Bright suns, galactic travelers! We were here extra early at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, because it’s December 5th and you know what that means… OPENING DAY OF STAR WARS: RISE OF THE RESISTANCE! It’s also another very important occasion. It’s Walt Disney’s birthday!
When we first entered the park, we were handed a birthday button to celebrate Walt.
We were also handed information about how to join the virtual queue for Rise of the Resistance. There was no standby line today, so either you joined a boarding group or you weren’t going on the attraction.
All of the event merchandise was located far, far away from Galaxy’s Edge on Sunset Boulevard. It was available in Legends of Hollywood. To see all of the Opening Day merchandise, click here.
Throughout the shop, extra cash registers were set up.
Now let’s get into the action and head over to Galaxy’s Edge!
To confirm your boarding group, guests had to check in with cast members before even entering Galaxy’s Edge.
Once on Batuu, if you weren’t a part of a current boarding group, you weren’t getting anywhere close to Rise of the Resistance’s entrance. Batuu residents were forming a blockade.
This is as close as we could get. The entrance was pretty crowded. You can see what our experience was like riding Rise of the Resistance by clicking here.
Guests were still able to obtain their Resistance supplies at the kiosks adjacent to the attraction’s entrance.
Locals on Batuu were showing their support for the Resistance.
In Black Spire Outpost, a working Batuuan was determined to give the people what they want… BABY YODA! He had removed his hat to make Baby Yoda’s crib.
This fluffy Chewbacca was ready to get his drum on.
The line for Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run was a manageable 60 minutes.
It seems word of the Resistance uprising had made its way back to the First Order. Extra Stormtroopers were out patrolling the streets of Batuu and interrogating visitors.
By 8:30 this morning, all of the boarding groups were full for the day, which means if you didn’t get into a boarding group, you missed your chance to ride for the day.
Guests were being directed to use the main entrance to Galaxy’s Edge on Grand Avenue. The Toy Story Land entrance was being used as an exit only.
We decided to drop into Star Wars Launch Bay to see if there was any new merchandise. A new pin set had been released featuring Chewie and his droid pals. The set retails for $24.99.
We noticed that the Rise of the the Resistance X-Wing pin was available at multiple locations in the park, including Disney Studio Store and Tower Hotel Gifts. It costs $9.99.
Throughout Hollywood Studios, digital tip boards were set up to let guests now the current boarding groups for Rise of the Resistance. This one was set up on Commissary Lane.
After exploring the rest of the park, we swung back by Galaxy’s Edge to see if the crowds had settled down. There was definitely less chaos around Rise of the Resistance’s entrance than earlier in the morning.
Even with less people, security guards were still present to make sure all guests were behaving. We guess the First Order needed some back-up.
Well, that completes our day at Hollywood Studios. We hope you enjoyed following all of the Star Wars action. Are you excited to experience Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance? Let us know in the comments. As they say on Batuu, till the spire!
Do you have to be physically in the park (and not on property, say, your hotel room) to join as boarding group? And does your entire party need to be physically in the park as well to join a group?
Trying to minimize travel time if you wind up with an afternoon group.
I was there on the 8th and again on the 14th. Not only did you have to be physically at the park, but you had to already be through the turnstiles where you scan your Magic Band to join a boarding group. I don’t know if your entire party would have to be present to join or not as my husband and I entered together. Both days we ended up with an afternoon boarding group. On the 8th, we got to the park at 5 AM (for 6 AM extra magic hours, 8 AM regular open). They told us the boarding groups would open around 7:45 to 8ish. My husband checked at 7:30 and the boarding groups were already available to join. On the 14th, we got there at 6:30 for a 7:00 AM regular open. We were able to join the boarding group as soon as we fought the massive crowds and made it through the turnstile.
hello kelly ..thanks for the report have a question how is posible all the groups are full at 8.30am when the park open at 9.00am ? they have extra magic hours .. ???? 🤔
Park gates open about an hour before official opening so I assume boarding groups opened up sometime between then and 9 and naturally for a new ride filled in seconds
Thanks for posting. Was the rest of the park crowded or was it quiet with all the guests in Galaxy’s Edge?
I think it depends on where you go. My husband and I were there on the 8th and 14th. There were extra magic hours from 6-8 AM on the 8th. It was not crowded at all during that time and we rode a lot of attractions. Crowds picked up as the afternoon went on and then thinned in the evening. The 14th had a regular 7 AM open and was more evenly crowded all day. Rope drop was an insane mass of humanity all trying to shove through first to get a boarding group. We rope dropped Tower of Terror/Rock N Roller Coaster one day. Almost no one else did. My husband rode Rock N Roller Coaster 5 times in the first 45 minutes while I rode Tower of Terror 4 times during that same time. Toy Story Mania had some pockets where the wait was a walk on. Slinky Dog Dash stayed busy the entire time. Star Tours stayed 5-15 minutes all day both days we were there. Edna Mode had no wait when we stumbled upon her mid-afternoon. We had no problem getting seats for the shows, but we skipped Fantasmic.
I was there opening day. Arriving before official opening, I got group 112. Unfortunately, the ride shut down at group 108. After about 45 minutes it started up again, and I did get on. The next week I arrived at a little after 7 am, and got group 60. It was called at 11:50 am, and I was off the ride at 12:30 pm.