wait to experience it for myself, even if it will be a couple years away. I hope it is just as magical then.
I think this is Disney’s way of keeping light sabers out of the hands of most preschoolers. No way am I going to spend that much on a toy, and now we won’t have to worry about my child destroying the gift shops and hitting other guests.
Are they no longer selling the regular ones outside of Star Wars land? We got them for my son (yes, he was a preschooler for the first one) at the 30-40 dollar price point. Fwiw, you weren’t allowed to swing them around in the parks.
Now I paid about $40 for my Potter wand, but the thing is it is quite compact and easy to carry back to Universal next time I go. How many non locals are going to lug their lightsaber back for a return trip? Also I wonder how many kids or adults will start fighting with their sabers and poke one another or passing strangers? How breakable are they? I saw a post that it is possible to remove the blade from the handle, but tricky, for carrying onboard a plane. I am really surprised that Disney didn’t build a viewing area above for people to watch this process. While Tom seemed to find the experience itself pretty much worth $200 bucks, I just watched a YouTube video of the whole thing and experienced it for $0. True I don’t have a non collapsible light saber to lug all around the park and store in some closet in my house at the end, but hey, I probably can find something cheaper made for kids rather than adults reliving their childhood to store in a closet……. As for putting it up on a wall as a display piece, I don’t think it will look that great without the power being on. How does it compare to spending that money on a Disney Halloween or Christmas party instead as an experience? Or an extra 2 days in Disney? Diehard Star Wars fans seem to love it, but I think most families (the major portion of Disney goers) will find the price way too high. If you have more than one child you would definitely have to get a saber for each child. As someone above mentioned, GE only has 2 rides, so was it really a great idea to devote a lot of space and/or attention to a $200 special event that the majority of park goers will never pay for? It is kind of a moral dilemma in a way, give the people who pay the ever increasing entrance fees something more for their money, or just squeeze some more cash out of a few? The sabers May be extremely well made, the experience interesting and all that, but for me The Is it worth $200 Answer is no.
So, this is Disney’s take on Build a Bear. Elaborately themed, 200 bucks, and you make a fake sword instead of a stuffed animal. Check.
Got to tag along with my nephew. Grew up with Star Wars but hardly a big fan; This is an outstanding experience. My nephew and I came out of there so full of joy. My nephew has zero regrets on the big purchase.
$200? What a bargain, the cheapest custom saber I know is like $400+
I’d gladly pay $200 just for the experience…
I have watched the full start to finish video of the experience. I think Disney has done a wonderful job from that aspect and say it’s second to none. Is it worth 200 dollars??? To me I would say no but I can see why people would opt for the experience and having a cool souvenir to take home to remember their Disney trip. Wont work with my house hold as with 3 kids it would be well over 600 bucks! I will have to pass on this one. I am still shocked that the little round Coke/Diet Coke and Sprite is 5.50 each!! Ouch!!!!!!
My wife and I did this yesterday. She wanted to make her droids and was really not excited about Savis. I was going to do it and she was probably just going to watch me. When we were in line, i told her i was going to splurge one for her. I could keep the lightsaber afterwords (she was keeping my droid). Savis ended up being her favorite experience. I am not getting her lightsaber (even though hers turned out better than mine) and now she wants to do it again (she still got both droids). I also bought a legacy lightsaber and to be honest, if you buy a legacy lightsaber, add in the blade and the carry case (which is all included in the Savis price) you will end up spending around $200 and you dont get the experience.
I grew up watching star wars and I have 2 sons that I know would love an experience like this. They are both grown and they would probably not spend that kind of money on themselves, I would definitely purchase that ticket for them as a gift. Something that they would always remember and have an awesome souvenir from. I would probably do it myself as well. People that leave negative comments really have no life. Always finding fault with others. That is very sad to me. If you cant afford it you have no right to crap on others because they can.
Not unless it has diamond in it.
Question: We’re travelling to Orlando from the UK in September. The workshop experience is something I would love to do, but is there any way I could get the lightsaber back to the UK intact? Does it break down so it could fit in our luggage, or do they have an option to get them shipped?
I carried mine on our flights as a personal item and had no issues.
Airline staff at MCO are going to see a lot of lightsabers come September, so I’m assuming you’ll be fine.
Thank you for the quick response Tom! I’ll have to see if I can afford it nearer to the time (and if we can even get in judging by your blog!), but I’m very very tempted!
Personal item, as in you cannot have an item under the seat? Where do you put it? I had no idea it was so big! I already signed up for it during the AP preview in WDW :/
So can you change the color of your blade since you can buy kyber Crystal’s separately?
Yes.
I remember paying $9 bucks for an E ticket book which included entry and got me on all the best rides. 200 bucks for a lightsaber ? No wonder millennials are broke. Go pay off your student loans instead.
Millenials? Star Wars came out in 77, a large majority of Star Wars fans are 50 plus and paying their own bills, lol.
Millenials aren’t broke, and clearly not so if they can go to Disney. Stop going on the internet and go back to yelling at kids for playing too loudly outside.
You already have to pay admission to get in the park.
Once inside, it only has 2 rides/attractions.
Everything else is a gift shop of sorts or a place to spend $8 on Rice Milk.
Like every other modern theme park land, no?