Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge has been open for a few months now at both Disneyland in California and Disney World in Florida. The newest Star Wars themed attraction, Rise of the Resistance, opened in early December in Florida, and in mid January in California. Read on for our Rise of the Resistance review.
Rise of the Resistance Review
Rise of the Resistance is one of the most immersive and stunning attractions Disney Imagineers have ever created. It is truly an outstanding attraction, especially for long time Star Wars fans. If you love Star Wars, this attraction is going to push ALL your buttons. You will come as close as you will ever come to actually BEING in one of the movies. Even if you are not a Star Wars fan, I think you will find it very challenging not to love this attraction.
Rise of the Resistance has all of the components of Disney’s BEST attractions:
- It is incredibly detailed and excels at making you feel you are part of the story. Disney’s best attractions have always been the rides that tell a story and bring you into it. Rise of the Resistance uses excellent pre-show segments to get you into the story from the moment you enter the queue. Rise of the Resistance also uses cast members better than any other attraction I can remember.
- It has giant, memorable set pieces. There are wonderful special effects throughout the attraction, and there are both audioanimatronic figures and screens that make you feel like you are part of the story, interacting with characters you know and love.
- It is a long attraction–about 18 minutes. The best attractions are long enough to make you feel like you really DID something. Your time in line was WORTH it. Rise of the Resistance is definitely worth the wait!
- It has great music. Rise of the Resistance features memorable, recognizable, heart pounding music that deepens your emotional involvement in the story. (Note: the music composed by John Williams for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge won a Grammy this past weekend!)
- Most importantly, in my opinion: It is repeatable! There is so much going on in this attraction, I think I could ride it a dozen times and still notice something new. This is the true hallmark of a GREAT Disney attraction. I’ve ridden Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion tons of times over the years and I never get tired of it. I think Rise of the Resistance will join that camp of attractions we can ride again and again and always enjoy. Boredom will not be an issue with this attraction, I promise you!
Unlike Any Other Disney Attraction
I can’t compare Rise of the Resistance to any other attraction. It’s unique and full of new technology. In fact, Disney has applied for several patents for elements of this attraction–that’s how special and new the technology is in this ride.
I don’t want to spoil anything, so I won’t go into more detail about ride specifics. This is an incredible attraction, unlike anything Disney has done before. There are several pre-show segments that keep you entertained and immerse you in the story. The ride vehicles are trackless, so you feel much more free and like anything can happen. There are different elements and phases to the attraction to keep it interesting and surprising.
I really hope this attraction is a sign of future Imagineering at Disney. This attraction is truly amazing, and a wonderful addition to both Disney World and Disneyland.
What are people saying?
Disney released this short video a few days after Rise of the Resistance opened at Hollywood Studios Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. I think the excitement and enthusiasm is really fun to see:
Virtual Queue and Boarding Groups
Rise of the Resistance is NOT currently part of the Disney World Fast Pass+ system. It also does not have a standby line. For Rise of the Resistance, Disney is using a virtual queue system. Basically, the idea is that when you enter the park, you tell the system you want to ride via the My Disney Experience app or by visiting with the Guest Experience Team (if you don’t have a smart phone). The system will then assign you to a Boarding Group, and give you an idea of when your Boarding Group will be called to ride. Later in the day, when your group is called, you will have a window during which you will go to Rise of the Resistance and be able to ride.
Availability of Boarding Groups
You won’t have access to request a Boarding Group until after you’ve passed through the touchpoints at the park entrance (where you scan your Magic Band or ticket and scan your finger). Boarding Groups are not available until the official park open time, either. So while I always recommend you arrive at the park early as you will often be let in before the official park open time, you will not have access to Boarding Groups for Rise of the Resistance until AFTER you’ve entered through the touchpoints AND the official park open time for the day has arrived.
Boarding Group availability each day is based on the projected number of guests that Disney expects to be able to ride during that day, based on the hours the ride is expected to be functioning. They have built in some downtime.
The Good
You don’t have to hover around Rise of the Resistance for hours, waiting for a chance to ride–you’ll get an update in your My Disney Experience app, notifying you of your Boarding Group being called. You can go about your day and enjoy many other attractions and shows at Hollywood Studios while you wait. Assuming there is availability, using the app to request a Boarding Group is fairly easy and user friendly–as long as the app doesn’t crash. Once you are notified that your Group has been called to ride, you have a window of time. In most cases, this is two hours, so you don’t have to rush right over or worry if you’re in line for another attraction. Note: sometimes the window is one hour, so be sure to read your notification carefully so you know how long you have.
The Bad
Currently, the Boarding Groups are filling up VERY fast. Most days, all the Boarding Groups for the day are filled within minutes of the park being open. The impact of thousands of guests all trying to get access to Boarding Groups at the same time via the My Disney Experience app is that the app often crashes or locks up, making it very challenging to get a Boarding Group before they are all gone. Adding to this, the attraction has unfortunately been breaking down fairly frequently, which is also limiting the availability of Boarding Groups for visitors. The notification window for Boarding Groups has been fluctuating — some groups are given two hours, while others receive one hour. It is important to read your notification carefully so you don’t miss your window.
Intriguingly, Disney has been surveying Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Rise of the Resistance guests this week about the virtual queue and possible alternatives. I’m interpreting this to mean all is not going as well as they’d hoped with the system, and changes may be coming.
Ride Breakdowns
The biggest challenge right now is that Rise of the Resistance breaks down pretty frequently. I think because this attraction is so huge, and has so many moving parts and so much new technology, breakdowns at the beginning are inevitable. In my opinion, Disney rushed this attraction a bit and announced open dates that were premature. I don’t think this attraction had enough time to work out all it’s kinks, and guests are bearing the brunt of that right now.
Currently, guests impacted by a ride breakdown are often given passes enabling them to return and ride the next day, or to ride later the same day. I think guests directly impacted are being adequately compensated; however, this does not address the indirect impact. With the ride experiencing downtime almost every day, and often, several times a day, Disney is not moving as many guests through this attraction as they anticipated. As a result, many guests are not being able to ride the attraction at all.
While this is always the case with a popular new attraction (queue times for Flight of Passage still often top 90 minutes most days), the anticipation for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is significantly higher than for any other land or attraction in Disney history. Most guests visiting Disney this year are EXPECTING to visit Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and expecting to ride both attractions. With the current situation, many guests are leaving disappointed by not being able to experience this attraction.
What Can We Expect?
I’m confident that Disney is doing everything it can to fix the problems with the attraction, and hopefully, these breakdowns will soon be a thing of the past. I’m very anxious to see what happens with the virtual queue situation. So far, there is a lot of very loud frustration coming out of guests actually experiencing the virtual queue system, so I suspect some kind of change will be forthcoming.
Earlier this week, Disney made changes to the Fast Pass+ tier system (read here for more information). Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run is now part of the Hollywood Studios Tier One. If the virtual queue system doesn’t work, I suspect Rise of the Resistance will soon be joining Tier One as well.
Even with all the challenges to actually ride the attraction, I cannot stress enough: This is an AMAZING attraction! I promise, even if you struggle with some frustration is getting to ride, it will be WORTH IT! This is a MUST-RIDE attraction if at all possible!
What do you think? Do you think Disney will end up adding a stand-by line and Fast Pass+ reservations for Rise of the Resistance, or do you think they will improve the system for the virtual queue and Boarding Group system?
Have you had a chance to ride yet? I’d love to hear your Rise of the Resistance review if you have one. Please comment below!
Happy Dreaming,
Brooke
