Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is the most popular ride in Disneyland right now. Almost every single person who enters Disneyland Park is trying to get a boarding pass so actually securing one can seem like a daunting task. I promise that it can be done! I have done it (actually I have tried, however, my husband has succeeded and won a free cookie from my dad!) I am about to share out secrets of how we were able to accomplish our dreams of riding Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and how you can too!
Boarding Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance when Disneyland reopens will look a little bit different than before the parks closed, but it will look very similar to the process that Walt Disney World has been using for the past 9 months. Forget the days of lining up hours before park opening to make sure you secure a boarding pass. The first distribution time is at 7:00 a.m. and you don’t even need to be in Disneyland to grab one! All you need is a valid park ticket, Disneyland Park reservation, and the Disneyland App and you can score a boarding pass from your hotel, your home, or wherever you may be! (It is important to note that ONLY those with a park reservation for Disneyland Park can get a boarding pass at this time. Anyone park hopping from Disney’s California Adventure Park will need to wait until the 12:00 pm distribution time.)You will have two chances throughout the day to get into the virtual waiting room! Following are some important points about the changes to the virtual queue process.
Instead of everyone showing up to the park super early and trying to secure a boarding pass at the same time, guests will now have a chance (as availability allows) to request to join the virtual queue at 7:00 a.m. (again no need to be in the park!) or 12:00 p.m. (guests that are park hopping and have ALREADY entered Disney California Adventure Park can try to snag a boarding pass at this time. These guests can then enter Disneyland Park after 1:00 PM for their boarding group). I would recommend setting a timer on your phone to remind you when it’s time to join! I would set my timer for 5 minutes before 7:00 a.m. or 12:00 p.m. (whichever distribution time you are going for) to give your group time to get your devices out and ready to go. Remember: although the parks have limited capacity this ride is still the most sought after in all of Disneyland right now and due to social distancing measures spaces will go extremely quickly. You need to be ready and quick!
You will need to make sure you have downloaded the Disneyland app. This app should already be on your phone because it’s the same one that you needed to gain access to the parks through the Disney Park Pass System. Please do make sure you’re logged in. You don’t want to be spending precious moments logging in while others are already grabbing spots.
When you’re logged into the Disneyland app scroll down until you see “Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance” on your home screen.
When you select this, you will be able to see the current status of the attraction (availability of spots in the virtual queue) and next steps for joining the virtual queue. Definitely have every cell phone wielding person in your party trying to get into the virtual queue as this increases your odds of getting a boarding pass! Also, make sure that your Disneyland app is linked to park tickets for you AND the rest of your group. All of you need to click the Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance Join Boarding Group button. You may need to continue clicking the Join Boarding Group button until you get one! This may get tedious and your adrenaline will be pumping, but just keep clicking, just keep clicking until you’re in! Once just ONE person in the group clicks on the “join boarding group” button, they must add everyone to the ride list. Then EVERYONE in your group has a boarding pass!
This screen will only be seen when you have a park reservation for Disneyland Park. No sense in trying to practice or check availability if you don’t have a park reservation.
The app will let you know if there is no availability for a specific distribution time (some guests may be able to join backup groups), so like I said you need to be quick. I would try to get into the virtual queue at the 7 a.m. distribution time because it’s earlier in the day and I believe you will have a better chance of the attraction still having availability. (If the 7:00 a.m. distribution time doesn’t have any availability, don’t lose hope, you will still have a chance at 12:00 p.m.) It is important to note that signing up at 7:00 a.m. doesn’t mean you will be riding at 7:00 a.m. Honestly you may not experience the attraction anywhere near that time, but will be called back to experience the ride later in the day. I should let you know that you can only enter the virtual queue once per day to allow as many people as possible to enjoy the attraction.
Make sure your notifications are on for your Disneyland app, so you will know when your group is called to return to join the Resistance. There will also be an estimated return time on your virtual boarding pass, but it may change throughout the day so make sure you check your app for updates. If for some reason you miss the notification on your phone or there is a glitch in your app, you can check with a cast member for help! You will have one hour from the time of your alert to go to the entrance of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. You don’t have to be done riding within the hour, you just need to be in the line.
Sadly, joining a virtual queue does not guarantee that you will be able to experience the attraction (most likely you will be able to), but it is not a done deal until you are strapped in and the ride has begun.
The beauty of the virtual queue is that while you are waiting for your boarding group to be called back to join the Resistance, you can experience the other incredible experiences Disneyland Park has to offer!
One last tip! If you are trying to join the virtual queue and your Disneyland app does glitch, take a screenshot at the time you were trying to join and go show a cast member. No promises, but they may be able to help you! I hope this helps you in securing a boarding pass for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and you can enjoy this incredible ride!
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