Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance has been open for two days now, and predictably, this attraction has been a massive hit, drawing huge crowds to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. However, what surprised us about the first few days of operation was how Disney has been changing their opening policies in an effort to deal with the large crowds of guests who show up at the park long before opening, wanting to guarantee themselves a spin on this new attraction. And after two days, here are some things that we’ve noticed that may help you if you want to experience this new attraction.
Get to the park as EARLY as possible, before opening
Right now, in order to experience Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, guests need to check in via a virtual queue “boarding system” that allows them to reserve a place in line on their phone using the My Disney Experience app, and then return to the attraction once their boarding number is up (guests can see the current boarding number on their phones as well as on tip boards posted throughout the park).
However, because this system is first-come, first-serve, many guests have been arriving at the park several hours before opening (as early at 4:00 AM!) in order to make sure they can be the first in the park and reserve their virtual queue spot for this new ride.
In order to deal with these throngs of guests, Disney has been quietly opening the park around 6:00 AM, allowing guests to join a boarding group and even experience some attractions several hours before the park’s regular 9:00 AM opening time. And though this may seem like it might not affect guests who arrive at regular park opening, unfortunately because Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is such a popular attraction, virtual queue spots have been “selling out” before the official park opening. So if you want to make sure you can experience this attraction, you’ll definitely need to set your alarm, because if you plan to arrive at the park at the currently posted opening time, you might be too late!
It’s worth noting that beginning December 9th, Disney has announced that Disney’s Hollywood Studios will open earlier than normal at 8:00 AM every day (except for Sunday mornings when Extra Magic Hours are offered), which might mean the 6:00 AM surprise openings could be coming to an end as Disney could begin enforcing their new, earlier opening time. However, we’d still suggest that if you want to experience this attraction, to come as early as possible, even if the park isn’t technically open so that you can secure your spot close to the front gates so you can get through the tapstiles and reserve your boarding pass ASAP.
Don’t be afraid to visit the Guest Experience Team if you have issues
Because of the mad rush to join boarding groups when the park first begins letting guests in, it is very likely that you will run in to some technical issues when you arrive. One problem that we encountered was all three members of our party had different boarding groups (even though we all signed up at the same time using our devices). However, a single trip to one of the many Guest Experience Team kiosks around the park was all it took for our boarding pass numbers to be adjusted and synched up.
If you don’t get in, try another day
Though the virtual queue system is great for guests who are able to secure a boarding pass, if you get to the park and see the dreaded “all boarding passes have been distributed” sign, you might be tempted to try and hang around to see if stand-by is available. However, it looks like, at least for the foreseeable future, the virtual queue will be the ONLY way on this attraction, and we don’t expect any stand-by option to be available until at least January, at the earliest. So even though it might be inconvenient and frustrating, unfortunately if you can’t get in to this attraction on your first attempt, your best recourse is to try again another day, as there’s just no other way on this attraction other than through the boarding pass system.
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is a jaw-dropping experience, and it is definitely not surprising that guests have flooded Disney’s Hollywood Studios to check out this new attraction. And though waking up early and having your smartphone raring to go at 6:00 AM might not sound like the most magical way to start your day, right now it is the only way to ensure you can experience Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance during its first few weeks of operation. Of course, this policy will change as crowds thin out and FastPass+ return times are (eventually) offered, and we’ll keep you posted when these adjustments happen, we’d expect the park’s current policies to stay in effect at least through the holiday season. So charge your smartphone battery and set that alarm, because Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is worth the effort!
