An important part of my recent visit to Walt Disney World was to check out everything associated with the new Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge part of Disney’s Hollywood Studios. While there was a great deal to experience in this new “land”, important highlights for us were the two rides – Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, and Rise of the Resistance. We greatly enjoyed both of them, but it is Rise of the Resistance that is the latest Disney attraction that is getting all of the buzz, and is causing the most discussion online, as this incredible ride has a unique process for riding it. And that’s what I am going to discuss today.
First, if you are not familiar with how the “boarding group” process works in order to experience Rise of the Resistance, go to this post first. Then come back here to see how it all worked for us. 🙂
(And no worries about ride “spoilers” as I am only going to discuss the process for getting a boarding group. So read on without fear of spoiling the surprise.)
As preparation for our day at Hollywood Studios, I had been regularly checking the My Disney Experience app on most mornings leading up to our trip, as well as some professional groups that I am in. In doing this, it was apparent that time is truly of the essence for anyone who wants to do this ride, as I was seeing regular boarding groups fill up within minutes of the park opening, and standby groups filling up in less than 30 minutes after that. Because of this, I followed the advice that I give to my clients, and planned to be at the Hollywood Studios gates about an hour before park opening, which was (and currently is) 8 a.m. And since I knew that resort buses don’t begin scheduled runs until 45 minutes before park opening, it was clear that we were going to get to Hollywood Studios a different way.
(Sidenote: Yes the buses “might” start running sooner than scheduled – but I was not willing to take that chance, as we pretty much had one shot at this ride on this trip.)
So at 6:30 a.m. we walked out the door of our resort and I called an Uber, who arrived within minutes after that. While 30 minutes might not have normally been necessary to get to Hollywood Studios, as it turns out, it was a good thing I allowed the extra time, as we had a lovely driver who was brand new to the area and had never been to Hollywood Studios before. This was not immediately apparent, but as we passed by the Tower of Terror and the signs for HS, it dawned on me that she wasn’t actually sure where she was going. After I quickly pointed out that we had passed up the exit, she turned around and before long we were at the gates. It was 7:01. Moral of the story: always allow some extra time, you never know when you’ll need it!
Bag check went quickly and we then waited to get into the park, and we didn’t actually wait long – by 7:20 we were through the gates and in the park, heading towards Galaxy’s Edge. While you can wait anywhere in the park to use the My Disney Experience app at park open time, we knew we were going straight to Smugglers Run once we (hopefully) got our boarding pass, so that made the most sense for us. It made the most sense apparently for a LOT of others as well.
(Another sidenote: If you have a FastPass for Smugglers Run, or don’t care if you ride it, then you really can wait anywhere in the park, it’s up to you what your priorities are first thing.)
I have to say, there’s a lot of camaraderie among folks who are all waiting for the SAME THING to happen. So there was a good deal of Star Wars bonding going on, with folks comparing potential strategies, and plans. Disney also does a good job of reminding folks regularly with announcements about when boarding groups will open, so that added to the excitement as well.
Shortly before 8 a.m. I had the app open, turned off Wi-Fi so as to have better connection with data (this is SO important: do NOT rely on Disney’s Wi-Fi for this!), and at 8 a.m. on the dot, requested a group (along with thousands of our new BFFs I might add). I had to refresh once, and then voila – success! Boarding Group 44. 🙂 Cheers began to go up all around us as others had success as well, and after a few minutes of comparing results with those around us, we were off to the Black Spire Outpost on the planet of Batu (otherwise known as Galaxy’s Edge). And all that effort to get there early and to be ready and waiting for park opening paid off as that morning the regular boarding groups were gone within a few minutes and the back up groups were gone by 8:15!**
I did post a video on our Facebook page about the process as well, and if you missed it, you can find it here: https://www.facebook.com/theaffordablemouse/videos/464954871048964/ Just ignore the first few seconds as we tried to get the phone situated correctly. 😃
** Now it’s super important to note that in the days following our visit, Disney has apparently reduced the number of regular boarding groups they offer each day, as this ride – as amazing as it is – does go down frequently, and sometimes multiple times each day. This means that often the later # boarding groups don’t get called, so with that in mind, in just the past week, we’ve seen fewer regular boarding groups available…..meaning they are gone that much quicker. The past few mornings, regular groups were gone in less than 2 minutes and backup groups in less than 5 minutes!!
All of this being said, while Rise of the Resistance is an incredible and immersive ride, it’s important to set expectations. With fewer boarding groups currently being offered, there is always a chance that despite best efforts, you don’t get one. Assigned groups seem to be at random, and two people standing right next to each other can get totally different results – so you should be prepared for the possibility that it doesn’t work….especially if you have younglings who will be devastated if it doesn’t work out. Still, with some good planning (and willingness to be up and out early!), you do still have a good chance to get a boarding group. And if you do – well hang on as you evade the First Order!
May The Force Be With You!
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