Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is one of Disney’s latest, and perhaps greatest, attractions.
Not only is it a literal dream come true for any Star Wars fan, but it’s a technological marvel employing four different ride systems, incredible audio-animatronics, projection mapping, life-size sets, and more. In fact, many guests claim that Rise of the Resistance is way more than a ride, it’s an experience.
But here’s the thing. You can’t just go ride Rise of the Resistance. There’s not even a standby queue! Instead, the only way you can ride, unless your name is George Lucas or Bob Chapek, is to get a Boarding Group.
What is a Rise of the Resistance Boarding Group?
A Boarding Group is your spot in a virtual queue and is acquired through the My Disney Experience app. The process to get a Boarding Group can be confusing, and seconds count because of high demand.
So to make this simple, I’ve created a step-by-step guide for how to get a coveted Rise of the Resistance Boarding Group, along with some need-to-know info to make sure you get to experience that galaxy far, far away.
Let’s start with the tools you need in order to get a Rise of the Resistance Boarding Group.
What You Need to Get a Boarding Group:
- The My Disney Experience App
- Valid Park Admission
- A Park Pass for Hollywood Studios on That Day
- Updated Family & Friends List on the My Disney Experience App
And perhaps most importantly, there are some rules for getting a Rise of the Resistance Boarding Group that you NEED to know.
Rules For Getting a Boarding Group:
Rule #1: Boarding Groups are only available to book TWICE per day.
The first chance for booking is at 7:00 a.m.
For a while, Disney required guests to be inside the park to secure a boarding pass. Thankfully, that’s no longer the case for those attempting to book a group at 7:00 a.m. You can book through the app from your hotel room, home, car, or wherever!
The second chance is at 1:00 p.m., but only AFTER you’ve entered Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Rule #2: You can only get one Boarding Group per day
Guests are limited to one boarding group per day, meaning if you secured a group at 7:00 a.m., you can’t get another at 1:00 p.m.
Rule #3: If your Boarding Group includes your family and friends, they must also have valid park admission and a Park Pass Reservation for that day.
Not only is the person booking a boarding group required to have a park admission and a Park Pass reservation for that day, but those you plan to ride with are required to as well.
Step-By-Step Guides for Getting a Rise of the Resistance Boarding Group
Since Disney first introduced this process for obtaining a boarding group, everyone has a theory or technique for how to increase the odds of getting a coveted Boarding Group. For instance, some say use Disney WiFi while others say have it disabled. Some say every member in your group should try for a boarding group to increase their chances (a theory I personally subscribe too), while others believe the opposite. Some people run speed tests in the park and recommend moving away from crowds when it’s time to book. We even ran in-park tests on WiFi versus cell service. There’s a lot of strategies, but here’s the basic step-by-step procedure.
Step-By-Step Guide To Get a Rise of the Resistance Boarding Group
1. Open the My Disney Experience App before 7:00 a.m. or 1:00 p.m. Click the hamburger menu (three bars) in the lower right corner to bring up the tile menu, and click Virtual Queues.
2. A new page should appear with a heading displaying “My Queues.” Press the button for “Join Virtual Queue.”
3. The next page should read “Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance” and have the time listed when the next queue opens. Stay on this page and be prepared to pull it down to refresh when it’s 2-3 seconds before 7:00 a.m. or 1:00 p.m.
4. Once you’ve refreshed the screen at the appropriate time, click the “Join” button.
5. Scroll to the bottom of the Create Your Party page, and click Join. In general, everyone who is eligible for a boarding group should be pre-selected, so just grab a boarding group for everyone who is selected instead of wasting valuable seconds selecting or de-selecting people. If there are issues with people in your boarding group that you need to add or remove people after the fact, it is much easier to talk with a Guest Experience cast member to make adjustments if you have a boarding group than if you do not have a boarding group.
6. Cross your fingers and hope that you have snagged a boarding group. If you have this is what you will see.
You may also see the estimated time for when you and your group will be called to ride!
If you don’t see a boarding group confirmation page, you may get a message that all boarding groups are full.
Estimated boarding group times are just that — an estimation. Expect that time to vary throughout the day. However, the app will let you know when it’s your time to head to the attraction entrance and validate your return time with a Cast Member.
Tips:
Boarding Groups are typically booked up within seconds. If Rise of the Resistance is a must-do for your day at the park, be ready to book as soon as it’s time!
Experience a technical issue? Did the app fail to recognize that you’re in the park? Take a screenshot and politely explain the situation to a member at Guest Services.
One person in your group can secure the boarding group for everyone. Not every individual riding, such as your kids, needs to go through this process. However, more people in your group trying for a Boarding Group slot when the time opens up increases your chances that someone will be successful getting one. Everyone who can make the attempt should.
Make sure you’re signed into the My Disney Experience app and have connected your park tickets to your account before trying for a Boarding Group. You also need to make sure you’ve added your friends and family riding with you to your Family & Friends list ahead of time.
Don’t skip the chance to try for a Boarding Group at 7:00 a.m. thinking that you can count on the 1:00 p.m. window. If the ride breaks down or has issues (which it often does), those who had boarding groups that morning will have the ride times pushed back. This means your chances of riding are slimmer in comparison.
How quickly can boarding groups go? Here’s Steve and Brian both trying to get a boarding group on the same day from their phones.
Do you have any tips or strategies for booking a Boarding Group for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Galaxy’s Edge? Let us know in the comments!
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