Disney updates Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance virtual queue procedure

When Walt Disney World reopened its theme parks on July 11 and July 15, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Disney’s Hollywood Studios was the only attraction to offer guests a Virtual Queue in lieu of a standby line. On Thursday, in a post on the Disney Parks Blog, Disney announced an update to the Rise of the Resistance Virtual Queue procedure that will take effect Friday, July 24.

Previously, guests were able to attempt to join the virtual queue at 10am, 1pm, and 4pm. Beginning July 24, guests will now only have two opportunities to join the queue, at 10am and 2pm.

Anecdotally, we’ve heard of a lot of problems with the 1pm virtual queue drop time. This attraction experiences frequent down time, and guests have reported that there has been little to no availability for boarding groups at the 1pm drop. Down time for the attraction combined with added volume from recovery for some guests who experienced particular errors during the 10am drop appear to have impacted the 1pm release. Adding an extra hour and releasing more space at 2pm should allow the attraction a better chance of moving through more existing boarding groups before opening additional spaces.

In order to join the virtual queue, all members of a party hoping to ride the attraction must have valid park admission, a valid Disney Park Pass reservation, and be inside Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Guests can attempt to join by selecting “Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance Virtual Queue” on the home screen in the My Disney Experience app.

As long as your entire party is linked in My Disney Experience, you can attempt to secure a virtual queue spot for everyone in your group. If you’re successful, you’ll be given an estimated return time and a push notification when your group is called. You’ll have one hour to return to the attraction once you’re called.

To maximize your chances of securing a boarding group, here are some tips:

• Arrive before the 10am release and move further into the park from the entrance gates. (We had good luck joining while in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, but many have reported success joining while in the standby queue for Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway.)

• Turn off your WIFI and use your phone’s cellular service for data to avoid any slowdown from the park’s WIFI.

• Select the “Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance Virtual Queue” option and either pull down on your screen repeatedly to refresh or toggle back and forth between the “Join” screen and the previous page until the “Join” button goes live.

Disney has emphasized that joining the virtual queue “does not guarantee the ability to experience Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.”

We’ll keep you updated with any new changes to the Rise of the Resistance procedures.