It was so good to see BB-8 again I’ve been lucky enough to ride Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance several times. Most of those times were before Coronavirus. My daughter and I were at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on July 15, which was the day that the park reopened, and we were able to ride, but it wasn’t because of the My Disney Experience App. In was in spite of it, the app messed up and we had to have someone from Guest Relations work it out for us.
On August 19 my daughter and I returned to the park, hoping to be able to get a Boarding Group without any issues. Surprise surprise, this time everything worked smoothly! Since we were able to get on, I thought I’d walk you through getting a Boarding Pass, and also give you a couple of tips. I know that I’ve done this before, but things have changed a bit since the park reopened.
In order to get a Boarding Pass, you need to be scanned into the park by opening, which currently is 10:00. Anyone who isn’t scanned in is not getting a Boarding Pass. We cut it tighter than we wanted to (not our fault) and parked at about 9:40. We’re fast walkers, and everyone at the front of the park was helpful on getting people through in a hurry. Remember, it’s now temperature check, bag check (they don’t go through your bags unless there’s a question about something), and then scanning your MagicBand or ticket. We were in the park with time to spare, but I will still try to get there ten minutes earlier next time.
Once inside, we decided to find a place away from others and wait. I turned off the WiFi on my phone, because the Disney WiFi slows things down. We sat near Dinosaur Gertie, we didn’t want to be surrounded by others who were trying for the same thing. I don’t know if that makes a difference or not, but we only had one shot and I wasn’t taking any chances.
I counted down on the clock on my phone. At about ten seconds before 10:00, I opened the My Disney Experience App. I hit “join” for Rise of the Resistance. Both of our names came up checked because we were there on the same reservation. The rest of our Family and Friends list appeared under that, but I ignored that and just hit “join” again. I didn’t take a screenshot, because the spots are usually gone in just seconds. I then received the confirmation and our Boarding Group number. I was a happy camper!
It was still 10:00 when I took the screenshot When you’re in a Boarding Group, you can check back on the app to see what group number they are on. It will also give you an estimated wait until your group is called. I found that the estimate was more accurate the closer that we got to being called. It was nice to have an estimate, but we realized that it was just that. You can also see the current Boarding Groups on several boards throughout the park.
When it’s time to ride, you will receive a notification from the My Disney Experience App, so make sure you have notifications turned on. (Notifications when in a park can get a bit annoying, you’ll get several throughout the day.) If notifications are off, you can still check your status in the app. You can also see how long you have to return. It is a one-hour window.
You have a one-hour window to return When it’s your time, just head to the ride. Your MagicBand or ticket will be scanned at the entrance, and yesterday they had someone scanning a second time in the queue. I felt sorry for the poor guy who was doing the second scan because he kept having technical problems. The last time I rode there wasn’t a second scan inside the queue.
And that’s it! Getting a Boarding Pass for Rise of the Resistance is stressful, but the ride is worth it.
If you aren’t in the park at 10:00, or if you didn’t get a Boarding Pass the first time, Disney releases more at 2:00. I don’t know how many are held back. If you end up in a standby group remember that you might not get on.
If you have an error message (not “the virtual queue is not currently enrolling additional Guests”, an actual error) take a screenshot of the error, keep it open on the app, and head directly to Guest Relations. They might be able to help you. That was what happened to us on reopening day.
This still blows me away Two more things. Rise of the Resistance does not accept walk-ups or standby, so don’t even try. We saw people trying to talk their way on yesterday. It didn’t work. It wasn’t the fault of the Cast Members, but a group of guests was yelling at them anyway. It was disgusting. Also, you need to wait for your number to be called. “Close enough” isn’t good enough. Yesterday, someone tried to talk his way on. He was in group 31, and 29 had just been called. He tried to tell the Cast Members that it was “close enough”. Guess who had to wait.
Rise of the Resistance isn’t just a ride, it’s stepping into Star Wars. Make sure you interact with the Cast Members along the way. I had a First Order officer give me a hard time because the shirt I was wearing had characters from both sides of the Force. She told me that I needed to figure out my allegiance. She made a fantastic experience even better.