Disneyland's Rise Of The Resistance - Reviews, Criticism, Deep Thoughts

[mickEblu]

After years of anticipation for this ride, I caved and took a brief weekend trip to Florida, and I have now ridden Rise of the Resistance.

Overall I thought it was a fun experience. Looks a bit to 'polished' for Star Wars, and many of the sets looked like they were designed to hide the screens. I'm not a fan of meshing animatronics with screens of actual actors. I feel like they need to pick one, since having both makes things feel a bit weird. The exception was Rey's transmission, which looked stunning... and was only hampered by Daisy Ridley's horrific acting.

Speaking of, I feel like any time real actors film scenes for an attraction they always feel a bit goofy. Weird.

The "hey we need to rush since this is urgent" stuff at the beginning comes across as corny and forced. And having your big 'escape' be on a slow moving trackless vehicle with little lateral movement, and frequent stops kills any tension than might be created. This was a problem that was solved way back in '95 with Indy... it's to bad they couldn't find a way to adapt that to this attraction.

The BB8 animatronic was stunning, and I enjoyed moving from outside to inside to outside within the attraction.

I like it better then the current iteration of Star Tours. It's not as good as Indy. Splash and Mansion are still the best two rides at Disneyland.

I'm really curious to see the long term impact of this attraction on Disneyland. How will it impact crowd flow through Critter Country? How will it maintain popularity now that the the sequel trilogy is basically over and will soon be forgotten? Which effects will break in a few months and never get fixed?

I wouldn't wait more then 20-30 minutes for the ride.

This has been one of my major concerns with GE. Not one real thrill ride. I could see how there could be disconnect with the subject matter and a slow moving trackless vehicle. With that said I’m happy to hear that drop is mildly thrilling. What’s your take on the finale? No spoilers please. Anyway, I hope I disagree with your overall take on ROTR at least a little bit because you are not making it sound amazing (and we usually agree) But it could be good to have expectations in check.

 

[networkpro]

Since this is the DL thread for Blackspire outpost, why not just go down the road to Knottsberry Farm for thrills?

 

[mickEblu]

Since this is the DL thread for Blackspire outpost, why not just go down the road to Knottsberry Farm for thrills?

You re lame

 

[Mickeyboof]

After years of anticipation for this ride, I caved and took a brief weekend trip to Florida, and I have now ridden Rise of the Resistance.

Overall I thought it was a fun experience. Looks a bit to 'polished' for Star Wars, and many of the sets looked like they were designed to hide the screens. I'm not a fan of meshing animatronics with screens of actual actors. I feel like they need to pick one, since having both makes things feel a bit weird. The exception was Rey's transmission, which looked stunning... and was only hampered by Daisy Ridley's horrific acting.

Speaking of, I feel like any time real actors film scenes for an attraction they always feel a bit goofy. Weird.

The "hey we need to rush since this is urgent" stuff at the beginning comes across as corny and forced. And having your big 'escape' be on a slow moving trackless vehicle with little lateral movement, and frequent stops kills any tension than might be created. This was a problem that was solved way back in '95 with Indy... it's to bad they couldn't find a way to adapt that to this attraction.

The BB8 animatronic was stunning, and I enjoyed moving from outside to inside to outside within the attraction.

I like it better then the current iteration of Star Tours. It's not as good as Indy. Splash and Mansion are still the best two rides at Disneyland.

I'm really curious to see the long term impact of this attraction on Disneyland. How will it impact crowd flow through Critter Country? How will it maintain popularity now that the the sequel trilogy is basically over and will soon be forgotten? Which effects will break in a few months and never get fixed?

I wouldn't wait more then 20-30 minutes for the ride.

I absolutely cannot stand when characters in a ride are "mixed media." Ariel is one of the worst offenders when it comes to inconsistency of appearance in a ride.

I would like to argue that the mode of transportation is absolutely fitting for the type of escape we're making. In the films, escaping a star destroyer or any bad guy fortress involves a bit of stopping at corners, slowing around turns, and a bit of madness too.

My take on the ride was, I loved how the vehicle never really stopped moving! I didn't think it stopped often at all. Theres a few moments when it *has* to stop, because of obstacles... but thats quite fun.

I too disagree on Rey's acting being "horrific." I was actually impressed at all the sincerity of the "talked at" moments, where we are being instructed.

After the ride, all I could think in my head was "I'm so glad this is going to be at Disneyland!!" The ride, in my book, is absolutely up there with Indy.

Splash would need to close for two years for a thorough renovation to be considered a best at the park.

 

[The_Mesh_Hatter]

B mode for the final Kylo Ren AA: the AA is hidden behind the fallen ceiling. the cars face 90 degrees clockwise of him towards the giant window into space. The screen behind the window shows him in a ship trying to shoot you down instead.

 

[Phroobar]

B mode for the final Kylo Ren AA: the AA is hidden behind the fallen ceiling. the cars face 90 degrees clockwise of him towards the giant window into space. The screen behind the window shows him in a ship trying to shoot you down instead.

Why would he attack his own ship? How is blowing us up going help him find the location of the Resistance base?

 

[britain]

B mode for the final Kylo Ren AA: the AA is hidden behind the fallen ceiling. the cars face 90 degrees clockwise of him towards the giant window into space. The screen behind the window shows him in a ship trying to shoot you down instead.

Good show!

 

[The_Mesh_Hatter]

Why would he attack his own ship? How is blowing us up going help him find the location of the Resistance base?

He might not be actually shooting us. I think what actually happened is he’s using the force from the ship to keep us in place. It’s weird because we just see him on the bridge, but it’s a decent alternative. I didn’t overthink it.

 

[TP2000]

So there is no standby for RotR at DHS?! The setup doesn't feel too much different than the opening of Radiator Springs. Pretty much you had to get a Fasspass within the first 30 minutes of park opening, otherwise your chances of riding were very slim. With breakdowns, the standby line rarely paid off (initially).

Do all members of the party have to be there to be to get in a boarding group?

Everyone has to scan inside the park before you can join a Boarding Group via the App, and there is no Standby line.

If you don't have a reservation for a Boarding Group that day, you are not allowed to wait in line. A Boarding Group is the only way to enter the queue to board the ride.

The only exception is a "Fastpass" that was issued to you because the ride broke down when you were on it via your Boarding Group that day. If the ride breaks down while you are on it, you get a Fastpass good for that day or the next day to try again.

Also, once all Boarding Groups have been distributed for the day, those with disabled cards can't get in. If you have a disabled card you still have to join a Boarding Group for that day to get on the ride.

Of course, this is how it has been handled for the last two weeks at WDW, not Disneyland.

It will be interesting to see how they do this at Disneyland, or if they make any changes to that process. If they don't, the only way a local Annual Passholder family is getting on the ride is by being out front of Disneyland's gates at sunrise and having everyone enter the park together and quickly grab a Boarding Group. And then you'll need to wait hours, perhaps most of the day, for your Boarding Group to be called so you can enter the queue.

Obviously, this is NOT how most SoCal AP's visit the park. This does favor the traditional tourist staying in Anaheim who would be spending the entire day at Disneyland anyway. If they don't change this Boarding Group process for this very low capacity ride, it's going to be quite a shock for most local Annual Passholders.

 

[Mickeyboof]

Everyone has to scan inside the park before you can join a Boarding Group via the App, and there is no Standby line.

If you don't have a reservation for a Boarding Group that day, you are not allowed to wait in line. A Boarding Group is the only way to enter the queue to board the ride.

The only exception is a "Fastpass" that was issued to you because the ride broke down when you were on it via your Boarding Group that day. If the ride breaks down while you are on it, you get a Fastpass good for that day or the next day to try again.

Of course, this is how it has been handled for the last two weeks at WDW, not Disneyland.

It will be interesting to see how they do this at Disneyland, or if they make any changes to that process. If they don't, the only way a local Annual Passholder family is getting on the ride is by being out front of Disneyland's gates at sunrise and having everyone enter the park together and quickly grab a Boarding Group. And then you'll need to wait hours, perhaps most of the day, for your Boarding Group to be called so you can enter the queue.

Obviously, this is NOT how most SoCal AP's visit the park. This does favor the traditional tourist staying in Anaheim who would be spending the entire day at Disneyland anyway. If they don't change this Boarding Group process for this very low capacity ride, it's going to be quite a shock for most local Annual Passholders.

Give em a shock!

 

[Phroobar]

He might not be actually shooting us. I think what actually happened is he’s using the force from the ship to keep us in place. It’s weird because we just see him on the bridge, but it’s a decent alternative. I didn’t overthink it.

That makes sense.

 

[TP2000]

Give em a shock!

No kidding. Especially with that Disabled Card thing.

Even at Radiator Racers, or whatever seasonally popular or brand new ride has already given out all Fastpasses and has a two hour line that day (Small World Holiday, Monsters After Dark, Chase-A-Baby, etc.), the AP's can still get into the Fastpass line with their Disabled Card.

Not so at this Resistance ride. If you aren't at the park gates at sunrise and you don't grab a Boarding Group the moment you scan inside the park, you aren't getting on the ride that day. Period.

Which is why I mention all this. I think it's going to be a huge shock for Disneyland AP'ers.

 

[shambolicdefending]

I think it's going to be a huge shock for Disneyland AP'ers.

My heart bleeds...

 

[Travel Junkie]

 

[SuddenStorm]

Wow, okay. Thank you for the review!

I consider Splash and Indy and Mansion to be part of a Golden Age of Disneyland era, and they are hard to top.

But how would you compare this Resistance ride to the best E Ticket of the Modern Era; Radiator Springs Racers?
Does Resistance top Radiator Racers?

Admittedly, I've never been a huge RSR fan. I enjoy it, but it's never been a priority. I'd have to ride Rise a few more times to really flesh out my opinions on it, but I do think that as an experience it's better then RSR. The race portion or RSR is far more thrilling then anything in Rise though, the the backdrop + kinetic energy RSR provides Cars Land is far better then what Rise provides for Galaxy's Edge.

This might be a mild spoiler... but Rise tries really hard to not have it feel like you're actually going on a ride at any point in time. Even the grouping and loading is done under the guise of an 'interrogation'. You don't see people exit the ride vehicles, and you don't stand on row 1 and wait for the gates to open. The resistance 'breaks through' a wall which then allows you to exit the interrogation room and board your escape vehicles. This is interesting, and if successful could really change how Disney designs E tickets in the future. This, in my opinion, might be the most innovative part of the ride.

 

[SuddenStorm]

This has been one of my major concerns with GE. Not one real thrill ride. I could see how there could be disconnect with the subject matter and a slow moving trackless vehicle. With that said I’m happy to hear that drop is mildly thrilling. What’s your take on the finale? No spoilers please. Anyway, I hope I disagree with your overall take on ROTR at least a little bit because you are not making it sound amazing (and we usually agree) But it could be good to have expectations in check.

The drop 'finale' was easily the most fun part of the ride.

Much like the rest of Galaxy's Edge, it's beautifully designed with so much potential, but it's hindered by a few creative choices that should have been avoided.

It really is a wonderful ride. Just not Haunted Mansion wonderful

 

[Professortango1]

This has been one of my major concerns with GE. Not one real thrill ride. I could see how there could be disconnect with the subject matter and a slow moving trackless vehicle. With that said I’m happy to hear that drop is mildly thrilling. What’s your take on the finale? No spoilers please. Anyway, I hope I disagree with your overall take on ROTR at least a little bit because you are not making it sound amazing (and we usually agree) But it could be good to have expectations in check.

I found Rise very thrilling. It is an escape attraction. Physical thrills are only one aspect of a thrilling experience.

 

[Mickeyboof]

Thrills. Sure, Rise could have been more “thrilling.”

I wouldn’t have minded if after the drop, the lift unnoticedly returned us to the top and gave us a second drop for the landing into Batuu.

Personally, I found the moment the doors open and we are rushed to the Transport ship more “thrilling” than any Universal ride.

I felt the rush of the wall being laser blasted open and the hurried “we’re with the Resistance- here to rescue you!!!” to be more thrilling than any roller coaster.

But that’s because some find story beats to be more thrilling than drops and high speeds, sure.

 

[mickEblu]

Thrills. Sure, Rise could have been more “thrilling.”

I wouldn’t have minded if after the drop, the lift unnoticedly returned us to the top and gave us a second drop for the landing into Batuu.

Personally, I found the moment the doors open and we are rushed to the Transport ship more “thrilling” than any Universal ride.

I felt the rush of the wall being laser blasted open and the hurried “we’re with the Resistance- here to rescue you!!!” to be more thrilling than any roller coaster.

But that’s because some find story beats to be more thrilling than drops and high speeds, sure.

A Star Wars battle escape attraction Should be physically thrilling. Plain and simple. It’s the whole reason they added the drop at the end. Whether that’s enough to satisfy my idea of what a Star Wars escape attraction should feel like, I’m not sure yet.

 

[George Lucas on a Bench]

It's definitely slow moving, but feels adventurous with all the corridors and rooms. It basically repeats the same thing over and over where something threatens you and you reverse away from it.

In retrospect, I think the Millennium Falcon ride should have been one of the preshows for this experience and an entire other thrill ride should have been built.