Rise of the Resistance is hands-down, the best attraction I have experienced at any Disney theme park. It is definitely the hot-ticket item, and impossible to get on unless you arrive first thing in the morning. I’ve experienced it a few times at Disneyland and several times at Hollywood Studios, so read on to hear my tips on how to experience this attraction at either coast!
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How Do I Ride Rise of the Resistance?
The short of it, whether you’re visiting Walt Disney World or Disneyland, is you have two options:
- Standby
- Individual Lightning Lane purchase
The first option is easy – get in a physical line and wait. My best tip is to either rope drop this ride (especially if you are a Resort Hotel Guest and can get there before day guests) or wait until the end of the night, within the last hour of park operation. This ride has a complicated ride system and has the tendency to go down multiple times over the course of a day, so waiting until the end of the day can be risky. If you’re planning multiple days at the parks though, this is a good strategy for waits of less than an hour!
The second option involves less of a wait, but involves spending money. At Hollywood Studios, if you’re a Resort Hotel Guest, you can purchase an Individual Lightning Lane at 7am. If you are not staying on Disney property, you can purchase one when the park opens. At Disneyland, guests can purchase Individual Lightning Lane when they enter the park.
General Attraction Information
Lightning Lane: Available for advanced purchase – at Walt Disney World, it is available at 7am to Resort Hotel Guests, and at park open for all other guests. At Disneyland, you can purchase Individual Lightning Lane for this attraction once you’ve entered the park. Pricing for this attraction at both coasts varies by day but is generally around $20 per guest.
Standby Line: Available
Single Rider: Not Available
Rider Switch: Available, inquire with a Cast Member!
DAS: Available, inquire with a Cast Member!
Height Requirement: 40″
Wheelchair Accessibility: The majority of the attraction is wheelchair accessible, but guests using a mobility device must transfer into the ride vehicle for the final portion of the experience.
Attraction Length: From start to finish, about 20 minutes. The actual ride portion is about 5-7 minutes.
What’s the Attraction Like?
***SPOILERS AHEAD*** THIS IS YOUR WARNING!
Once you enter the queue and have your boarding pass scanned, you’re in! You’ve entered a base on Batuu where you’ve been recruited to join the resistance. You’ll pass by a waterfall, then enter the indoor portion of the queue. Throughout the queue you’ll see various props and costumes, and I’ve been told some of the costumes were actually used in the films! What I love about the queue is the ample air flow, despite being in a cave-like structure, as well as built-in bench seating. The attraction experiences lots of downtime, so the seating is extra helpful.
After winding your way to the queue you’ll eventually run into a Cast Member who groups guests into groups of about 30-40. You’ll also see a smaller queue off to the side – this is for guests using rider switch (don’t worry, they’re not cutting the line or using any special secret entrance!). Once the next set of doors open, the fun begins!
You enter into a room where BB-8 is rolling around, beeping and squealing away. Then, a transmission comes in, with a hologram from Rey. You’ll also get some video messages from Commander Bek. Soon, the next set of doors will open to the outside (yes, you go back outside!) where you are rushed onto a ship commanded by Commander Bek.
You’ll notice on the ship there are handlebars. That’s right, this ship moves. It’s a mild simulator, so if you’re sensitive to motion simulators, make sure to position yourself near a handlebar. There are pretty good views from all around the ship, so where you stand doesn’t matter too much! On board the ship, it’s smooth sailing until you’re intercepted by the First Order. Next thing you know, you’re getting diverted into an enemy ship, the doors open, and a member of the First Order is on board telling you it’s time to be interrogated.
Stepping off the ship, you’re greeted by dozens of Stormtroopers. Time to head to the interrogation room. As you head down the hallway to the interrogation room, you’re split into groups of 16 (divided into groups of 8, split into 2 rows of 4 – the attraction vehicle holds 8, and they board 2 vehicles at a time). In this area, the First Order Cast Members are rather intense, reminding you to stand in a straight line, don’t turn around, if you’re giggling you have something to hide, etc. I can see it being a bit intense for young ones, but it is also kind of fun to mess around with them!
When it’s time to enter the interrogation room, turn around and look up – you’ll see a Stormtrooper, another member of the First Order, and eventually Kylo Ren. He explains how he’s here to interrogate us. But what’s that? Noise from outside the room? All of a sudden a door appears to have been cut open from the outside and Resistance Cast Members are rushing us to our transport vehicles! It’s time to escape!
This is where we board the ride vehicles. They rush you in, and explain that the on-board Droid has been programmed to help you escape. After buckling in and securing your belongings, you watch a quick video of Finn explaining how he’s going to help you get out. The doors open, and you’re off!
The ride itself is trackless, the vehicles moving independently of one another, interacting with their surroundings. We see Stormtroopers, Kylo Ren (on multiple occasions), Finn, AT-AT Walkers – it’s like living out a Star Wars movie! The ride itself is extremely smooth, there is one part that goes straight up, one part that goes straight down, and a bit of motion simulation. Many people have expressed nervousness about the drop, but it’s nothing too intense (I’d put it about the same as the drop on Pirates of the Caribbean), and it’s over very quickly.
From start to finish, this is an experience you don’t want to miss. It’s part walk-through attraction, part motion simulator, part interactive experience, part ride. Very well done.
Boarding Group? What’s That?
Disney has been using boarding groups so as to avoid guests waiting in line for hours on end. Think of it as a virtual FastPass. They are released the second the park opens (literally, the second the park opens). There are two ways at Disneyland and Hollywood Studios to obtain boarding groups.
Disneyland
The first way to obtain a boarding group at Disneyland is through the official Disneyland app. Have it downloaded before you arrive at the park. Make sure your admission media (park ticket or annual pass) is connected to the app, and also connect the rest of your party’s admission media. Have everyone else in your party download the app, and connect everyone’s admission media to each other’s phones. If there is anyone who is not traveling with you, but you have their admission media connected to your app, delete their ticket or pass! Example: I frequently go to the parks on weekdays without my husband, so I delete his pass from my app, but I’ll add him back in when we go on weekends. Important: Add everyone’s admission media before the park opens so you’re not scrambling to do this at the last minute!
Next, give yourself plenty of time to get through security and in the park before it opens!!! Assuming an 8am open, plan to be at the park entry gates by 7:30am. Have your admission media out and ready so you can get through the turnstiles as quickly as possible. Personally, I like to be parked by 7am to give myself ample time to get through security.
Technically, once you’ve been scanned into Disneyland, you can go anywhere to obtain a boarding pass. Stay in Disneyland, go to Disney California Adventure Park, Downtown Disney, etc… wherever you want!
Before official park open, close out of the app completely. Disconnect from park WiFi and rely on your phone’s data plan – with thousands of people using the park’s WiFi, you’re more likely to find a better connection on your own data plan. Additionally, if you have time, try to find an open spot away from other people, and you can even run a speed test on your device to see where you get the best service.
Once it hits 1 minute until park open, open up the app. On the main screen, hit “Find Out More” at park open time. Note: It is helpful to have someone in your party using a clock that’s counting down to the exact second for this step. If “Join Boarding Group” is grayed out on the next screen, hit “My Status” and join the boarding group from there.
At this point, you should be in a boarding group! You are only able to join one per day, so hopefully someone in your party gets you in. If you have push notifications for the app turned on, you’ll receive an alert when it’s time to board. You can also open up the app and check which groups they are currently boarding. Around the park, there are digital signs which state which boarding groups are currently boarding, so as you are going about your day you can check as well.
When it’s your time to board, simply show your device to the Cast Members at the entrance. They will scan the boarding passes on your phone, and you’re in!
The second way to obtain a boarding group is at kiosks, if you don’t have a smartphone. There is one near Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters and one near Splash Mountain. I have not tried these and do not have experience obtaining a boarding pass through this method.
Hollywood Studios
In Florida, there are a couple opportunities to get a boarding group for Rise of the Resistance. First, everyone in your party must have valid park admission and a Park Pass reservation for Hollywood Studios. Once this information is verified, you’re set to go.
On the day(s) you have a Park Pass reservation for Hollywood Studios, log on to the My Disney Experience app from anywhere – your hotel room, home, breakfast, etc.! Boarding groups become available at 7am on the dot. It is recommended to be on your own data plan as opposed to wifi.
If you don’t get a boarding group at 7am, don’t fret! There is another release at 1pm, but you must be in the park to get a chance at the 1pm drop. The amount of openings for 1pm is significantly smaller than the 7am drop.
If you get in at 7am, you are unable to obtain a second boarding group at 1pm.
Miscellaneous Advice
- If you are planning a multi-day trip, to either Walt Disney World Resort or Disneyland Resort, do not save this for your last day. This attraction experiences significant downtime, and if it’s a priority for you, you don’t want to risk missing it.
- Use the restroom prior to entering the queue, and bring snacks/drinks with you, in case the attraction breaks down! Do note that during COVID, snacking/drinking in the queue is not allowed.
- If the attraction goes down while you are in line, you lose your boarding group if you choose to leave. The only exception to this is if the Cast Members state that you will receive a FastPass to come back later or another day.
- Rider Switch and DAS are available, just make sure that everyone who is riding obtains a boarding pass, and check in with the Cast Members at the entrance to the queue prior to entering the queue!
