Building a Droid at Droid Depot in Disneyland

'Sup? Tad here! Your favorite family photographer, videographer and a huge fan of all things "Star Wars." Have you always wanted a little droid buddy similar to R2-D2 or BB-8 to roll about your house and take with you on adventures? Of course, you do! Well, here’s your chance to build your own custom droid. When I made my first droid at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, I was too excited to stop and take pictures of the process! So, I recently hopped along with some tadpole friends who were hopping excited to build their first droid so I could take pictures and share all of the deets with you. Here’s all you need to know in our step-by-step guide to building a droid at Droid Depot Disneyland. (If you are looking for a pre-assembled droid, Droid Depot has them too!)

Steps for Building a Droid at Droid Depot in Disneyland

1. Make a reservation. You can make a reservation to build a droid up to 60 days in advance. But don't sweat it if you can’t plan that far in advance! You can usually book reservations close to your visit, or even find same-day availability for Droid Depot in Disneyland if it is not busy. You know that we frogs are planners, though, and having a reservation guarantees you will get your droid. Reservations are for one builder and up to one guest (although our little buddies took turns building the same droid without a hitch). You may get lucky and be able to find walk-up availability, so don't be afraid to ask if the mood strikes while you are in the park.

Speaking of reservations, Disneyland utilizes a theme park reservation system. That means in addition to a Droid Depot reservation, you need valid theme park admission and a theme park reservation for the same day. Park hopping begins at 11 a.m.

You’ll make your reservation online or through the Disneyland app (use the magnifying glass at the bottom of the home screen to type in "Droid Depot" and it will take you to reservations). The experience is recommended for ages 3 and up, and at least one party member must be 14 or older. If you have questions, you can call (714) 300-7805. Keep in mind that you will need to provide your credit card when you reserve. If you need to cancel, you must cancel at least one day before your reservation to avoid a cancellation fee of $99.99. This brings us to our next tip.

2. Allow plenty of time to arrive. Try to make your appointment at a time that is realistic (or not first thing in the morning) and arrive early. Some days, we park at Disneyland and arrive at the front gate in about 15 minutes. Other times, it can take over an hour (or more!) to hop through the process. It just depends on the crowds that day. If you plan extra time for parking, security, shuttles/buses and entrance lines to take longer than expected, you will have no trouble getting to your appointment.

Keep in mind that Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is all the way at the back of Disneyland Park in a galaxy far, far away, so allow about 15 minutes to walk there once you enter the park. If you do happen to get inside Disneyland earlier than expected, great. You’ll have bonus time at Disneyland! We had a 9:10 a.m. appointment. We arrived at the parking lot at 8 a.m. on a holiday weekend and made it just in time for our appointment.

3. Check in and pay. You may arrive at Disneyland Droid Depot up to 15 minutes early. The store has no sign in English, BTW. The language of Batuu is Aurebesh. You can locate the store on the park map or in the Disneyland app. It's toadally cool, but you don't want to get lost! It's across from the land speeder garage.

On your way to the register, you can look at accessories you might want for your droid. You might want to shop for a Droid Depot personality chip before you go to the register. You may purchase Droid Depot personality chips when you pay for your droid, but you can also add one later if you cannot decide. The Droid Depot personality chips can make your droid part of the First Order, the Rebellion or a scoundrel. Our young Padawans chose a Rebellion chip, a blue one, in fact, because the cast member said it had more fun sounds (like a video game) than the orange chip. Sold! The droid costs $99.99 plus tax (no discount for the droid itself, but you can get a Magic Key discount on personality chips and accessories.)

And speaking of fun sounds, if you want to test the sounds that the chips make before you buy one, you can do that! On the side of the room opposite where you pay and enter, there is a wall of Astromech personality chips. You'll see a row of buttons under each chip color. Press the button to hear the sounds associated with the chip!

Is your R-series droid a drummer? You can buy your droid a drum set. It comes with a personality chip that makes drum sounds. Sadly, there is no actual movement of drumsticks or drumming. And, at $75, the drum set costs nearly as much as the droid itself so it's quite an expensive hobby for a droid. But the entertainment you'd get from a drumming droid is priceless.

It’s decision time when it comes to choosing and paying for your droid. Do you want to build an R-series droid (similar to R2-D2, but with different head options) or a BB-series (similar to BB-8)? There is a newer C-series too. The cashier will hand you a basket that is clearly labeled with the parts you will need to collect to build your droid. The parts vary based on what type of droid you want to build.

4. Take your basket to the conveyor belt to choose parts. Hop on over to the conveyor belt, which has all of the scrap metal and parts you’ll need to assemble your droid. You can choose different colors and styles to make your droid unique.

BB-Series

• Dome
• Dome Connection Plate
• Body Sphere
• Motivator

C-Series

• Dome
• Body
• Center Leg or Center Wheel
• Set of Side-C Legs
• If using Extender with Body, pick up a set of Side-R Legs

R-Series

• Dome
• Body
• Center Leg or Center Wheel
• Set of Side-R Legs

5. Assemble your droid. Once you have collected the parts, it’s time to start building! You’ll take your basket of pieces to a building station. It has a placemat diagram with pictures showing you how to assemble the droid. The station has an electric screwdriver. If you need help, just push the “Alert Tech” button. (You can find links to instruction manuals online.)

6. Activate your droid. Now, it’s time to activate your droid! The attendant will put the droid in a special spot and have you push the “Activate” button. You’ll see a panel light up and the droid will light up and come to life. It's so exciting! Now, it’s time to try out the remote control.

7. Test it. Here’s the toadally cool moment you’ve been waiting for! You can control your droid! You’ll learn how to position the legs/wheels (for the R-series unit) for use. The attendant will show you how to use the remote control to make your droid move forward, backward, to the left and right, turn its head and talk.

There’s also a button that will work with accessories, should you choose to get some. The attendant will turn the remote off and put it in the box. Keep in mind that the on/off switch can be very hard to move. Ask a parent for help if you need it!

8. Add a personality chip (optional). If you have purchased a personality chip in advance, the attendant can show you how to install it. If you purchase it after leaving the building area, the cashier can do it for you. The personality chip affects the sounds the droid makes and how the droid behaves and interacts with elements on the land. A Rebellion chip will make your droid seem scared in the First Order area, but act happy and maybe even sing when near the Resistance area of the land. A First Order chip would have the opposite reaction in the land. A scoundrel chip will still interact with the land, but be more neutral than the droids who take sides. There are different variations of each. You can test the chips' sounds in the store before you make your selection.

9. Consider purchasing accessories. You can add a few accessories to your droid. You can get a backpack, which you can wear on the front or back to make carrying your droid around much easier on yourself. The R-series droid has jet attachments, blaster attachments, a tool set, a tow cable and a drum accessory set. Toadally cool! We purchased decals to further personalize the droid. However, a recent trip uncovered more permanent R-Series accessory panels instead. (Outside of the drum set, most accessory sets run about 14.99 to $17.99.)

10. Begin your adventures with your new droid BFF! You’ll leave the store with your droid in a box. You can carry the droid around the land, pose for pictures, and see how your new partner interacts with other droids, characters and elements on Batuu. The droid uses Bluetooth technology to communicate with other Astromech droids, as well as elements and objects on Batuu and at Disney Parks and Resorts.

You can now place your droid on the ground at certain times on special mats (when available). That way your droid can interact with other droids, and you can practice controlling it. You do not need a droid to play. You can use a cast member's iPad to control one of the R-series droids that live on Batuu!

A stormtrooper came by and told us that we may need to swap out our personality chip ... and the chip for the droid too. Toadally hilarious.

11. Manage your droid at Disneyland. You cannot bring the droid box on some rides, such as Indiana Jones, and you do not want to get it wet on a water ride, so you will either need to use Rider Switch service to watch your droid or check it at a store. Because carrying a big box around Disneyland gets cumbersome, drop your droid off with a “babysitter.” Bring your droid and receipt proving you purchased it that day to a Disneyland drop-off location such as Pioneer Mercantile, Star Trader or Port Royal. You can also drop packages at Elias & Co., Sarge's Surplus Hat or Avengers Vault in Disney California Adventure, or at the stroller shop in the Esplanade. Droid Depot will droid sit for you, too! Just remember to pick it up by the end of the night. Your arm and hand will thank you.

You can also use the drop-off service for your lightsaber if you’ll be building a lightsaber at Savi’s Workshop (next door to Droid Depot). You can ship your droid home so you no longer have to worry about it at First Order Cargo or other shops such as Pioneer Mercantile.

12. Play with your droid at home. Download the Droid Depot app to play with your droid at home. You can use the app to maneuver, pilot or use strategies with the droid.

Tips for Building a Droid at Droid Depot in Disneyland

Here are a few pointers for building a droid, enjoying it in the park and operating it:

• You must have admission to Disneyland and a theme park reservation to access Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and Droid Depot.
• Building a droid is a fun activity for people of all ages (3+).

• Take pictures of your droid in the land. Be sure to have the imagers take some photos, too, for great professional shots.
• Consider buying a droid backpack or bringing a backpack from home for it. (That box is awkward to carry around and can get heavy.)
• Take your droid to tour the land. It may interact with other droids, get scared in some areas or be super happy and start singing in others.
• If you can afford it, consider purchasing a second droid, especially if you have more than one "Star Wars" fan in the house. It saves on fighting, especially if, say, one of your family members is loyal to the Resistance and the other is ready to sign up for the First Order. Plus, the droids can interact with one another.
• Do not use the remote control or operate your droid on the ground anywhere in Disneyland Park unless you see a designated area for this.
• You can operate the droid without a Droid Depot personality chip, or switch out chips. Your droid will have a different sound with a chip than without.
• Information about battery replacement and types of batteries can be found at the bottom of the box. Snap a pic of it before discarding the box.
• The remote takes two AAA batteries. The droids take six AA batteries.
• Check your droid at a designated Disneyland store so you do not have to carry it around all day.
• Take some time to check out the cool details in Disneyland Droid Depot, including the droid parts hanging from the ceiling. Ask a cast member about the history of Droid Depot for some cool Batuu facts!
• You may purchase other pre-assembled droids and droid-related merchandise at Droid Depot.
• You’ll find some droids outside the shop. It seems that they were excited to meet our droid, as they lit up and made sounds when we approached with the droid!
• If you need Instruction Manuals, you can find them on the Droid Depot page.

Are you looking forward to building a droid at Disneyland Droid Depot? You'll need valid Disneyland admission (and a park reservation) to access Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. Did you know you can get a jump on saving money on Disneyland Resort tickets and Los Angeles area hotel stays? 

Related: Our Galactic Guide to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland

Related: How to Make Reservations at Oga’s Cantina Inside Disneyland

Stay cool!