What You Need to Know about Rise of the Resistance
The flagship ride for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge – Rise of the Resistance – opened December 5, 2019, and if you’re headed to Disney World soon, there are things you NEED to know before going!
This attraction is expected to continue to be the most popular ride/experience in all of Disney World… probably for a long while. No joke, people are left speechless when they exit this ride. It’s insane.
And if you want to ride it, you can’t just show up and wait in line. There is only one way to get on this attraction – join a boarding group.
**You must be 40″ or taller to ride this attraction.
Jump to what you need to know:
- Boarding Groups
- Extra Magic Hours and Rise of the Resistance
- Disability Access Service Pass and Rise of the Resistance
- Ride Closures
Boarding Groups
The attraction is currently using Boarding Groups as a virtual line for the ride. Joining a boarding group is the only way you will get to ride Rise of the Resistance.
There is no standby line or FastPass.
Who can join a boarding group?
Anyone who has a Park Pass Reservation for Hollywood Studios the same day you are trying to ride the ride.
When do I join a boarding group?
Boarding groups open up for availability at exactly 7:00 AM EST each morning. Try your hardest to join a boarding group at this time. If you are unable to join one, you will get another chance at 1:00 PM. Note that to be eligible for a boarding group at 1:00 PM, your ticket (or MagicBand or MagicMobile) must scanned into Hollywood Studios.
Boarding groups are typically fully booked (no longer available) within a couple of minutes. This means that if you want to get a boarding group, you and everyone else in your party, should be in the My Disney Experience (MDE) app, ready to join a group right at 7:00AM.
Keep in mind that even if you get a boarding group, the ride could break down, slowing down the boarding group process, and your group may never get called to the ride.
I’m not trying to stress you out. I just want you to have right expectations! …Have your phones out, and be ready 😉
How do I join a boarding group?
On the homepage of your MDE app, scroll down, and you will see “Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance – Access by Boarding Group” with a “Find Out More” button.
Click “Find Out More.”
Then you will see a “Join Boarding Group” button. If this button is gray, that means boarding groups are currently unavailable.
They have either not opened up yet for the day OR they are already full for the day.
Our hope is that the “Join Boarding Group” button is red. If so, tap it!
Then you will be prompted to select all the people in your Friends & Family list that are joining this boarding group with you.
The easiest thing to do is hit “Select All.”
However, if you have people on your list that are not actually in the park with you, you will need to check off each name individually.
Once everyone is selected, tap “Join a Boarding Group” at the bottom of the screen.
The next page will show you which boarding group you got!
If you selected people that are not currently scanned into the park, you will get this notice.
What do I do after I get into a boarding group?
Make sure you have enabled push notifications from the My Disney Experience (MDE) app. This is how they will tell you your boarding group is now loading.
If you want to see the boarding groups the attraction is currently loading, or to see your boarding group status, follow the steps below starting at your MDE home page.
Once your boarding group is called, you will usually be given 1-2 hours to get to the entrance of Rise of the Resistance once your boarding group has been called. So don’t plan any sit down meals outside of the park around your estimated boarding time.
Tips to getting a Boarding Group
Have every person in your party on the app trying to get a boarding group.
Have some people use wi-fi and others use data.
Do not open the app until it is the official time to join boarding groups. I know it’s tempting to open it 1 minute early and click “Find Out More,” then go back, then “Find Out More,” then go back, until you hopefully see a red “Join Boarding Group Button.” But trust me, just wait until the official time to open the app. You may want to open the app a few minutes early to make sure you are logged in, but then close out the app before the official time.
If you insist on having the app open and ready to go, just keep swiping down on the homepage to reload the app until you reload right at 7:00 AM.
Ride Closures
This ride is expected to unexpectedly close more than most rides because of all of the moving pieces within the attraction.
Therefore, don’t wait until the last day to try to ride this attraction. And try to get a boarding group at 7:00 AM. Don’t wait until the 1:00 PM option.
If the attraction does shut down, you will be given a pass to allow you to re-enter the ride once, and this pass most likely will expire at the end of the day.
Extra Magic Hours
Note that this ride will NOT be available during Hollywood Studios’ Extra Magic Hours, at least for now!
Disability Access Service Pass
If you need a DAS pass, remember that these are not guaranteed, just go to Guest Relations at the front of the park and tell them your situation, and they will decide whether or not to give you a DAS pass.
If you do get a DAS pass, I’m not sure it will even work for Rise of the Resistance while they are using Boarding Groups since Boarding Groups basically are the same thing as a DAS Pass (virtual line waiting).
Either way, you will have to join a boarding group early in the morning with everyone else!
It most likely will work once the ride moves to Standby and FastPass lines.
Let me know if you have any questions! Happy Planning!