Today, for the first time, guests are able to wait in a standby queue for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The virtual queue is no longer available (though may be available on busy days in the future). We were at Disney’s Hollywood Studios this morning to see how the first day of standby waiting would go.
As is standard during rope drop at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Cast Members had signs to direct guests to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. We were let into the park at 8am.
We weren’t the only ones looking to visit Batuu today.
A line for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance instantly formed.
The line was kept to the right side of the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge entrance.
Cast Members helped corral guests.
We reached the Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance entrance at about 8:39 AM.
The “stand by” has been flipped down over the “virtual” sign.
It took us only four minutes to make our way through the line to the first pre-show.
By the time we exited the ride, the queue had extended with rope and tape.
The wait time settled at about 180 minutes as of 9:23 AM this morning.
By 9:40 AM, the line stretched through the entrance tunnel into Grand Avenue.
How do you feel about Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance doing away with boarding groups? Let us know in the comments.
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Disney guests: We hate the virtual queue system! We don’t understand why you think it’s necessary.
Disney: Ok… you’ll see.
Tower of Terror has a 15-minute wait at rope drop because there’s a three hour wait at Rise of the Resistance.
There were a lot of complaints about it, and you really had to know how to game the system to get a boarding pass during the really busy days (follow the world clock and try to click in a few seconds early), but that queue also looks like a lot to manage.
I think monitoring the wait times over the course of the day and the next few weeks would give the best picture of whether this is a good idea or not. If it’s constantly a 3+ hour wait, the virtual queue might just need to be the way to go unfortunately.
Such a bad idea. Why why why?
Greedy and reprehensible! A 3 hour wait just so Disney can charge big bucks for special Lightning Lane perks. All that matters to them now is money 💴!
Yes, they forced those people into the line, thereby forming a 3 hour line, and giving the rest us more reason to use Genie+. You just wanted to make a greed comment, no matter how little sense it made here.
Unfortunately people will complain whatever happens. Virtual queue is enabled – its given hate. Virtual queue is disabled – its given hate. Lighting lane will arrive – its given hate. If everything Disney gives them hate… why not move on unto other things? This will generate hate.
I agree with you. Its not like they forced them to be in line.
Its true what you are saying, I would be more upset to go to the park and not being able to get on the ride. I don’t leave in the Orlando area so I can not go every day, my trips are once a year. So if I have to be in line 3 hours to be able to get on the ride, let it be.
I do not live in USA. Ive been twice to Disney World and trip is quite expensive for us. When Genie+ arrives if paying the lighting lane assures me to ride ans be able to do more things, Ill pay. Having a single day at Hollywood Studios in a trip I do not know ‘when’ Ill be able to repeat… thats an easy choice for me.
Disney is pay-to-play no matter how you look at it. You either “pay” with your time or you pay with your money. That’s just the way it is. Until people stop going, stop waiting 180 minutes, or stop paying for price increases for things like the Genie+ program, Disney will just continue to charge more. Like any business they are trying to find the threshold between profile and lost revenue. Definitely don’t like it, but they are just like any business.
Or maybe the ride is just really popular and it’s the first day of standby. Give it a couple weeks and see where we are.
Or a couple of hours…
Virtual Queue will be back. This is just so that people will have some small reason to be excited when it comes back as part of Disney Genie…
Got to get a big queue in place ready for ‘lightning lane’ money to start rolling in soon.
The problem is not the queueing system. It is the fact that the ride has nowhere near the capacity to serve the number of guests at the park, no matter how long the wait is or by what method. This was extremely foreseeable – it is just basic math. It is an unresolvable bottleneck unless they basically duplicate the ride so there are two tracks, doubling capacity.
We rode on it Monday with the virtual queue and had a wait inside the ride after “being captured”, which after experiencing it first last Januaury with no bottle-necking, made this experience kind of sad. Standing in a queue line inside just took the magic out of the experience. I can’t imagine how everyone felt today.
At noon the wait is 75 minutes. That doesn’t seem too crazy for such a good ride. And for what it’s worth, it’s the same wait time as Jungle Cruise.
This is insane. This is just such a turn off.
180 minutes? No thanks. Why would I waste 3 hours standing in a line? The virtual Q made sense and we were always able to get on. I won’t be waiting in a line for 3 hours with kids.
At least this is doable. You read the article. The take away for me is that if you arrive early you can ride the ride in about 10 minutes. An hour wait isn’t that bad. Just keep an eye on it as you do other things in the park, when the wait time drops, get in line.
Better than paying extra or doing the boarding pass thing.
How is a 3+ hour wait better than virtual que system?With virtual system never had to wait more than 20 minutes the 5 times we went on attraction.Guess Uber die hards will either wait forever or fork over lotta money to ride(Disney Hopes)
I am not a fan of star wars so standing in line for the ride for almost 3 hours is odd. I cant see myself doing that for any ride. I once stayed outside on the sidewalk all night to get tickets to see KISS. That was an awesome 3 hr. concert not a 10 min. ride.