My Rise of the Resistance Adventure

If you know me, then you know I love all things Star Wars. From the movies to books that are now considered “Legends,” I love it all. Even my favorite ride at Disney has always been Star Tours.

Me literally dressed as Star Tours for Disney Dapper Day. Dress by StiltskinsCupboard.

So of course I was counting down the days until Galaxy’s Edge opened. And while I loved the whole land and I would live in Batuu (the fictional planet they created for the park) if I had the chance, there was something missing. I went back to Hollywood Studios at the beginning of December with my family and was excited to feel that completeness of the Star Wars universe by riding the newest ride, Rise of the Resistance. But little did I know there was only one way to ride the Rise.

My friend Krista and I in the actually Falcon, something I’ve dreamed about since I was nine. And yes I did cry.

The only way to get on Rise is to be in the virtual queue. This, in theory, is a great idea - who wants to wait five hours for a ride? Universal uses a virtual queue for the entire water park Volcano Bay, and even some of their main theme park rides including Jimmy Fallon and the Fast and Furious. However, you and your party must be inside the parks to get a boarding pass on the Disney Experience App - and from all the talk online, the boarding passes go fast. Since we didn’t know this in December, I had to leave once again disappointed that I did not yet have the full experience.

The next time I went to Galaxy’s Edge was the beginning of February with my friend Emily. After missing the chance to go on it in December, I wasn’t playing any games. My friend came down from Minnesota, so this was her only chance for a while. I read every article, I asked every cast member friend I had, and I made a plan. We went to Magic Kingdom on Saturday and Super Bowl Sunday we went to Hollywood Studios.

The park was slated to open at 9 am and I was thrilled; that meant we could get up at 7 and still make it inside the park to get our boarding pass. But much to our chagrin, Disney decided to ruin our lives by opening at 7 am that day, meaning we had to wake up at 5 am to get to the park an hour early. Emily and I aren’t morning people, but our love of Star Wars was strong enough to get us out of bed.

Me and Emily selling each other out to Vader.

Emily and I arrived at Hollywood Studios around 6 am. It was impressive how well the cast members handled the multitude of nerds like us that had already congregated; this world-famous Disney crowd-control meant that we got in half an hour before the parks opened. We found a spot with good cell service in a shop near the entrance, as we were told the WiFi can be flaky. Both Emily and I had our phones ready with the app, fingers poised to attack at the precise moment. Everyone started cheering at 7 am on the dot, and we pounced. Once we got our boarding passes, there was a sense of relief all around the park.

We (mostly me) throughout the morning kept looking at the app to see if our boarding pass had been called. Finally, when we were inside Oga's Catania enjoying a Bespin Fizz and Cliff Dweller, our numbers were called. While in the queue (which honestly is amazing), we took pics and looked at all the Resistance gear around. In the first pre-show, we were fired up as Rey and Poe told us we needed to hurry - the First Order was coming to Batuu! Then a cast member ushered us to the side and we went backstage. At first I was excited - were we somehow blessed by the Star Wars gods and skipping the rest of the line? Was this our payback for our faithful love and devotion to them and to Disney? No, because fate is a cruel mistress, and we were told that the ride was broken and would be closing for an undetermined time. But, we at least were gifted fast passes to return when the ride was fixed.

You can tell if Rise of Resistance is running again by looking at the app and seeing if the boarding group numbers changed. Or, you can wait outside the queue like I saw many people do.

We monitored the queue and dashed back in when we saw it move again. This time the Star Wars and Disney overlords did take mercy and let us skip the line up to the preshow. We entered the second part of the preshow, our excitement rising along with the Resistance; but then, the music stopped, and I think our hearts did too - as a cast member appeared yet again to usher us away.

WE GOT THE STORMTROOPERS THE SECOND TIME!

Third attempt. we got a little further...and ONCE AGAIN were told it was broken. I suppose we could consider ourselves lucky, as at least we never got stuck on the actual ride - our suspension of disbelief might never have recovered. However, two night owls got up at 5 am specifically to ride this, and it was now the end of the night and the park was closing. I was heartbroken.

One of my friends I was texting with said I should tweet @WDWGuestService. They responded quickly and DMed me. They suggested we go to Guest Relations to talk to a cast member. As someone who has worked in Customer Service, I despise complaining to people. My goal in life is to be the opposite of “Karen.” However, even the cast members encouraged me to talk to them, so I took a shot.

It was far from the terrible experience I feared. The guest service cast member gave my friend a ticket for the next day (I didn’t need one as I’m a passholder) since luckily we were staying the night. They also gave us fast passes for the next day. Disney customer service for the win! - but please, could you also use your special fairy magic to make sure the ride works tomorrow?

The next morning we rode the sky liner, as we were staying at the Caribbean Resort - which I highly suggest if you are going to Hollywood Studios and Epcot. We went straight to the ride - and guess what? You’ve been with me this far, I bet you know. The ride was down again. However Emily didn't have a chance to try Blue Milk, so we got snacks and people/alien watched.

Finally, when watching the app we saw the boarding group numbers move and we ran (thanks to this experience, I’ll be in marathon shape in no time!). We held our breath as we walked through the preshow, listening for the silence that would spell our doom once more. We looked for the cast member that would inevitably draw us away with more fast passes and broken promises. But this time, no omen appeared, and we were led with fluttering hearts onto the ride. And yes, it was amazing. I don’t want to give too much away, it's better to go in with no spoilers in my opinion. I can’t wait to go on it again without fear of it stalling at any moment. I will try again next month. May the force be with me.

Here are my tips to ride Rise:

Get to Hollywood Studios at least an hour before the park opens, they will let you in early. Plus you can get in line for other big rides like Smuggler’s Run and Slinky Dog.
Don’t use the Disney Wifi because everyone will be on it.
Have everyone in your party try to get boarding passes, it gives you a better chance. (Also everyone in your party must be in the park to get a boarding pass)