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!
This weekend (01/12) there is a marathon going on in Disney, do you think it would be better to go that same Sunday to DHS to have better chances for a Boarding group or just go on Monday (01/13)?
Thanks for all the info on this blog!
If you have a family of 4 under one reservation currently, is it possible to book 2 people in one boarding group, then book the other 2 into a different boarding group?
I wouldn’t advise trying that. The passes go very quickly so chances are 1 group of two may miss their chance or your boarding groups will be hours apart. Seems like a better idea to go all in together.
I think the question is, is it possible? Perhaps some members of the party can’t make it to the park until later in the day, etc. I’d like to know the answer to this one as well.
All members of your party have to be checked into the park to reserve a booking number. You can’t make reservations for people who have not yet arrived at the park.
Yes, it’s possible. You select or deselect who you want to join a boarding group in the app. But just to clarify, you do not get to choose your boarding group. You request to join one, and then it assigns one to you. Hopefully that helps!
I’ve read different answers to this same question, but I trust this site!
Assuming I’m lucky enough to join a boarding group, is there a limit on number of folks in my party who I can join with? I’m hearing 6 is the limit, is that true? I have a party of 7 and will plan to divide and conquer if necessary!
Hello Tom,
I have a few questions. I’m going to DHS February 17th which is a Monday. I’m flying out of Orlando later that day in the evening and have to swing back to Melbourne FL to pick up some friends before heading to the airport. Needless to say I will be on a super tight time frame, I basically need to be out of the park by 2:30pm. I plan to be at the park when it opens at 9am. On a Monday, how bad would the entrance to the parking lot be if I pan to park? Also is it realistic to ride all the main big attractions, excluding shows, including both Star Wars rides by 2:30pm? Since you say there is a virtual boarding pass, I am wondering if it’s realistic. I will be at the park by myself so I would be doing the single rider option for the rides.
Thanks!
February is forever away from what is happening now… so everything could change by then…
However, if the current pattern holds until then – you will not be getting on the rise of the resistance with getting to the park at 9am. Current plans should be to be in line an hour (maybe 30 minutes) before the parks opening time. You’ll be let through security early and likely into the park by about 30 minutes before the official park opening. At park opening time then you will be able to (with everyone inside the park who wants to ride) use the disney app to get a boarding group. Everyone in the park will be doing this at the same time… you might get a lower number or a high one – depends on the size of the crowd that day… and the number of boarding groups is fixed and can be completely filled in anywhere from 5 minutes (recent weekends) to 45 minutes.
My boarding group on Dec 18th was 71 and I was sent the two hour notification at 1:32pm.
The uptime on the ride seems better that during opening weeks… so more bosrding groups are making it through the ride and there are standby groups that seem to sometimes get to ride too… but not always.
Your current plans might work… but current data says they definitely won’t work. Keep an eye out for updates as your trip gets close – which will probably have a large effect on if you can rise of the resistance or not.
Got it, thanks. Hopefully it being a Monday helps, I heard theme parks including universal still are pretty packed on mondays which is surprising.
If you happen to obtain a boarding pass (not a backup group) but do not get on the ride that day, do they always issue those guests a complimentary ticket and a fast pass? If so, are you able to enter Hollywood studios the following day and then go to another park, even if you don’t have a park hopper but you do have a single park 1 day ticket?
No to all. If they don’t call your boarding number you’re out of luck.
The park technically opened at 7am today. We got here at 5:30 and waited outside. We were pretty close to the front but people kept pouring in behind us. They let us in the park at 6:10 and we went right to toy story land. They don’t let you in all the way to the land to ride rides though. There is a virtual queue on the Disney app that opens at 7am (or whenever official park opening is that day). Right at 7am, open the app (don’t just keep refreshing it) and click join boarding group! You get a notification when your group is allowed to go on the ride and you have 2 hours to get on. We were group 33 and got called around 9am. The boarding groups filled up within like 3 minutes for the entire day. You have to physically be scanned into the park to join the virtual queue!
The ride was AMAZING!
1/3/2020 arrived to the park at 5:15AM, park opened at 6:00AM, virtual queue opened at 7:00AM, my brother got number 98 and myself 113 at around 7:04AM app kept on crashing.
Our 8, 11 and 13 years old were so tired all day that it was madness when at 8PM they told us that because the ride had technical issues they will be able to board up to 95. Enough said…
Omg! I’m going tomorrow with my husband and planning to be there at 6am. When the app crashed, did you tried getting help from a guest services staff? I’m so scared to read that at 7:05am people are getting in groups over 80! I’m so anxious!
Any advice for getting boarding passes during the upcoming disney races? I am running in the event and want to be the same boarding group as my cousin. Thanks!!
When you open the Disney app to enter the queue for a boarding group when it’s time, can you already be logged into the app? Or do you have to be logged out and then log back in?
Best advice is to log into the app and then close it on your phone. At 5 seconds before 7 launch the app and select the Rise boarding pass. Another tip, turn off your Wifi and just use your cell connection. Disney WiFi can’t handle the crush of traffic at that time. We ended up in boarding group 15 on Jan 4.
Awesome! Thank you so much for your help!
What time did you arrive to the park?
We got there about 5:45 and we’re in the park by 6:25am. Gates opened around 6:10 and the park at 7am. Recommend arriving at the park 1-1:15 hrs before the scheduled opening time. This may change now that the holidays are over but will probably remain the case in the weekends for the foreseeable future.
Hi!
I’m visiting hollywood studios on January 10th. I plan on arriving around 7. Is that too late?
Also, I have friends who wont be in the park until around 11. Do they have any chance at all to get on this ride?
Thank you!
In short, I would say yes to both questions. Here’s why:
1. DHS opens at 7AM on January 10th, meaning that the virtual queue for RotR opens promptly at 7AM. Allow yourself time to park, go through bag check and security, and scan into the park when the park opens. (If they keep up with their current plan of action, Disney should start allowing guests into the park around 6:30.) Boarding passes have gone quicker on some days than others, but if riding this ride is of the utmost importance to you, I’d rather be safe than sorry. I’d allow for a half hour to an hour to do the above, meaning that you would want to arrive around 6AM – 6:30 at the absolute latest.
2. Everyone in your group needs to be scanned into the park to enter a boarding group. If your friends are coming later and want to be in your boarding group, you would have to wait for your friends to scan into the park. I’m not saying there’s not a chance that you won’t be able to get a boarding group at 11, but I’d put those odds on the same level as shark bites and lightning strikes and finding a bottle of water for under 3 dollars on Disney property. Yes, there’s a chance, but it is EXTREMELY unlikely and highly improbable. My advice would be, if riding this ride is more important to you than others in your party, create a boarding group for yourself when you get to the park. If there are still boarding groups available, and this is a VERY large “if,” they can make a boarding group for themselves when they arrive. Otherwise, as I mentioned above, it’s critical and crucial to have your entire party scanned into the park at park opening. I’d try to adjust their arrival time before I got my hopes up for groups being left at 11.
Have fun!
Ah, my apologies! Yes to your first question and no to your second question – my brain is a little fried from being at DHS all day.
We did an Uber to the park for 5:45. App opened at 7:00 and closed in 3 minutes got group 104. RR an TT were open at 6:00. Crazy crowded. Going back to the room.
Jan 3rd. Live local. Got to park gate at 7 because entrance was a mess. Dropped off my kids. No bags entrance. They got in and got boarding pass overflow # 186 Uuuggghh!! Prob won’t get on.
If you join a boarding group (not the backup groups) and do not get on the ride that day, do they always issue a complimentary ticket and fast pass for you? And if so, are you able to go to Hollywood studios to ride and then also go to another park even if you don’t have a park hopper but you do have a 1 day single park ticket for another park?
We went today. Park opened at 7am. We were there around 5:45ish. We were in line past the first barriers but in front of security. They open the turnstiles at 6:30am. We took a potty break once inside – so list a bit of ground in line. Got back in line. Decided to skip MF ride and head to Toy Story line when they split us at 6:45. At 6:58ish they announced how to get the online passes. At 7am. I closed and opened my app. It allowed it to say now boarding and got group 19!!! Everyone around my just kept waiting for it to switch. So trick is to open it at 7am not before. It was 2 hour wait by the time we got to slinky dog – not worth it for us. Did Toy Story and Swirling Saucers (in that order) with walking on and when we got off those they had waits of 30-50 min already. We did our ROR around 8:30am. It was awesome! We checked out the shops, looked around Galaxy Edge – crazy crowded. Did our FP for Tower of Terror. Came back to our hotel and took naps and now getting ready to head back in for the evening. Thanks for all the advice here!
I’m planning a visit in early March and am hoping you can help me strategize. Should we be planning to visit Hollywood Studios on a EMH day so have the best chance at seeing Rise of the Resistance? That’d be 8AM. If we do, what time should we arrive? Otherwise, the park opens officially at 9AM during our visit, so I’m assuming we’d be let in much earlier than that. Any thoughts?
It doesn’t matter if you visit HS on an EMH day or not, they do not activate the boarding pass system until the park officially opens, based on the posted time for that day. Thus, someone who arrives at the park at 4:00am has the same chance at getting a boarding group as someone who walks through the turnstile 1 minute before the park opens. Based on crowds, they have been letting people in the park before it is officially open but you still cannot get a boarding group. Latest intel says to get to the park 1 hour early to be sure that you’re inside the park when it officially opens and they turn on the system.
December 30th Hollywood Studios Visit-
Left Reunion Resort at 4:30 got to HS at 4:45. Line was substantial but not horrible as we were 50 people back. Waited in line until 5:30 and then they let everyone in the park, BUT then we had to wait in front of Chinese theater until 6:00 before they allowed guests to Toy Story or Star Wars lands. At 6:00 I was able to get 9 of our party boarding passes. We got into group 43 (in honor of Troy Palamalu of course :/) We went straight to slinky dog and got on within 30 minutes. As we got off there was a 140 minute wait! We then got on toy story mania line and endured a 50 minute wait but there was a lot of cool toys to see that took my back to my youth.
All in all I suggest a 1 hour arrival time prior to park’s opening if you want Rise of Resistance. I will post later the actual time of boarding group 43!
After getting in the Star Wars rise of resistance Queue Why is it better to go to toy story land and get on slinky dog Dash instead of going to Star Wars land and riding Smugglers run?
Seems like the wait time for Slinky is always higher than the wait time for Smugglers Run. Also, Slinky is an outdoor roller coaster that will go down in the rain, so it’s always better to get it out of the way sooner so that you don’t accidentally miss your chance to ride it. And the Slinky queue is all outdoors and Smugglers Run is indoors or under cover. That only really matters in rain or extreme heat, but it’s worth mentioning.
DHS day was planned for 12/23. Got a call from front desk of resort (Pop Century) the night before that the skyliner would open at 730, not 645 as posted earlier in the day. Got in line for bus at 630a….waited over 25 minutes in the rain for bus. Arrived at HS at 709. Fast walk to the entrance, in the pouring rain. Through the entrance at 716….boarding group 110, which wan NOT a backup group. Rode one ride (Star tours) then back to resort (by skyliner) for breakfast and nap. Returned around 1200 for fast pass of Rockin Rollercoaster and Tower of Terror. Boarding group called at 237. Only thing I wish we had done differently was grab a Uber around 630 instead. But all worked out! Worth all the trouble, I promise!
We are here on 12/26. Got here at 4:45am. They let us in a little after 5:30. They opened the queue at 6:00 am, and we tried to get a boarding pass and the app kept saying all of our party was not in the park. We had to track down a cast member and they re-scanned our tickets and assigned us to boarding group 97. It looks like we’ll get on around 2:30.
Our boarding group was called at 3:20, we got off the ride at 4:20. Amazing. Couldn’t have done it without all the info here
The Lyft drop off line this morning took over 15 minutes from entering the park to being dropped off. Lyft is NOT a good way to get here when it’s this crowded. The skyliner didn’t open early this morning (posted opening time of 7:30) either. We finally got in and joined a boarding group at 7:15 after a 7am park opening time and were assigned Group 102. I really hope the ride is reliable today. =/ Not happy.
Were you able to ride the ride today?
Yes! They called us at 3:38pm. We were worried because we had a dining reservation outside Hollywood Studios, but it all worked out!
Can both my wife and I try for boarding passes on both our android phones at the same time to give us a double chance to connect?
Hi! Here’s my write up from Wed Dec 18th – wrote it for Reddit in r/GalaxysEdge:
Dec 18 – in line at 4am
I took a Lyft here from Animal Kingdom Lodge – Jambo. Was an easy ride. Got to the parking gate at 3:52am… waited there till 3:59am… when we went around to the left to get to the drop off area right at about 4Am. Cost $11 which I thought was a good price – nice driver and car. Recommended
Note: you can schedule a Lyft – just pick a destination and there is a schedule button that can be used to schedule a ride up to seven days away. I scheduled my Lyft the afternoon before – made for an easy way here.
Note: busses and other transportation wasn’t started at all yet… not sure when they start – but before 4am – none of them were a good option.
About 50 people here. Just starting to sprinkle some… all of security is ready.
Talked with a Disney cast member who explained how we’ll wait for a while. The idea is that you are effectively buying time. If you could be through security before the park opens – that could save you the fifteen minutes instead of waiting outside of security.
Forming two no bag lines at 4:30am.
Security person said to have cell phone out kind of overhead – held out a little so easy to know it’s a cell phone. Should make the walk in quick.
Security is having fun – clapping – keeping everyone awake.
Got past security at 4:41am.
In line at guest entrance at 4:42am…
And now we begin the longer wait…
At 5:30am we got an announcement that the boarding groups were not going to allow you to try to get a boarding group until 7am.
The cast members were announcing the park entry by 6:30 and boarding groups starting at 7am.
Entered park at 6:30 – walked up and waiting at next place – before Chinese theater… sprinkling it again… time for the poncho…
And boarding groups started at 7am – everyone in the park could jump on and get a boarding group.
Mine didn’t work… I could not get a boarding group. It insisted I was not in the park yet… turned off Wi-Fi, restarted app a dozen times – nope. Follow crowd… it seemed like 15 minutes (or three years) later to see a person – blue umbrellas and blue gear. She quickly scanned me and I got into boarding group 71.
Walking in to do food and videos. Impressive place.
Boarding group 71 was called at 1:21pm. I was out of the park (doing a medical test).
I got into the rise line at about 3pm. The wait felt short but was about 40 minutes in line. Took a lot of pictures in line – Nice having seating while you wait.
The ride was great – no more details
(Hope this helps fill in the new details that started Wednesday)
So does it even benefit you to arrive to the park so early? After reading several recent posts, people suggest that it does not benefit you to get there early. We are going on December 30th and the open time is 6AM. What time should we get there to get a boarding pass? Thanks for your post!
Based on what happened Wednesday – I would expect that since the posted opening time is 6am that is the boarding groups will also open at 6am. A reasonable guess for when to be there is at least 30 minutes before that (highly likely to open the guest entrances at 5:30). If you want to be a little closer to the start of the line – which just means you would get checked into the park as they let guests in. I’d probably be there at 5am.
I don’t think it makes any sense at all to be waiting at 4am any more. Getting there an hour before the opening time will very likely be plenty early.
Just be a little careful – a couple of important details that I finally remembered:
– Do not use the Disney Wi-Fi – it’s not that fast. You will probably want to be using your phones network – just to get better network access. Everyone in the park are effectively ‘racing’ the world to get boarding parties. A slow network can make it harder for you.
– Be on the lookout for a guest services person. Blue umbrella and blue outfit. Just in case you can’t get a boarding party – like what happened to me. The app did not recognize that I was in the park. If you can’t get a boarding group – find the closest guest services person and they can get you into a boarding party.
Note: your heart will race while you keep trying to get a boarding party and can’t… and while you keep walking to find the guest services person. Do not just wait and hope it’ll work – the boarding groups will run out in less than 45 minutes…. likely in less that 30 minutes.
Once my party enters the park, do I just go to My Disney Experience and select join boarding group or does each person have to do it?
As long as everyone is linked to your My Disney Experience account you can select everyone on your list who you want to join in the group and join a boarding group for all of them at the same time. I think the max # is 6.
You can see if everyone is linked to your account by selecting an option to add a FastPass and it will show you the list of everyone in your party.
We had 9 in our party. Got in by 7:30 on the 19th and 20th and had no issues getting a boarding party. Group 81 one day then 99 next. When I checked on the 20th they were up to group 146 towards the evening.
If we are going to use rider swap do all the adults need to have joined the virtual queue? Or does it work like with FastPass how one adult can use a FastPass and get the switch pass for the other adult?
Sarah, I’ve never used the FastPass rider swap so I cannot say how that might work. I suspect that whoever you’d want to swap with would also have to be in the park. If you cannot swap via the app, I don’t see why you couldn’t just swap Magic Bands and let them do the ROTR as you and then switch back.
.at least people visiting for a short stay have a chance. Flight of passage is long wait only and there goes your day. I kind of like this idea