Star Wars: Rise of Resistance “Pausing” Virtual Queue at Disney World
Over the last few weeks, Disney has quietly been making changes to the Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance virtual queue at both Walt Disney World and Disneyland. These have made the process smoother, which has been further aided by a lack of off-season demand on both coasts.
Today, the company has dropped some bombshell news that should come as a welcome change to many of you who: Disney’s Hollywood Studios will pause the use of the virtual queue for the flagship Galaxy’s Edge attraction.
Here’s the full announcement via Disney Parks Blog:
From bright suns to rising moons, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge continues to call travelers to the magic of Batuu, especially with the excitement of Walt Disney World Resort’s 18-month anniversary celebration getting closer and closer. As we ramp up to “The World’s Most Magical Celebration” honoring our 50th anniversary, we’re continuing to enhance experiences thanks to the feedback from our guests.
We know our guests love choice and flexibility when planning their time in a theme park–which is why, starting Sept. 23, we will pause the use of virtual queue for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, and guests at Disney’s Hollywood Studios may experience this incredible attraction using a traditional standby queue for the first time since it opened in 2019.
Virtual queues continue to be helpful with attraction access, merchandise launches, grand openings and more, and guests should continue to check the My Disney Experience app for the latest on how we’re using virtual queues across Walt Disney World Resort including its potential use at Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at a later date, or from time to time.
In addition to virtual queues, we’ve been investing a lot into the guest experience in other ways, including exciting new attractions on the horizon like Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure opening soon at EPCOT, and coming this fall, the new Disney Genie complimentary and convenient digital planning service designed to create your best Disney Day.
While we’ve been defenders of the virtual queue system for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, we’re tepidly on board with this change. Seeing so many first-time visitors and others who don’t understand the ins and outs of scoring spots in the virtual queue lose is undeniably sad.
It shouldn’t take reading our thousand-plus word Ride Guide & FAQ for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance to “successfully” ride the attraction. Some readers who have been shut out of the virtual queue have indicated that they would’ve preferred the opportunity to wait in the standby line for a few hours to be able to experience Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.
As we’ve noted previously, Walt Disney World did not start using a virtual queue with the Galaxy’s Edge headliner due to its popularity. That’s a misconception. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance debuted with a virtual queue during normal operations because it was (and still is) unreliable and prone to prolonged breakdowns.
At that time, the normal FastPass system was thus not viable because it was not sufficiently dynamic to handle the aforementioned downtime without a backlog of guests in the hours after the ride returned.
Beyond that, the switch to the 7 am virtual queue last summer offered another benefit–it discouraged some guests from arriving at or before park opening. With several shows still on “temporary hiatus,” Disney’s Hollywood Studios is again a half-day park.
With this move to a standby line, the bulk of guests will once again arrive for rope drop. This changes the crowd dynamic at DHS, and means more people will leave early after being frustrating by long lines early in the morning. (The silver lining is that Park Hopping to DHS for the last two hours of the day should once again be a great option if you don’t mind not having a real nighttime spectacular.)
The downside to having a standby line is that it entails guests waiting for several hours, potentially enduring one or more ride breakdowns and resets. In the past, our perspective has thus been that the virtual queue and boarding pass system is imperfect, but the best option under the circumstances.
When it comes to a standby line, the grass is arguably greener on the other side. With an unreliable attraction like Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, a virtual queue is the ‘lemonade out of lemons’ approach that causes the fewest headaches for guests.
However, we do wonder whether that’s still the case–and there’s definitely cause for some degree of (cautious) optimism around this announcement that the virtual queue is being “paused.”
(Note: Walt Disney World did not indicate the Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance virtual queue is being retired, as would normally be the case in an announcement like this. Instead, they’re leaving the door open for its return “from time to time” if this experiment doesn’t go well.)
As we’ve shared previously, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance’s reliability improved pretty significantly in mid-December of last year. The attraction has been processing more boarding groups per day on average, so we’re confident it’s an actual upgrade/fix for problems plaguing the attraction. (See above, via Thrill-Data.com.)
Further corroborating that is data showing shorter and fewer breakdowns per day for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. That coupled with the “new ride smell” starting to wear off might mean that experiencing Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance becomes slightly less competitive going forward.
Moreover, the virtual queue entry at 1 pm has gotten considerably easier over the last couple of months. On some days at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, boarding groups being available well into the afternoon has become an increasingly common occurrence. We’ve seen the virtual queue open after 5 pm on several occasions, and it usually takes minutes or hours to fill.
While that has been a positive development, that trend probably wouldn’t last much longer even if the virtual queue stuck around. There’s pent-up demand among new Annual Passholders and crowds are expected to start arriving for Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary by late September 2021.
However, there is also the reality that many Annual Passholders and other repeat visitors may have honed their skills at joining the virtual queue, but would not even consider waiting 90 to 120 minutes for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. Those guests thus will become less likely to attempt doing Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, leaving more hourly ride capacity to first timers and infrequent guests.
I think this is a likely scenario, because it’s our personal perspective. We have zero issues successfully joining the virtual queue every time we visit the parks, but wouldn’t wait more than 45 minutes for it (the wait time will definitely be higher than that, even during the off-season).
As some readers have cynically pointed out, it’s also possible that this move could be motivated by the launch of Genie+ and Lightning Lanes at Walt Disney World in mid-October 2021 (tentatively). The company has already announced that Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance will be an individual attraction purchase (what we’re calling Magic Carpet Access) via that system.
This means that some portion of the current free ride capacity will be reallocated to that pay-to-play system. With the second virtual queue drop at 1 pm, many guests might’ve been inclined to wait and roll the dice on that second distribution time rather than buying their way to the front of the line at 7 am if they were shut out on the first try.
That’s entirely possible. Seeing a 180 minute posted wait shortly after Disney’s Hollywood Studios opens for the day might “incentivize” many guests to drop $24 per person (or whatever the amount) so they don’t miss out on Walt Disney World’s flagship attraction.
However, my strong suspicion is that if the goal were simply to nudge guests towards buying Magic Carpet Access for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, the company would simply drop the 1 pm virtual queue time. That’s an easier and cleaner solution that pushes even more guests towards Magic Carpet Access since it encourages purchases starting even earlier (7 am v. shortly after park opening when the line gets long).
I’m pretty cynical, but my gut says this change is actually about guest satisfaction. Enough Walt Disney World visitors are already upset about the virtual queue for this, another virtual queue coming to Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure (for totally different reasons), and Lightning Lanes & Genie+ on top of that. The systems were getting too complex and convoluted, especially for first-timers and infrequent visitors. This is one way to scale back on that. But I could be completely wrong–it wouldn’t be the first time.
Ultimately, it’ll be interesting to see what happens next with Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Walt Disney World. Even though we’re on board with the shift to standby (or at least taking a “wait and see” approach), it is surprising to see this happen right before the World’s Most Magical Celebration kicks off and crowds surge. Testing this out back at the end of August or even early this month would’ve been a much more pragmatic approach. Suffice to say, we’ll be watching closely to see how all of this shakes out. Hopefully it goes well!
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts
What do you think of this news that Walt Disney World will pause use of the Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance virtual queue? Do you agree or disagree with this change? Any questions we can help you answer? 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!
Was at Disneyland on Wednesday. ROTR passes gone in an instant. The ride didn’t start daily operation until almost noon. Spider-Man web slingers was also up and down all day. If a ride isn’t as ambitious as ROTR, bring back the tracks on rides!
@Carly, that’s a tough conflict! Having already experienced both on several occasions, I’m thinking I’d have to go with Lamplight Lounge…
Probably in the minority, but THANK GOD! Wasted an entire morning after a night of not sleeping because of a crying baby trying to get ROTR through the virtural boarding pass and was unsuccessful. Stopped dead in my tracks in the park to try and get a boarding pass in the afternoon and we never got on. It was a waste of time at a park I didn’t think fit our needs anyways but that we scheduled ourselves for solely for Start Wars. I was pretty upset so this seems like a light at the end of the tunnel.
The biggest issue with boarding passes is that I was at the mercy of Disney. Instead of choosing where I’d like to go and when, I had to cross my fingers and hope that I got onto this one ride at this one park I didn’t really enjoy overall anyways.
Does this mean I’m going to stand in line for 2 hours? No. But at least I have that choice instead of Disney deciding that for me.
I have a trip planned for next week and our HS day is September 23rd. We are staying at Yacht Club so we can walk over. What time would you suggest arriving by so we can rope drop Rise? I worry that the whole park’s dynamics will change on the 23rd and we’ll have longer waits for everything. Any thoughts on whether HS will have a surge in crowds on the 23rd? Any day at the parks is going to be a good day, one way or the other, but this is throwing me for a loop!
Thank you!
This relieves some of my planning worries for our big seven-person trip and aggravates others. On the one hand, this means we should be able to scrap our second park pass reservation at DHS in favor of a second day at MK, which will be better for a group that’s about half first timers. I’ve been really concerned about making sure we had multiple chances at the VQ, but if it’s standby that’s not so much an issue. On the other hand, anticipating more time spent in the queue (without being able to anticipate HOW much more time) will make it a bit trickier to decide the timing for droid- and lightsaber-building reservations.
I suspect the two non-SW fans in our group may opt out if it’s a 90+ minute wait, and/or the 2 hardcore SW fans will push for the group to pay the a la carte price for Lightning Lanes. Honestly I think one of those two responses are what I’d expect from any group of first-timers or others who only visit once or twice a decade. For me as a frequent solo visitor, I’m with the Brickers: I’m pretty unlikely to make RotR a fixture on every DHS day if it means waiting in a long standby line. And that’s actually a really good thing for the park’s audience as a whole: the complaint I agree with most re: the boarding group system is that it heavily favors people who know how to navigate the system, and a lot of them (us) are people who’ve already had plenty of opportunities to ride it. Discouraging them (us!) from riding it so frequently is a feature of the change, not a bug.
Anyway, not changing around our park passes yet because I see that word “paused” instead of “ended” sitting in there all sneaky-like, and I’m going to wait and see how things look when we’re only two months out from our trip rather than four and I’m actually needing to make those build reservations.
Interesting! Was just at Disneyland on Tuesday and boarding passes were gone before 7:01. Having successfully followed your tricks many times I was so put out! Luckily I got one at noon, but of course our call back time was the same time as our Lamplight Lounge reservation. I chatted with a CM who was clearly in upper management and he said that in their morning huddle that day they purposely were releasing less boarding passes that morning due to significant down times from the ride on Monday. I saw a mom sadly ask guest relations what she’d done wrong after getting shut out both times. Having the option to wait, or even pay, puts some sense of control into your hands where getting a boarding pass is sometimes more out of your control. I hope this works out well.
Now that I’ve had time to process and get over the initial “outrage”, I like it! Not because it’s more fair to the average day guest–who cares about those guys! 🙂 —but because I can stop rope-dropping HS. Once we get some initial data, I will try and time my Magic Pass purchase to get a ROTR return time for approximately 5-6pm and spend the evening at HS. With the lack of shade, and lack air-conditioned quick-service dining options, HS is just a better park at night. Slinky is more fun at night. Same for Tower of Terror and the entirety of Galaxy’s Edge. So that’s the plan, well, until Disney catches on and unveils a new “After 5pm surcharge” to give guests “more fun and flexibility.” And then I’ll probably pay that too!
In my humble opinion, just raise the prices already to ONE price for parking, entry, and all the rides and attractions you can see in one day. I’m getting really tired of paying for this, adding on that, etc. Disney is complicating the you know what out of all this and really ticking off some of us long-time fans and park goers, especially when it comes to the amount of money we will have to lay out to add to basic ticket costs to get to do much of anything.
One price=easy and we don’t “see” where it gets divvied up for parking, day ticket, “fast pass” or lightning or whatever you want to call it, park hopping, etc.
I also think this might be a benefit back to the on-site guests. With the VQ, there was no advantage…now with 30 min early access every day (even though still a ton of people considered “onsite”) it puts off site at a significant disadvantage at rope drop.
Well this will be interesting. I’m glad I’ve been on it more than half a dozen times now, and really hope we can get my brother and his family on it week after next because they haven’t seen any of TSL or GE.
On the surface I am fine with this. But I do wonder how long the stand by wait will be on average. You have a ride that is extremely popular that almost everyone will want to ride. You have a Lightning lane that will slow down the movement on the stand by line, which I assume Disney will allocate a healthy % of the capacity to. And you have a ride that still has technical issues and regular downtime. A stand by of 1-2 hours is acceptable for a ride of that quality. I fear the wait will often be 3 hours or more however. There is nothing I would stand in line 3 hours for.
Thank you for the update Tom. Looking forward to some posts on how rope drop shakes out for ROTR now.
As much as I was ready for the virtual queue, I do agree that when they create all these complications, the average visitor ends up getting a very unwelcome feeling. My first time at Disney I missed A LOT and spent one night midweek completely redoing our plans as I began to realize how everything worked. I’m not saying different is bad, but…at Universal Studios I never plan anything beyond “start at Hogsmeade” and I can very easily ride everything. No need to decide, months in advance, what rides to go on at what times, having no idea where each ride is in relation to the others, or to buy a special membership somewhere to help me plan out my day more effectively, or pore over blogs. I just…went. It was very relaxed. Disney feels like the Type A Vacation. And I am kind of a pre-planner, but Disney is over the top.
So I think that while I have concerns, one app – Genie – to organize all plans that day, and change things as you change, is going to be huge for everybody. Yes, it does mean those of us immersed in it will no longer have an advantage, but really it should improve everyone’s experience.
Do I love that I have to pay extra? No. But I pay a lot more for “fast pass” type programs at other parks (even Six Flags). I generally refuse to pay. Probably I will pay at Disney, because the lines can be reeeeeally long, but my main strategy will probably still work. Get there early, work your way from back of the park to the front, get lunch and then see a show or leave and come back later if the family still has energy. No point being in line midday.
I have not been since rotr opened. I have been dreading virtual queue for our group of 6, one of whom loves star wars. Also we are of the attitude that when you go to Disney you have to be “all in” and rope drop every day. This strategy worked awesome since our first trip in 2001, especially with paper fastpass and continuing for 3 more trips through 2012. Fast forward to 2017 and we despised losing the early bird gets the worm advantage and we’re shocked by the new weirdness that rope drop became. I think Disney is making an attempt to get back to letting those who get up instead of sleep away their trip and don’t want to choose rides 60 days out have an advantage so I like the idea of the change. The LL money option feels wrong but it does give another option for sleepers. The monetizing does annoy me greatly but I am on board (pun intended) with this change.
Tom- I hope you will respond to this even though it is very specific. We will be staying at the Boardwalk Villas, and Sept 23 is THE DAY that we have scheduled to go to Hollywood Studios. So… do we walk over and arrive one hour before opening and rope drop ROTR, or do we try to experience several other rides and skip ROTR altogether? We have a couple joining us who are coming for 2 days (Remy APH preview), including one who has never experienced ROTR. What are the chances that ROTR opens at rope drop?? Even though we live in NJ, we have been to WDW 5 times since last July, and our experience has been that HS wait times skyrocket quickly. We have not been on TOT in a year because of this, and this queue is throwing us for a loop.
Implode not impose. Sorry .
For those commenting on the Disney system not being able to handle two virtual queues, Disneyland already has ROTR and the new Spider-Man ride on virtual queues in two separate parks. So it can be done. Not to say the connectivity in the parks doesn’t suck though. Hope the system doesn’t impose with genie.
So bummed, was hoping to get to Disney before the virtual queue went away. Would happily pay to ride as I’ve never had the chance to experience ROTR. No way will I stand in a line for half of my park day, just not worth it.
I do think it is about paying for the attraction and this supposed low time allows them to expedite it.
They’ve got to realize that things are just too confusing right now. I’m on every blog, planning every detail, and I’m at an absolute loss. This is all going to drop a week before we arrive and there will be no time to react to the reality on the ground. Really bummed.