Star Wars Launch Bay

This was so fun. We were able to meet chewy, Vader and BB-8!

Several times to Hollywood Studios, never stopped in here before. Even though several things aren't open here, the museum is still a great place to check out movie props and memorabilia. Stop in to avoid the heat if you have the time. Will also come back so the kids can meet Darth Vader when that's back online. Lots of movie posters and light sabers to view.

On our 2023 Fl. D.W. trip and being a super Star Wars fan, I made it a point to stop here and hopefully see some of my favorite characters. YES!!!! My son and grandson loved it too. Wife had to take to photos since she isn't a sci fi fan (lol)

Tons of Star Wars memorabilia and character meet and greets. Do yourself a favor and book the Star Wars dessert party. Not only do you get VIP character meet times, you get unlimited desserts and drinks and the best of all... VIP seating for the Star Wars fireworks and show at night. Worth every penny and a great experience!

This is a place many people don't even realize is there or what it is. You can meet Star Wars characters like Darth Vader, Chewbacca and more but there also are movie used props and a lot of artwork. Make sure you bring your camera even if you aren't there to see the charaters. You won't be sorry.

If you had the photo pass 3 years ago, this was a great place to use it. You had to wait for each character, but it was worth it. When we were here in 2019, we saw all of them. Today (12/13/22) we chose to pose with BB-8 as he had the shortest wait. Darth Vadar, Chewbacca, and one other character had waits up to 45 minutes. Too long. Our five minute wait was actually 10. And we gave the cast member our phone for a photo - no pass needed. So you no longer need the photo pass. You do need a camera, or phone that takes photos. 3 years ago it had memorabilia, storm troopers, a theater and exhibits. These are all gone. We missed seeing the Storm Troopers. It still has the theater, but no movie.

Pretty quick in and out experience. They have a ton of memorabilia as well as Live character visits. The time I went it was Chewbacca, Kylo Ren, and BB-8. Each visit was line was around 20 minitues. Even if you don't do any of the character visits it is worth a visit. It was a really unique enjoyable place.

The Launch Bay was a great experience, we didn't have to wait long for the character experiences, and the kids enjoyed being able to meet their favorite characters. I appreciated that castmates took pictures with my phone so we could all stand together. The app made it easy to have all our photos stored in one place.

Star Wars Launch Bay is located in Disney's Hollywood Studios. You'll find it at the Animation Courtyard right next to Disney Junior's Dance Party! After we danced at Disney Junior's Dance Party, we decided to go check out Star Wars Launch Bay. I've been at the Star Wars Launch Bay at Disneyland a long time ago! This one was a lot different than the one in California! Going through the exhibits, you'll see a variety of models, costumes, movie props, and concept art work from Star Wars! We had two favorite parts visiting Star Wars Launch Bay. The first was all of the different character meet and greets! You may see Chewbacca, Darth Vader, and even BB-8! The second part was looking at all of the different posters from the movies outside of the meet and greet section! We enjoyed visiting Star Wars Launch Bay, spending about an hour doing all of the character meet and greet while exploring the area!

If you had the photo pass 3 years ago, this was a great place to use it. You had to wait for each character, but it was worth it. When we were here in 2019, we saw all of them. Today (12/13/22) we chose to pose with BB-8 as he had the shortest wait. Darth Vadar, Chewbacca, and one other character had waits up to 45 minutes. Too long. Our five minute wait was actually 10. And we gave the cast member our phone for a photo - no pass needed. So you no longer need the photo pass. You do need a camera, or phone that takes photos. 3 years ago it had memorabilia, storm troopers, a theater and exhibits. These are all gone. We missed seeing the Storm Troopers. It still has the theater, but no movie.

A combination of exhibit, gallery, and picture taking with characters venue. It was a nice place to slow down and reset before the next rush for rides. The two daughters were able to take a picture with BB-8 without waiting in line. There were other Star War characters available for interctive photo or video taking.

A great space to meet and greet several of the iconic Star Wars characters, as well as, a spot to check out some fun merch. This area is on the other side from the newly opened Star War's Galaxy's Edge, but was around first! The have more 'vintage' style Star Wars stuff - including meetings with Vader, Chewie, and BB-8. They do alternate the meet-ups from time to time as it was previously Kylo Ren instead of Darth Vader. I have heard rumors that they may make a Rey meet and greet area as well, which I would LOVE! There is a shop and a show here also. The shop has a bunch of merch and display items from the various movies. It almost has a museum like feel to it. Overall: A Great meet and greet area along with a shop and show for Star Wars fans of any generation!

Hollywood Studios (Orlando) ANIMATION COURTYARD This is a place where we had a chance to see movie props, set pieces, light sabers, screen videos, and special exhibits from the Star Wars franchise. There is a movie that gives a behind the scenes look of the whole franchise. The character meet and greet with Star Wars heroes and villains was the best part. For me, this is actually what drew us here. We're not super Star Wars fans but a photo with Star Wars characters was the highlight of this visit. Staff attendants can take pictures for you with your own phone/cameras if you request them or you can purchase the official ones which is an expensive option! 10-minute wait to watch the movie trailer. It takes you from past, present and future of the Star Wars franchise. I've not seen all of the Star Wars film so I was a bit incoherent while watching it. It's a great film if you love Star Wars... I think hubby fell asleep though. LoL! The trailer was about 10-mins long. 25-minute wait for Star Wars Launch Bay: Encounter Kylo Ren -- he didn't like to hug. Was this guy a bad guy in the Star Wars films? 20-minute wait for Star Wars Launch Bay: Meet Chewbacca -- Chewie has a big heart... who doesn't love this Wookiee warrior. That was our experience at the Launch Bay. There's a store as you exit. They have a nice selection of art and souvenirs. Review #1485

Being a Star Wars fan (well episodes I-VI and not so much the Disney versions - though Rogue One was very good and Solo was entertaining), this is like home for me. While this has some similarities to the Disneyland counterpart, there are differences. Firstly, this has that awesome AT-AT in the front and overall inside here is larger than it's California version. Keep in mind, I was here before they opened up the new area - so this review won't reflect anything but the Launch Bay. There are some meet and greets - namely Chewbacca, BB-8, and Kylo Ren. There were no stormtroopers or anyone else at the time I was there, but they do show up depending on time, season, or celebration. There is plenty to look at and take pictures of. There are several model displays as well as things like various helmets of both good and evil characters (outside the meet and greets). Costumes, weapons, and various other trinkets from the Star Wars universe - fans will love it and even non-fans can appreciate it. It's almost like a small Star Wars museum. There is a gift shop that isn't cheap, but has nice items including pricey autographs from some actors/actresses from the movies. Believe me, if I didn't have restraint I'd be spending my Disney budget in here alone. The air conditioning is worth mentioning - it's great, especially when outside is so humid that you sweat just by standing still in the shade. I'm sure the new Star Wars expansion will be a great add on to this. Located in Hollywood Studios at Disney World. I will of course be back as I can never get tired of coming in here.

This was a totally new area since I came last year. It is not a ride. it is actually a small museum of sorts. I don't remember what was here before if anything. This is also a place where you can meet the characters and take pictures with them. There is also a store that sells higher end Star Wats merchandise, artwork, costumes, sabers, toys etc. For the harder core fans. I also saw a feature 10 minute, sort of an in for Informercial to be honest, about the annex they are building for the Star Wars universe which seems like it's going to be huge and amazing! like nothing we've ever seen before. Including the new Avatar land at Animal Kingdom. If you are a Star Wars fan this is a pretty cool place to visit. There is lots to see, and lots to read up on , and especially lots to buy!

Star Wars fan will love being able to see classic movie props, watch an informative video about the films, shows and parks, plus there are spots to meet Star Wars characters. Plus, lots of AC to escape in during the hot days.

If you are a Star Wars fan like me and millions of others on this planet, then Disney cornered the market by designating a total Star Wars section just for us, within the Hollywood Studios park. Here, you can totally immerse yourself into a whole new, yet familiar universe for a few hours or even the day! It's a museum filled with props, costumes, artwork, posters, scenes, videos and interactive games. Star Wars characters may even pass by for photo ops along the way. Storm Troopers will often stop to surprise and question unsuspecting tourists! On your tour, you will also encounter the Star Wars souvenir shop with anything and everything a devoted fan needs, including collectible toys and clothing! There was also supposed to be a replica of the famous cantina, but unfortunately it was just a limited assortment of movie props and not a real place to have a drink! LOL! Adjacent to the Launch Bay, is the Star Wars Launch Bay Theater that continuously plays "The Path of the Jedi". This movie will bring smiles and even a few tears as it shows a nice compilation of memorable moments in the Star Wars series from the past to the present. This 10 minute presentation brings back lots of fond memories of many beloved actors/characters old and new alike: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpCVsIDN5TM Being a huge fan meant that I planned on taking lots and lots of pictures. But my old outdated camera ran out of memory before I could fulfill my dreams of keeping these cherished memories for years to come..... Now, I have to look at other Yelper's photos instead! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5m2vpuemo-E

Star Wars lovers all around the world to take notice... For this is the finest collection of memorabilia/largest gift shop for Star Wars stuff! And when I say I've got it all I mean they have got it all. A replica Ponceau a jacket... It's yours. How about one of Darth Vader's helmets couple hundred bucks and it's yours... The list goes on and on it's grown man's fantasy to have a checkbook, credit cards and cash in their pocket when the most awesome memorabilia you could imagine Collection of items for purchase; it will truly blow your mind. But the real treat is the fact that you get to meet CHEWIE!! They rotate through a few others like Darth Vader, Kyloran and even Boba Fet from time to time. There is a short movie about the making of Star Wars. I've yet to watch it simply because it's going to delay you about 20 minutes to get into the launch bay. It's really great for the Star Wars fan in your family (like me)! On top of all the cool stuff to see and little guys from New Hope trolling around trying to swap items with people, but you can not only find the most incredible iPhone cases in Star Wars theme ever. How do you make it better? Well, thats easy...just plug your info into one of the kiosks, pick your phone size, then design you like and finally you can have it with your name in English OR one of the "Star Wars" languages. They're under $30 for an iPhone 7 Plus, so thats not a bad deal. Watch for the times of the stormtrooper march and be on the lookout when you're over near the launch bay for there are random patrolling Stormtroopers..."keep moving people". If you love Star Wars then you're going to love it. If you don't and don't want to annoy the people that do love it by telling them how much you want to leave, then just go ride something else and meet up. I mean it, don't waste your time if you have Star Wars geeks with you because you're not speeding anyone out of that place! As soon as my Amex Black card comes I'm going to buy everything in the store ;-) (Review 16 of 365 in the 2017 Review Challenge)

This has been Temporarily unavailable for a long time now. When I went they did let you go through and check out Star Wars scale models, uniforms, and other nice exhibits. If I ever go back hopefully I can up date this.

This area is kind of set up like a museum with various displays of Star Wars Memorabilia. There are little rooms (which we didn't go in) that different character meet and greets were set up. They each had their own wait time. This is also where the Chase Visa card holder meet and greet was. We did go there. Its a smooth process, you stand in line and they tell you when its your turn and then you get to go in and have some photo fun with whomever is there, in our case, it was Kylo Ren. The photographer snaps like crazy and the photos (FREE) are placed on your magic band. The whole place is a photo op really. And of course, it ends in a gift shop of fun Star Wars items. Its a good break from the rush and an enjoyable stroll for Star Wars fans!

Located in the former home of Magic of Disney Animation, Launch Bay is a fun way to tide everyone over until the new Star Wars expansion set to open in 2019. It is a not to be missed experience for Star Wars fans. The Launch bay contains a movie, character meet and greets, and a prop museum filled with items from Force Awakens. The fun starts with a film in the Launch Bay theater. As you wait in line you are menaced by two Stormtroopers on patrol. I had fun turning my daughter in for being rebel scum and heckling them about being a little too short to be Stormtroopers. Normally I am not a big fan of educational films but I loved this one. In 10 minutes it introduces you to some of the people who work on the new Star Wars films and they are all around my age and grew up loving the original trilogy which triggered their passion for what they are doing now. You also get to meet Kathleen Kennedy who is now the president of Lucas films and the custodian of the Star Wars franchise today. I loved hearing her speak and empower future women in the film industry. My daughter is going into the digital arts film so this was a great film for her. After the movie you are let out into the Launch Bay which is hybrid museum and character meet and greet. There are props from Force awakens and well as other movies in the franchise. I especially liked seeing all of the characters different light sabers as well as Daisy Ridley's Rey costume from Force Awakens. Launch Bay also provides the opportunity to meet Kylo Ren, BB-8, and Chewbacca. I don't usually wait in character lines but with only a 20 minute wait for each one I forced my daughter to do them all with me. First we met BB-8 who seemed a little shorter in person. Next we met Kylo Ren who I was not sure exactly how to pose with. I went in for the sort of arm behind his back and he scared the crap out of me when he gave me a menacing don't touch me. Apparently the proper way to pose is to be very scared. Next we met Chewbacca who gave me the best Wookie hug. My daughter and I loved meeting him the best. At all of the character greetings they will take a picture for you with your own phone or camera. How many they will take depends on how generous they are feeling. Their primary objective is to take the picture with their camera that gets sent to your magic band or on a card if you don't have one so you can purchase it. At the end of Launch Bay is of course a gift shop filled with all manners of overpriced Star Wars souvenirs including a $9,000 Stormtrooper. If you are a Star Wars nerd like me you will love all of the attention to detail in Launch Bay. If this is just a taste of what's to come for Star Wars at Disney than I can't wait for what's coming next.

This is located in Hollywood Studios by the exit to the Little Mermaid show. There are several parts to it. There is a short film, rooms with models, meet-the-actor area and a gift shop (of course). I am a Star Wars fan and have seen the film before but figured I would try this again. Glad that I did. The film had material from the most recent Star Wars film and TV show (Mandalorian) in it and was worth going to see again. The wait time to see the film was less than 15 minutes and the film was very well done. Afterward you can walk through the rest of it. You can also bypass the film and see the other parts directly. Either way I definitely recommend this even if you have been to it before.

One of the Newer (refurbed) areas in the Hollywood Studio's area, it's a nice area to meet your favorite Star Wars characters. Ever wanted to hang out and haggle with the Jawas? Be careful they're likely to trade you a bottle cap for your cellphone. You can meet Chewie and even Storm Troopers. All in all some GREAT photo ops. There's an awesome selection of Star Wars Memorbelia available to take photos of and with and of course at the end there's the requisite gift shop filled with Magic Bands, Iphone backs and everything else that's part of the SW universe.

Very cool way to set up the character meetings. I love that they have seating indoors for group members who want to just sit and wait. There are interesting displays to pass the time, as well as posted wait time for each character. They also do a great job of giving each person one on one time with the character and have their photography as well as another cast member ready to grab your phone/camera if you'd like photos on your device as well.

I'm a huge Star Wars fan to begin with and being here on Dark Side 1/2 Marathon weekend, it was a no brainer to visit the Launch Bay! Part walk-thru exhibit, part theatre experience, part meet and greet experience (optional) the Launch Bay is Disney's way of bringing more Star Wars to Hollywood Studios while fans anxiously await the arrival of the Star Wars land that is currently under construction. The memorabilia on display is great! A nice sampling from all the films and there are also areas for some great photo options (such as the cantina or the chess board Chewie and R2 play) and Jawas wandering around and willing to trade with you (just make sure you've got something good to trade with them)! Character Meet & Greet options we had were Chewbacca and Kylo Ren (who was crazy intimidating to meet). Even with a 20 to 30 min wait there are display cases etc. in the queue area and monitors showing Star Wars trivia to help pass the time. As is the case with most Disney experiences there is also a great shop offering any and everything Star Wars. Be sure to keep an eye out for First Order Storm Troopers in the area courtyard but don't expect to get them to stop for a photo op, all you'll get is a "Move Along" as they ignore your request. If you're a Star Wars fan this is a great place to spend some time while waiting for your Star Tours FastPass to kick in.

This is a fun pitstop for Star Wars fans and serves as a nice placeholder while the proper Star Wars land is being constructed. Outside of the building they had two First Order stormtroopers available for photo ops. When you go to the entrance you're given the choice of going to the left to see a nine minute "all things Star Wars" film (which I have not viewed yet) or heading to the right for displays and character photo ops. We stood in line for about 20 minutes to see Chewbacca and it was totally worth it. They only send in small groups of people at a time. As we went around the corner he actually greeted us and was pretty funny. You are not forced to buy any photos. This is no different than any other Disney PhotoPass location. You can give your cell phone to an employee and they will take your picture with it. I do it all the time and I did it here. There wasn't time to get into the other line for Vader but I'm going to do that next time. There are several miniatures of ships to look at as well as several life-sized replicas of costumes. Many of the costumes are for sale for a hefty price if you've got money to burn. There are also several life-sized items such as a replica of the land speeder Rey rode in the Force Awakens. There's a cute little canina area where a Jawa will sign autographs and take pictures with you. When in this part I couldn't help but wonder what a full fledged Star Wars restaurant will be like in the future. Of course when you exit you're funnelled through a gift store so you can take home some Star Wars with you. That BB-8 you control with your smartphone is still tempting me....

I have not watched the short introductory film, but the area is any Star Wars fans dream. There are either real or replica (not sure which) props from the film on display and there are photo ops with some of your favorite characters.

I met Kylo Ren today and he was perfect. I wore a rebel shirt and he called me out and totally played it up by trying to turn me to the dark side. Really fun to play around with a great actor playing a great villain. Disney keeps the quality and fun in the Star Wars franchise with this experience in the parks.

This place is awesome!! You can meet Chewbaca, Kylo Ren, and BB-8, and there are even Jawa's wandering around too. And there are tons of replicas of helmets and light sabers and uniforms from the movies. Tons of art on the walls and books and art you can buy, as well as light sabers and fun little knick knacks from the gift shop!

I was super fortunate to be able to visit the Star Wars Launch Bay with a private group for a private event. Even with just our small group, it was so exciting to see everything that the exhibit seemed really crowded. I can only imagine what it's like when it's open to the general public. That said, it WAS pretty cool. Obviously, there are tons of things to look at -- from models of the Death Star to costumes/helmets/artifacts from the movies to a replica of the bar complete with real Jawas. It really was kind of surreal but really cool -- and I am sure that I am nowhere near the level of some Star Wars fans. I got to take my photo with a Stormtrooper, which was absolutely hysterical. They have a selection of prerecorded messages that come out of their helmets, and they kind of play up the mean image of Stormtroopers, but it was pretty hysterical. The guys in the costumes played their parts really well. There is also a gift shop but the prices are insane. It was still fun to look around. Definitely worth the stop if you are visiting Disney with a Star Wars fan.

My little cousin is a huge Star Wars fan so taking him here was a must when we brought him to Hollywood Studios last week. We skipped the movie in the beginning so we could get right to the meet and greets. We only waited 20 minutes to meet Kylo Ren which my cousin loved! My cousin had memorized lines from the movie and was repeating them to Kylo. While Kylo talks during the meet and greet, it's all prerecorded so you can't really have a conversation. He really had no way to react to my cousin pouring out lines from the movie. We waited a few minutes longer to meet Chewbacca and that was an even better experience. The photographers were kind enough to allow us group pictures and individual pictures. Chewy was nice enough to shake everyone's hands afterwards. There are a lot of movie replica pieces throughout the space and there are even some costumes for sale but for astronomical prices! There is also a space to test out some of the new Star Wars video games. We even ran into a Jawa!! That was pretty amazing because while it's running around you can trade with it! I can't guarantee you'll get anything good back though. During Star Wars weekends last year we traded a pep boys coupon and got an empty cereal box in return. My cousin tried to trade a cough drop and a couple coins but the Jawa refused. I kinda get that though, I'm sure they can't be handing out money and cough drops to other kids during a trade. Probably the best part was this little girl that was hanging all over the Jawa, she was so excited, the Jawa was not and kept motioning for the handler to get the little girl away. When the handler didn't do what the Jawa wanted, it actually got mad, threw up a lot of hand signals and literally ran off stage. So parents please monitor your children.

The force is mediocre with this one... When Disney first announced that Launch Bay would be coming to Hollywood Studios before the end of the year, I was ecstatic. Star Tours has helped fill the Star Wars craving for years in the park, but Launch Bay would help ring in the new era of Star Wars and Disney. Concept art showed off an elaborately themed building that would give visitors a taste of the upcoming Star Wars land to be completed in a few years. However, what we really got was something far less. Two very good meet and greets with Chewbacca & Darth Vader. One decent film featuring assorted Star Wars crew. A re-creation of Mos Eisley Cantina that left you wishing the idea could have be fleshed out into a full scale restaurant, or at the very least, a snack bar. Several Xbox One consoles showing off a launch bay exclusive version of Disney Infinity 3.0 & last but certainly not least, an impressive gift shop full of high end Star Wars merchandise. While this would have been fine for an added attraction to the park, as a preview center for what is supposed to be Disney World's most ambitious expansion ever does not feel like a new hope for the park, instead, it feels more like a phantom menace.

This experience is a definite must for any fan of the franchise. The closest you'll ever get to being in one of the movies. I highly recommend this attraction. You also get to meet the characters!

Don't waste your time waiting in the Darth Vader "encounter" line because you'll end up not getting a picture you'd want to pose in with him...and if you go in a group, don't even try to ask to get individual photos because they group you all in at once, snap a pic with their stupid camera and force you to buy it (basically, they don't let you take your own pictures) later on with that card thing. Literally THE ABSOLUTE WORST meet&greet for any character EVER in ANY park I've been to (this includes every Disney theme park). Also, the picture person was extremely sassy and rude. This was around 4 pm on January 2nd. Perhaps they're supposed to act in the "theme" of the situation, but when you act, you COULD EASILY tell that they're acting. These people were flat out scumbags of the earth. Extremely disappointed in Disney and these employees, but sometimes you have to ask yourself, what can you expect? Disney is pure greed now. Walt's rolling in his grave. However, we LOVED the Jawas that were working at that time who were very friendly (as you can see from the photos already posted)!

Are you kidding me? Anything less than 5 stars is just proof that some folks can never be happy! It's the "Magic Kingdom",.... buck up and get in there. Enjoy!

This was absolutely amazing. I had so much fun at the Launch Bay and it was a fun way to channel the Star Wars kid in me. The movie that was showed absolutely transformed me back to a 10 year old and afterwards, getting to take selfies with Jawas in the Cantina room was a highlight. It was so much fun just wandering around and seeing the props and models and I highly recommend all Star Wars fans doing this. A selfie with a Jawa is worth the time alone. I would DEFINITELY do this again!

My son was absolutely in awe of Chewbacca! Chewy recognized himself on my sons shirt and made it a priority to point that out to him. He saw that my daughter was a little unsure so steered clear of her. He was our favorite and the wait was worth the smile on my sons face. Kylo played his part-I just am not a fan of the dark side and didn't care for him but of course my son was in awe of him too! We loved the atmosphere and can't wait to return December of 2017 and the kid's don't know!!!

The Launch Bay is an awesome place for any Star Wars enthusiast. Entering the compound you get the visual of the First Orders dominance with their flag draped over the front of the building. In the courtyard storm troopers & even captain phasma are seen encountering guests often harassing them in typical imperial fashion. Character meet & greets, memorabilia museum, short films & a store with customizable light sabers, magic bands, phone cases & a few other goodies. A must see for the Star Wars lovers.

If you're a Star Wars fan boy or girl, this will fill your cup.