Frequently Asked Questions about Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance

Rise of the Resistance, the centerpiece of Disney’s new Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, recently made its eagerly awaited debut, and fans are burning with questions about the new attraction. We attended the press previews and braved the opening week crowds in order to bring you the vital information you need to know in order to experience this immersive installment of the Skywalker saga for yourself.

AT-AT Walkers in Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance

What is Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance?

Rise of the Resistance is an indoor dark ride that Disney describes as the most “epic” attraction they have ever created. The storyline puts you into the middle of the war between the heroic Resistance and villainous First Order, set in between the films The Last Jedi and Rise of Skywalker. The experience combines several different ride genres – including a simulator, a walk-through, trackless vehicles, and an elevator drop – into a seamless adventure that lasts about 20 minutes.

When and where can I ride Rise of the Resistance?

The new ride opened at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida’s Walt Disney World on Dec. 5, and is now in regular daily operation. An identical version opened at California’s Disneyland Park on Jan. 17, 2020.

Is Rise of the Resistance scary or rough?

Rise of the Resistance is a masterpiece of sensory overload, filled with overwhelming visual effects, explosive sound effects, and in-your-face encounters with intimidating characters like Kylo Ren. However, in terms of physical thrills, it is relatively mild. The initial simulator experience is experienced while standing without restraints, and largely consists of a rumbling floor. The bulk of the ride is experienced in a trackless vehicle that glides across a flat floor, making sharp turns similar to a classic Fantasyland dark ride. The finale features a single brief elevator drop that is closer to Flight of Passage than Tower of Terror, followed by a short sequence of simulated movement that is somewhat less intense than Star Tours. If you are very sensitive to motion, you could experience the first portions of the attraction, and ask to exit before the final ride portion. The attraction has a minimum height requirement of 40 inches, and offers a child swap option.

Does Rise of the Resistance offer FastPass?

No, at the current time, Rise of the Resistance does not offer FastPass, FastPass+, or MaxPass. The attraction was constructed to accommodate a FastPass queue, but for now, that is only being used by guests with special needs. There is also no single rider option.

Does Rise of the Resistance have a Standby queue?

No, at the current time, Rise of the Resistance does not offer a standard standby queue. That means that there is no posted wait time, and you cannot simply get in line at any time you choose. At this time, the only way to ride Rise of the Resistance is with a Virtual Boarding Pass.

How do I retrieve a Virtual Boarding Pass for Rise of the Resistance?

To begin, you must have a Disney online account with valid park admission tickets for all members of your party attached to it. Install the latest version of the My Disney Experience (in Walt Disney World) or Disneyland mobile app on your smartphone, enable push notifications, and log into your account. At the park’s published opening time, the ride’s virtual queue will become available. At that point, you can tap “join a group” and add other members of your party to your group.

Can someone get a Virtual Boarding Pass without entering the park?

No. All members of your party must have scanned their valid admission at the park entrance before they are eligible for a Virtual Boarding Pass. However, once you have entered the park, you are able to exit and still join a boarding group.

What is the best way of using the Disney app to get a Virtual Boarding Pass?

Once inside the park, make sure your My Disney Experience or Disneyland app is properly signed in, then close it and all other apps on your phone. Re-open Disney’s app a few seconds before park opening, and tap “Find Out More” under “Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance — Access By Boarding Group.” If “Join Boarding Group” is illuminated, tap it and select (or deselect) the members of your party who are present. If “Join Boarding Group” is grey, tap “My Status” and then tap “Join Boarding Group.” If it is still unavailable, pull down on the “My Status” screen to refresh, or go back to the main screen and try again. As a last resort, close the app and restart it.

Should I use Disney’s WiFi or my cellular data to get a Virtual Boarding Pass?

Theoretically, Disney’s own free WiFi service should have the fastest direct connection to Mickey’s mainframes, but in our experience the network is easily overwhelmed when thousands of guests hit refresh at the same time. As long as you have a strong cell signal, the general consensus is that using your smartphone provider’s data service is your best best.

Can more than one member of my party try to get a Virtual Boarding Pass?

Yes! Each member of your party should have their own log-in for the app, and connect ahead of time to the other members of your party using the Friends & Family feature (in My Disney Experience) or by scanning tickets (at Disneyland). Then, everyone can try to join a boarding group at opening; the first person to get in can select the other members, and everyone else will get a “not so fast” message once the group number is confirmed.

Where is the best place to get a Virtual Boarding Pass?

Once you’ve entered the park, you can join the mob to rope-drop your first attraction of the day. But if your priority is is getting a Rise of the Resistance Virtual Boarding Pass, you’ll want to find an uncrowded area in order to improve your odds of solid reception. Touring Plans did some testing, and found Animation Courtyard to be the best spot at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. At Disneyland, Critter Country is typically the least crowded area. Remember that you can exit the park after scanning in; Anaheim’s Downtown Disneyland or the Skyliner route to Epcot are both great places to pull a Virtual Boarding Pass, as long as you’re able to re-enter the park within the window once your group is called.

Can I get a Virtual Boarding Pass without a smartphone?

At Walt Disney World, if you do not have access to a smartphone, see a Cast Member at a blue “Guest Experience” kiosk for assistance.

A Disneyland, boarding passes can be retrieved by scanning a physical ticket at kiosks in Critter Country (near Splash Mountain) or Tomorrowland (near Space Mountain). Be warned that unless you are very close to the front of the kiosk’s queue at opening, all boarding groups may be gone before you can scan. You can learn more about getting a Virtual Boarding Pass for the ride at Disneyland park here.

How do I use my Rise of the Resistance Virtual Boarding Pass?

When the ride is operating, virtual boarding groups will be called in order at a rate that’s determined by how well the attraction is running (roughly 10-12 per hour). When your group is called, you’ll receive a notification on your phone, and be given a one-hour time limit (sometimes 2 hours) in which to return. Approach the attraction entrance to have your MagicBand or ticket scanned, and you’ll be permitted to enter the queue, where you should wait around 30 minutes or less before reaching the first preshow.

What is a Backup Boarding Group?

Once the initial batch of Virtual Boarding Groups are claimed– which can happen within seconds of the park opening — Disney switches to distributing Backup Boarding Groups, which may be available for several minutes or longer. Backup Boarding Groups will only be called if all of the initial planned Boarding Groups have been called and there is time for more riders. Joining a Backup Boarding Group does not guarantee access to the attraction. If you join a Backup Boarding Group, you’ll receive a push notification if your Boarding Group is called, the same as the regular Virtual Boarding Groups. This information will also be available in the My Disney Experience and Disneyland apps.

What if I can’t get in a Boarding Group or Backup Boarding Group?

You may enjoy any of the other attractions in the park, including the rest of Galaxy’s Edge, but you will have to come back on another day in order to experience Rise of the Resistance. The attraction has not yet offered a standby option yet.

How early do I need to arrive to make sure I get a Virtual Boarding Pass?

You need to be inside the park before the official opening time if you want to ride, as boarding passes are distributed within minutes (or even seconds) after park open. If you enter the park after park open, you might be able to get a Backup Boarding Pass, which may or may not get called. On busy days, even some guests who made it inside the park before opening might still be shut out.

We recommend getting to the park at least 45 minutes to an hour before opening to be sure you’re inside by the time Boarding Passes become available.

Can I get more than one Virtual Boarding Pass in a day?

No, this was possible during the first couple of days of operation, but at this time guests are restricted to one Virtual Boarding Pass for Rise of the Resistance per day.

Do I need a Virtual Boarding Pass to enter Galaxy’s Edge or ride Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run?

No, all guests may freely enter the Star Wars land and use the standby line for the Millennium Falcon ride. Savi’s Workshop, the Droid Depot, and Oga’s Cantina in Galaxy’s Edge may require advance reservations. They can be made in the My Disney Experience or Disneyland app.

Can I leave the park once I have my Virtual Boarding Pass and return later?

Yes, as soon as you are assigned a boarding group number, you are free to exit and visit a different park, or even head back to your hotel for some more shut-eye. Just be certain to keep the volume up on your phone, since you’ll usually only have one or two hours to enter the attraction once you receive your return notification.

What happens if Rise of the Resistance breaks down?

As a cutting-edge attraction, Rise of the Resistance is subject to frequent “technical difficulties,” although downtimes have typically lasted less than an hour. If the attraction is not running, they will pause calling boarding groups, and resume at the same number upon reopening. Guests who have redeemed their boarding passes, but not yet boarded the ride will usually be allowed to remain in the queue, and Disney will sometimes treat them to complimentary snacks during the delay.

Guests who must be evacuated in the middle of the ride have received FastPasses to retry the ride as soon as it reopens that day, plus a bonus FastPass valid for any of the park’s other attractions.

If the attraction is unable to reopen, guests with Virtual Boarding Passes that had not yet been called when the ride ceased operating for the day have received a FastPass for the ride on a later day, and a free one-day park admission ticket. Guests with Backup Boarding Group numbers that are not called receive no compensation. (Compensation is cited only as an example and is not guaranteed.)

How does Extra Magic Hours affect Rise of the Resistance?

Rise of the Resistance does not operate for Walt Disney World resort guests during early-morning Extra Magic Hours, and virtual boarding passes are not available until regular park guests are allowed into the park. Extra Magic Hours is great for experiencing the park’s other thrill rides with shorter waits, but provides no significant advantage for riding Rise of the Resistance. None of the attractions in Disneyland’s Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge participate in Magic Mornings.

Is Rise of the Resistance wheelchair accessible?

Rise of the Resistance is fully ADA compliant; however, uses of scooters and certain motorized wheelchairs may need to transfer to a provided manual wheelchair in order to navigate the queue and/or preshows. In addition, all wheelchair users must transfer into the ride vehicle’s bench seat and fasten the seatbelt. The ride vehicles’ doors open extra-wide to accommodate transfers, but be aware that you cannot roll into the vehicle, and there is a small step up from the floor when boarding.

How does Disability Access Service (DAS) work with Rise of the Resistance?

Guests with disabilities that make them unable to wait in lines who have valid DAS on their account must still retrieve a Virtual Boarding Pass for Rise of the Resistance, using the same method as all other guests. Once you have your boarding group number, go to the attraction entrance and get a Cast Member to sign you up for a DAS return time via your park ticket or MagicBand. You will still have to wait until your boarding group is called, but when you return to the ride you’ll be allowed to use the FastPass queue, expediting your entry into the first preshow.

So, is riding Rise of the Resistance worth all this trouble?

In a word, Yes! Many guests are saying that Rise of the Resistance is their favorite attraction at Walt Disney World, and possibly the best theme park ride anywhere. See what you think when you see it in person for yourself, or spoil yourself now and join the debate by watching our highlights video:

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70 Comments

  1. If I have FastPasses scheduled for another park, can I still go to Hollywood studios in the AM and get a boarding pass?

  2. Do I have to be inside the park to get the boarding Group or can I get it from the hotel at the time the park opens?

  3. I’ve heard reports that all the virtual boarding passes are given out before the park even opens! If you have to be scanned in to get a pass, how is that possible? We’re coming next month and the stated parking hours that day are 8am to 8pm. Does the park let guests in before the stated hours? Thanks for your help.

    1. They used to be given before official park opening because they would let guests in the park early, but they don’t do that anymore. If they do let guests in early, the boarding passes won’t be available until the listed park opening time.

    1. We were able to today on 1/2/2020! They take care of it once your boarding group is at the entrance to the ride. It was standard Disney protocol: swapping person plus 2 guests, by scanning Magic Bands.
      Same was true for Smuggler’s Run.

  4. Can my husband take my kids’ magic bands in and get their boarding pass for them so I don’t have to get them up in the middle of the night to get in line??

  5. What time does Disney transportation start to get you to Hollywood Studios to get in line for RoTR? Every news outlet says to arrive at 6 (or earlier) but if you are on property using the Bus system, is Disney running busses early at that hour to get you to the park? Disney itself only promises busses 1 hour before park opening which by my measure means there is no way to get a boarding pass….

    1. As far as we know, the hotel busses officially start one hour before the park opens, but it’s been more like 90 minutes for the past couple weeks. (Unfortunately the hotel guest services seem to be misinformed about the actual time.) But they don’t start distributing virtual boarding passes until official opening time, so there’s no need to get there crazy early anymore. As long as you are at security 30 to 45 minutes before park open, you should be able to get through the turnstiles and be ready to get a boarding pass before they’re released. If you are really nervous about it, we recommend getting a rideshare to Boardwalk Inn and walking to the park before transportation starts.

      1. Thanks Matt. Even with the newer distribution of virtual passes, it still strikes me that the line to the park is going to be long, and you need to get in that line, to get in the park early enough to get the boarding passes. And no sites are saying much about resort guests and the bus transportation leaving much earlier. Thanks for the info!

  6. Hello there,

    Regarding the “Disney Disability Access Service” section in your post. There is no longer the system of showing a Cast Member your DAS Card to gain entry into a participating attraction. There is no DAS Card, you may be referring to the old system which was phased out in 2015, which was called, the Guest Assistance Card.

    The DAS is now electronic, it must be activated at Guest Services “inside” any Disney Theme Park and it is associated to a Guest’s Theme Park Admission, or to their active MagicBand, as well as associated to all members of that Guest’s party. Anyone in that travel party can head to an attraction that utilizes the DAS system, and request a Return Time, but when it’s time to board the attraction, the Guest who is granted the DAS must present their MagicBand or Theme Park Admission Card to the Cast Member at the attraction.

    Kindly amend your post to reflect accuracy for the benefit and convenience of Guests who need this accommodation.

  7. Hello! Question about using the DAS pass – will utilizing this mean you will miss part of the queue as in most other fastpass rides? If so, how much time does it save and also how much do you miss because of this? How long does it take to actually board the ride once you arrive to get in line after your boarding pass has been called? I hope I am making sense and thank you!

    1. DAS and Fastpass skip some minor props in the queue (like Finn’s bacta suit) and start in the briefing room with BB8 and Rey. They experience all of the rest of the attraction with regular guests, saving about 20 to 30 minutes in the queue if the ride is operating normally.

  8. I plan on checking out “Star Wars land” in a few years from now (maybe like 2025 or 2026). Do you think that by the time I plan on going that the “normal” standby lines will be available? Because I do not have a “smart” phone (nor do I even want one); therefore, I cannot enjoy the rides now even if I wanted to go (which I do not because I totally HATE crowds).

  9. If we buy our park tickets online, do we need to go to the ticket booth BEFORE entry and getting into the virtual queue, or do we need to just go straight to the park entrance? (the app/ticket just says ‘go to entrance’)

    1. It depends, if you buy direct from Disney you can attach your ticket to your My Disney Experience account in advance and should be able to go straight to the gate. But if you buy from a third party reseller, you have to exchange your voucher for a ticket at the box office. Best bet if in doubt is to visit a park (or Disney springs) guest services the day before.

  10. We plan on going next month. My wife isn’t a fan of motion simulator type rides. I’ve heard there is are opt-out options prior to getting into the ride vehicles. Does that at least get you into the Star Destroyer hangar bay with all of the stormtroopers? Where is the last possible area to exit? I’m hoping she would be able to at least experience a decent portion of the attraction

    1. The first ride she’ll experience is the transport ship. It’s really tame and guests can walk around and aren’t strapped in, so she shouldn’t have any problem with it. The hangar bay with the Stormtroopers comes after that. She should be able to experience everything up until guests are being loaded and seat-belted into the ride vehicles. She can just tell a member of the Resistance (cast member) there that she doesn’t want to ride.

      1. That’s good to know that she can get to experiment essentially all but the last four minutes of the attraction. Of course, that’s probably the best part, but that’s still better than not doing any of it I guess.
        Are there Resistance cast members with you on the Star Destroyer so they are easy to find?

  11. Do my son and I both need to try to get a boarding pass to ride or can I just add him to my party of I secure one?

    1. You both need boarding passes. But if he’s added to your My Disney Experience account, you can both of your passes at the same time. But he must be in the park with you when you get them.

  12. I think this DAS system is completely unfair to disabled guests. My daughter has a severe breathing issues caused by tonic seizures, she has to have breathing treatments around 7am everyday which means we cannot be in the park that early to grab a boarding pass. I’m paying lots of $$$ for this trip and she was really hoping to ride this along with Nicky and minis run away railway but how can she if we have to be in the park by 7am to get a pass? Disney likes to discriminate again the disabled it seems.

    1. The pass is only for Rise of the Resistance. Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway doesn’t open until later this year and they haven’t said if it will use the virtual queue.

    2. If I were you I would call Disney personally and talk to them about your daughter’s condition. In the past we’ve had some issues with my daughter being on a G-tube and Disney has been amazingly wonderful to us you won’t hurt to call and talk to someone and it may even help

  13. If I try to join a boarding group and add my friend, can he also join a boarding group and add me to his party, so that we’re hopefully able to ride more than once? Would that make the odds of getting in a group higher?

    1. You can only be in one boarding group at a time, unfortunately, so that won’t work. You can add any of your friends in My Disney Experience to your boarding group if you get one, but those friends cannot make their own reservation and add you once you’ve put them in a group already.

  14. We have reservations for Ogas, Savi’s, & droid depot. Any reports on what folks should do who have an existing reservation but get called to Rise?

  15. If you have a party of multiple people and we are all trying to get boarding passes do we all log into the same Disney account or do we all have separate accounts? Like should everyone log into the main planners account?

    1. You can each try to get a boarding group as a precaution, though only one person really needs to. Once one person has your entire party in a boarding group, members of that party can’t make or be in additional boarding groups.

  16. Does Disney supply its visitors with WI-FI for their smart phones? I will be visiting Orlando starting on February 6th . I´m coming from Chile and I have my own smart phone but I don ´t think that I will be able to join a boarding group if I don´t have WI-FI. What do you recommend ? I´d appreciate your prompt reply.

    1. We wouldn’t recommend using the park wi-fi to get your boarding group. You would have more chance of success by using your phone’s data.

  17. Has there been any problems with the App crashing since hundreds of people are trying to secure a Virtual Pass at the same time?

    1. As long as you get to an area in the park where there aren’t as many people, and you have a good cellular signal (don’t use park wifi), you should be fine.

  18. Thanks for this very helpful breakdown. We will be there in 2 weeks and I still am not 100% certain how this works. Is this correct: get to the park about an hour before they open (or earlier?). Once we are all scanned into the park with our magic bands, we just wait in the park until official opening hours. Once it’s 8:00 am, we open the My Disney App and try to get a pass?
    Do we wait in any actual line for this, other than the park entrance? It’s ALL done from our phone?
    I can imagine hundreds of people on their phones at the exact same time!

    1. It’s all done from your phone. So long as you’re inside the park at its listed opening time, you can try to get a boarding pass.

  19. My mom is going with us but not interested in going to the parks. She is listed on my Disney experience app because she is in our room. Will this be a problem is she is not going the park and the rest of us are scanned in to get a boarding group ? Will we be unable to get a boarding group because she is not going to the park?

  20. Do boarding groups and backup groups get called to the ride right up to closing time? Or does the entry close earlier so that everyone is off by closing time?

    1. There is a daily max number of guaranteed boarding groups, followed by a number of backup boarding groups. The backup groups are not guaranteed to be called. It really depends on how the ride is functioning that day.

  21. Could I go to hollywood studios and scan my magic band and then exit and still get in a boarding pass while heading to a different park?

  22. Hey. We are going Disney World and I have reservations 3:35 droid depot and 4:35 Oga’s cantina bar. I am Nervous about getting a 2 hour boarding pass at 3 or 3:30 and will have to cancel are plans last minute. Do you think the system giving you the boarding pass, will see you have plans in galaxy edge for 2 hours and will not gave same boardings pass time?

  23. I think since there are less perks to staying on site at DL than DW. For example, you can book FP at DW 60 days out but not at DL. They should allow on site stays in book their boarding passes and fast passes upon check in. I watch youtube videos. The locals are sucking up those boarding passes and people from out of town that spent thousands get zero opportunity. The locals flip through the app so fast and bam! Passes. Out of towners struggle with the refresh and navigation. Then the youtubers walk around ride the ride and leave no money spent. But those who are blowing wads are left without. The locals can come back any time and try again. Vacationers dont have that option. Just seems fair to me. IMO.

  24. We’re not staying in a Disney property, but bought tickets through Disney website and shocked to know it was just a barcode that needs to be taken to a will call window and actual tickets (for park entry) are issued? Question… for Hollywood studios Orlando, how early will they allow us to get into the park? Can you attempt to join a boarding group if waiting in line to enter the park…or only once your ticket is physically scanned in?

      1. But when will they let us go through the line Io be in the park…so that we can hope/pray our way to a boarding group: we can’t find any definitive answers

  25. Hi there…I’ve been tracking the boarding group progress every day on the MDE app on my phone from home (not in Florida) in anticipation of our trip in April. It seems like Boarding Groups up in to the 120’s and 130’s are getting called to the ride every day. Is the app accurate in saying that the “INITIAL BOARDING GROUPS” are only 1-65 and everything after that is a “BACKUP BOARDING GROUP”? If so, it seems like, while it isn’t guaranteed, the back up boarding groups get on most days…..no?

    Also, how high do the backup boarding groups go? 140? 150?

  26. If I have 9 people should we split up or is it possible to all get into the same Boarding group with one persons app?