Disney has announced newly-revamped boarding group procedures for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in light of guest feedback. Guests now have the option of booking as early as 7:00 AM on the day of their Disney Park Pass reservation from the comfort of their hotel room or any location “near” the park. Guests still have the option of securing a boarding group during the 2:00 PM virtual queue opening, however they must be in the park, and are not guaranteed a spot. Read on for more details on this latest iteration of the Rise of the Resistance boarding group procedure.
To better help guests visiting Disney’s Hollywood Studios plan ahead for their day at the park, Disney is piloting a new approach to the virtual queue system for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. Starting Nov. 3, 2020, here’s how it will work:
- Guests with a valid ticket or annual pass and a Disney Park Pass reservation for Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be able to access the virtual queue system and check for an available boarding group starting at 7 a.m. on the day of their park reservation. This can be done before you leave your Disney resort hotel, or wherever else nearby you might be at that time.
- Just as we do today, the virtual queue will reopen daily at 2 p.m. for anyone who wasn’t already able to join a boarding group earlier in the day. Note: Guests must be inside Disney’s Hollywood Studios to access this second virtual queue opportunity, and access to a boarding group is subject to availability and not guaranteed.
This new approach will hopefully make a day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios more enjoyable and relaxing, as guests no longer need to be inside the park each morning to request a boarding group for the first virtual queue opportunity. As a reminder, you need to be inside the park to request the 2 p.m. boarding groups.
To try to maximize the number of boarding groups we’re able to accommodate while adhering to current health and safety guidelines, we recently added a clear barrier between the two rows of seats on each First Order Fleet Transport vehicle inside the attraction. This enables us to invite more guests to board Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance each day.
The attraction’s virtual queue is only accessible via the My Disney Experience mobile app. To maximize your opportunity to secure a boarding group, here are some tips we recommend you check off your list prior to your day at the park:
- Register an account in My Disney Experience
- Download the My Disney Experience mobile app on your smart device or ensure you’re using the most updated version of the app before you arrive at the park.
- Have a valid Disney Park Pass reservation for Disney’s Hollywood Studios for the day you’re visiting
- Link all park tickets in your party to your My Disney Experience account
- Select one member of your party to access the virtual queue for everyone in your group; if multiple people in your party try to join the virtual queue simultaneously, that may complicate your ability to secure a boarding group
- Remember, virtual queue boarding groups are limited and subject to availability
This new pilot approach to the Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance virtual queue is designed to give guests the best possible experience during a day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
Finally. Still a dumb process though
How close do you have to be? My house is about 4 miles away.
Do we know what the “nearby” radius is? This is going to suck for locals trying to get a boarding group. Let’s face it, the likelihood of getting a good boarding group that actually boards during the 2pm drop is unlikely. If you actually want to ride you need to try for the first drop which is now 7am. So I need to drive to disney just for the drop, then leave and drive back for when the park actually opens. I guess I would have no problem hanging out at Disney Springs, but the stores aren’t open that early either.
“Near” the park is pretty ambiguous
How will this change affect us if we are staying off property? Will I have to drive on property to make sure I am “nearby”? We leave for Disney on the 11th! Thanks!
Its almost like there should be some sort of system where you can get a time slot ahead of time to get on the ride and then you can just get in line during that hour. Like a pass that allows you to get on fast.