Flexibility with age at Jedi Training

[Duffy Lover]

Hey, Y'all! I have a friend going to Disney for the first time with her kids over spring break. Her oldest son is nuts about Star Wars. I see that the Jedi Training requires that kids are under 12 years of age. Do they make exceptions? He is 14 and his younger sister is 12.

TIA!

 

[mesaboy2]

Hey, Y'all! I have a friend going to Disney for the first time with her kids over spring break. Her oldest son is nuts about Star Wars. I see that the Jedi Training requires that kids are under 12 years of age. Do they make exceptions? He is 14 and his younger sister is 12.

TIA!

No, sorry.

 

[KateMW]

No they asked everybody when we were there.

 

[abbyandangel]

My DD is small for her age. At 22 she is only 4’11. She did it when she was 14 during SW weekend. They did not ask her. There were kids much bigger than her so she did not stand out. It was the highlight of the trip.

 

[ellbell]

When I was there with my 7 year old son in September they asked each of the kids their age and 3 additional questions. Disney is pretty solid on their age limits to keep things fair.

 

[Dayzy]

They ask the children their ages and are pretty strict about not making exceptions. I saw a girl get turned away on our last trip for being 13.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

It would be nice if they offered 1 or 2 of the timeslots for teens.

 

[hiroMYhero]

It would be nice if they offered 1 or 2 of the timeslots for teens.

JTA is a LucasFilm show and is overseen by CMs trained by them.

Younglings in Star Wars were between the ages of 4-12 and the JTA age restrictions reflect that fact.

 

[FCDub]

At 14, I wouldn’t be caught dead pretending to fight Darth Vader in a robe costume. Can’t imagine a lot of teens are jumping for the idea.

 

[Rach3975]

The one time we did it, my oldest was 12. He'd been excited about it when we planned the trip, but he was very disappointed in the experience. It's highly choreographed, with them telling the kids exactly where to swing and when. I think that although in theory fighting Darth Vader is something that would have wide appeal, in practice even going all the way up to age 12 might be stretching who would enjoy the reality of JT. (My youngest, who did JT when she was 7, didn't want to do it again this trip at almost 10 years old because she already knew it wasn't a "real" fight.)

 

[yulilin3]

The one time we did it, my oldest was 12. He'd been excited about it when we planned the trip, but he was very disappointed in the experience. It's highly choreographed, with them telling the kids exactly where to swing and when. I think that although in theory fighting Darth Vader is something that would have wide appeal, in practice even going all the way up to age 12 might be stretching who would enjoy the reality of JT. (My youngest, who did JT when she was 7, didn't want to do it again this trip at almost 10 years old because she already knew it wasn't a "real" fight.)

If the allowed the kids to "battle" willy nilly more cm would be hurt, even more than with the carefully choreographed and controlled experience.

 

[Jimmy Mouse]

Why would you want to cheat the system?

 

[Duffy Lover]

Why would you want to cheat the system?

At 14, I wouldn’t be caught dead pretending to fight Darth Vader in a robe costume. Can’t imagine a lot of teens are jumping for the idea.

It isn't a matter of cheating. I certainly didn't insinuate that this family would lie, but that a young man, who has never been to WDW, might want to participate, and perhaps we should not jump to judging a 14 year old who is still young at heart and spirit.

So... From the helpful, non-judgmental replies, I gather this is a situation with no wiggle room. Thank you.

 

[FCDub]

It isn't a matter of cheating. I certainly didn't insinuate that this family would lie, but that a young man, who has never been to WDW, might want to participate, and perhaps we should not jump to judging a 14 year old who is still young at heart and spirit.

So... From the helpful, non-judgmental replies, I gather this is a situation with no wiggle room. Thank you.

My comment was in reference to an earlier point about reserving specific shows for teenagers only. Not to pass judgment on anyone’s interests.

 

[cruisin5]

At 14, the description will sound appealing but once he sees all the 7 year olds up there and what they do, he'll be glad his missed it.

Take him to The Void at DS instead.

 

[angierae]

At 14, I wouldn’t be caught dead pretending to fight Darth Vader in a robe costume. Can’t imagine a lot of teens are jumping for the idea.

I'd do it today at 43.

 

[eliseisawkward]

At 14, the description will sound appealing but once he sees all the 7 year olds up there and what they do, he'll be glad his missed it.

Take him to The Void at DS instead.

I second the Star Wars VR at the Void. I think the age limit is 10+ and you do it groups of 4. No spoilers, but he will get to fight bad guys and it is awesome.

 

[cakebaker]

The one time we did it, my oldest was 12. He'd been excited about it when we planned the trip, but he was very disappointed in the experience. It's highly choreographed, with them telling the kids exactly where to swing and when. I think that although in theory fighting Darth Vader is something that would have wide appeal, in practice even going all the way up to age 12 might be stretching who would enjoy the reality of JT. (My youngest, who did JT when she was 7, didn't want to do it again this trip at almost 10 years old because she already knew it wasn't a "real" fight.)

My grown children work as re-enactment actors. Fights have to be choreographed. They’re adults and the sword fighting they do looks like it’s real, but every single move is practiced over and over. It’s unsafe not to know where every swing and every blow is coming from- both for the actor and the participant. It doesn’t have to take away from the experience. Kids just have to be able to get into the character and enjoy it for what it is. I can’t imagine the melee that would ensue if it was just a free for all fight. It’s not a “real” fight in the movies either. In real fights, people get hurt.

That said, some of the funniest things I’ve watched at JTA is when a little didn’t follow instructions and went for an unexpected jab. lol

 

[KateMW]

It was highly choreographed but for the ages it's for, they love it. It started my 5 year old's obsession with SW. As he calls me Finn as I type this...

 

[abbyandangel]

Why would you want to cheat the system?

When a 14 year old girl can pass for 10 there are bigger things to worry about than cheating the JTA system.