How to Ride Star Wars: Rise of Resistance Strategy Guide
The most popular attraction at Walt Disney World is Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance in Hollywood Studios. This guide covers how to ride now that the virtual queue is done: avoiding lines or minimizing the multi-hour wait times and strategy for successfully scoring an Individual Lightning Lane at the Galaxy’s Edge blockbuster.
We update this guide regularly based on the latest changes at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Last year, Walt Disney World announced that it was “pausing” the virtual queue for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. However, that hasn’t happened even during peak weeks since then, including on occasions when the standby wait has hit 420 minutes. We love Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and consider it the best attraction at Walt Disney World, but I cannot imagine waiting 7 hours!
In any case, the virtual queue is gone for good. In addition to the Disney’s Hollywood Studios headliner having a standby line, there have been a lot of other changes: Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary plus the debut of Early Theme Park Entry for on-site hotel guests plus the controversial Lightning Lane and Genie+ system. Suffice to say, a ton is happening with queueing at Walt Disney World right now. We’re here to break it all down and explain your best and worst options for doing Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.
Before we dig in, one final note: Walt Disney World tinkers with this ride regularly. We’re diligent in keeping this updated and the information here is current as of Late 2023, but things could change. Be sure to check back for the latest info–or subscribe to our free Walt Disney World email newsletter for instant updates about all of the latest news, when discounts are released, etc.
With that said, let’s start in sequential order, so to speak. Although Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is not using a virtual queue anymore, you still might want to be up at 7 am. This is because the ride now uses a traditional standby line and is one of Hollywood Studios’ two Individual Lightning Lane (ILL) attractions.
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is actually the most popular Individual Lightning Lane in all of Walt Disney World, routinely booking up before the park even opens. In general, we’re not fans of paying extra for ILLs…with the exception of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. That’s true even after the latest price increase–Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance can cost as much as $25. Our Individual Lightning Lane Info & Tips post covers the why of that and what to do to reserve this ride via ILL.
It’s also worth noting that it’s difficult to book both Slinky Dog Dash via Genie+ and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance in the same morning unless you have multiple people trying and use our “speed strategy.” For advice on the latter, consult our Guide to Genie+ at Walt Disney World and Lightning Lane FAQ.
Continuing before Disney’s Hollywood Studios officially opens for the day, there’s the option of Early Theme Park Entry, which replaced morning Extra Magic Hours. Officially, Early Entry is offered at all 4 theme parks every single day and offers 30-minute access to guests staying in on-site hotels at Walt Disney World. (See our Guide to Early Entry at Walt Disney World for more info & strategy.)
Unofficially, Early Entry often ends up being much more than a 30 minute head-start at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, which often quietly opens before that and starts operating Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. Check out our report on Early Entry at Disney’s Hollywood Studios that covers our experience knocking out the trio of most popular attractions at DHS before the park opened to regular guests.
This brings us to normal park opening time for everyone else. Because you’re almost an hour behind on-site guests at this point and other off-site visitors will be racing to Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, this is actually one of the worst times to do the attraction via the standby line.
In fact, wait times for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance essentially have two peaks: about 30-60 minutes after official opening time and in early afternoon. This is the direct result of the park opening race to Rise of the Resistance and another spike following lunch.
If you want the best time to do Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance in the first half of the day, line up around 11 am. The posted wait time will still likely be triple digits, but it’s typically falling at this point rather than rising.
This is because the influx of park opening guests is cycling out, and fewer new guests are jumping into line because the wait will conflict with lunch. Objectively, this is the optimal time unless you’re staying late–assuming no ride breakdowns.
In general, later in the day is better than the first half, with posted wait times typically bottoming out about 2 hours before park closing. There are a couple of things you need to be aware of here, however.
First, posted wait times typically don’t drop much after 6 pm. That doesn’t mean actual wait times aren’t still declining, though. Walt Disney World often inflates posted times later in the day to discourage people from queueing up. Usually, an attraction’s actual wait time will be shortest in the last 30 minutes of the night, regardless of posted waits.
This is almost always true with Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, too. The one wildcard is ride breakdowns, which are still semi-frequent with this complex attraction. Breakdowns earlier in the day can create a backlog of Individual Lightning Lane guests, and Disney prioritizes those–this means standby will be slow later in the night when the ride has a “bad” day.
The other risk with downtime is that Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance will have problems towards the end of the night and simply not reopen. A breakdown earlier in the day is one thing–you can always come back later. If it’s the last hour of operations, there are no second chances, unless you have another day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. As such, assess your “risk tolerance,” how important Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is to you, and plan accordingly.
That wraps up our revised strategy guide for riding Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. We’ll keep you updated with what you need to know for doing Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.
As far as current info goes, that’s it. What follows is ‘legacy’ info about the now-defunct virtual queue, preserved for posterity–and just in case it returns…
As with every other theme park at Walt Disney World, you’ll need to start by booking a Park Pass reservation before visiting Disney’s Hollywood Studios, usually at least several weeks in advance. The good news is that park capacity has increased significantly throughout summer, so obtaining Park Pass reservations is easier. The bad news is that it’s also easier for everyone else, which means higher attendance and more competition for a Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance boarding pass. That’s why we’re here to help you improve your odds of success in beating the crowds.
A comprehensive ‘how to ride’ guide might seem excessive, after all, isn’t it just a matter of “sitting down and buckling up”?! However, protocol for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is unprecedented in several ways. The procedure for getting a chance to ride Rise of the Resistance is confusing even longtime Walt Disney World fans, so our goal here is to help you avoid similar frustrations.
If you simply show up at park opening for Disney’s Hollywood Studios and think you’re going to be able to rope drop Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, you’re in for disappointment. To the contrary, your odds are significantly worse if you only do that. It cannot be overstated how different and difficult Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is to experience.
Hence this ride guide and FAQ, so you can plan accordingly, beat the crowds, and have an incredibly efficient day in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Here’s everything you need to know about the attraction and how to access it. While the second section is largely spoiler-free, it does remove some ‘elements of surprise.’
Virtual Queue
What is the virtual queue for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance?
The virtual queue is the sole system for accessing Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.
Rather than FastPass or a standby line, you join this virtual line via the My Disney Experience (MDX) app and are notified when it’s your turn to ride. The process requires a few clicks in-app, but it’s pretty intuitive.
What are boarding groups for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance?
Boarding groups are the means of organizing guests into groups when it’s their turn to ride.
For example, rather than having a set 3-4 pm return time, you might be in boarding group 55. Your return time is not specified in advance, but rather, based upon how quickly the attraction cycles the guests through who are in front of you in the virtual queue. (Plus how many or few times it breaks down.)
When can we enter the virtual queue?
One new positive change Disney has made since reopening is multiple ‘drop times’ for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance virtual queue boarding passes.
You can join the Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance virtual queue at 7 am or 1 pm via the My Disney Experience app.
How can I enter the virtual queue at 7 am given that Disney’s Hollywood Studios isn’t open then?
This is the latest change to the virtual queue for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance virtual queue, and allows guests to attempt joining from their hotel room or wherever they may be.
For those successful at the 7 am entry time, this effectively removes the need to be at Disney’s Hollywood Studios by rope drop. There are still some strategic advantages to that, but it allows for a more leisurely start to the day.
Is one of the entry times easier for the virtual queue?
Right now, yes.
The 1 pm virtual queue is currently staying open for hours almost every single day. By contrast, the 7 am entry time fills up in seconds. This difference is due to the incredibly low crowds Walt Disney World is currently experiencing–in normal times, both fill up in seconds.
What is the process like for joining the virtual queue?
The steps are pretty similar to the FastPass+ selection process (if you used that before Walt Disney World suspended the service).
With that said, there’s no substitute for seeing for yourself. While it won’t let you complete the process, you can go through the first several steps of joining the virtual queue from home. Be on the MDX app some morning right when Disney’s Hollywood Studios opens and go through the motions. It’s good practice for the real thing!
Disney WiFi v. Cellular Data?
It really depends on your carrier and where you’re located in the park/resort/etc.
We’d recommend doing a quick speed test with both a few minutes before it’s time to join the virtual queue. Anything at or above 50 Mbps should be sufficient, but the higher the better. If necessary, move around to get away from other people or increase your speed to that threshold.
How should we prepare for joining the virtual queue?
This might sound like overkill, but milliseconds matter.
Make sure your phone is fully updated and force close all apps, including My Disney Experience shortly before it’s time to join the virtual queue. Double-check the time on your phone or watch against time.gov, which is what Disney uses for opening the virtual queue.
What’s the best strategic approach for joining a boarding group? Should one person try for everyone, should we each try individually, or what?
Do not try individually–you won’t be in the same boarding groups, meaning you won’t ride together.
We recommend everyone try for everyone in your party. Launch the MDX app about 10 seconds before the official virtual queue entry time and hit the “Join Boarding Group” button. If that doesn’t work, force-refreshing by pulling down “hard.”
Everyone in your party who has a valid Disney Park Pass reservation for Disney’s Hollywood Studios should already be pre-selected. The person in your party with the fastest fingers will score the boarding group, while everyone else will receive a “Not So Fast/Already in Boarding Group” message. Just be sure that anyone in your party who tries for boarding passes attempts to add everyone.
Again, it’s good to do a practice run or two at home so you’re comfortable with the process in the My Disney Experience app so you don’t get flustered and mess up. We’ve heard horror stories of readers clicking through too quickly and forgetting to add one of their family members. Don’t freak out if that happens–go to the Guest Experience Team Cast Members stationed at the blue umbrellas.
What if not everyone in my party is pre-selected?
During the process of joining the Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance virtual queue, everyone in your party who has a Park Pass reservation for Disney’s Hollywood Studios and/or has tapped into the park (as applicable) should already be pre-selected. However, you have the option to hit “Change Party” before tapping the “Join Virtual Queue” button.
Our strong advice is not mess with this–don’t even check whether they are or are not in your party–simply to click “Join Virtual Queue” as fast as possible. Pausing for even a second to review this screen can doom your chances of success. If, for some reason, someone in your party was not selected, see a Cast Member at the Guest Experience Team stands (look for the blue umbrella) in the park. Adding one person to an existing boarding group is a problem they can fix. No one in your party getting boarding groups because you hesitated or didn’t join due to an error is not a problem they can fix.
Do we need to be in the park for the 1 pm virtual queue opening?
No. However, everyone in your party does need to enter Disney’s Hollywood Studios at some point before 1 pm in order to “unlock” access to the virtual queue at 1 pm. Meaning you could arrive for park opening, take the Skyliner back to your hotel for lunch and a pool break, and try again at 1 pm.
It is not geofenced or based upon proximity—this functionality unlocks in the My Disney Experience app for each guest after they have physically tapped into the park’s tap/turnstiles. You can leave after tapping in and still join during the afternoon entry time from your hotel room or wherever.
You could literally be inside Disney’s Hollywood Studios or in Duluth, Minnesota. The system only validates whether you’ve tapped into Disney’s Hollywood Studios, not your current location. It can actually be advantageous to leave Disney’s Hollywood Studios midday, as that’s when crowds and wait times are worst.
Anything else we can do pre-vacation to improve chances of success?
If you don’t mind monitoring the Disney Park Pass reservations calendar, consider booking multiple days at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Even if you’re only going to do DHS one day, it’s savvy strategy to book reservations for DHS on your Epcot and possibly Animal Kingdom days in addition to your dedicated DHS day.
With the 7 am entry time, it’s possible to attempt to score Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance boarding passes from outside the park before you start your day. If you’re unsuccessful, you can change your Disney Park Pass reservations day-of to Epcot or Animal Kingdom subject to availability.
This is our recommendation because it’s always easier to change from Disney’s Hollywood Studios to another park than vice-versa. By the time your travel dates arrive, it’s entirely conceivable that DHS will be fully booked for every day of your trip. Same goes for Magic Kingdom on some dates, whereas Animal Kingdom and EPCOT usually have same-day availability.
Walt Disney World significantly increased attendance caps in mid-July, and it is now much easier to score same-day Disney Park Pass reservations. However, we must emphasize that there is some risk in getting “stuck” with multiple DHS reservations, so keep an eye on the Disney Park Pass availability calendar and switch in advance if this looks like it’s becoming an issue around your travel dates.
Should we buy Park Hopper tickets?
If you’ve read our Money-Saving Walt Disney World Ticket Guide, you know that we typically recommend Park Hopper tickets. They allow you to bounce around, which is strategically advantageous.
For guests who really want to ride Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, we recommend booking Park Pass reservations for at least two days at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. However, we also do not believe DHS is a full-day park right now. As with the above day-of switcheroo above, we’d actually recommend reserving 2 days at DHS and 0 days at Epcot—and plan on sticking with those reservations.
Morning at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and evening at Epcot is our preferred way to experience both parks. This isn’t just personal preference–it’s strategically superior given normal operating hours.
Accordingly, starting your morning at DHS and ending at Epcot can extend your day by a couple of hours. (Additionally, rope dropping Epcot doesn’t offer any advantage–it’s more crowded due to the late opening time.) For this reason, we highly recommend purchasing Park Hopper tickets right now. Read about what to expect and why in our Guide to Park Hopping at Walt Disney World.
Which days of the week are best for visiting Disney’s Hollywood Studios?
When Walt Disney World was regularly running out of Park Pass reservations, we recommended doing Disney’s Hollywood Studios on Saturday or Sunday. However, that’s no longer the case and this is no longer our advice. We now recommend any weekday. It doesn’t really matter which one, but Friday is objectively the best by a small margin.
As a whole, wait times in DHS are still lower on weekends. This is because locals are more likely to visit on weekends and less likely to stand in long lines since they’ve done everything before. They are also more likely to be skilled and experienced at doing Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, making them tougher competition. It’s like playing against the Los Angeles Dodgers instead of a little league team. (Not that your family should go around trouncing kids at baseball, but you get the idea!)
Can we get more than one boarding pass per day?
No.
Do reservations for Oga’s Cantina or Droid Depot get us spots in the virtual queue for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance?
No.
What happens if we have an Advance Dining Reservation that conflicts with our return time?
Ideally, you should see a Cast Member at the Guest Experience Team stands (look for the blue umbrella) located throughout the park. They can assist with scheduling conflicts.
Failing that, see a Cast Member at the attraction entrance–they are typically pretty flexible.
When should we get to Disney’s Hollywood Studios for rope drop?
If you’re wanting to do park opening, arrive at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at least 30 minutes before the official park opening time. It’ll take around 15 minutes to get through bag check and the turnstiles, that should give you at least 15 minutes to join the masses and be ready to go at official park opening time. See our updated 1-Day Disney’s Hollywood Studios Itinerary for morning ride recommendations and step-by-step advice for your entire day.
When you should leave your hotel room in order to arrive by then is a different matter entirely and depends upon where you’re staying and the mode of transportation you use. Don’t cut things too close–Walt Disney World transportation usually takes longer than anticipated.
How do we time our arrival if we score Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance spots but want to arrive late?
A good rule of thumb is that Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance averages about 12 boarding groups per hour. However, due to its reliability woes, sometimes that can be as low as 0 per hour or as high as 18 per hour. Over the course of most days, it averages out to about 10-14 per hour, though.
Accordingly, if you’re boarding group 48, you could plan to arrive at Disney’s Hollywood Studios around 4 hours after park opening. Boarding group 60 could do 5 hours after park opening (and so on).
When will crowds subside?
Currently, Walt Disney World attendance, crowds, and congestion have all increased dramatically as compared to even a few months ago. Demand still far exceeds supply for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. For every boarding pass that’s distributed, there are several guests who want to experience the attraction.
Is it safe to rely on Walt Disney World transportation for getting to DHS in time for park opening?
Yes.
If you’re staying at one of the Crescent Lake resorts, it’s easiest just to walk to DHS. For other resorts, the buses and Skyliner, are also once again reliable for arriving at park opening. Still, guests who stay at BoardWalk, Yacht & Beach Club, and Swan & Dolphin should walk rather than using boats or the Skyliner. Walking is far and away the fastest and best way to arrive in the morning.
What time is Rise of the Resistance running out of boarding passes?
There is no set time, but it has been occurring in under 10 seconds of boarding group distribution times.
Going forward, we expect this trend will continue.
Does everyone have to be present to join or can we send one ‘runner’ to the park?
For the 7 am entry, the only requirement is a valid Disney Park Pass reservation. Since DHS isn’t open at that hour, entering the park isn’t even possible for that.
For the 1 pm entry, everyone in your party must tap into Disney’s Hollywood Studios before they’re eligible to join the VQ.
What if we’re all near the park?
Nope.
It’s not based upon proximity–this functionality only unlocks in the My Disney Experience app once you physically tap into the park’s tap/turnstiles. It’s worth noting that you can leave after tapping in and still join during the afternoon entry time from your hotel room or wherever. The system only validates whether you’ve tapped in, not your current location.
Can we leave the park once joining the queue?
Yes. You could go back to your resort and take a nap, eat lunch, etc.
How do we know when we can return?
If your phone has push notifications for My Disney Experience enabled, you’ll receive an alert that your boarding group has been called.
Failing that, the “My Status” screen on the Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance screen displays the same information.
Does Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance accommodate Disability Access Service (DAS) card?
Yes, but this is still truly first come, first served.
That means everyone must join the virtual queue first, which means arriving and going through that just like everyone else. To take advantage of DAS, go to the FastPass return line once your boarding group is called.
What about Rider Switch?
Yep, same process as above.
How long is the average wait once in the physical line?
Assuming nothing breaks down and the attraction didn’t just return from being down, around 20-40 minutes.
Boarding groups are fairly small in size, so if you get lucky and return at the “right” time, most of the queue will be empty and you’ll practically walk on the attraction. Time it poorly and things can back up quite a bit, and you might be in a line that’s closer to an hour long. We’ve been in line when the ride breaks down and ended up having to wait over 2 hours.
Should we just wait to do Rise of the Resistance until our 2024 Walt Disney World trip?
We wouldn’t recommend it for both the reasons identified immediately above and below.
Additionally, this is a very complex attraction with a lot of practical effects, some of which may not exist forever. Just ask anyone who rode Expedition Everest or Indiana Jones Adventure the first year those attractions were open how the original rides compare to today.
This is pretty complicated…is Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance worth jumping through all of these hoops?
It’s complicated to understand because it’s new and different, but once you experience it in person, it’s really not that difficult.
Moreover, as we write in our spoiler-free Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance Ride Review, this is one of Walt Disney World’s best attractions ever. It’s absolutely worth the effort.
When will this all die down?
Never? Maybe when your kids have kids?
Flight of Passage is just as popular today as it was ~6 years ago, and still can be a hassle. And that’s for a ride based on Avatar–this is Star Wars. Don’t wait.
Ride Info for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
Will I like this if I’m not a huge Star Wars fan?
Much like you can enjoy Splash Mountain without ever seeing Song of the South or Flight of Passage without ever seeing Avatar, you can enjoy Rise of the Resistance without ever seeing a single Star Wars film.
Fans of the franchise will likely get more out of it, but the ride works on multiple levels and the storyline requires no prior knowledge to understand. In fact, our favorite character in Rise of the Resistance is new for this attraction!
If I have a YouTube channel dedicated to complaining about how Disney destroyed Star Wars with the last movie, will I enjoy this?
I hope not.
What’s the heigh requirement?
You must be at least 40″ tall to ride Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.
What rides does Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance compare to?
Not much at Walt Disney World.
It’s a bit like a dark ride, except trackless and mildly exhilarating. Think somewhere between Spaceship Earth and Dinosaur, with some qualities of Tower of Terror. The trackless dark ride element is comparable to the upcoming Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure at Epcot. (Ride vehicle pictured below.)
Is it family friendly?
Absolutely. There’s the aforementioned height requirement due to a drop and a variety of boilerplate health warnings, but otherwise this is okay for all ages.
Is the drop intense?
No. The drop in Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is more like the one in Pirates of the Caribbean than the ones in Tower of Terror. It might catch you by surprise, but it’s more of a “haha” thrill than an “aaaahhhh” thrill.
That still sounds too intense–is there a ‘chicken exit’?
Yes, and we’d highly encourage you to utilize it, as over half of the attraction occurs before boarding a ride vehicle.
If you don’t want to ride, simply notify a Cast Member at the point where they’re assigning colors. They will direct you to the exit at that point.
Any issues for guests with motion sickness?
If you’re fine doing Toy Story Mania, you’ll be fine here. The ride portion utilizes a trackless ride system, and the vehicles have nimble and dynamic ‘dancing’ movements.
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is not like motion simulator like Star Tours or even Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run.
Wait a second…Toy Story Mania…is this 3D?!
Nope. There are some screens, but no 3D.
The Toy Story Mania comparison is most apt because of the way that can spin you around at times.
Is Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance better than Smugglers Run, Slinky Dog Dash, Frozen Ever After, or Flight of Passage?
Yes, yes, yes, and yes.
The only one of those that even belongs in the same conversation as Rise of the Resistance is Flight of Passage, and although they’re very different attractions, we’ll state this without equivocation: Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is better than Avatar Flight of Passage.
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is one of the top 10 Disney attractions in the world, on an epic scale that’s only rivaled by Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure at Shanghai Disneyland. Whether it has the same longevity as all-time greats like Haunted Mansion and (regular) Pirates of the Caribbean remains to be seen.
If you’re planning on visiting the new land, you’ll also want to read our Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Guide. This covers a range of topics from basics about the land and its location, to strategically choosing a hotel for your stay, recommended strategy for the land, and how to beat the crowds. It’s a good primer for this huge addition. As for planning the rest of your trip, we have a thorough Walt Disney World Planning Guide.
Your Thoughts
Do you have any questions this FAQ failed to answer? If you’ve done Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, do you think there’s anything else first-timers should know? Do you agree or disagree with any of our advice or answers? 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!
Any thoughts on whether an advanced Uber booking will be necessary on 12/31 for a 6 AM pick up from All-Star Sports to get to Hollywood Studios? I haven’t used Uber before, and I am not sure if I need to book now to make sure I have a ride that morning, or if I can just request the Uber that morning as soon as I am ready. However, I am also not sure if I should wait in case Disney changes the hours again.
You shouldn’t need to book in advance. Just wait until that morning and request the Uber ride about 10-15 minutes before you actually need to leave (but be ready to go when you request it just in case by some miracle there’s a driver already at your resort).
I was there opening day with 76 teenagers ( school field trip). We were in various groups ranging from 126-132 – arrived at opening and groups closed just after we booked ours. 126 got to go but all higher groups got passes to come back the next day. We went back (7 of us) at 9 and ended up after down time, evacuating the line once when we were through about half of the experience. Finally rode just after noon. I like Star Wars but haven’t seen all the movies or consider myself a big fan, but it was most definitely the best ride I’ve ever ridden. Ever. Worth every hassle. I’m going back with family in 2 weeks and 6am is a no brained for me – don’t want them to miss it!
Sorry for typos- on my phone
This is all very confusing, Isent Disney supposed to be a Family Theme Park??? How does this equate to families with preteen children getting a boarding pass to there Flagship New Ride, when you have to be in line at six AM??? Certainly does not seam like any thought to Families is given any consideration! Speaking of the Ride Itself, it looks more like a Star Wars Glorified trip thru It’s a Small World, ….How does this make it such a Flagship Attraction??? A O M
There were tons of kids of all ages in line at 6am with us. Many times it seemed like the kids were the ones that dragged their parents out of bed. lol And it’s really not that difficult. You get there early, you enter the park, you join a boarding group, you get in line when it’s your turn. The ride itself is spectacular, but if it’s not your thing, by all means skip it! No need to ride it just because someone else likes it.
You don’t have to be in line at 6am. The Disney police don’t come and arrest you or end your vacation should you choose to sleep in. You can make a choice to get up early, or not.
Disney spent spent hundreds of millions of dollars designing an experience that has a relatively low (i.e. 40 inch) height requirement. Therefore, it’s hard to make a reasoned argument that no consideration was given to families.
The author merely offers suggestions re: how to maximize your chances of experiencing the attraction.
Which Does Not lend itself to Disneys Core Mission Statment, which is Family……Is it Not? More user friendly to Disney Fanatics at this point appears to be the prime emphasis!
“Family” is a really short core mission statement. Also, I believe it mentions something to do with “kids of all ages.” Family doesn’t just mean those with children. It means lots of things.
Thanks for the tips! We got into the park at 630, were able to ride Slinky Dog, Toy Story Mania, met Bo Peep, did some pin trading, bathroom break, Millenium Falcon…all before official 8am park opening. And our boarding pass for RoR started at 750 (we were group 26). Tired but loved not standing in line for hours on end!
We have a 5 and 7 year old… They get up normally at 615, so we got up at 615, walked over by 655 and had a 9 15 boarding time.
Early bird gets the worm and everyone is in same position. Just wake up early and take naps
You could have been there at 7 30 and still had a pass today. 7 am is not early
My thoughts exactly. If you don’t get your little ones up and going by 6, you don’t get in. My two were HUGELY disappointed…. And I’m hearing tons of stories like this. If you have little ones or are disabled and can’t get moving that quickly, you will be out of luck for a very very long time.
I don’t understand at what point having little kids made it impossible to do anything before anything before 9am.
Maybe it was just growing up in a military family. I have little kids (aged 6 and 9) and don’t see what the big deal is. It’s not like you’d tell them, “sorry we were going to take this flight to Disney but the airlines didn’t schedule anything that perfectly coincided with nap and snack time, so we’re just going to sit it out. Maybe after college you can catch the early flight”.
Do you think kids would be any better off in an 8 hour queue?
You can get in the park, join the queue, and then go take a nap until it’s your turn. These are not hard problems to solve.
9:00 yes, no problem, tried it three times in fact. Didn’t get a spot all three times. It’s the be there by 6 is the issue. If I got my kids up and ready and out the door by 5:20, we could be there by 6. And then no one would have any fun. The point of the fast pass was to get a time way ahead of the day and then you could return at a specific time. You didn’t have to wait on an 8 hour line ever. I never do. I use my fast passes. But this new queue system sets it up to disallow for people that cannot make it by those times. I have read post after post about this ride with families, disabled people or older people that cannot get to the park by 6 in the morning. And that is not fair. Disney created a solution that isn’t fair or balanced. That seems unusual and the trend worries me. Disney has now leaned more towards the bottom line and less about making a fun time for EVERYone. I have my concerns. And since the majority is thrilled (51% counts), the other 49% will be ignored.
The queue is set up to eventually accommodate Fastpass+. This isn’t a trend, it’s opening week, and they have done a wonderful job working through how to open the attraction in an equitable manner. And if it’s unfair that all guests have an equal chance of riding if they’re willing to get to the park early, I’m not sure how you don’t consider Fastpass+ unfair since it favors guests who pay to stay at Disney resorts, and further favors guests with reservations of 14+ nights.
Things that aren’t “fair and balanced” are giving a 90 day FastPass window to people that can afford club level. Or if this proves to be popular enough that Disney can milk a hard ticketed event out of it where the tickets are $125+ plus per person for a couple hours and the chance to ride with minimal wait.
Those things are arguably not fair because you are giving someone premium access if they can shell out premium dollars.
Getting kids up at 5 or 6 isn’t fun, and I don’t enjoy doing it with mine. It, however, doesn’t cause them any harm, is totally doable, and there’s nothing “unfair” about having to do it.
I think it’s a fair criticism that having to jump through all these hoops takes the fun out of the Disney vacation experience. However, first come first serve is a system that doesn’t discriminate, and by its very definition fair and balanced.
Tony, I do understand the flaws in the fp system. But just because a system works for most people, doesn’t mean it’s “fair and balanced.” It would only be fair and balanced if everyone could possibly use it. Ignoring others problems, or even discounting them, doesn’t make them any less real. For example, for some people with disabilities, the DAS system is nice, but for others it’s absolutely mandatory. I am one of the latter. I, along with many others, cannot get to the parks that early, ever. So this virtual queue system is not fair nor balanced.
You are completely missing the point.
Disney is using a first come-first served (FCFS) or first in-first out (FIFO) queue for Rise of the Resistance. They are taking an extra step to make it easier on customers by using the virtual queue so you can be two places at once.
Rise of the Resistance is an exhaustible service system where the the total amount of ride experience Disney can offer is limited by the length of time the system is open to provide service to customers. In these systems, which we are all familiar with (e.g. line for tickets for a show, line for milk before a blizzard, etc.) if you don’t arrive early enough chances are you won’t be provided service.
Countless studies have affirmed that while FIFO isn’t the most efficient queuing system (Danish researchers did really interesting work demonstrating that last-come, first-served and service-in-random-order are actually more efficient) it is provably the most “fair queue”. In fact, other queuing systems are demonstrably less fair than FIFO.
I’m not ignoring problems; I’m citing that given the vast amount of money and time spent researching and studying queues FIFO is, in fact, the most fair queue system. That’s not an opinion, it’s a brief summation of research and analysis.
No, I do understand your point. The virtual queue is the most fair for most people. But it’s not fair for everyone. And a simple addition to the queue system would make it fair, but Disney has ignored it. Add runner capability (one group with das can get passes for all) or add virtual queuing outside the park. Otherwise, large amounts of people are excluded from the opportunity to ever ride this ride. We’ll just have to see when (and if) they will switch it to allowing the full das capability. I’m guessing persons without a special need would have a very difficult time understanding the necessity of the das. It’s not just inconvenient for us, it’s impossible. Disney is well aware of that but chose to ignore it.
Literally nothing will ever be fair for everyone.
I don’t understand the view that it isn’t fair to everyone. Everyone can get there at whatever time they work to get there. Advantage – nobody/everybody!
Eric, to ride on RotR, you have to be there very early. Some absolutely have no chance of getting there early.
Stephanie, of course things aren’t always fair. Disney however diligently strives to make all customers reasonably happy. And they could have, until recently.
Hopefully you guys will never have to truly understand what it is like to have to have accomodations or understand what it feels like when they are blantently ignored.
So you are talking about people whose disability is they can’t get up early? If you can’t move quickly then get up earlier. If i want to be somewhere at a certain time I plan ahead as to how long being ready to depart will take me and then do it. Everyone does…everyone. That is how people, all people, make it to appointments.
Eric, it seems just that easy doesn’t it. You’ve proven my point about having no clue what it is like to be disabled.
It is that easy. My wife has a disability and can’t walk or stand for more than a few minutes. If she has to wake up 2 hours earlier to get something she wants, not needs, done then she does it if she wants it enough. If we want to make it to something on time, and we don’t control the timing of someone or someplace else’s schedule then we do what we need to adjust to their schedule. We also know that it isn’t necessary to do these things, we do them because we want to. When you want to do something sometimes it requires sacrifices, in this case sleep. It also isn’t the responsibility of any company to cater to everyone all the time. This is not a right or a requirement to live so sometimes it seems unfair to parts of the population and that is the way it is. You can’t always have everything just because you want it.
That is a very narrow view on what a disability is. I’m glad your wife isn’t affected enough that it limits her as much as others. Unfortunately, not everyone has her disability. People are different and the entire world doesn’t fit in your constrained view of what every disability is.
“If I have a YouTube channel dedicated to complaining about how Disney destroyed Star Wars with the last movie, will I enjoy this?
I hope not.”
Got to park by 655, got boarding group 38 for 9:12 boarding time. This was today, Monday. All the passes were out by 8:30 ish.
We were able to get a boarding group and ride on an EMH day as non-Disney resort guests yesterday (Sunday). It was a long day though. EMH was 6-8am, regular park open was 8am. We arrived at 6:15am and were about 10 parties back from our entry touch point. The virtual queue opened before the non-Disney resort Guests were allowed to start entering the park giving those already in the park a head start if they were paying attention to the app. We were allowed into the park around 7:30am, joined boarding group 59, and we were called around 4:45pm. Sadly the ride broke down while we were physically in the queue, but they took great care of us with snacks and character meet and greets while we waited. We rode around 7:00pm. It was worth every minute of waiting.
Which characters did you meet while you waited? Did you stay in the queue until 7pm or leave and come back? Guess a 2 hour wait probably wasn’t that bad, huh?
Vi Moradi came through to thank us for our dedication to the resistance. She was awesome. Took photos with us and chatted for a while. We stayed in the queue the whole time. We watched a football game on my phone. The resistance has excellent wifi. lol
“The resistance has excellent wifi. ” Hahahaha, good to know.
I suppose a 2 hour wait…if you knew it was going to be back up isn’t terrible, it’d be about like most normal rides on a busy park day. Glad to hear Disney took good care of those who waited. I hope they get these down time issues fixed soon.
What time does the skyliner start running from pop century to DHS with these early hours? How long does the skyliner take to get there? Should we just drive and park instead coming from pop century?
If you have a car and you’re staying at Pop, most definitely drive. That gives you the most control over your arrival time. I’ve never stayed at Pop, but I drove from AoA to HS and it was quick and easy. If I have a car with me, I drive everywhere besides MK.
I agree you should drive, but Skyliner opened at 6:30 on Sunday with 6-8 EMH and 8 am every other day (even when Epcot opened at 8am, the Skyliner still only started running at 8am. You can’t count on being able to rope drop if you use the skyliner.
Just finished opening weekend and it was…interesting. I relied on the Skyliner and left as soon as it started on Friday and Saturday, arriving at the park at about 8:15am for 9am opening. On Friday, I snagged group 84 even though the signs were up saying boarding groups were full (last boarding group was 91 that day). And even though park open was 9:00, ALL the rides were running and I was able to get a ton done. Apparently they actually opened up the park at 6:30. My boarding group was called about 7pm, but I was evacuated after a 49 minute wait and given a FastPass for Saturday (and a 1 day park hopper good through 2030!!). On Saturday, I did basically the same thing and got boarding group 96, but the closed signs weren’t up yet. They let it get to at least 115, but it may have gone higher. I tried to use my Fastpass for Rise as soon as I arrived, but the ride was stopped for about 2 hours. I just waited outside until it opened and was able to ride that morning. My new boarding group was never called that day, but at about 7pm I received notice that it wouldn’t be called and was given a FastPass for Sunday and another park-hopper ticket. Saturday night they announced that HS would have EMH from 6-8 on Sunday and then open to all. Originally it was 8-9 EMH. I thought this was good since it meant Disney transportation was now running and first arrivals would be resort guests. The prior secret openings were kind of disadvantaging resort guests a bit. It was my getaway day, so I didn’t bother getting a new boarding pass and arrived about 7:15 am. My plan was to get some other rides in before Rise opened (which they told us would be at 7:45 as we came into the park) but the park was PACKED and waits were crazy. And the Ride had a few more hiccups so even with my FastPass I wasn’t able to ride until about 10:30am. All in all, three evacuations and two rides in three days. So if you’re going in the first few weeks you may end up dedicating more time to HS than you originally planned if you want to do Rise. It was an amazing ride though, and agree that it is rideable by nearly everyone. I’m hoping to get my 70 year old dad on it when we return just after New Year’s.
So I am planing to go to DHS on Wednesday December 18. I am staying at Port Orleans Riverside. It sounds like I should get to DHS by 6:30. Just to be clear is it best to take a lyft at that time of morning from PORS instead of taking the bus? I have never stayed at PORS so I am not sure the distance to DHS from there. Thanks
Definitely Lyft unless you’re going during EMH. If the park isn’t officially open, Disney transportation might not be running as they only promise 45 minutes to park open. And buses can be scarce that time in the morning anyway (and will likely be packed).
Apologies in advance if this is a dumb question – but if I’m staying offsite at the Wyndham or something, can I still get scanned into the park at 6am or whenever it opens on a particular day? I think I’m confusing this process with ExEMH from a few months back. Do all of these tips in the post apply to everyone, and not just resort guests? Thanks in advance!
You can get in when it opens every day except Sunday when the park has EMH. I land Saturday at 5 AM so I plan to get the rental car and head straight to DHS. I am really hoping they open at 6 this weekend.
Alas, I was unable to ride Rise of the Resistance on my Christmas trip last week. I followed your advice of asking a cast member the evening before it opened what time the buses would start running, and was firmly told that there would be NO early opening and the buses would start around an hour before the scheduled opening time of 9AM and not before.
I showed up at the bus stop at 7:30 to find a cast member there with a clipboard handling traffic to Hollywood Studios, who told me the buses had started at 4AM and the ride opened at 5:30. When I mentioned that a cast member had told me in no uncertain terms that would not happen, she looked angry and asked if I remembered that cast member’s name, but I didn’t– I hadn’t known I had a reason to take an interest at the time.
I got boarding group 99 when I got to the park, but in the end I was still 15 groups short of boarding when it came time to head to the Magic Kingdom for my dinner reservation and Mickey’s Christmas Party, so I had to cancel. It was a hard decision, but in the end I’d already paid for that hard ticket and doing the Christmas Party was the main purpose of the entire trip, so I did it.
My next trip to WDW won’t be until September 2021. Now I’ll just have to hope the ride remains intact until then.
Our trip is late next month. On the day we expect to do Galaxy’s Edge, we have reservations for Savi’s and Oga’s already in place. Will we still need to get a boarding group pass in this case?
Yes, the reservations for the restaurants/build it shops will only work to get you into the land if for some reason they had to bring back the Galaxies Edge Boarding Pass to get into the land. The only thing the boarding pass is doing, at this time, is getting you a place in line for the Rise of the Resistance ride.
Great, that’s what I had assumed, but I wanted to be sure. I need all of my ammunition to get my family mobilized that early!
Hello everyone! My sister and I are planning to go to DHS on 12/16! However, we bought park tickets after 12pm. If i wanted to ride the Rise of Resistance, would it be possible if i get to the park at least by 6:30am and stand by the security gate to join the boarding group? i won’t be able to scan my ticket in until 12pm, but i wonder if I’m close enough to the park the app would let me join?
Unfortunately, you have to be scanned into the park, it’s not about proximity.
Sorry to bear bad news, but if you bought after-12pm-only tickets and are visiting on 12/16, you are not going to be able to ride RotR under any circumstances.
We’ll be there this coming Sunday. I just want to make sure I understand correctly, currently hours for Sunday are listed as EMH at 8am, but you suggest arriving around 6-6:30 am because they’re opening early, does that mean that the entire park is being opened early? Meaning that we’ll be able to not only join the VQ but also ride any other rides possibly at that time?
Generally, it’s just the rides that open early, but yes, once the park is open and you enter the gates, tickets scanned, etc, get a boarding pass on your app, then go to whatever ride you want. While in the app, you can see wait times, so you’ll know whether or not it’s worth it to go to that right away. Just remember, when it comes to joining the boarding group, the earlier you get to the park, the better chance you have of actually getting into a boarding group and getting called early enough that you’ll get to ride that day. Sounds like some with higher group numbers are not getting to ride that day due to break downs etc.
We have plans to be there on 1/16. Can’t wait to see how it goes just posted holiday peak! Hoping to still Be able take resort buses Early enough as our family of 7 will need 2 lyfts. But if there’s any doubt about getting there in time we’ll do it.
To expedite entry to the park, please keep the following in mind:
1) Don’t bring any bags; the “no bag line” is always shorter at the security check point.
2) At your resort, the bus may be delayed due to scooter pick ups. If your lucky, a transportation cast member may be able to call another bus if its taking to long to load.
3) Also at your resort, the bus may skip your stop if it’s already full. That happened to us this past weekend. We were at the last stop before leaving the resort and the DHS bus did not stop for pick ups. Fortunately, there was a transportation CM who called in another bus to stop only at our location.
I did my reading and research on this ride before i got to the park last weekend. If u go just for this ride i would get to park BY 6am-630a they have been opening the park early and the boarding passes request early even though on the disney APP says 9am park hours. I actually got to ride the ride twice in 2 days. 1 of those happened to be a fast pass. Because i got a boarding pass but they NEVER called my group ( i was group 107) for that day, however for the inconvenience they gave me fast passes for next day and free 1 day park hopper. So yes theres a chance u get to park early do not get a chance to ride. I would not base my entire day waiting around for the group to be called if u have a High number. My son had a lacrosse game i went to that eat dinner and back at the hotel before i got that message. I just planned my fast passes for the next day since now i do not have a time limit.
Tom, how exactly is he DAS system still in use? You have to get on the virtual queue and still go when called? The DAS isn’t just for waiting in line but also for how long you have to wait to get into the line. So… Isn’t the DAS just like what everyone else does?
from what I’ve heard on the WDW subreddit the DAS requires you to have already joined a boarding group, and for your BG to have been called. It allows you to enter through what will probably become the fastpass line, so you don’t then have to queue once your BG is called. This is the same line that folks who had to evacuate the ride and were given a pass to come back use, so there is going to be a short wait – but not as long as if you went in the regular line without the DAS.
So, normally when you have a DAS you get a return time for a specific ride and can only have one at a time. How does this work with ROTR? Do you just mention it when you scan for your boarding group and they send you through the FP line? With the unpredictability of the virtual queue I’d hate to have my DAS assigned to ROTR all day and not be able to use it for anything else while I’m waiting for my boarding group.
Trying to use my DAS three times now and not getting it, unfortunately I can tell you. You have to get on the virtual queue and then if you have a DAS you can go down the shorter fp line after your boarding pass is called. But that’s it. You don’t get a return time at all. It’s just the virtual queue. So the DAS for RotR is basically worthless. And bc it doesn’t actually get used like normal, it doesn’t count against anything else.
What about riding the other ride? Does the boarding pass still apply to get in line for Smuggler’s Run?
No, smuggler’s run and RotR are different systems.
Suggler’s Run has it’s own queue that does not require a boarding pass, but also does not have a FastPass available at this time. Therefore, you just get in line to ride it.
If you believe the times posted on MDE app, it’s usually around an hour wait in the mornings and can be under 30 minutes later in the day, depending.
“If I have a YouTube channel dedicated to complaining about how Disney destroyed Star Wars with the last movie, will I enjoy this?
I hope not.”
Thanks for the guide! We can’t wait to experience it!
I died laughing at this, too!
You said the spins were similar to Toy Story Midway Mania. Does this mean I control the spins or can I anticipate the spins? I get motion sick very easiy, like no carousel or no tea cups, no Space Mountain. So no spins of any length, no rapid ups and downs, no jerky ride. Your opinion please.
You do not control the ride vehicle’s movements.
If you can handle the movements of…say…Peter Pan’s Flight, you’ll be fine. Trackless ride systems are very fluid and smooth, so even abrupt turns are pretty mild as compared to the starts/stops you can experience on track-based systems.
Thanks, Tom.
Ok just to clarify… do you have to physically be in the park to join a boarding group? Can you book a boarding group without having physical tickets? I planned on buying passes at the park entrance or at our resort the morning of. I plan on going to HS on Dec 23 with a party of 6. Do I have to add all of the people in my party to my Disney experience app?? I’m still a bit confused by this. The park opens at 8am that day, so I should plan to be there by 630am?? We are only visiting one park and I want to make the most of it!
You can get on queue at the park as well but it is easier with the app. Definitely show up by 6:30 with everyone or whomever is not there cannot ride. You’ll also have to wait quite a few hours to get on (if you do at all. The ride has had some breakdowns and people haven’t been able to get on, even with the queue. I’m one of them) but the app will tell you when to come back. It seems the park is pretty clear that early so you can walk on other rides while you wait.
All of your questions are a yes…mostly.
Do you have to physically be in the park to join a boarding group? Yes – everyone in your party must enter the park at least once to join the boarding group. Technically, you could all buy your tickets, scan into the park, then leave and join a boarding group on your way out, but you might as well enjoy the early “less crowded” hours.
Can you book a boarding group without having physical tickets? You have to get in the park, as long as you get in by buying at the gate and are in, you’re set. Also, everyone in your group will have to be in with you.
Do I have to add all of the people in my party to my Disney experience app? If you’re buying at the gate, you may not be able to do this, just go straight to Guest Services and ask them to add you to a boarding group. You could, theoretically, have everyone entered into your MDE party, but then you’d have to add everyone’s tickets into the system, maybe?, just to show that everyone has a ticket and it was scanned in, so you’re better off just going to Guest Services.
The park opens at 8am that day, so I should plan to be there by 630am? The earlier the better. You may need to Uber/Lyft there if you’re staying on site, since the buses may or may not run consistently that early in the day.
One last thing, why waste valuable time in line buying the tickets that morning? Don’t do this, buy them at least the night before so you can scan right in that morning. That time you’re standing in line is time others are getting into the boarding pass system, meaning with each passing moment, you’re less likely to get in, or get a low boarding group that may end up not getting called that day. Good luck and may the force be with you! 🙂 enjoy your trip
I know you said to stop reading if your trip is later next year, but I don’t care, I read it anyway. Regardless of whether this is what i’ll have to do when I get there, It’s good to be prepared. Obviously, if it changes, i’ll prepare for that route as well. I’m excited regardless, but really hope FastPass+ is in use by May, i’d had to try to drag my wife and kid out of bed at 6am on our last day at Disney, but dang it all, I will if I have to.
Thanks for all the updates, and…are you literally riding this ride every day until the end of the year, Tom?
“Thanks for all the updates, and…are you literally riding this ride every day until the end of the year, Tom?”
No, definitely not. We’ve “only” done it 3 times now, which is enough for me for the time being. We’ve gone to DHS on other mornings simply to check things out, and on the couple of days we didn’t go, we observed via social media. We have a hotel stay booked for EMH this weekend, but that’s probably it for now.
We’re very cognizant of the fact that there are a lot of first-timers and once-annual visitors at Walt Disney World right now, and we don’t want to be ‘those bloggers’ who do it over and over again at the expense of other guests.
Plus, this is an attraction that I consider very special and I don’t want to ruin it by overdoing it.
Haha, sounds good. I was going to say, that sounds like a lot of fun, but also, you ruined other peoples vacations, how dare you! 🙂
At any rate, I’m sure it’s been fun to just be in the mix of things. I’ve just kept track at home using the MDE app as I am mostly just curious how long the boarding passes last as well as reading your daily updates. Seems like enough people know enough about the boarding pass that they are getting gobbled up almost as soon as they become available.