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Key Tips for Experiencing Rise of the Resistance in Disney

The top ride in all of Walt Disney World is Rise of the Resistance in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.  Found in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, this new state-of-the-art ride is like nothing we have ever seen before when it comes to a Disney attraction in any of the Theme Parks around the world.

We first heard about Rise of the Resistance in 2015 at the D23 Expo where the Star War’s land was officially announced.  It wasn’t until 2018 that we learned at Destination D that the new highly anticipated attraction would be called Star Wars:  Rise of the Resistance.

Although Rise of the Resistance was originally scheduled to open alongside Galaxy’s Edge in March of 2019, it was delayed and opened during what Disney called “phase two” of Galaxy’s Edge.

Finally, on December 5th, 2019 Guests were able to experience the outstanding attraction for the first time in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Rise-of-the-Resistance-620x330
Credit: Disney

The Ride

There is so much that makes this attraction truly amazing.  We don’t want to spoil it for anyone that hasn’t had the opportunity to ride it themselves, but a few highlights that make Rise of the Resistance so fantastic.

First and foremost it is how the experience puts Guests right into the movie and the storyline.  From the very beginning, Guests are working alongside Rey, Finn, Poe, Bek, and BB-8 to help the Resistance on a mission.

Next is how the attraction itself is a combination of different situations and experiences.  From a simulator to a trackless ride, the overall attraction has so much packed into it making it fantastic.

The technology used throughout the ride is also the best Disney has created so far.  There is amazing animatronics such as Kylo Ren and Bek and it is hard to believe they aren’t real actors.  The trackless ride and escape scene have fantastic special effects throughout that make the whole ride outstanding.

Even the unload station for the ride is unique and creative keeping with the storyline to the very end.

rise wait time (DT)
Credit: Disney Tips

How to Ride

As you can imagine, since this ride is absolutely fantastic it is also extremely popular.  Wait times for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance quickly reach the one-hour mark and sometimes during extremely busy times like spring break, we see the standby lines reach three hours.

Although we find this ride to be absolutely fantastic, we aren’t sure that three hours in line is where we would spend our time in Disney’s Hollywood Studios.   So what options to Guests have for riding Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance with a short wait time?

Originally Guests would get a boarding group that would put them in a virtual queue; however, Disney has since gone away with that system for the time being.

  1.  Purchase Individual Lightning Lanes

The first option that we would recommend would be purchasing an individual lightning lane for the attraction.  Individual Lightning Lanes are a part of Disney Genie the new planning tool found within the My Disney Experience app.

Individual Lightning Lanes are specific rides in each of the four Disney Theme Parks that aren’t included with the purchase of Disney Genie+.  In order to use the lightning lanes for these rides and bypass the standby lines, Guests need to purchase them individually or al-a-carte.

This is our top recommendation for getting to ride Rise of the Resistance with a lower wait time.  Guests staying at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel can purchase their Individual Lightning Lane for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance starting at 7:00 am through the My Disney Experience app.

Those Guests not staying at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel, are able to purchase (if available) their Individual Lightning Lane when Disney’s Hollywood Studios opens for the day.

Neither Guest needs to be in Disney’s Hollywood Studios to do so which is a nice feature.

Keep in mind if you don’t see times available to keep refreshing.  You can often see more times added around 15 minutes after the Park opening.  So if you don’t get one right way, keep trying.

The cost for the Individual Lightning Lane is typically around $15/per person.  We realize that that is not cheap when it comes to a family, but we still think the cost is worth skipping a three-hour wait.

2.  Early Entry

Our next suggestion when it comes to experience Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance with low wait times is to use early entry.  Guests staying at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel are able to enter Disney’s Hollywood Studios thirty minutes prior to the listed Park opening.

If you are able to get your family up and out the door early in the morning, this is a fantastic option for getting to ride with lower wait times.  Keep in mind that you won’t be the only one doing this, so you might still have a wait but it won’t be three hours.

Batuu at Night
Credit: Disney Tips

3.  Extending Evening Hours

On April 13th, Guests of Disney’s deluxe and deluxe villa resorts will be able to experience extending evening hours at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on select days.  This is when the Park will stay open typically from 9:00 pm to 11:00 pm only for Guests of those specific Resorts.

Since announcing that Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance will be one of the many attractions offered during this time, we anticipate that this will be a great option for experiencing the ride with a shorter wait time.

These are the three best ways, we think, to experience Disney’s most popular attraction ride Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance with lower wait times.  Notice that the majority of them benefit Guests staying at a Walt Disney Worle Resort hotel so keep that in mind if this is a must-do experience for your party.

Looking for more tips for Disney’s Hollywood Studios?  We have them HERE.  Know where to eat by reading about the quick service options HERE.  And see how my family toured Disney’s Hollywood Studios HERE.

Jennifer Retzlaff

Jennifer became a lifelong Disney fan during her first trip to Walt Disney World in 6th grade. From that moment, Disney became a big part of her life. She quickly started to introduce her love of Disney to her family with a Disney honeymoon and then family trips when her youngest was 18 months old. She loves the magic that Disney brings to people through theme parks, cruises, and adventures. As a teacher, she tries to bring Disney magic into her classroom to help kids believe that “If You Can Dream It, You Can Do It.” She is also part of the Magic Vacation Planner team as a personal travel advisor. With this team, she can now help others plan magical vacations. She loves bringing her love to Disney to readers with How to Disney.

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