Have you ever wondered what it’s like to sneak around a Star Destroyer? Or the feeling of being chased by lightsabers, Kylo Ren, and the rest of the First Order? Well, look no further because Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance will make those dreams come true.Â
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is a thrilling ride that invites guests to go on a daring adventure from a resistance base on Batuu to a Star Destroyer of the First Order.
Galaxy’s Edge, also known as Batuu opened up this new ride on January 2019. As the park grows larger, this ride invites fans to dive right into the Batuu experience and find out what it’s like to be a part of the resistance.Â
How To Ride Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
Due to the excitement of this new ride, the way to get on isn’t the traditional walk-up and wait, but rather to join a virtual queue. The virtual queue organizes everything before riders get in line, keeping the wait times down and allowing the process to be a bit more seamless.
This is, by far, the most important part. They only allow certain groups to wait in line and get on the ride. There are two openings when guests can join the virtual line; the first is before the park opening, and the second is at noon. In my latest two trips to Disneyland, I was only able to join the noon list. My tip is to set an alarm on your phone at 11:59 AM, pull out the app, and hit refresh until it opens.
The virtual queue gets very busy; on that latest trip, I joined the list at exactly noon and was boarding group 250. My window to get on the ride did not open until shortly after 6:00 PM, so it was a solid six-hour wait from joining the queue to getting in line. With the park opening back up, you will find that the ride has a wait time similar to the other rides.
Disney World has reportedly moved away from the boarding pass and allows guests to walk up and wait. They now allow guests to use the Genie+ to help skip the long lines, but that will cost extra.Â
The Lines and Pre-Show
As mentioned above, the line moves rather quickly. The limited groups entering make it so that things won’t get so backed up. Don’t expect to speed walk through the line, as it still took us about fifteen minutes or so to get loaded up and ready to ride.
The ride is split into three acts.
Disney is known for its intricate decor and attention to detail, and this ride is a perfect example of that. While walking into the resistance base and deep into the mountain, guests see an abundance of plant life and natural beauty. The power cords, the storage boxes, and everything present has that classic Star Wars look and, there is even a waterfall.Â
Once guests finally enter the cave and travel deeper into the resistance base, there are weapons, gear, flight suits, and more just about everywhere you look, with cables and power lines running along the walls that bring it all to life. The control room will host computers and tactical screens that look straight out of the movies. This all makes it feel that guests are really on Batuu in a galaxy far, far away to help the resistance.
The guests are loaded into a room where they are greeted by BB-8, Poe Dameron’s astromech droid. This is still a part of the first act, but our first indicator is that the ride will soon start. Once everyone is in the room, they await a transmission from Rey to find out what is in store.
Rey’s message is one of panic. The resistance base has been discovered by the First Order, and all resistance personnel must evacuate immediately. After she gives directions to both BB-8 and the guests, the doors to the hangar open, and guests head to the shuttle for lift-off. On the way to the shuttle rests an X-wing waiting to guide the shuttle off of Batuu.Â
The Ascent Into Space
Act two includes the shuttle ride in an I-TS shuttle. It is a similar experience to Star Tours but rather than being seated, guests stand and hold on to the bars provided. The screens at the front and back of the ship depict the location and everything around us as a Mon Calamari pilots the resistance to safety.
The ride in the shuttle is exciting, nothing too crazy to knock someone down, but enough to really feel like you’ve soared through the atmosphere of Batuu and have entered the vast void of space. The animations are incredible and boast the technology that Disney has. I cannot stress enough how much this ride makes you feel like you’ve entered the Star Wars universe.
Before the pilot can attempt an escape at light speed, the First Order captures the ship with a tractor beam. The same way the Millenium Falcon was captured in A New Hope, this was an insane feeling that invites you to feel that same sense of panic the heroes felt as they approached the Death Star. In this case, we head for a Star Destroyer.Â
Once aboard the First Order’s Star Destroyer, an officer comes in and gives us directions. The cast members who play this role must have a lot of fun. They are allowed to boss around the guests and make them move quickly, something that many of them probably wish to do.
Once unloaded, you enter the massive hangar of the ship and see the squadron of stormtroopers, a TIE fighter, and many other details that immerse you in the experience. The massive hangar door is animated to show the battle that is going on outside the Star Destroyer.
From there, guests enter a hall, get directed to their cell for detainment, and finally reach Act 3.
The Escape
The final act of this ride is the most exciting. Guests are loaded into their escort carts as Poe Dameron and Finn have fitted a plan of escape. They have hacked into some R5 droids to guide the riders through the halls of the massive ship and attempt to escape the clutches of Kylo Ren and General Hux.
This experience is a thrilling adventure; guests will encounter plenty of stormtroopers, an angry Kylo Ren, incredibly massive AT-ATs, and so much more. The carts race through the ship at a fast pace which only provokes the feeling of panic and desperation to escape and get back to the resistance. The animations, the lightsabers, the blaster bolts, and the pace all lend to that feeling.
The carts use trackless technology, so it makes the ride much more unpredictable as guests take sharp turns around corners, go into elevators, and make their way across the ship. That technology lends to the magic of the ride and allows it to be ridden multiple times with new surprises each ride.
The ride even contains a quick drop of about ten to twenty feet. If you’re not a fan of drops it happens so fast, and the drop is so minor that you won’t even know it happened until it’s over. Besides, it is incorporated into the story so well that you’ll be too immersed in what’s happening to be frightened.
I Have Spoken
Overall, the experience was one of a kind. It provokes more emotions than Star Tours ever could through the different stages, the panic, the thrill, and the details. With all three acts together, the ride lasts about 15-20 minutes, depending on how fast the crowds move from each station.
The length of the ride is what makes it so special because riders can fully dive into what is going on, it does not feel like the adventure gets cut short, but we get a full satisfactory story from start to finish.
Other Things to Know about Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
The ride is kid-friendly, and the height requirement is 40 inches. The small drop may be the only issue, but as stated before, it happens so quickly that there is no reason to worry.Â
The ride does not have a fast pass because that was discontinued at both Disneyland and Disney World, but it does offer a Genie+ reservation. Those must be paid for through the app.Â
The ride has a single-rider line, but it is not in use because of the queue system. Single riders are still required to queue up and show their confirmation like any other party would need to.Â
Check out the review of Darth Vader’s Legacy Lightsaber or my experience at Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland, CA.
What do you think about this ride? Have you ridden it yet? This is definitely a bucket list experience for any Star Wars fan, as the length of the ride truly invites you on an adventure. Comment your experience, thoughts, and hopes for the ride down below or on the Facebook page!
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