Disney World definitely looks and feels a little different now than it did back in March before the historic closures began. And while the only constant at Disney is change, one thing has seemed to hold steady. Rise of the Resistance is just as popular as it has ever been!

This highly immersive attraction is STILL running out of those coveted Boarding Groups in seconds each and every day. So if this ride is at the top of your must-do list, you won’t have an easier time getting to ride, even with limited park capacity! Here are three things you need to be aware of if you’re visiting Disney World in the near future and your travel must-dos include riding Rise of the Resistance!

Estimated Wait Times

Back when Rise of the Resistance first opened in Disney World last December, receiving a Boarding Group gave no indication as to WHEN you would actually be called back to hop in line. Over time, folks have been able to “guesstimate” when they could be called, provided the ride was operating smoothly. However, it was still anyone’s guess for how long you would have to wait.

In a recent update to My Disney Experience, Guests can now see an estimated wait time according to their Boarding Group number. This feature is not 100% accurate, nor is it exactly like a posted wait time like any other ride. But this addition provides an additional convenient planning tool for parties to use when visiting Hollywood Studios!

For example, if your estimated wait time is only 10 minutes, you may want to think about heading back to Galaxy’s Edge if you aren’t in the area already! With a shorter return time of one hour, you don’t want to miss your window!

Find out what happened to us when WE missed our return window for Rise of the Resistance!

Updated Boarding Group Distribution Times

Originally, Rise of the Resistance distributed all of its Boarding Groups right at rope drop. This caused quite a commotion every morning in Hollywood Studios, as crowds of Guests were scanned into the park before opening!

Once the parks reopened, Disney made a MAJOR update by providing additional distribution times, lessening the demand for everyone to be in the park at 10AM. Back when the park first reopened, those distribution times were 10AM, 1PM, and 4PM.

Since then, however, Disney has updated the distribution times AGAIN, and now provides two options for Guests to obtain their Boarding Groups. Currently, they are distributed at 10AM and 2PM.

So if you strike out the first time around or you don’t make it into the park in time, you still have another opportunity! 

Click here for more tips on securing a Boarding Group for Rise of the Resistance!

Automatic Party Members Added on MDE

The third new tip you should be aware of is a small but significant change in the actual process of obtaining a Boarding Group. Since its earliest days, you needed to manually add each party member to your Boarding Group so you could all ride together. 

Now, that step happens automatically! On My Disney Experience, each of your eligible party members will be added to your Group, with no extra tapping required! Keep in mind that each member of your party MUST be scanned into Hollywood Studios, and their tickets must be linked to your account.

This is an especially useful tip if you’re traveling in a larger party, as you can now save valuable seconds while you try to secure a Boarding Group!

Read more about the recent updates to My Disney Experience when getting a Boarding Group!

While getting a Boarding Group is still one of the more tricky feats when visiting Disney World, there are more tools at your disposal now than there ever were before!

From a streamlined My Disney Experience process to helpful tools to plan the rest of your day around Rise of the Resistance, Disney seems to have taken note of the stress-inducing reality of getting a Boarding Group and have done what they can to make it a bit easier! We will continue to keep you posted on Rise of the Resistance and its future updates. And if you have any more questions about snagging a Boarding Group, please let us know!!

Have you visited Disney’s Hollywood Studios since the park reopened? Share your Rise of the Resistance experience with us in the comments!