Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance Ride Review
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is not not the best attraction at Walt Disney World. In this spoiler-free ride review, I’ll explain what I mean by that, offer comparisons, and other thoughts & commentary about this new Hollywood Studios (and upcoming Disneyland) multi-phase attraction.
When I say spoiler-free, I mean it. Aside from one photo of a scene that (unfortunately) has been shared so much by Disney that you couldn’t help avoid it, there are zero spoilers here. Certainly not a scene by scene ride breakdown, no on-ride photos–not even a basic outline of the plot or attraction premise (beyond its name). If you’re here for the photos, you might as well close the browser now. Aside from that one image, everything here is of the queue before the first pre-show or random areas of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
With that said, I won’t be coy about it or bury the lede–Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is an excellent, world-class attraction. It’s the home run that this land needed, and clearly the flagship E-Ticket of the two in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Moreover, Rise of the Resistance instantly belongs on any top 10 list for Walt Disney World, Disneyland, or even the world…
My reasons for skirting whether Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is the best attraction at Walt Disney World are three-fold. First, insufficient experience. There’s a ton to see and let sink in, and it’s thus too early to make a definitive proclamation. This is a sensory overload in the best way possible, and my attention was pulled in multiple directions. There was definitely stuffed I missed for that and other reasons.
Second, and this is something we’ll cover in greater depth in a separate upcoming post offering a Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance opening day report, but the attraction experience is presently inconsistent and unreliable. My review is based on a smooth and seamless run-through. I could see my opinion shifting over time if/when I have ‘bumpier’ experiences.
Finally, and to that point, after publishing my Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run Ride Review, I found myself second-guessing my first impressions. In doing that attraction countless additional times over the course of many months, there are new things I like, dislike, and no shortage of ways I now disagree with my own review. (And that’s even with my relatively tepid review that didn’t even put it in Disneyland’s top 10!)
This is hardly uncommon for me. On the one hand, I’m almost always coming off of the initial high and excitement of something new, causing “grade inflation.” On the other hand, there’s a certain raw authenticity about a (roughly) contemporaneous review shared shortly thereafter. It’s how the vast majority of the general public will approach a ride–without time to let the cynicism of social media seep in, and without revisiting ad nauseam to find ways to nitpick.
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is an attraction deserving of multi-ride throughs and some time for reflection. Keep in mind, though, that it’s deserving of more rides and reflection to determine whether it’s the best ride in the world. Don’t let the restrained tone and excessive prefacing of this review thus far fool you–this isn’t a question of whether the attraction is good. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is mind-blowing.
What makes Rise of the Resistance so mind-blowing, in large part, is massive set pieces and a slew of how did they do that moments. I may not be ready to call this Disney’s best attraction, but it’s certainly Imagineering’s most ambitious and most impressive of the modern era. WDI pulled out everything in their proverbial bag of technical tricks, and executed them all flawlessly.
The result with Rise of the Resistance is something epic in scale. (It’s really a shame so many spoilers are out there–with Disney leading the charge–as it’s best to go into Rise of the Resistance with as much of a blank slate as possible.) Everything in Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance congeals perfectly, too.
There are a ton of Audio Animatronics–but also a lot of screens. The two, among other effects, are married in such a way that the average guest will never notice. Every piece of bleeding edge tech is seamlessly integrated with practical effects. The end result is that complete suspension of disbelief is achieved in guests.
In fact, due to its multi-phase approach and that sense of grandiosity, Rise of the Resistance feels a bit like being an active participant in a fully-finished, experiential film. By this, I mean that it’s like you’re in the midst of a movie’s action for 18 minutes or whatever, complete with special effects and no peeks behind the curtain.
Don’t get me wrong, this has all of the familiar beats of a theme park attraction, and that’s what it unmistakably is. However, it’s also much more engaging and polished than almost anything you’ve experienced before. It’s interactive but not in the “gamified” sense that’s all the rage right now (including with Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run).
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is still a passive ride, but it’s something engrossing, immersive, and non-viscerally thrilling. From the Cast Members perfectly executing their flaws to the plotting and encounters, the tension, pacing, and suspense are also exceptional. Accordingly, you might walk out having trouble articulating what makes Rise of the Resistance so special. (As I’ve found, a stupefied “wow” will suffice.)
To that end, I have a tough time drawing comparisons between any existing attractions and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. If forced to choose, I’d probably pick attractions with the best conceivable queue and pre-show that you’d never want to skip and pair those with trackless dark rides and thrilling motion simulators.
For everything before you buckle up in the Rise of the Resistance ride vehicle, I’ll go with Haunted Mansion mixed with Tower of Terror mixed with Flight of Passage’s queue (NOT THE INTERMINABLE VIDEOS!) mixed with the Harry Potter rides. For the final ride experience, I’ll go with any of Disney’s major trackless dark rides mixed Indiana Jones Adventure mixed with Transformers: the Ride mixed with just a dash of Shanghai Pirates.
Already, that’s probably sounding like some nonsensical mashups. (Although I think anyone who has been on those and this can at least see where I’m coming from with each of them.) If I had to choose one single, “clean” comparison, it would be Indiana Jones Adventure. From the queue to pre-show to ride experience and the same type of interactivity, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is like Indiana Jones Adventure but with ~25 years of experience, new technology, and a different approach.
Even with that comparison, the problem is that Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance has no clear analogs. It’s a multi-phase attraction that feels like certain parts were inspired by other things, but only as loose inspiration or on a technical level. Otherwise, Rise of the Resistance is its own thing entirely, and that’s a large reason why guests are going to have trouble putting its essence and quality into words.
I’ve used the term “multi-phase attraction” now a few times, and you’ll probably see that or something like it elsewhere. Admittedly, it’s a bit meaningless–every attraction has at least an entrance, ride, and exit, thus making it multi-phase. Here, what that more or less means is Rise of the Resistance is utilizing different ride systems and approaches in what Imagineering would define in the core attraction experience.
As noted above, this worked for me as my “run” of Rise of the Resistance was fluid and smooth. As such, I’d agree with Imagineering’s statements that the core attraction attraction duration is over 15 minutes. For the sake of being vague to avoid spoilers, I’d count all of the “stuff” beginning in the first room after the queue as an essential component of the attraction, and that’s where I’d start the clock on its runtime.
Unfortunately, the practical reality is that Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is not currently running smoothly. I don’t want to fixate on this too much as we’ll have a separate opening report and I’m hopeful all of this is ironed out.
However, right now there are a few problems with Rise of the Resistance: downtime, unreliability, and scene back-ups. Downtime and unreliability are obviously bad, but they don’t impact the core attraction experience–just whether you can do it at all.
Scene back-ups, on the other hand, impact it significantly. Based upon our conversations with other guests, these are occurring with regularity, so they’re worth bringing up here. If you experience X scene, then wait 20 minutes in what feels like a line, then Y scene, then wait, then Z…that sure sounds like a queue with pre-show scenes, and not part of the “core attraction experience.” I can’t disagree with that sentiment.
As far as critique, that’s it. Something that can, should, and hopefully will be resolved with a few more months of test and adjust. I could probably nitpick a few more things if forced to do so or once I have another dozen ride-throughs, but the same could be done for Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean.
Ultimately, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance belongs in the conversation with those (and other) greats as one of the best Disney attractions of all-time. Calling it not not the best ride at Walt Disney World means it’s not necessarily the best, but doesn’t foreclosure the possibility that it is–the jury is still out for me. This is everything I wanted it to be and more, elevating the rest of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and (at least partially) helping it to deliver on the promise of being a place for you to ‘live your own Star Wars story.’
Obviously, hindsight is 20/20, but Disney would’ve saved itself a lot of media critiques, fan second-guessing and questions as to whether the land is a “failure” if both they waited to open Galaxy’s Edge until both attractions were ready. Unfortunately, the same could probably be said about waiting to open this ride until it was fully tested and working reliably. Those are both other stories for other days, though. Suffice to say, when it’s firing on all cylinders, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is an all-time great–maybe the very best.
PSA: If you’re planning on visiting Walt Disney World in the next few weeks (in other words, sometime before 2020 Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend), you need to read our Virtual Queue for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance Tips & Info post. Showing up at the scheduled opening time of Disney’s Hollywood Studios will not get you on this attraction!
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
Have you experienced Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance? What did you think of the attraction? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions? Would you like to see a review with spoilers and photos? What about a Rise of the Resistance strategy & planning post? 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! (Please avoid spoilers if replying before 2020.)
I was very disappointed to spend over $250 for two tickets to Hollywood Studios so I could visit the new Star Wars section, and ended up not being able to get on the main attraction: Rise of the Resistance! They have it set up so you must enter a queue to get on the ride. I was prepped and ready at 10am and at the top of the hour pressed “Join”. It takes you to a second screen to verify the party to join. I immediately pressed “Join” again. This took maybe two seconds. It wasn’t fast enough. I stuck around for the 2oclock opening to try again….still no luck!! This is a terrible way to limit guests who may be willing to stand in the hot sun for a couple of hours fir the chance to experience this ride. That option is not there. You are either a winner or completely left out!! I’ll not spend this kind of money again until you change the way you allow visitors to fairly have an option to enjoy the experience.
A couple hours? This ride would likely have a 5-10 hour queue daily as it is operating at a severely reduced capacity on top of down-time issues, and because the demand was already so high.
Treat this ride as a treat if you can get on it, otherwise, Hollywood Studios still has a killer ride line-up.
I would argue that the issue here is that people are willing to go to a theme park in a pandemic, but alas…
We were so disappointed that the rise broke down right in the middle of riding it. We were waiting all day for it and came from far away to see this attraction. My kids were so disappointed and we were disgusted. We paid to come see this and felt like we got the short end of the stick.
So sorry to hear these reports. The same happened to me in mid-Feb. I know one reported having been given fast passes ( which could only be used the next day). Were you not given a passes to enter HS any day over the next two years? I know that may not work for either of you but think readers should know what they should get. Most non-local visitors to WDW plan more than one day at the parks. It’s a good idea to try ROR any day before the last. That fast pass is really valuable the next day.
My family of 5 were so disappointed. We were so excited for Rise of the Res. ride and came al the way from AZ to experience it. When we were on the ride Yesterday, it broke down and They took everyone out of it. It was late at night and all they gave my kids was a fast pass that they couldn’t even use that night. We had To drive back home with sad disappointed faces the next day. They live star wars and have seen all the movies and even made they’re own light saber each. But when this happened they were so sad and disappointed. I don’t know how else to express my disappointment.
The ride broke down!!This happened during our 2nd day. The 1st day we couldn’t get in. We had only paid for 2 day park hopper. Not sure when we will be able to go back. So disappointed!!
I don’t see why you’re hedging your bets, Tom; I think this is unquestionably the crowning achievement of the US parks. As a huge Star Wars fan I delayed going to Disney World until this was open and I’m so glad I did! I was grinning ear to ear the entire time (reading online commentary it does seem that like you I lucked out and got a flawless run through) and blown away by the sheer scale and ambition of it all. At one point I teared up because I was so happy; it was everything I wanted and more!
Well the Star Wars Rise of the resistance is an awesome ride but if you are not the first people to be let in the gate you will never ride this attraction.
You have to use the Disney World App and the entire party member has to create a profile. There is no option to even wait in the normal 100+ minutes for most popular rides in a traditional Disney Line. I was in the first group at 6am and only people at the park are allowed to sign up. In less than 1 minute I was in the 90 boarding group. To put this in perspective anything after 120 they do not guarantee to ride before the park closes. So in less than 5 minutes opening all the opportunities to ride this ride are gone.. I guess by not providing adequate space to wait for the ride allowed for more shops to be added to this area. I think Disney needs to revisit this concept. How about guarantee a number of rides for each ticket purchased? If not stuck with the lines this new way is unfair for people want to ride this ride. My family was unable to ride and was very disappointing for my boys…
My husband and I will be visiting HS in mid January. I will be about 6 months pregnant. When I originally saw that the ride was similar to Tower of Terror, I knew there was no hope of me being able to ride it. Now that I read your review and saw that it is comparable to Pirates and Haunted Mansion I’m wondering if this ride will be minimally intense enough for me to be able to ride. Does anyone know what the health warnings are for this ride?
It does warn you about being pregnant, motion sickness etc. It does have sharp turns/spins, sudden drops. I was tossed about quite a bit in my vehicle during one portion of the ride. There was also a very long waiting line (> 1hr and a half) once past the initial entrance, despite having a boarding pass reservation- and those get reserved almost immediately in the morning.
I’m headed to WDW with my mom the first week of January. We are passholders and ride/experience people but my mom is not too too into Star Wars. Will she enjoy the ride too or is it pretty story-heavy and will she not understand what’s happening. I purposely am avoiding spoilers since I want to experience it for the first time but I want to know for my mom.
Rode it yesterday: as long as she understands the basic concept of good guys (Resistance) vs bad guys (First Order) she will be able to follow the story beats. I think she’d enjoy it.
I went to Hollywood Studios today with my family of five, and got there very early to ride Rise of the Resistance. We got the boarding group and, 11 hours later, got into line, where my 9 and 5 year old, who love Disney, waited for an hour and forty five minutes while the ride broke down twice. They did not get to go on. We were then given a fast pass for tomorrow but no park jumper, which doesn’t address the problem. Disney should announce when the ride is down, or subject to ongoing problems, so that patrons can understand the potential issues. I do not recommend the ride until it is actually functional, particularly for people from out of town committing time and resources to the trip.
That’s the same conclusion we came to. The ride is supposedly amazing but it breaks down constantly and it kills the flow. You lose the feeling of being in a star wars movie. After trying to get on three times, we’ve decided just to wait a month or two.
Thank you for comparison to existing rides so I could better understand what RotR is like. I am happy to hear this ride has animatronics and dark ride elements rather than all screens and simulators. Since I am not a SW Fan, I am in no rush to ride RotR until wait times are reasonable and the kinks are worked out. In the meantime, I will watch on YouTube and If Tom does another post with spoilers, I will definitely read it.
I too was one of the people there for opening day. We got on the virtual queue by 8:30 and had number 150. So we waited…. And waited… ……and waited… I’m hoping there were delays because the queue did not move past 40 until after noon. I am disabled and couldn’t wait much longer. Unfortunately, they are not doing any das passes either. We had to leave. Oh well. We got a push notification later from the app after 9 saying that they could not honor the boarding, which we also understood could be the case. So it was a bumpy first day but hopefully they get the kinks worked out. As for any disabled people like myself, don’t plan on going on this one for a long time if you can’t spend the entire day and night in the park even if you can get yourself there at rope drop to get an early virtual queue number.
We were there yesterday for opening day!
Got to the park at 6:30am (for 8am posted opening time) and people were already in the park, having arrived at 4am.
We got group 45 and they seemed to be moving people on the ride at a good pace first thing in the morning and then it stalled! I think the ride had technical difficulties.
We did get on the Rise of the Resistance around 1pm (6 1/2 hours after getting to the park) – we just explored the park in the meantime, took photos, tried blue milk, people watched and did a few other rides. I loved the virtual queue and think it was MUCH better than standing in line for 6 hours to then stand in the queue line.
We absolutely LOVED it. BEST RIDE EVER! I get super motion sick on Smugglers Run, but had no issues on this ride – it was so much fun – the cast members in their roles, the animatronics, the immersive set, the cargo holds zipping around – there was SO much to see. Cannot wait to do it again – hoping to sneak it in one more time before we leave. If not, glad I got to do it opening day! Five stars for us!! Just ne aware that you have to be in the park before you can get the boarding pass and that you have 2 hours from the time you are called to get on the ride.
Thank you for mentioning your experience regarding motion sickness. I was worried about that because Star Tours makes me very motion sick. Glad to hear This one didn’t give you trouble!
We are still waiting to be call we are in group 101 and it’s 240 and we were at the park and waiting by 5am.. we are so exhausted and the ride had technical difficulties x4 already the past group to board was still at 38.. we recommend the Disney should find another system.. itsnot fair the some take time to come early and still wasn’t able to get on 5he ride at all.. they should scan our band in the morning and give us a group number on first come first serve.. I’m very dissatisfied with this whole experience..
Hi All,
Is the rise of the resistance ride a good enough reason to visit Hollywood Studios over Epcot for a couple that is going to visit Disney World for the very first time in Jan 2020?
We have single park 1 day tickets and were planning on going to Epcot but the reviews are making me reconsider our choice and go to Hollywood Studios. Is this ride worth that I change my plans?
Hi Ans. It depends – if you like thrill rides and Star Wars and dont mind long lines, chose Hollywood Studios. Me personally I would pick Epcot because I have no interest in Star Wars, I love the immersion and atmosphere of World Showcase, and im probably the only person who prefers Epcot’s lineup of dark rides to Hollywood Studios long line short duration thrill rides.
If you’re a Star Wars fan you definitely want to go to Hollywood Studios instead. The whole Galaxy’s Edge area is amazing and ROTR is unlike anything you’ve ever experienced in a ride! It gave me goosebumps!
Opening Galaxy’s Edge with only Smuggler’s Run is akin to opening Pandora with only Na’vi River Journey. That decision has never made sense to me. Of course, attendance has been tepid this fall… everyone’s been waiting for, well, this!
Public service announcement – A friend of mine is staying at Beach club right now; she asked the front desk last night what time the buses were going to start running for Hollywood studios and was told 8 AM (Park was set to open at nine today.) When they arrived at 8:30 AM,, they found the park had been open for quite some time and all of the boarding groups for rise of the resistance had already been filled. I’m not sure exactly how the virtual que works, but she said that they kept trying over and over and somehow a group opened up and they were placed in group 85. She said there was a note in the app that said there’s no guarantee they will get to ride today.
So I think it makes sense for all of us to go well before the park actually says it opens and before we think buses will run. We can always Uber to HS early that am.
i can’t really understand why Disney is opening themselves up for a lot of disgruntled guests who are actually trying to plan to be there at posted opening. i honestly don’t think it’s fair to penalize people who plan based on a posted opening time to then change the opening time. then those people who did try and plan end up losing out, which is unfair. i’m not talking about people who show up at noon and then complain, i mean people who plan based on a posted time, and then the posted time gets moved up by hours. that’s poor customer service on disney’s part. plenty of people aren’t going to know about this.
I’m sure this is going to be a very unpopular post.
I am not a fanatic of everything Star Wars, so I watched a few of the RotR full ride videos on YouTube. After having done so, I think this will be a one-and-done for me. The ride was cool, special effects great, story spot on… but I just don’t see this as being a “gotta ride multiple times” experience for me. Maybe my opinion would change after having actually ridden it, but at the moment it doesn’t have the same appeal that other rides such as Splash Mountain, Spaceship Earth, Expedition Everest have.
Everyone has their own personal preferences, especially on what’s repeatable–the attraction I ride more than anything else (by a wide margin) is the Peoplemover. There are other things we repeat simply out of ease.
Personally, I find the repeatability of this very high. For one thing, I’m fairly confident there’s stuff I missed, details, etc. For another, it’s just so engaging and varied. To each their own, though. It doesn’t bother me if others don’t want to repeat any attraction. (Except Country Bear Jamboree. But that’s more of a “National Treasure” than an attraction.)
Totally agree. One time only. Did this about a month after opening and due to delays it felt fragmented and sometimes boring. The final part is action filled. If in the future I can walk on with no wait I would do it again but beyond the amazing room scenes and cool animitronics ( if they are working) this is hardly Disney Worlds best attraction.
I am a huge Star Wars fan and the ride is not a repeat for me. Given the technical issues and huge barrier to entry, it just wasn’t worth it. It’s a disjointed experience with pretty much no way to efficiently move guests through. Not to mention plot holes and inconsistencies with the films. It’s technically very impressive and had its moments but it didn’t invoke any emotion or thrill. Maybe I need to wrap my head around it more but Rock N Rollercoaster and Toy Story Mania are better attractions IMO.
Thanks for a solid spoiler-free review! I’m trying to avoid “plot” spoilers at all costs, but I’m nervous about some physical aspects of the ride. For example, I sometimes get motion sick and I HATE drops. Based on this information, can readers advise if I’ll be OK on Rise of the Resistance? Rides I really like: 7 Dwarfs, Big Thunder Mountain, Soarin. Rides that are intense for me, but I really like: Rockin Roller Coaster, Dinosaur, Slinky Dog, Flight of Passage. Rides that I will occasionally do but usually skip: Star Tours (makes me nauseous), Expedition Everest (big-ish drop and intensity). Rides that I definitely will never ride: Tower of Terror, Splash Mountain. I did Mission Space once and wouldn’t ride it again. Thoughts? Can I probably handle it? Or better to sit this one out?
Same on all! I want to know these answers too! (Though I’ve finally conquered Splash and I’m so annoyed w myself for thinking it was somehow more intense than Everest etc….the problem, of course, is that it’s all *about* the drop, but my new self knows it’s almost comically slow and not steep in comparison to Everest. That said, I support your decision to never ride it!)
I think you will be absolutely fine on this, without giving anything anyway I really can’t see any point that would make you feel unwell. It’s very different to anything else and I was fine.
Go for it and have a blast!!!!
I think you’d be fine on this. I am in agreement with all of your ride preferences. I won’t spoil anything but there is a surprise that is actually kind of great. I have been on ROTR 3 times as would do it again in a heartbeat. I think getting kinks out is crucial, but at its core, this is a spectacular ride.
Hi Audrey –
My wife HATES drops and gets mild motion sickness, although not from Star Tours). She likes and will re-ride all of the rides you mention and RotR did not bother her. The drop was just right – it’s a drop, but it isn’t Tower of Terror.
We joined the virtual line at 7:45 a.m. (even though the park didn’t officially open until 8) and were in group 89. It was 4:45pm (9 hours!) pm before our number came up. For anyone planning a trip, plan on getting there before the park opens. You can leave and come back, but you can’t get in the virtual line in the first place unless you’re in the park. As for the ride itself, I have a hard time on certain rides so I spent most of the ride with severe anxiety. It wasn’t too intense though, I was worried for nothing. I know I’ll see and enjoy it more the next time I ride it since I won’t be terrified. It definitely felt like being in a Star wars movie. It was amazing and I can’t wait to go again!
Hi Tom,
I hate Rise of the Resistance. Have never been on it, so why I hate it? Because I hate the Disney Star Wars movies and all the characters in it, and therefore I hate RotR. I did watch youtube videos about it today, and not counting the fact that I hate the characters, everything in it looks boring. A bunch of screens, some animatronics, a bunch of storm troopers statues that barely moved, and a lot of flashing lights. None of it is from any part of an actually Star Wars movie.
However, if I don’t like it, it doesn’t stop other people from liking it.
Here is my real concern, though. RotR is supposed to save Galaxy’s Edge, which you love but which is, in my mind, a complete dump. And I don’t believe RotR is saving even itself. I paid attention to the wait time in the rest of Hollywood Studios today, and it’s not one bit better than normal, and normal is slow this time of the year. So people try to get on RotR, and when they are done, they go back to Magic Kingdom. Galaxy’s Edge’s 10 stores remain empty. Also, RotR doesn’t seem to have high capacity. So it’s not making a dent in DHS’s attendance. I wonder if it is making enough money to pay for its own keep, because the ride is complicated and you know that it costs a lot to keep it going.
And that’s my question for you, Tom, and I hope that in time, once you have enough evidence, that you will write about this. Do you think RotR is making Galaxy’s Edge self-supporting? (For that matter, do you think RotR itself is self-supporting?) Or do you think Disney should cut their losses and turn Galaxy’s Edge into Aladdin Land, as is rumored?
May
That is a very interesting analogy, and I wonder what the inevitable, by current Disney practice, cuts in live action cast will have on its longevity.
I think it’s way too late to “cut their losses” and turn the land into something else.
I went the week before Thanksgiving and most of the stores in Galaxy’s Edge were packed. Every child I saw there was lpsing their damn minds–some kids near me excitedly pointed at droids I didn’t recognize and were able to name them all.
I actually think one of their biggest mistakes was not doubling the size of Oga’s Cantina. You could fit 2-3 Oga’s into Mos Eisley Cantina. When waiting ro my reservation, at least six people complained that they weren’t able to find reservations in the app.
While I love that Rex is there, living his new life, I also think it sucks that they didn’t plan for a live (or even an animatronic!) band.
In line now. They just passed out water. We are in the first holding room–holding. Didn’t open park until around 6:45. Still saw some line jumpers. Tsk. Tsk.
No one take the bait on this trollish post. May, your time would be better spent looking elsewhere for Walt’s frozen head.
Ah, I wouldn’t say it’s a trolling post. I’m curious as to the response. I have never seen the Star Wars movies as I have no interest in what I’ve seen of them. I feel a bit disenfranchised by Disney’s purchase of them and investment in GE.
Does anyone feel I could enjoy this ride (or indeed Galaxy’s Edge) in this context? I ride Star Tours…but I don’t get it and find it just “fine”.
Fair point, but one that could be made about many different aspects of many different theme parks…from Fantasyland to Wizarding World to Hershey. Disney wants to cover a massive fan base, and expanding with Star Wars was an excellent choice, as is using Marvel (the best way contracts allow), incorporating new movies, reviving classics, and so forth. That doesn’t mean everyone will love it everything they chose to put money into, or, conversely just shrug off what gets pushed out because of such changes. It does mean that friends and families with diverse interests will find more and more to enjoy at the parks. Savvy move if they can keep things balanced, working well, and so forth.
I can understand that some people aren’t the Star Wars fan that I am. I am not a fan of Avatar, but I find Flight of Passage to be an emotionally moving experience and a knock-out theme park attraction. I assume we’re all theme park fans here, and I would think that any of us would be willing to try an attraction like this at least once, whatever the associated IP, just to see the technology and experience the immersion.
Hi May –
I went to Galaxy’s Edge twice this week in Orlando – Once on December 1st and again on Dec 5th – primarily for Rise of the Resistance.
In my humble opinion, Galaxy’s Edge does not need to be saved by RotR – it’s perfectly sustainable on it’s own without the second ride. On the 1st, which was “slow”, Oga’s Cantina had a 2 hour wait list, Smuggler’s Run was running 50-90 minutes throughout the day, every store and restaurant was busy, and EVERYONE had a droid, a light saber, or both.
I think that the land is gorgeously constructed, extremely immersive, and has enough old mixed with new. Disney knew who they were targeting with this land – and the addition of RotR is only going to bolster this.
As for your opinion on a ride that you have never been on – you’re entitled to it, but it’s sounds like you’re trolling.
* Hating the characters is no reason to hate the ride. Song of the South is the most reviled Disney movie ever – yet Splash Mountain is one of it’s most beloved rides.
*Again – you are entitled to your own opinion, but the ride was NOT boring. The animatronics were fantastic throughout – even the ones that barely moved; the screens were well done – especially the one in the hangar; and the story is fantastic.
*As for the ride not having scenes from an actual Star Wars Movie – I think you’re missing the point. This is an immersive experience that is suppose to be taking you into you’re own Star Wars adventure – which it does in a fantastic way.
You’re more than welcome to have your own opinion on the ride based on a few videos of the ride, but a I’ve lived it and I plan on riding it again on my next trip to WDW.
What was the opening day experience like? We are strategizing for the Disneyland opening. Thanks!
That’s unfortunately apples to oranges. I was at the opening and it was strangely not as busy as I would have thought. However, going there for RotR, that moved remarkably slow. But that is Disney world. Disneyland may be completely different.
My wife and I walked over to the studios from the yacht club at 4:40 this morning to experience ror. Needless to say, we were pretty tired and didn’t click immediately to getting into the virtual queue so we ended up in boarding group 25. We were told it would be awhile so go enjoy tot and rrc as they were open. We rode them and then toy story land opened so those rides were walk up and on. In fact they let us stay on them and we rode again. Once in galaxy’s edge, there was a chaotic crush of people as the ride had gone down so they evacuated it. There were groups trying to board while others were being escorted out. We left and came back, the scene was now orderly, our number was called and off we went. It was fantastic!
Totally out of my character for any Disney World rides, I was about to go watch a POV video. Decided not to after consulting with my daughter, and really glad I didn’t now that I read your review. I don’t know when we’ll get to go back to DW, but I’ll leave SW: RotR a surprise until we do go back. I was not impressed with the “ride” part of the Smugglers Run, but really like theme. I plan to give it another chance when we go back. 🙂 Don’t think I’ll wait 1.5 hours for it again, though. I do love everything else in SW: Galaxy’s Edge. I could just sit there and be in awe of all the details and all the planning and work that must have gone in to it.
Tom, we’ll be at HS on the 8th for EMH. After riding RotR, would your strategy still be to experience other rides, then get in line approximately 15 minutes before EMH ends? Or would you queue up immediately? Also, EMH starts at 8am. What time would you suggest getting to HS? We were thinking about 7am.
They have already said RotR will not be open during EMH, so if you get there for EMH and get in line right away, you’ll be waiting most if not all of the EMH time. The problem is that if you get there for EMH and DON’T get in line, there will be an hour of line build up before you do get in line so you’re wait could be multiple hours. I actually cancelled my on property reservation for the week of 14th because there was no need for EMH if I can’t get on RotR early. I’ll just save money by staying off property and show up extra early on a day without EMH.
*your nor you’re
There is no RotR during EMH, but AFAIK, RotR will still be running a virtual queue. Get there early and get in the Virtual Queue as soon as you can. This ride is going to be busy through the new year.
If you got EMH for HS, consider yourself lucky. We booked in June to be able to get EMH on Sun (15th). We (everyone) will get access to HS at 8, but EMH have now been moved to Sunday night 9-11. I’m sure we’re not the only ones who have to leave long before 9 to get home. On Monday, HS had EMH listed at 8AM. My info is from the app.