Learn How to Ride Rise of the Resistance in Galaxy's Edge Disney World

How to ride “Rise of the Resistance” – the ONLY way is with a Boarding Pass!

Wondering how to ride Rise of the Resistance in Galaxy’s Edge Disney World? There is no Rise of the Resistance FastPass, so currently, the only way to ride is with a boarding pass. Sounds easy enough right, wrong. Because of the high demand to experience this attraction, there is a whole lot of “strategy” to make this happen. Photo opp with the Storm Troopers

While this article is specifically written for Hollywood Studios Star Wars Land at Disney World, it works the same at Disneyland.

Want to know more about all of Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge and what to expect when visiting? Read my complete Guide to Star Wars Land: Galaxy’s Edge here.

Rise of the Resistance Fast Passes, Stand-by Lines and Boarding Groups

Fast Passes and standby lines, also known as the old fashioned way to ride an attraction are NOT currently available for Rise of the Resistance. You MUST have a Rise of the Resistance Boarding Pass to ride!

Read this, be prepared, and share it with your Disney and Star Wars loving friends. My heart breaks for those who show up unprepared and miss out on such a great new attraction!

Boarding Passes for Rise of the Resistance are obtained on your My Disney Experience app. (Disneyland app for those visiting California)
Make sure the most recent version has been downloaded
Log in and ensure your tickets have been properly linked to your account prior to arrival. (If you are able to add Fast Passes for other attractions, your tickets have been linked properly)
Guests are able to obtain a Boarding Pass once (1)they’ve tapped their Magic Bands into the park AND (2) the park is officially open.

Because of the extreme popularity of Rise of the Resistance, Hollywood Studios’ opening hours have been adjusted multiple times and all Extra Magic Hours have been moved to the evening. Make sure you check the park hours the day prior to your arrival to ensure you’re at Hollywood Studios on time!

Current Park Hours can be found here.

How to Get a Boarding Group

Check park hours the day prior to your visit to ensure they have not been changed.
Make sure the My Disney Experience app is downloaded to your phone, you’re logged in AND your park tickets are linked to your account.
Be at Hollywood Studios 30-45 minutes prior to park opening. You will be allowed to tap into the gates, enter the park and enjoy Hollywood Blvd prior to the official park opening time.
At park opening time, or a few minutes before, get on the app and click on “find out more” from the main screen (look for the picture of Rise of the Resistance).
Once you’re on the Boarding Group screen you’ll click on “Join Boarding Group”. It will be accessible to click IF you’re in the park, the park is open, and there are boarding groups available for the day.
When your boarding group has been called you’ll be able to go to Rise of the Resistance, get in line and enjoy the ride! You have an hour to return to the line but be sure to pay attention to your return time because it seems to be changing regularly!

Rise of the Resistance FAQ’s

What is a Boarding Group?

A Boarding Group is a virtual queue line that Disney guests use to gain access to ride Rise of the Resistance.

What if I don’t have a smartphone or I am not comfortable using it to get a Boarding Group?

Cast Members – Guest Experience Teams, are standing by to help guests who do not have access to a smartphone. However, there are a limited number of boarding groups to be handed out this way. The best way to obtain a boarding group is on a smartphone. Please do not rely on the Guest Experience Team to get a Boarding Pass.

Can I go to Hollywood Studios early and get a Boarding Group for my entire party and they can join me later?

No. All guests must be in the park, tickets tapped in at the Main Gate, in order to have access to a Boarding Group.

Does a boarding group guarantee I will get to ride?

No. Disney does their best to ensure as many guests as possible get to enjoy the attraction. However, if they don’t get to your boarding group, you won’t be able to ride.

How long does it take to get to my boarding group?

There is no particular formula or way to figure out when you should expect to be called back. Depending on how quickly guests move through the experience and if the ride continues to run throughout the day will determine when you’ll be called. Currently, the attraction has had some intermittent outages throughout the day that may delay your boarding group being called.

How long is the Rise of Resistance wait time once my boarding group has been called?

Much like the answer before, there is no guaranteed Rise of Resistance wait time. I have heard of guests waiting as short as 10 to 15 minutes in the queue line and as long as an hour and a half.

Once I get a boarding group can I leave Hollywood Studios and come back?

Yes, you don’t have to remain in the park once you’ve obtained your Boarding Group. Just make sure you’re back within one hour of your Boarding Group being called and you’re good to go!

Is Rise of the Resistance open during evening Extra Magic Hours?

Currently, Disney World Rise of the Resistance is not open during Extra Magic Hours.

Can I take Disney transportation to Hollywood Studios and arrive on time?

This depends. Transportation to the parks is scheduled to begin 45 minutes prior to park opening. Theoretically, you could arrive in time but it would really be cutting it close. The best way to ensure you arrive on time is some type of private transportation be it your car or an Uber. Personally, I wouldn’t risk missing Boarding Pass distribution to save a few dollars to use Disney transportation.
Also note, all resorts with access to Disney’s Skyliner have limited bus runs throughout the day.

How quickly are Rise of the Resistance Boarding Groups distributed?

There is no set amount of time it takes to distribute Boarding Groups but there is an unpublished number of Boarding Groups being distributed.
Once those groups have been distributed a set number of “back up” Boarding Groups are being distributed.
The first set of Boarding Groups have been gone within minutes to as long as the first hour of park opening. Back up Boarding Groups have been gone within a few hours. We expect this to die down over time but when this will actually happen is unknown.

What are back up Boarding Groups?

After the original Boarding Groups have been distributed (there is an unpublished number of groups handed out each day) a second set, or back up set of Boarding Groups is being distributed. While neither set of Boarding Groups guarantees entry to the attraction, guests in the original set are more likely to be called and get to ride.

How do we know when our Boarding Group has been called and it’s our turn?

If you gave the My Disney Experience app permission to send you push notifications you’ll get a notification when your group is called. If not, you can check the app going through the steps you took to obtain a Boarding Group and be able to check your status as well as what Boarding Groups are “Now Boarding”.
You can access your push notification in the settings of your iPhone. Sorry other smartphone users, I have no knowledge of how to access push notifications on these devices!

Can we wait in a standby line instead of using the Boarding Groups (virtual queue)?

No. Currently, the only way to experience Rise of the Resistance is with a Boarding Group.

Does Rider Switch work with my Boarding Group?

Yes. Guests who need to rider swap are able to do so in the same manner as other attractions offering Rider Swap.

Is the ride worth all of the effort?

A million times yes! If you love rides, attractions, immersive experiences you will love this attraction. I have yet to hear anyone who doesn’t love it. Take it from a girl who isn’t crazy about Star Wars, in all honesty, I could care less about Star Wars, and I still LOVE this ride!

When will Boarding Groups end and an easier system or standby line begin?

Only time will tell. I assume Disney will continue to use this system for as long as the ride demands it. Take advantage of it! It is literally allowing you to hold a place in line while you experience the rest of the park. Is it a bit of pain upfront? yes. Is it the likes of an extra Fast Pass after the annoyance, yep, this too!

How tall do you need to be to ride Rise of the Resistance?

Guests must be 40″ tall to ride Rise of the Resistance.

What if my app crashes while I’m trying to obtain a Boarding Group?

Technology is not always reliable, keep this in mind and be prepared to the best of your ability. Personally, I would use my cell phone data rather than rely on park wifi. It may also be helpful to have a second device logged into the My Disney Experience account in case one device crashes. DON”T use them both at the same time, this could create trouble but having a second device logged in and ready to go may help in a technology snafu!

What’s the difference between the Disneyland attraction and the Hollywood Studios Star Wars Land version?

Absolutely nothing! While there are many attractions the two parks share that are similar yet different this is not true for Galaxy’s Edge, Millenium Falcon or Rise of the Resistance. They are the exact replicas on each coast.

What else can we do while visiting Galaxy’s Edge?