Spoiler, waking up early is a must
After the opening of Disney’s newest “Star Wars” themed attraction, “Star Wars”: Rise of the Resistance, the park has seen a surge in attendance. Proving that this is exactly what the park needed in order to fill the immersive land with guests.
However, boarding this new ride can be a little difficult, especially if this is your first time.
If you’ve tried to get on the new attraction and weren’t successful, know that you are not alone. If you’re willing to try again or if this is your first attempt and you want to know what worked for us, read on.
Background
For starters, the ride only accepts riders who join a boarding group. You may be wondering what that means. Boarding groups contain a number, it could be 12 or it could be 80. These numbers represent when you will ride.
Boarding groups are obtained by using the My Disney Experience app. If you’re not tech-savvy, we recommend finding a guest experience cast member when you get to the park. They will do all they can to help you get on the ride.
Throughout the day, a new boarding group will be called in numerical order. For example: Now boarding groups 8-20.
It seems pretty simple, right? Here’s what you’ll have to do to get that boarding group number.
Getting a number
Hopefully, you're an early riser because the best way to get a number is by getting to the park early. Around 5:30 a.m. to be exact. Maybe even earlier if it's a weekend or a holiday.
Don’t worry, you won’t be the only one in line. The line will most like exceed the front gates and stretch back to the Skyliner station, maybe even further.
Truth be told, there is no evidence that shows that getting to the park hours early will result in you getting a boarding pass. Some families will show up at 7 a.m. and get one.
Look at it this way, it’ll make for a great story when you go back home.
The park will begin letting guests inside the park around 6:15 a.m. and things will move pretty quickly from there. Fingerprints won’t be used, so scan your ticket and go.
When entering the park, do not be like everyone else and run to the front. It’s a trap. This does nothing to help your chances of getting a number and if anything, it might reduce your probability of getting a ticket.
People will begin to fill the streets and with such a large group of people around you, all using their phones at the same time, your app may lag or malfunction.
Instead, grab a spot on a bench or curb at the front of the park. Odds are, there will be no one there. This will give you a better chance at getting a number. We also recommend using your cellular network instead of Disney’s park Wi-Fi. The more people on the Wi-Fi network, the slower it will go.
As you can see in the video below, everyone went to the front of the park and left the side streets open.
Now it’s time to wait. The boarding group page will be available at 7:00 a.m. and then it’s every family for themselves.
When 6:55 a.m. roles around it’s time to open the app and get ready. Go back to your phone’s home screen and wait until 6:59 a.m. then count down the last minute. As you’re counting, return to the app’s main screen and wait for the minute to change.
When 7:00 a.m. hits go into the Rise of the Resistance area and click join boarding group. You may need to repeat this step a couple of times. Once you click join boarding group, add your party to the group and click done.
If you see the image to the right, let out a sigh of relief because your hard work paid off.
Hopefully, you get a lower number. However, if you get 61 like us, there’s a chance you’ll be able to ride before noon. You’ll receive a notification where it’s time to board, so keep your phone charged and volume on.
Once your group is boarding, you’ll have two hours to return to the ride.
Surprisingly, the line wasn’t backed up when our number was called and we moved through the queue rather quickly. Disney did a superb job with keeping up with crowds and keeping the wait time to a minimum. However, this may not be the case when you ride.
We stepped onto the ride at 11:00 a.m. and stepped off around 11:30 a.m.
Even if you get a higher boarding number and you have to wait, let us and everyone around assure you -- the wait will be worth it. Now go get that boarding pass.
If you have any other tips or tricks for getting a boarding group number, share them in the comments below. We’d love to hear them and they may help another family as they prepare to brave the crowd.