Since it first opened in December 2019, Rise of the Resistance has widely been considered THE must-do attraction in Disney World.
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
Given the ride’s popularity, guests are required to obtain a boarding group in order to experience the attraction, rather than waiting in an hours-long physical queue. Currently, boarding groups are made available twice during the day — once when the park first opens at 10AM and again at 2PM.
But as with other attractions around Disney World, capacity for Rise of the Resistance is limited, which means it might not be an easy feat to snag a boarding group. After hearing from many friends that they were not able to get boarding groups or ride the attraction, we decided to poll our audience to get an idea of just how many Disney World guests missed out on riding the most popular attraction in Orlando with the current system.
Why It’s So Hard To Get A Rise of the Resistance Boarding Group
In order to get a boarding group for Rise of the Resistance, there are a few important steps guests have to follow. First, every member of the party that plans on riding the attraction must have already entered Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Each member of the party must also be linked together on My Disney Experience.
Screenshot of My Disney Experience App
Disney recently made an update to the My Disney Experience app which automatically selects anyone eligible from your friends and family to obtain a boarding group at the time you’re requesting one, which should make the process quicker, especially for those with large parties. And since every second counts when it comes to securing a boarding group, this could make a huge difference!
Rise of the Resistance Boarding Group
But while Disney has made improvements to the process of obtaining a boarding group, we’ve still heard reports about (and personally experienced) the ongoing difficulty of grabbing a spot in the virtual queue. In fact, just the other day we spotted a long line of guests who were unable to get a boarding group, waiting to speak with the Guest Experience Team.
Line for the Guest Experience Team
We’ve regularly seen the 10AM boarding groups fully distributed within a matter of minutes…sometimes seconds. And since the 2PM boarding group availability can vary based on attraction downtime earlier in the day, trying in the afternoon is certainly not a “sure bet” either.
Rise Preshow
We wanted to get a feel for the experience of our readers, so we asked our Instagram followers, “Have you tried unsuccessfully to get a Rise of the Resistance boarding group on a visit to Disney’s Hollywood Studios recently?”
And it looks like quite a few people have run into some struggles lately! Of the first 300 responses we received, 205 said YES they have tried unsuccessfully to get a boarding group, 68 said NO they have not experienced any issues and 27 said other difficulties outside of getting a boarding group kept them from experiencing the attraction.
Pie Chart of Our Readers’ Responses When Asked If They’ve Unsuccessfully Tried to Get a ROTR Boarding Group Lately
Let’s take a closer look at some of the responses!
“Yes, I’ve unsuccessfully tried to get a Rise of the Resistance boarding group!”
Of those who responded, 68% said they’ve recently tried to get a boarding group but they were unsuccessful. Many mentioned that they were ready to go as soon as the boarding groups became available, but availability was still gone before they had the chance to complete the process. “Yes, within seconds of 10AM I got the red screen that it was full.”
Lieutenant Beck on Rise of the Resistance
Others said that technical difficulties kept them from snagging a group. “Yes, just today. Guest services said they had a major system problem this morning.” A few different types of glitches were mentioned which caused hangups for our readers. “Yes! It said that we were not in the park, even though we had scanned tickets.” We here at DFB have actually had this issue too!
We asked our readers: Do you think Space 220 will open by the end of the year? Here’s what they said.
“No, I’ve been able to get a Rise of the Resistance boarding group without any issues!”
On the other hand, not everyone has run into trouble. Of those who responded, 23% said they’ve recently been able to snag a boarding group with no issues. Some mentioned that they were able to join a group in the 10AM drop. “Nope! We got groups 5 and 6 on two separate days last month.”
Rise of the Resistance
And others mentioned they were successful with the afternoon drop. “No. We went into Hollywood Studios two days after noon and got boarding groups on both days at 2PM.”
We asked our readers: Who is the REAL star of the Haunted Mansion. Here’s what they said!
“I didn’t have trouble with the boarding groups, but I STILL wasn’t able to ride!”
Others mentioned that while getting a boarding group wasn’t the issue, they ran into another problem which kept them from experiencing the attraction. Of those who responded, 9% fell into this category. Some received a backup boarding group that didn’t end up getting the chance to ride. “Yes and no. I was given a ‘backup group’ that was never called.”
Rise of the Resistance
And others DID receive a numbered boarding group but were still unable to ride due to delays throughout the day. “Was excited to get [boarding group] 32 and STILL didn’t get to ride.” Some respondents also mentioned that the attraction didn’t open at all on the day they visited. “I got a boarding group the day it never opened because of a lightning strike the night before.”
You can watch a video of that very lightning strike HERE!
So, while about a quarter of those who responded have been able to grab a Rise of the Resistance boarding group without issue, the majority of respondents have run into some hurdles while trying to fight the First Order! What has YOUR experience been with obtaining a boarding group?? Let us know in the comments!
So How Can You Increase Your Chances of Getting A Rise of the Resistance Boarding Group?
Is this survey scientific? Nope. Are people who did not get on the ride more likely to respond? Very possibly. But the results are compelling, and it’s worth it to focus a little bit harder on your strategy to ensure you get a Rise of the Resistance Boarding Group these days! Especially as the parks are getting a bit more crowded in general than they were at reopening in July.
We’ve got some great tips for making sure you get the best possible chance for scoring a Rise of the Resistance Boarding Group on your visit. While we can’t control the weather or Disney’s ride systems failing, we can help you to be as prepared as possible for success!
Check out our 5 Tips to Guarantee A Rise of the Resistance Boarding Group article here!
May the Force be With You!
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We went to Disney the last week in August. Tried for the 10:00 and, surprisingly, got it. The ride went down but a couple of hours later our group was called. First time on the ride and loved it.
We went to WDW the last week in August and spent 4 days at HS. Got on ROTR each day we were there. First day group 82 from the 2pm line, second day group 1 from the 10am line, third day group 16 from the 10am line and last day group 83 from the 2 pm line. I figured we were fortunate because of how smoothly everything went but after reading this I realized we were extraordinarily fortunate.
Our family tried to get on Rise of the Resistance today and it was gone in less than 1 second for both 10am and 2pm. Not an exaggeration. We were counting down the seconds and when it turned 10:00:00 we clicked and it was gone. But not everyone can be THAT fast which makes me think perhaps there is a new glitch? We were honestly too tired to wait in line at Guest Services to figure it out after 2pm. Just curious if anyone else experienced something like this.
We were there today (Sept 22), clicked at 2 pm and it couldn’t load our party. I didn’t take a screen shot, but it was something like having trouble accessing our group.
We’re annual passholders who have never been on this ride and I wonder why they just don’t do fast passes.
We only went there to try to get on ROTR. Since we can’t park hop, we went back home. We’ve tried several days since the park reopened, no luck. I wouldn’t mind so much if I could just go to another park.
The Studios was crowded enough that it was 105 minutes wait for the Mickey Minnie ride. The line for Slinky Roller Coaster was nearly at the Little Mermaid. Toy Story Midway Mania was past the area by the Woody sign.
Definitely not a good time.
We were in the hot tub at BLT last week and, of the five other families that were sitting with us, only one other had ever gotten a boarding pass. And she was a travel agent so I imagine she was in the know. We tried to get boarding passes on two days. The first day it could not recognize that we were in the park. Later in the day, the Guest Experience TEam reset our magic bands and gave us a FP for the MIckey and MInnie Railway. The second day, we did manage to get one at 10am, but I had to be fast. It’s crazy to see everyone sitting around the park staring intently at their phones.
We just visited the park on September 23rd for my husbands birthday and no we did not get on. We were at and in the park by 9:30am. At 10am we tried to get in and nope, tried at 2pm and still was not able to get in. This park was over crowded even with the CDC rules the park had long lines for us to stand in . With masks on and the heat it was just plain awful.
We are passholders and have not been able to get on this ride at all. I did not like the fact that there were people going through the fastpass entrances and just getting right on.
Hollywood studios and magic kingdom were over crowded and very long lines and very hot to out in a mask and then when you had to take a sip of a drink some people yelling at you to keep your mask on, but Epcot we had a very nice time. The lines were not long and it was not over crowded and you could enjoy yourself.
Gotta say they need to fix has this ride is because right now it stinks. You should be able to wait in line, or fastpass it. It is very sad that people who come to the park can’t even get on and enjoy their day but when people can’t get on their day is done and they have to stay at this park.
I agree with the prior comments. We just got back from a visit and Hollywood Studios was crowded. Rise boarding groups were gone in less than 2 seconds. Magic Kingdom was pretty crowded but not nearly as bad as Hollywood Studios. Epcot and Animal Kingdom were fine. We still had a good time but people should be aware that the parks are not as empty as they might think.
Just returned home from a week at WDW. Went to DHS twice 9-22 & 9-25. Tried all 4 times for a pass for a party if 2, all 4 times was a bust just as soon as I added my wife a clicked, it was full and that was within seconds. Very disappointing to echo other comments the park itself was modestly crowded, but only because all the lines were insanely long 105 for MM RAIL, 70+ SLINKY 55+ FOR HTH & RR. It was ridiculous. Enough with this already. Drop the pointless mask requirement, restore FPs and shows and get back to normal. Anyone who doesn’t feel safe can stay home. I don’t feel safe jumping out of airplanes, but others do. But I don’t try to impose my fears onto them! This, is no different.
I was there on Saturday the 19th. About 9:55 I turned off the Disney wifi, shut off my phone, and turned it back on. Then at 9:59 I hit join and just kept pulling down to refresh until 10am. I got group 8. The people right next to me in line for Slinky Dog did not. Super crowded and HOT that day but RoR was amazing.
Disney should build a duplicate building and have two separate buildings that will house this ride. It would cost Disney probably 25 million dollars to do it but they would have a lot less disappointed visitors if they did that so it would be well worth the investment
We were there mid August and got boarding group 3 our first day at HS. It was fantastic! We didn’t try on our second day as our little was NOT a fan. We will have to try again when she is older.
We were in line for Slinky Dog and we realized that we would be ON the coaster at 10:00. My friend had gotten on a few times, and had told us the more people in your group try, the better your chances. So there we were, riding the ride, all trying to refresh our page, and add everyone in our group. She was successful- she shouted to us right before we got to the part where you quickly go up and down. It felt very appropriate as we shouted, “Wooohooo!”
I think to help alleviate the issue, people who have already experienced the ride should be allowed to do so a max of two times a month. This would be a huge customer service win for Disney. Can be easily monitored and level the playing field a bit. Everyone who wants to should have at least one chance to enjoy this ride. Great way to alleviate parents having to console children who had their hearts set on riding this since they don’t understand the method.
We couldn’t get 10:00 but did get 2:00 back up boarding group on a day it rained. Don’t know if that helped or not, but we left park, went to dinner at a resort, and noticed they were calling backup boarding groups. We got back on bus after dinner and was able to ride ROR. It was great! So if you get a back up boarding group, keep checking the app because you might get to ride!
I would like to know if it made difference if the person was staying at a Disney hotel or not.
Fortunately, being a DVC member and going to WDW often enough I think I might be able to get on this ride by 2022. Maybe by then the interest will die down enough to actually ride! The only thing I think is a bit disappointing is that knowing how spectacular this ride is those who have been on might consider others would like to see it too and not go on it once a day for their full trip. Let others have a chance to experience the ride.
This is bad enough but since you can’t park hop anymore this makes it even more impossible. A 23% success rate is unacceptable IMO.
We went back in December 2019. Arrived at the park at 5:15am, park opened at 5:30am, we got inside and waited for the ropes to drop at 6:00 am .. started refreshing the “my Disney experience” app every couple of seconds … got into group 22 at 6:02 am. It was intense and stressful, especially with my Disney freezing over and over. My best recommendation is to have everyone in the group refresh over and over and over. I think it is a random luck of the draw thing 🙁
We’ve had no luck either. Tried 2 different days at both 10 and 2 and within seconds…yes, seconds…all groups were full. Very frustrating!
Terri, excellent idea and this would be the fairest way of they don’t bring back fast passes. Will, silly comment about the masks. Just don’t visit.
We were there the week before. My husband, daughter and I started queuing the 10:00 slot as soon as we entered the park. We sat down at Starbucks. We were all giggling because we were all tapping our phones for an hour. I don’t know if that’s why, but we were able to snag group 3 on the first try. We were called during lunch. Took a snap of our reservation and they let us que after the lunch was over at Olga’s. Get drinks, not snacks.
We were at the Studios on September 16, Wednesday. I asked ahead of time for tips from guest assistance and they recommended not using park wifi but LTE. They also said move as fast through the screens as you can. Like Continue, continue, … I accomplished everything in less than 9 seconds and I did not get a boarding group for 2. Same thing occurred at 2pm. I have been to WDW 3 times, (Dec. , March, and Sept) and have not been able to get on this ride. I’m very discouraged.
We went to HS on Wednesday 9-23. Our party of 3 was in the park at 9:58. My wife grabbed boarding group 7. And by t
he time e walked to ROR.we walked right on. All I can say, is we lucked up.
We are DVC members And as others have said, we probably will not go back to the parks until there are no mask.
I’m to the point where I just want to give up in that ride! And as I read about this ride, I tear up every time because it’s so depressing that only a handful of people get in to ride it! And it’s only those who Are groups that get in! It’s completely unfair to those such as myself who goes alone!
So I’ve tried 3 times now with no luck! The first time was in February, I was early like everyone else, people around me were getting boarding groups, but not me! Come to find out later that night, someone had hacked into my my Disney experience and basically took my boarding pass!
The second and third time was just last weekend! I tried at 10, but it was a no go! I tried at 2 and I got a backup group of 104! I asked the cast member how likely I would get on and he said it all depends if the ride doesn’t break down! But at boarding group 69 I received the message that they were at capacity!
I’ll never get to ride it!
My boyfriend and I were at HS on a Thursday the first week of September. We got into boarding group 1. Only took a few minutes for our text saying to come over to the ride. When we got there we were told the ride was down….. We were boarding group 1..? We didn’t get on for several hours and were repeatedly told to come back. Perhaps the most frustrating thing was we kept getting different information from cast members about whether or not to wait in the “meaningless queue that guests made themselves”. I was explicitly told by one cast member that they were close to getting the ride fixed and that I should wait in line. But why would I wait in a line for a ride that has a VIRTUAL queue? After a couple inquiries with different people throughout the morning, another cast member finally told me “off the record, if a ride is down, never wait for it.” So glad that guy kept it real with me.
We went to Hollywood Studios two days during the week of Labor Day.
We got boarding groups 2 and 3 respectively.
The first day we made it through the ride after standing in line twice and then being let in through the fast pass line after it broke down just before we got to board the “transport”. So after 3 hours of wasted in line we made it through but not a full ride / experience.
The second day even with boarding group 3, we wasted over 4 hours standing in lines and never got to the ride with nothing more than a sorry you can get back in the line again when it’s fixed. Needless to say we did not waste any more time in the line. I was so beyond upset I was ready to leave the park all together after wasting over $300 for my family to do nothing more than stand in a stupid line with absolutely nothing to show for it. Never plan to return to Hollywood Studios after this complete waste and Disney doing absolutely nothing to make up for it!
5 trips to DW in last 7 years. Family of 4 trip to Disney, 4 days with 1 day at HS on October 9. All 4 of us tried at 10am and 2PM and no success. All boarding groups filled in a matter of seconds was extremely disappointing. Bottom line, given all of the pandemic related changes to the whole DW experience, there will need to be a number of changes before we return to DW including solve the problem for RotR access for all guests.
I was there last Thursday. Walked in around 1:50 off the plane. Turned off WiFi and waited. Clicked join queue at 2. Got back up group 96. We were still able to ride. There was a ride breakdown right before we were supposed to get on so we were stuck in line a long time but we hung on and it was worth it.
Sue S. – We are annual passholders as well, and live in St Augustine. I have tried twice, since the reopening with no luck. We haven’t ridden yet. We booked the Swan Resort and walked over, to specifically have the easy access to the park. My goal was to ONLY ride the ride. Attempted at 10. I even had my son hold his phone out next to me, with a time countdown, in seconds. By 10:01, I already got the “the ride has reached its limit” in red notification. Very very frustrating. Even worse, when I checked wait times for other rides in the park, within a couple minutes, they were over an hour wait. We literally left and walked back to the hotel. I did vent my frustration to a CM, when exiting the park. She told me to try at 2. Since we were already scanned into the park for the day, I tried at 2, from our hotel, with hopes to snag the boarding pass. Again, got the same notification within 1 second! No luck. I was so frustrated and disappointed. A wasted reservation Disney day, which is limited and hard to get, in itself. The fact there is no park hopping, is another frustrating. My daughter and husband went to Epcot for the day. We would have definitely went over and joined them, if we could have. They need to bring back the park hopping. Especially if they are increasing their park capacities, which is definitely the case lately. We went a couple times when they first opened back up, and there’s definitely a noticeable difference the last couple times, with the amount of people in the park. Back in August we went to HS, with no luck of riding it then. We did complain at customer service. They just give you the “so sorry” , with a smile shrug. They only suggest writing an email to guest services. I did that this time. Haven’t heard anything, and I’m going to suspect I won’t. If they do for one, they have to do for everyone. I’m sure they won’t go down that road. It’s definitely frustrating though. I just want to ride it ONCE! If/when we do, we will step back from any further attempts, so that others can. I feel the most sorry for people who come from far away, and don’t get to. It’s crazy.
We were there on Sunday 10/17 and tried to get on. The 10 am and the 2 pm. Within seconds rhe boarding groups were full and we weren’t able to get on.
We went on Sunday, 10/18. We got a backup boarding group – number 100. We knew we weren’t guaranteed to ride, but we waited. We were so excited for a chance!!! Finally around 6:15 PM we were called!!! We waited for an HOUR in line inside the ride. It barely moved. Then, at 7:15 the lights come on, and we are evacuated out of the building to the read parking lot due to an emergency alarm going off. We were there for maybe two minutes, and then cast members escorted us through the gate and sent us home. We waited all that time for nothing! We came so close and didn’t get to ride. I am so disappointed and frustrated. I don’t even want to try again.
We received a backup boarding group at the 2 PM drop and at 5PM we got a text we would not be accommodated. They got to group 102 and we were 106. The ride was temporarily closed at that time so I assume that was the delay. Super bummed, will try again when I’m back in 6 months haha 😆
Was there July 18 days after reopening and got a boarding group both days we were in HS. Went back in early October and boarding groups were gone in literally 2 seconds at 10am. Definitely more people in the parks now and it’s more challenging.
Ted L My wife and I were @ HS 22 Sept. We are passholders. Tried to join a group within seconds of opening and were unable to get onto the attraction. we have up.
I wish your articles were dated at the top of the page by the title…
My wife and I did a “recon trip” on 10/11. Never got a boarding pass on the Rise of Resistance. Missed the 10:00, on time for the 2, yet full.
We were there 10/23, with our daughter and son-in-law. They never got a pass at 10. At 2 we were all at the ready at 2. All 4 phones. My wife got a pass, added our group of 4 and got, the “Boarding Full” note , FULL. This was 2 seconds after 2:00.
Today our daughter (die hard star wars person) and son-in law were at the park before opening, waiting. STILL, FULL.
Something is wrong with a ride when fewer than 68% of people can not get a pass, when passes are gone in fewer than 4 seconds.
The other thing, the other Star Wars rides yesterday had lines at least as long as 70 minutes…. A few weeks ago, on a Tue. , 50 minutes. And even with that, at Smugglers run, I watched numbers of people getting straight in thru the DAS disability, when no one in the group appeared to have ANY disability……
So, for me, the whole Hollywood Studios Park is “BROKEN”. And an outright RACKETT. “T” shirts , not even cotton $36. and made in China……$100. to assemble a Droid , after you buy the parts and you still have to pay for stickers. $130. for a light saber handle, plus the light and plus the case….. Total North of $200… really.
Can’t get on more that 2-3 rides in the day , all due to lines. Everything is way over priced. The place is a “BUST” for me.
Hi, Mashy. I’ve passed this suggestion on to the team.
Queue was booked in seconds. I’m convinced that Disney has alga rhythms that are in place to give priority to guests who are staying at Disney resorts, for multiple days. It will boil down to the more you are spending at Disney, the higher your priority will be to get in the queue
I have been going several times since the park opened and I have not been able to get on this ride once. But Mickey’s runaway railroad I have been on 4 times. I am very discouraged by this.
We were there in November and it was gone that exact second. I clicked it at exactly 7 am(the time it was offered then) and it was gone! They shouldn’t let locals and others ride it but once the first year of opening. So everyone that travels there can get a chance to ride it. VERY upsetting!!!
Did not get in queue