Hollywood Studios Report: Skip or Strategize
It’s time for another visit to Disney’s Hollywood Studios! In this Walt Disney World photo report, we’ll look at late October crowds, lengthy lines & posted wait times, and our attempt at Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance’s boarding pass drop. We’ll also offer commentary on whether you should skip DHS entirely or just strategize, be patient, and manage expectations.
Let’s begin with Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, which has been an ‘evolving’ problem point since debuting last December. It started as a pure first-come, first-served system and slowly morphed into a hybrid first-come, first-served and lottery system. Short of closing the attraction down for several months (ahem) to iron out its problems, this was the approach we viewed as most equitable back in the winter.
When Walt Disney World reopened, the story was more or less the same as pre-closure for the Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance virtual queue. In the last month or so, it’s worsened. Thanks to increased attendance and slashed attraction capacity, the “boarding pass dash” has become a de facto lottery, and not one with a high success rate. It’s leaving a lot of guests disappointed and frustrated they bought tickets for DHS. It has left us wondering, is Disney’s Hollywood Studios even worth the hassle?!
Right now, you must be in Disney’s Hollywood Studios at 10 am in order to even have a shot at obtaining a spot in the virtual queue. Strategy helps give you a fighting shot, but luck determines whether you’ll ultimately score a boarding group. There is zero room for error: if My Disney Experience stutters, arbitrarily forces you to sign-in, you’re in an area of the park with weak cell service or Wifi, or you need help from the Guest Experience Team, forget about riding at all.
To compound matters, if you lose this lottery at 10 am, your alternatives are not great. Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, Slinky Dog Dash, and Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run are instantly posting 60-90 minute wait times, and physically distanced lines are massive everywhere else in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. There is no park-hopping, so you’re stuck at DHS, hoping against all odds for better luck at 2 pm.
It was against this backdrop that we headed to DHS this week to once again test an afternoon arrival strategy to see if maybe that was the most viable approach…
This approach is not really new for us. Our last Disney’s Hollywood Studios Crowd Report: Morning Highs & Evening Lows suggested arriving for rope drop and the first attempt at Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance before taking an extended midday break.
That was also a few weeks ago, after crowds had increased at Disney’s Hollywood Studios–but before they had reached their latest highs. Despite that, it’s the approach we still recommend; you just should temper your expectations in terms of wait times and congestion.
For this visit, we opted to skip the morning entirely and instead arrive a bit later. Our aim was to see what we could accomplish after crowds peaked and (hopefully) score Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance boarding passes in the 2 pm drop.
Although a lot of these scenes don’t look particularly crowded, this visit was noticeably busier than our last one to DHS, which was noticeably busier than the one before that. Basically, each time we do Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the park is worse than the time before.
Lots of space in the main courtyard, but this photo is deceptive.
The posted wait time for Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway was 105 minutes, and it was “only” that low because the queue had been closed to new guests earlier.
Here’s a look at Disney’s Hollywood Studios wait times at 11:30 am.
This is about par for the course right now. However, this is also a snapshot in time–if you’re visiting in November or December, peak times times could be worse. Or, Walt Disney World cut see the error of its ways, reduce capacity to improve the guest experience, and things could be better. (Hahahahaha.)
It’s not just rides, either. In the early afternoon, lines are long pretty much everywhere.
Above is the line for BaseLine Tap House. It was the same story around several restaurants, including the recently-reopened ABC Commissary. The menu is supposedly better, but I’ll believe that when I taste it.
We also observed a lot higher “feels like” crowds at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
In the past, we’ve commented that DHS can appear deceptively uncrowded because most guests are standing in long lines for the headliner attractions at any given time. On this day, the walkways were noticeably busier.
Here’s a look at the line for Slinky Dog Dash, which extends almost to the entrance to Voyage of the Little Mermaid.
The posted wait time was 80 minutes when this photo was taken; Slinky Dog Dash has had longer waits and actually extended into the Voyage of the Little Mermaid queue. (The custodial Cast Member is actually standing on one of the markers–you can sort of see it in the photo above.)
With physical queues this long, it’s less likely that posted wait times are significantly inflated as compared to actual wait times.
This may not be an 80 minute wait given the spacing and that it’s constantly moving, but it’s probably still a 60 minute wait. In short, if you’re visiting in the next couple of months, don’t expect the dramatically inflated wait times that we and others were reporting over the summer and early fall.
Toy Story Mania is probably still an exception to that since its capacity is pretty high.
This was a 40 minute posted wait; we’ve found that if the end of the line is within Toy Story Land, the actual wait is likely 30 minutes or less.
Continuing in Toy Story Land, we have our next queue…but it’s not for Alien Swirling Saucers, which had a 25 minute posted wait (and was likely less than that in actuality).
It’s for Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run.
This is the queue for Smugglers Run within Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. On the plus side, you can watch a Stormtrooper performance while waiting in line!
Last week we reported that More Virtual Queues are Rumored for Walt Disney World. This is why Smugglers Run is one of the likely candidates. If the line gets much longer than this, it’s routed backstage.
There are lines for literally everything in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Even those little $7 bottles of Coke that TSA thought posed a grave threat to national security. (Ah, simpler times!)
Back when the land debuted to low crowds, there was criticism that the sprawling layout was not necessary. Who would’ve guessed that the Imagineers that designed Batuu did not overestimate crowds, and instead were actually visionaries who foresaw all of this coming?!
As we’ve reiterated repeatedly, the lines at Disney’s Hollywood Studios drop off significantly in the last two hours of the day.
The problem is lasting until that point. After waiting in long outdoor lines for pretty much everything and perhaps failing to secure a spot in the Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance virtual queue, you might be losing your patience and ready to call it a day by 3 pm. (Hence the lines getting shorter later in the day…)
Leading up to the 2 pm boarding pass drop, there are a lot of guests just sitting around, waiting for that.
This is understandable–the stakes are high for many, and it’s either this or waiting in a 35 minute line for MuppetVision 3D. As much as I love that national treasure, I also would not wait 35 minutes for it.
We were once again unsuccessful with the 2 pm Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance virtual queue lottery. Not a huge surprise, as the chances are incredibly slim with that second drawing of the day.
We’ve recommended that readers start out by booking Disney Park Pass reservations for two days–ideally Saturday and Sunday if your trip encompasses a weekend–at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. (That is, if Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is a must-do. Otherwise, only one day is necessary.)
We’re reaching the point where skipping Disney’s Hollywood Studios entirely might be the better advice. I’m not sure what the average guest’s chances of success are in joining the virtual queue, but I’m guessing it’s at or under 25%. Hence the “skip or strategize” subtitle. It’s still possible to have a good day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios (especially if you don’t care about Rise of the Resistance), but you need realistic expectations, solid strategy, and patience.
I cannot believe I’m suggesting that some guests consider skipping Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This is home to Walt Disney World’s newest and best attractions, and the park’s massive overhaul is finally finished. Back at the end of February, it seemed doing DHS could not possibly get worse. Then reopening operations came along, said “hold my beer,” and managed to make things much, much worse.
Some of this is no fault of Disney’s–reduced capacity attractions, restaurants, and retail make things tough. There are also plenty of unforced errors, like not resuming outdoor stage shows or not trying to fix Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance when it was shut down for 4 months. Walt Disney World leadership is undoubtedly aware that the guest experience is suffering at DHS and that some stopgap fixes exist, but has instead just shrugged and said, “deal with it.”
Ultimately, I’m not sure what the longterm solution is with Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. The first, near-term step is definitely increasing the attraction’s hourly throughput. The ride-through portion currently accommodates one party per vehicle, which could mean a single rider or a family of 8. Disney has already begun testing and installing plexiglass barriers between the front and back row, which should help immensely. That move alone could increase capacity by 50%.
Beyond that, Walt Disney World should consider other solutions. Those could include allowing guests with Park Pass reservations to attempt joining the virtual queue without tapping into Disney’s Hollywood Studios, testing an actual random-drawing lottery that guests can enter throughout the day (a la Tokyo Disney Resort), or a way for on-site guests to attempt pre-booking the virtual queue and allowing them to switch parks if they’re unsuccessful. We’re not saying definitively that any of these approaches would work better, but when the status quo is a train wreck, alternatives are at least worth testing.
With Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance being unreliable for the foreseeable future and a standby line not being viable due to its frequent breakdowns, it behooves Disney to continue tweaking things. The current approach is not working, and is resulting in a ton of unsatisfied guests. It’s one thing when these are Annual Passholders (like us!) who can visit weekly and play the odds. It’s another entirely when it’s families taking infrequent trips who don’t have that luxury and potentially don’t even understand the stakes. While there are no guarantees with anything in life or even in vacation planning, Walt Disney World needs to come up with an approach that gives guests more options and alternatives–or at least be more transparent about the colossal shortcomings and odds of the current Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance lottery.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Have you visited Disney’s Hollywood Studios in the last month or so? What was your experience? When did you arrive? How long did you stay? Thoughts on lines and crowds? Success or failure with the virtual queue for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance? Do you plan on arriving at rope drop, or will you utilize a late arrival strategy? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? 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!
I was there oct 17 th and 18th …. we got there very early to try to ge ta 1000 spot, but it took almost an hour online In our car to get i to parking !! We did make it in … but did not get a 1000 spot even though tried at exactly 1000 am , though tge people trying right next to me did get on …..
We Did get lucky and got a spot at 2 , had to come back in an hour… then tge ride broke.. and was down a couple of hours.. then finally got on line and it took 2 hrs on line!!! And the ride was not even that good !! The experienxe was cool…. but the ride fell totally flat !!! Park was soooooo crowded …. lines to even give tgem my money to shop… disney. prob losing tons of money By people refusing to stand on line for an hour to shop !!!!! We did not get on slinky dog….. but in my opinion all the rides in this park are lacking, these parks are forcing people to be consumed by our phones when im on vacation I want my family and i to phone down and look around and enjoy life and being together !!!! Not be on my phone!!
We’ll be trying for a boarding pass Thanksgiving weekend. Will having people linked to my MDE account that is not part of this trip slow down the process? Sounds like even seconds could put us at a disadvantage!!
Yes. I would suggest un-linking those family members before your trip. Also, before you get to DHS, make sure your wifi is OFF. It glitches a lot inside the parks, so make sure an only use your data for that. We had zero problems getting a boarding pass all 3 days we were there, groups 35, 3, and 30, 4 people.
Delores, you don’t want to have anyone else linked to your MDE account. Your chances are better if just one person is using your account. Also, make sure you have Wifi turned off and use a phone that has good service.
Even with all of these things, there is no guarantee you will get a boarding pass under these new systems. Like I said in another post in this thread, twice before the pandemic I was able to get Boarding Passes. Since the pandemic, I have stuck out each time.
I highly recommend you go into your trip expecting not to experiencing ROTR.
My wife and I come to WDW from Pennsylvania every year. We are DVC members at Bay Lake Towers. First off we had a real bad view of a loading dock. We did book 3 days at the Studios to “improve” our chances for the new Star Wars ride. So we had 6 chances and not one boarding group. And like a lot of people we left after 3 PM due to a lack of things to do. The lack of food choices was very tiresome. I got so sick of eating just burgers!! The “fine” dining choices were too expensive for a 7 day stay. And the menu’s were limited. I’m glad we had a kitchen to make our own meals to save money. We normally get the Dining Plan and on this trip we didn’t miss it at all. I figured we saved at least $1200 this trip on food!! So with all I read on the blog sights I think Tom has a good idea in just skipping this park or an entire trip this year until things return to some normalcy and it becomes worth the money. Our hotel costs plus airfare plus food and then $100 per day per person at each park is just too much for a scaled back experience. We normally get DVC annual passes and use them for 2 trips but we couldn’t even do that!! We planned this trip a full year ago and hoped that things would be back to normal by the time our trip came up. I found that Tom’s tips were very much on point. If you are planning a trip and are really hoping for a boarding pass I’d wait till Disney fixes this train wreck.
We were at HS on 10/21. No luck with the ROTR queue. It was super hot, humid, too many people and frankly…I just wanted to leave. I wish I would have used that ticket for an extra trip to the food and wine festival at Epcot. We were at Disneyworld for 5 days. My 12 year old said it “didn’t feel like Disney”. Sadly, I agree. Wish we would have rescheduled.
I still don’t get how the parks can be more crowded. Have they increased capacity?
I haven’t seen or heard about any increases and it hasn’t been seen at any other Parks.
The issue really isn’t the park capacity. The problem is the social distancing measures that are being taken for each ride. This leads to the attraction que extending well outside of the footprint of the attractions. When I was there last week, the line for Rock and Roll Roller coaster extended down the walkway and almost reached the Brown Derby. The DHS is reaching maximum capacity every day, and all of the ride vehicles have been adjusted to allow for social distancing. This leads to the attraction capacity per hour to be dramatically reduced.
As locals, we didn’t need any Star Wars rides but did want Runaway RR. We managed that at the end of August with a very hot 30 min wait. Daisy Disco was working, but the big finale was not. We’ve attempted 4 more times, midweek late afternoons to ride again, but with our self-imposed 30 min wait limit, no way. Beginning with our second return, (thanks for your recent Disney Springs post), we plan a DS afternoon trip then watch both WDW app and Lines app before deciding to return home or go for HS. So far, its been 4 returns home. We try again next Monday. I’m looking forward to a Uniqlo visit and another eatery to try.
We’re locals with weekday APs. Did HS on 10/14 and it’s our last try till FPs are back. Lines were over 50 min, and hubby’s back is only good for about 30. We were able to do the frozen show, which we enjoy, and the mickey cartoon, which was cute. There was even a 40 min line to get to shops in the marketplace. Couldnt get lunch adrs and walk up list is only available for parties of 4 or more. We’ve pretty much resigned ourselves to never getting on Rise during our lifetime . So for the foreseeable future we’ll use our 3 reservations a month for MK, AK and EP.
Yes! The ability to park hop (especially if you don’t get a boarding pass) would be GREATLY appreciated & helpful! I don’t understand why we couldn’t park hop if park passes were still available. I think it would be an awesome perk for staying on site, as well (park hopping). Unfortunately, the perks for staying on site have slowly disappeared.
We just returned from a trip to WDW. A few comments.
1) I have visited DHS on four occassions. Twice before COVID and twice after. I am batting .500 with securing a boarding pass. Both times prior to the shut down I was able to get a pass, and both trips after the shut down I was out of luck. It’s a good ride, but you have to go into a trip to DHS with the understanding that you aren’t going to get a boarding pass.
2) The crowds and wait times were terrible.
3) Wearing a mask all day sucks.
My family and I have decided that we will not take another trip to WDW or Universal Studios until the parks return to a normal functioning environment. Wearing mask all day is terribly annoying. The lines are fantastically long as a result of the parks attempt to social distance all of the attractions. I remember being taught infectious disease when I was in Medical School and we were informed that airborn respiratory viruses can’t be stopped outside of herd immunity and artificial immunity (vaccines). Stuff like mask wearing (unless it’s a qualified N95), social distancing rides and wait lines are all silly “keeping up appearances” that do absolutely nothing to stop the spread of an airborn virus. But what these things will do is make your time at WDW miserable.
We have taken 2 trips since the reopening. Prime time is a must -do for hubby so the first trip we tried unsuccessfully for ROTR. The second trip we did not go to DHS at all. Hubby can’t last long in the parks with his pain levels and we thought it wasn’t worth a park reservation. Now if we could’ve park hopped (as we paid for with our annual passes) that would’ve been different. I know I’ll get flack for this but I wish there was a way to keep track of who has already ridden it and block them from joining a boarding group. ( for 6 months? I don’t know) It irks me that we come from Illinois and have such a small chance to get a boarding group when there are locals who have ridden it over and over, clogging up the “ race for the boarding group”. …. ok.. in honor of Halloween, all you local passholders can now start TPing or egging me! Lol
I agree with you.
My family and i went end of Sept for 2 weeks and the whole time leading up to the trip I was a wreck thinking about speading all this money and not getting on ROTR. Luckily we got a boarding group each visit at 10am. Manyof those around us gave out a big cheer when they got one. Both days, we heard those around us let out a cheer and made a point to say how many time this makes it. First time, a group of young 20 somethings exclaim it’s their 10th time. Many of the cheers and coments we heard weren’t for their own excitement but we could tell were for those around them. Kind of rubbing it to those around them. I don’t get people Why!
Hi Tom,
I’m sorry if you already addressed this, but have there been any indications when fast passes will return to the parks? We made a trip in September and had a great time, but the crowds were increasing so we spent about an hour in most queues except at MK where there are more attractions. We were also unsuccessful in riding ROR despite having a fairly low boarding group due to mechanical issues that day. We have another trip in January and bringing a first time visitor…just want to set expectations appropriately.
Thank you!
FastPass isn’t coming back unless social distancing isn’t necessary anymore. For one thing, Disney would rather have people in socially distanced queues that they can monitor than milling about in the parks where they are harder to control (worth the exception of a few rides where the lines are getting so long size-wise and the queues aren’t big enough that it creates other problems and thus they might institute virtual queues) Second, if you think stand-by lines are bad now, imagine how bad they would be with the current protocols in place. I would prepare for things to be the same as now in January.
That said, based on Tom’s reports and others, it really does seem like this issue is mostly limited to DHS, which has a bad combo of not enough open attractions to accommodate everyone and being extremely popular due to having a lot of the newest marquee attractions in all of WDW (not to mention how many DHS queues are small and thus force people to wait long times outside. The other parks do seem to be able to accommodate the number of guests that want to go there without the extreme wait times in the sun. I would prepare your newbie friend for the worst at DHS and make it clear that you are going to have to use a more park commando approach to go on most of the attractions.
Hello Chas, what attractions aren’t open, other than Indiana Jones Stunt Show? I guess if you include the live shows that will absorb a lot of guests that makes more sense. I am so glad we did trips last Sept, this Feb and then Sept! Last year was of course pre-ROTR and awesome, very few people in the way on Batuu, and we had lots of time to play the games in the app, scan crates, etc. Smuggled coaxium a dozen or more times, tried all seat positions.
This Feb was right before we went to Europe and we got to do Oga’s a couple more times, even staying past closing one night, spent maybe 2.5 hours there. Got ROTR twice. More crowded but pre-CCP virus and a great trip. Sure made the Studios in Paris look crappy though. I want to go back there after the expansions are done (if they don’t get canceled). DLP was amazing though.
This Sept was my brother and I and our parents. Stupid masks in the heat, more crowded in some ways, physical distancing, etc. Still got the do ROTR twice, once was a 2pm score while enjoying a cold beer outside the Derby. Did more shopping on Batuu, got lots of gifts for people. Parents aren’t into Star Wars like we are but they enjoyed the land.
I think crowds will just continue to increase as more people get comfortable with traveling. Wonder if this is Disney’s way of eventually introducing a paid FastPass system in the future. Convince people it’s better than waiting in those long lines. Just a thought.
the crowd can’t get any larger unless they raise capacity.
I think you’re onto something.
That’s probably next, something like Disneyland’s Maxpass. More for convenience though because not everyone in the parks can have access to FP right now because it will cause other other problems with long wait times for the rides AND people wandering around causing crowding while they wait for their time slot.
We actually did skip HS on our October trip. We went twice on our August trip and it was just not enjoyable. Even though we did “win the lottery” on our first visit, the stress of racing to get into the park before 10am in a huge crowd, the finger tap race, having to leave and later return to the Rise queue due to outages and the long indoor queue with other long pauses (outage or cleaning not sure), all took away from us being able to really enjoy the attraction, and not worth the longer waits on things that used to be walk on due to the park being at capacity.
Yes we could have used your strategy and showed up late afternoon, but spending the cost of a full day’s park ticket for a family of five just to got to a park for 2-3 hours and race around to try to squeeze in as much as possible in that short time sounds like not a great use of money or a vacation day. That really only works if you have an AP.
I was there on Wednesday and had a fun time! I mean, standing in line is annoying and harder on my foot than walking back and forth is, but I did all of the rides that I wanted to do. Which was all of them except Toy Story Mania and Swirlin’ Saucers. But I totally was feeling that park fatigue around 2-3PM, but didn’t want to leave and come back, because that would just be a waste of time! Instead I sat around eating pumpkin desserts.
I did manage to get into the park by 9:30 despite not getting up early and massive lines for the Skyliner (I was pulled out of line to ride with a couple that was already at the front). I headed straight for Slinky Dog Dash which was down, but I got a boarding group for RotR (lucky #13!) and by 10:20 I was on my way to Galaxy’s Edge where RotR was down. For the entire morning. So I grabbed a Ronto Wrap and hopped in the 80 minute line for Smuggler’s Run, which did loop backstage. I finally got on RotR at around 1:30, then finished up rides and Muppet Vision (I never miss it and it happened to be raining).
I hopped in line (once I could find the end!) for MaMRR at around 6PM and ended my day there. I was dead. But the ride was super cute and I’m glad I managed to ride it. However, next time I will not be bothering with either Star Wars ride. They’re massively over-hyped and just not the kind of ride that I find interesting or fun.
Overall, I didn’t find the park too crowded, but like you said, it’s because everyone is in lines. It was definitely manageable and much more pleasant than my previous two visits. Although I do miss Fast Passes to be able to ride Tower of Terror multiple times in a row. Once is just not enough for me.
I think we actually saw you there on Wednesday! (If you still have that pretty pink hair). My daughter commented on how she loved it. We managed to score a ROTR pass at 2:00 against all odds after missing out at 10:00. I loved the ride and my husband was so stoked. We never made the line for Mickey and Minnie but rode everything else with 35 minutes or less wait times. It felt crowded but our strategy worked out for us and we avoided the longest lines all day.
Yep, that was probably me then! Pink hair, pink dress, pink mask!
AP holder here and I was at DHS on 10/22/20, a Thursday. Wow that was not fun at all. I’ve been to DHS many times in the past, and have always enjoyed it because of the option to book a fast pass.
Obviously, since COVID-19, Disney has done away the the fast pass, but due to a lower max capacity limit, it’s not too bad because in general the lines are shorter. This was the case for me when I went to AK and MK during the summer. The headline rides had maybe an hour wait, but the smaller rides were either a walk on or short wait.
Not at DHS! Every single attraction is at least a 30 minute wait. The highest wait time I saw was 90 mins for Mickeys new ride, which isn’t terrible for a new ride, but the fact that the less popular rides still have a larger than I’m used to wait makes it like a job to be there. Going to a crowded park, not being able to book a fast pass, and having to wear a mask made me question what I wanted to do while I was there. I just ended up walking around and rode star tours at the end of the day when the line was only 20 mins. I prob won’t be going back to DHS until they have fast passes back.
I was at DHS on Oct 17 as part of a 4 day / 3 night on site stay. Was traveling with one other family member. Here was my experience: 10/15 at MK – rode nothing. Lines all over 65 min. Did not want to wait in sun. 10/16 at Epcot – rode Soarin and Living with the Land after 4 p.m. Lines go down significantly for future world late afternoon. 10/17 at DHS rode Mickey Run Away Railway after waiting in heat 90+ min. 10 a.m. ROR ‘lottery’ filled up in 8 seconds (asked a CM). Waited until 2 p.m. and that ‘lottery’ filled up in 2 seconds. Left park. Had a very nice stay at Riviera but a bit frustrating with crowds and lines.
We were in the same parks on those same days! MK was almost miserable that day; the 50 minutes in the HM line in the blazing late afternoon sun (even with umbrellas) was definitely miserable. Our DHS day on 10/17 was actually our second day there because I booked 2 days to increase our chances of doing ROTR since SWGE was the main priority of this trip. We were extremely lucky both days and got groups at 10:00 a.m.
For anyone trying to get a BG in the future. There were 4 of us trying both times on my MDE account. The youngest (12 yo who claimed he had the fastest fingers) actually did have the fastest fingers and got us BG 4 the first day. The second day, the 17 yr old who had already flown home got us BG 8. I have seen other reports online of people outside the park having very good luck getting BGs for friends/family in the park by signing in to their account. If you know someone outside the park who is willing to try along with you, it can’t hurt your chances.
Maybe it would be better if they added Rise of Resistance reservations to the dining reservations and fastpass reservation style that happens six months out. That way you don’t have to enter the park only to find you can’t ride the ride, especially without park hopping.
I was in HS on Oct 21. We did not get a boarding pass either time which was extremely disappointing. We followed every tip and had no glitches. Just didn’t win the lottery. This is my second trip without getting to ride Ride of the Resistance. The other time precovid. I will not be going again until there is a FastPass or Parkhopping. We also went to MK and AK and those days were wonderful. The lines seemed long due to social distancing, but we were continuously moving. All in all, I felt save enough there, but the lottery sours the day.
My husband and I have been in HS three times since the reopening and have not yet scored a spot on ROR using all of the tips and tricks we have read. Our phones are not the top of the line newest models and I question if this is our problem. As pass holders, we generally do a couple of rides then call it a day. We are getting increasingly frustrated at our lack of trying out this ride. We have tried the 2 o’clock option twice, again with no luck. On one of those days, I believe they may not have had any slots in the second draw as we did not observe any happy faces after the lottery.
We were at the park Wednesday 10/21. Waited for Mickey and Minnies Railroad as we waited to attempt the 10 am virtual lottery. No luck, but at least we got on one ride. We also did Dinosaur a bit later and just walked around. Although we are AP holders we aren’t in the parks that often…we need hotel stays although we’re Florida residents. We won’t be going back to HS until the problems are addressed. I think Tom is right…skipping this park is the only sensible solution right now. It’s CROWDED, lines are very long in Toy Story for any rides and your chances of scoring RoR as so slim! We enjoyed our next day in Animal Kingdom. The elusive Flight of Passage was finally enjoyed! No fast pass helped us in this case because we were never able to get FP for this ride. We hit the park pre opening and were on in maybe 35 minutes. Another day, midweek Epcot, was delightful as well. I imagine guests who get to Disney infrequently are incredibly unhappy With Hollywood Studios.
I haven’t rode it yet but plan to in February 2021. It’s pretty ridiculous that they haven’t added a barrier to the vehicles so they can add more capacity. And with their continued technical issues with the ride that they should have fixed by now it could it sounds like a waste of time to even go to DHS.