News Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance Standby Line and Boarding Groups at Disney's Hollywood Studios

[SplashJacket]

Hey y’all, I need to ask a bit of a favor.

I have been on the Disney Fantasy for the past week and thus I have been unable to keep updated with this thread.

Here is my primary issue: half my party has to leave the park by 4:00 at the latest in order to catch their flights.

I am not a fan of people’s who questions which are very easily found earlier in thread so I apologize in advance advance.

Essentially all I need to know is the ideal time to leave the Shades of Green resort in order to avoid the marathon slowdown and to get into an early enough boarding group to ride beforehand 4:00. Thanks so much!

Also, anyone know where @Magic Feather profile picture is from? I have been looking for it.

 

[surfsupdon]

I didn’t get up early to ride today, after riding yesterday. I love Disney, but this ride does not blow other rides away. Maybe I need better connection to the story and characters.

I do like Falcon more and more with each ride.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

Actually I do have reason to complain. I’ve been here at the park before 7 and gotten numbers under 50 multiple times. The complaint is about the busing and rude HS management.

Anyways, to conclude this mess - I am currently in line for the ride. Wilderness Lodge GM called again and chose to cancel our magical express and they are paying for an airport taxi.

I don’t doubt the HS managers were rude. They were rude to people just asking where to go to enter Star Wars land the last morning I was there.

I’m glad you complained to WL because Disney has done this to themselves by creating this need to be “in the park” at the time of park opening.

But still... a delayed bus, boat, monorail, etc. can happen at anytime. Getting fast passes at DAK and being moved to a taxi seems like more than adequate compensation... which is good. You paid a lot of money to stay at wilderness lodge, they should take care of you.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Hi all, I'm new here - is there a thread about RotR's operations that doesn't allow spoilers? I want to get tips on how to get on board (preferably earlier in the morning - I saw people suggest fully closing the app before getting a boarding pass?) and also to see generally how the ride is doing operationally, but am trying to avoid spoilers where possible.

This should do ya.

Ask if you have any questions.

Long time reader, first time poster

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. When should my party arrive?
   • At least 30 minutes prior to park opening to allow time to park, walk/tram to security, clear security, and enter the park
2. How do I get to Disney's Hollywood Studios?
   • Using whatever means you normally would. Buses start running at least 60 minutes before opening. If you are at one of the Epcot resorts, you can walk. You can take a Minnie Van or Uber/Lyft. You can drive. If you are at Caribbean Beach, Riviera, Pop Century, or Art of Animation, you can take the Skyliner.
3. When does the parking lot open?
   • At least 90 minutes prior to park opening
4. When does security open?
   • Around the same time the parking lot opens
5. Should I bring a bag or not?
   • It appeared to make no difference as long as you arrive to security at least 15 minutes prior to park opening
6. When will I be let in the park?
   • At least 30 minutes prior to park opening
7. What are Boarding Groups?
   • Boarding Groups work like Fast Passes in that they reserve your place in the virtual queue for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (RotR) instead of your party waiting in a standby line
8. When do Boarding Groups become available?
   • Boarding Groups only become available at the official park opening time
9. How do I get a boarding group?
   • You must use the My Disney Experience (MDE) app or have a Guest Experience Team (GET) Cast Member (CM) do it for you. Select all of the members in your party as you would for a Fast Pass to reserve your Boarding Group together.
   • Note: every member of your party must be inside Disney's Hollywood Studios (DHS) before they can join a Boarding Group
10. Does my entire party have to be inside Disney's Hollywood Studios to get a boarding group for everyone?
    • Yes, without exception, anyone who wants to join a Boarding Group together must be inside DHS. It does not matter where in the park you are
11. What if something happens with the touchpoint (i.e. I didn't have to scan my fingerprint) that I am not registered as "in the park"?
    • There have been no recent reports of this in the past two weeks. My entire family of 7 had no issues and we had 3 annual passes, one military salute, one comp ticket, and two one-day tickets between us
    • If you have an issue where the app tells you certain members of your party are not in the park, deselect them and continue to reserve a Boarding Group then find a GET CM as soon as possible
12. Do my tickets need to be linked to my My Disney Experience account?
    • Yes. Link the tickets before arriving at DHS or as soon after arrival as possible
13. Does everyone in my party need a My Disney Experience account?
    • No, but, like Fast Passes, everyone's tickets must be linked to the account of the person making the Boarding Group reservation; otherwise the unlinked people must make their own Boarding Group reservation
14. Will my friends and family be auto-selected when I get to the "Join a Boarding Group" screen?
    • No. You will have to select them manually, though there is a Select All button. If you have a large Friends and Family section, you may find it useful to remove the people who will not be with you at DHS
15. What if I do not have a smart phone or the My Disney Experience app?
    • You can use the My Disney Experience website or visit a GET CM
16. Should I use Disney Wi-Fi?
    • There are conflicting reports where some people have been successful using Disney Wi-Fi and others have not. If you have 4G LTE and your signal strength is two bars or more, I would recommend against using Disney Wi-Fi to book Boarding Groups
17. Should multiple people in my party attempt to book Boarding Groups at the same time for the same people?
    • Absolutely. Since each guest can only have one Boarding Group, whoever makes the reservation first will win, but, since Boarding Groups are reserved so quickly, time is of the essence.
    • Note: anyone who is not linked via My Disney Experience will have to make their own Boarding Group reservation
18. Should I cold-start the app or simply flip back and forth between My Status and Find Out More or the home screen and Find Out More?
    • This depends on your Internet connection. It appears that the Find Out More and My Status pages both trigger a web request to determine the status of Galaxy's Edge/RotR
    • Personally, I closed all the apps on my iPhone 11 and hit the MDE icon when my iPhone's clock flipped to 7:00AM (opening time on 1/1). The app loaded without incident and I was able to join a Boarding Group with the 5 other members of my party that my MDE account was linked to the first time. We received Boarding Group 43. My brother did the same with his iPhone 8 and received Boarding Group 60.
19. I arrived at 4AM for a 7AM opening and got Boarding Group 135 and the person next to me arrived at 6:59AM and got Boarding Group 7, what gives?
    • Due to the large volume of Boarding Group reservations occurring within a short time frame, the difference of a few milliseconds can mean receiving a Boarding Group much higher than the person next to you. This could be due to any number of reasons (i.e. phone model, apps running in the background, signal quality, tap speed, Internet routing, database transaction queuing, etc.)
    • By and large, it appears Disney is indirectly attempting to disincentivize arriving extra early for park opening by giving anyone who is inside the park an equal opportunity to reserve a Boarding Group
20. My party had to reserve Boarding Groups separately and one group received Boarding Group 43 and the other received Boarding Group 60, can we all be placed in Boarding Group 43?
    • Yes. First ensure that the person making the request is in the later Boarding Group and their MDE account is linked to the MDE account of someone in the earlier Boarding Group. Then visit a GET CM (there are always some waiting as you enter Galaxy's Edge from the former Streets of America entrance) and ask them politely to place you all in the earlier Boarding Group
    • This happened to my brother on his comp ticket not being attached to me when I made the Boarding Group reservation for the other 6 people in our party. Since he was attached to my mom and could see both Boarding Group reservations from his MDE, the GET CM took care of it
21. Can I leave the park after receiving a Boarding Group?
    • Yes. After rope dropping your first ride (or two), the wait times for most E-ticket rides at DHS will skyrocket because of all the happy people with Boarding Groups. You have two hours to return to RotR after your Boarding Group is called
22. When will my Boarding Group be called?
    • On a typical day, the ride averages 15-18 Boarding Groups per hour. A general rule of thumb is to take your Boarding Group number, divide by 15, and add that to the park's opening time. For example, my Boarding Group 43 was called at 9:57AM on January 1, which, by my estimation, should have been called around 9:52AM if the ride were averaging 15 groups per hour.
23. How do I know what Boarding Groups have been called?
    • There are signs in front of RotR, Frozen, and at the wait times chalk board (bet you didn't know that existed) as well as within the MDE by clicking on Find Out More. Sadly, that page does not auto-refresh and you have to click out of it and back in to refresh it. You can also click My Status if you have a Boarding Group and it will give you a graphic of your astromech droid preparing your place in line with a five-step process. The closer to the end, the closer you are to being called.
24. My Boarding Group was called, what do I do?
    • Proceed to the entrance of RotR to have your Magic Band or ticket scanned for entry, just like a Fast Pass. You have a two-hour window to return for the ride
25. What is the difference between a "planned" and "backup" Boarding Group?
    • A "planned" Boarding Group is exactly that, Disney has planned for RotR to operate long enough to permit all of the planned Boarding Groups for a given day an opportunity to ride that day. A "backup" Boarding Group has no such guarantees and may not be called at all
    • Note: A "planned" Boarding Group is not guaranteed to ride, but will receive compensation if, for some reason, the Boarding Group number is not called
26. What if my Boarding Group is not called?
    • If you have a "planned" Boarding Group but RotR is not operating efficiently enough to reach your Boarding Group number by the end of the day, you will receive a notification in MDE and Disney will offer each member of your party a one-day park hopper ticket and an anytime Fast Pass to RotR that will automatically appear in MDE. Simply return on another day (it does not have to be the next day) to use the park hopper and/or the Fast Pass. Depending on how egregious Disney considers the failure, you may also receive an anytime, any experience Fast Pass for any other DHS ride as well
    • If you have a "backup" Boarding Group and your number is not called, you will receive no compensation
27. What if I am riding Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance or simply in the queue and the ride breaks down to the point where guests are evacuated?
    • Like not having your planned Boarding Group called, you will receive a one-day park hopper ticket, an anytime Fast Pass to RotR, and an anytime, any experience Fast Pass for any other DHS ride as well
28. I have backup Boarding Group 137 but it appears that they have stopped at Boarding Group 136 for the night, can I still ride?
    • You can go to the entrance of RotR and ask if they will let you in. They might or might not depending on how backed up the queue is. If you were a guaranteed group and received compensation, they will not let you ride and keep the compensation
29. Why aren't guests staying on property being offered the opportunity to reserve Boarding Groups ahead of other guests?
    • This is the way Disney has settled on the Boarding Group process currently, like a raffle where you must be present to win
30. Are you issued a Boarding Group randomly?
    • Unlikely. The high volume of reservations occurring within such a short time frame is what results in the seeming randomness
31. What happens if Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance completes all the planned and backup Boarding Groups issued for the day before the day is over?
    • It appears that the ride then closes for the day, though the number of backup Boarding Groups issued on any given day is not made available. Asking a CM in Galaxy's Edge will get you accused of being a spy for the First Order, meaning they either do not know or Disney does not want you to know
32. When will Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance switch from Boarding Groups to Stand By-only like Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run?
    • No one really knows. My best guess is when the ride is operating with enough capacity and reliability that the anticipated wait time would not adversely impact guest experience and satisfaction
33. When will Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and/or Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run switch to Fast Pass?
    • Both rides have Stand By and Fast Pass entrances, so the short answer is "eventually". No one really knows when, though my best guess is when Disney feels that waits would not exceed 3-4 hours on a typical day. Disney wants guests walking around, having fun, and spending money. If they are stuck in a queue for 6 hours, they are not happy or spending money
34. When I arrive at Disney's Hollywood Studios, how do I know if Boarding Groups for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance are still available?
    • There are plenty of pop-up signs before the entrance to DHS, at the entrance to the DHS track of the Skyliner at Caribbean Beach, and within MDE to alert you to boarding group status
35. Is Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance worth all this extra effort?
    • The general consensus is that this is the best ride that has ever been created anywhere and most die-hard Disney/Star Wars fans will go to any effort required. However, the ride is not going anywhere, and it will eventually receive Fast Pass and a Stand By line
36. What was your experience like?
    • Thank you for asking! I went and rode once, on January 1, 2020, a 7AM opening for DHS. My party of seven adults arrived in three separate cars between 6:30 and 6:35AM. We all walked to security separately. Some of us had bags and some did not. We were all through security by 6:45AM, though not all together because the no-bag line was faster than the bag line. We went through the touchpoints separately and met up in front of Oscar's at 6:55AM. Our group had three annual passes, one military, two one-day base tickets, and a CM comp ticket. The group directly in front of me flashed at the touchpoints, so I had to wait for a minute or so while a CM pulled them aside to figure out what was wrong. Once inside, we proceeded through the camera shop up past Trolley Car to the Sunset/Hollywood intersection Even though there was a mass of people, there was constant movement towards Starbucks. At 6:57AM, my brother and I closed all our open apps (he has an iPhone 8, me an iPhone 11) and when the clocks on our phones showed 7:00AM we both opened the app and reserved a boarding group without issue. I received group 43 with 5 of the members in my group that were connected to me in MDE and my brother received group 60. We then went straight to Slinky and waited 40 minutes for that. When we got out we got food at Woody's Lunch Box/Starbucks and had my brother added to our Boarding Group. Then we went to the 9:30AM Frozen because Smuggler's Run was a 160 minute wait. Right before Frozen ended we got the notice that our Boarding Group had been called at 9:57AM. We rode the ride together, were wowed at the experience, and then watched Muppetvision. Then we promptly left the park to take a nap because our Fast Passes didn't start until 6PM because I had anticipated getting a 100+ boarding group and leaving after Slinky.

 

[disneygeek90]

I didn’t get up early to ride today, after riding yesterday. I love Disney, but this ride does not blow other rides away. Maybe I need better connection to the story and characters.

I do like Falcon more and more with each ride.

Interesting take. Falcon gets seemingly worse for me every time, especially if I don’t know my whole shuttle. Somehow every group I’m with act like they have no idea what’s going on.

Objectively, ROTR does indeed blow every other attraction in WDW away when it comes to theme, story, and overall experience.

 

[disneygeek90]

Hey y’all, I need to ask a bit of a favor.

I have been on the Disney Fantasy for the past week and thus I have been unable to keep updated with this thread.

Here is my primary issue: half my party has to leave the park by 4:00 at the latest in order to catch their flights.

I am not a fan of people’s who questions which are very easily found earlier in thread so I apologize in advance advance.

Essentially all I need to know is the ideal time to leave the Shades of Green resort in order to avoid the marathon slowdown and to get into an early enough boarding group to ride beforehand 4:00. Thanks so much!

Also, anyone know where @Magic Feather profile picture is from? I have been looking for it.

While it won’t guarantee a pre 4pm ride, your only hope for it will be being in the park before 7am. Arriving 45 mins to an hour before seems to be plenty of time.

I am not sure what the marathon shutdowns will look like. I myself did not see any marathon business this morning coming in on 417 to West Osceola.

 

[surfsupdon]

Interesting take. Falcon gets seemingly worse for me every time, especially if I don’t know my whole shuttle. Somehow every group I’m with act like they have no idea what’s going on.

Objectively, ROTR does indeed blow every other attraction in WDW away when it comes to theme, story, and overall experience.

I’ll agree that I really felt involved, and part of an important mission. That felt REAL and was very impressive, especially the preshows!! I have been on better, more fun, more exciting attractions tho. But I’m glad so many really enjoy this ride!

 

[disneygeek90]

I’ll agree that I really felt involved, and part of an important mission. That felt REAL and was very impressive, especially the preshows!! I have been on better, more fun, more exciting attractions tho. But I’m glad so many really enjoy this ride!

I’m interested to hear what’s your top list?

 

[butterxcup]

So in line and WOW!! I’ve NEVER seen the line this long. We started in the entrance cave into GE and slowly walking up to touch points. It looks like the entire outdoor line is filled up as well. All cast members saying it’ll be at most an hour but even I don’t know about that...
(Still doing it of course)

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

Tower, Splash, Pirates, haunted mansion, Spider-Man, and Gringotts all are in the running as a tie with rise imho.

If we go to california I’d add Indy and Cars.

Rise is good, and the entire experience definitely adds a neat element that hasn’t been done before except in Gringotts.

 

[disneygeek90]

So in line and WOW!! I’ve NEVER seen the line this long. We started in the entrance cave into GE and slowly walking up to touch points. It looks like the entire outdoor line is filled up as well. All cast members saying it’ll be at most an hour but even I don’t know about that...
(Still doing it of course)

They’ve called up to 155 so there’s a lot of groups in there Good luck, let us know how long it takes.

 

[disneygeek90]

Tower, Splash, Pirates, haunted mansion, Spider-Man, and Gringotts all are in the running as a tie with rise imho.

If we go to california I’d add Indy and Cars.

Rise is good, and the entire experience definitely adds a neat element that hasn’t been done before except in Gringotts.

How is the Gringotts experience all that unique? Are you talking pre show or??

I actually think Spider-Man is incredibly overhyped. I don’t even really enjoy riding it let alone love it. But I know that’s an unpopular opinion.

 

[butterxcup]

They’ve called up to 155 so there’s a lot of groups in there Good luck, let us know how long it takes.

That and FP is being used by guests who missed out earlier today. Gotta say, this ride is NOT ready for FP if this massive line is due to that. I saw a group enter fastpass line maybe every 2-3 min and every switch back is open outside. We’ve made it about 20ft from entrance area and currently at a full stop.

 

[disneygeek90]

That and FP is being used by guests who missed out earlier today. Gotta say, this ride is NOT ready for FP if this massive line is due to that. I saw a group enter fastpass line maybe every 2-3 min and every switch back is open outside. We’ve made it about 20ft from entrance area and currently at a full stop.

I’m pretty sure they were at 90 at about 3pm... so they called around 65 groups the last three hours, well above their typical pace.

I guess they’d rather call everyone and give them a chance to ride than not call them at all.

 

[butterxcup]

Update: might possibly take back that FP statement cause I think the ride might just actually be down.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

How is the Gringotts experience all that unique? Are you talking pre show or??

I actually think Spider-Man is incredibly overhyped. I don’t even really enjoy riding it let alone love it. But I know that’s an unpopular opinion.

I was referring to the preshow yes. I think Gringotts and Rise follow the same model of pre-show as part of the experience. The gringotts ride system is also very unique of course. The best part of the ride is at the beginning but man that’s an incredible surprise if you don’t know what’s coming! (Which I didn’t).

 

[Kate F]

This is probably one of those instances where it’s important to make a distinction between “best attraction” and “favorite attraction.” Because while a ride like RotR might be technically superior to every other attraction, that doesn’t mean it’s going to be my new favorite. And whenever I get the chance to ride it, I don’t think it will become my favorite. But you never know.

 

[disneygeek90]

I was referring to the preshow yes. I think Gringotts and Rise follow the same model of pre-show as part of the experience. The gringotts ride system is also very unique of course. The best part of the ride is at the beginning but man that’s an incredible surprise if you don’t know what’s coming! (Which I didn’t).

I can see where you’re going but it doesn’t compete with Rise, imo. Gringotts is fun and I have a Universal AP as well, but they are woefully hurt by too many 3D screenz. Hagrids was a breath of fresh air.

 

[butterxcup]

We have movement but honestly can’t tell if it’s from the ride being up or from families leaving the line. Hopefully will be able to clarify that soon once we get around some rocks.

 

[gerarar]

We have movement but honestly can’t tell if it’s from the ride being up or from families leaving the line. Hopefully will be able to clarify that soon once we get around some rocks.

Hopefully y'all get to ride it tonight! The way I see it, if they can't get it running in the next 30 mins, they'll might dump the queue and hand out FP's, since the park closes at 8pm. But hopping for the better for y'alls!