Wk 21: My Experience on Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance!!!
Since Star Wars: Galaxyâs Edge at Disneyâs Hollywood Studios was a great addition to the park on August 29, 2019, the land was supposed to open their headliner attraction, but it got delayed. Instead, the only ride guests were able to do was Millenium Falcon: Smugglers Run, where Hondo Onaka recruited you to fly the most beautiful hunk of junk in the galaxy. It really is a cool ride, where you can be Pilot, (to steer the ship and make the jump to lightspeed), Gunner, (where you can fight off enemy ships) and Engineer (to fix issues on the ship), but it is nothing compared to what Star Wars:Rise of the Resistance is.
This attraction is so much better than Smugglers Run hands down, because youâre not in a screen based only attraction like Star Tours, but it is made up of several different components that make this the most immersive experience that Walt Disney Imagineering has ever created!
With 3 preshows, 6 different ride systems, and more than 60 animatronics, there are multiple effects, props, projections, and screens spanning across a 2-story show building, which are very mind-blowing. All the windows inside the attraciton look out into space. One of my personal favorite effects was Kylo Renâs lightsaber cutting through the ceiling of an elevator.
The First Order officers stay in character at all times, and they make the experience more immersive than ever before, especially when you become interrogated by both General Hux and Kylo Ren, before the Resistance comes for you and helps you escape the Star Destroyer and from the evil grasp of the First Order! I enjoyed the experience so much, that this attraction is capable of re-ridability. This is a massive attraction, and is currently the best attraction that was created by Imagineers in all of Disney Parks history!!!
This is a must-see attraction and one that is in high demand at the moment, so if you plan on riding Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, you must arrive at Disneyâs Hollywood Studios early (like 5:00 AM early) and wait for the gates to open. Once the Cast Members start letting guests onto Hollywood Boulevard, make sure to have a My Disney Experience mobile account and have your friends and family linked to your Family and Friends list. Once you have the app all ready to go, you must wait for 7:00 AM (hours may vary). Once you reach park opening time, then you must reserve your boarding group quickly. I did it quick enough to get boarding group 35. The faster you do it, the lower the group number you will be in, and also donât wait because the boarding groups are all out within minutes! You and/or  your party must be scanned in the park in order for your group to be confirmed (another words, anyone who is riding with you needs to be linked to your account or they are not able to ride). If you receive a backup boarding group, it depends on if you are able to ride or not, since you must wait for all the other boarding groups to be called, in order to see if there is availability for more riders. After you secure your boarding group, then you can do whatever you want in the park (or you can even leave the park) and you will receive a push notification in the My Disney Experience app in order to let you know when your boarding group is called. You then have two hours to return to the attraction entrance to scan your group in. Once you do that, you can experience Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance!
Note: Joining a boarding group DOES NOT guarantee the ability to experience Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, as stated in the My Disney Experience mobile app. Be aware that unexpected downtime (breakdowns) may occur. The âJoin Boarding Groupâ choice will be grayed out when no more boarding groups are available for the day.