How to Cope With Not Getting a Rise of the Resistance Boarding Group
Ever since Galaxy’s Edge was announced in 2015, I dreamed of visiting the expansive Star Wars-themed land and, of course, riding Rise of the Resistance. A lifelong Star Wars fan, I waited for the day that a true Star Wars experience like this would find its way into a theme park. And that time had finally arrived.
I was tantalized by the details of the groundbreaking land and attractions as they trickled through in the years leading up to its opening.
© Disney Parks
I was originally scheduled to spend a week at Walt Disney World and spend a day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in March, but the COVID-19 pandemic had other plans. But miraculously, I was able to reschedule my trip for this month.
My chance to ride Rise of the Resistance was finally here.
The boarding group system on the My Disney Experience app. Image courtesy Orlando Park Stop.
If you’re unfamiliar with the Rise of the Resistance boarding system, there is no traditional stand-by line. Guests join a virtual queue via the My Disney Experience app on their smartphones. But space is limited. Lucky guests are assigned a boarding group number and are alerted when it’s time to ride. They have an hour time window to get to the ride itself. No boarding group is guaranteed a ride, especially once you get into the 80s and 90s. The ride is known to go down frequently throughout the day.
When the parks reopened in July, Disney changed the way guests could secure a boarding group number. Gone were the days of showing up to the park at the crack of dawn (although this had changed before the parks closed). During my visit, you had two chances to enter the Rise of the Resistance lottery — once at 10 a.m. and then again at 2 p.m.
UPDATE: Beginning November 3, 2020, Disney is changing the Rise of the Resistance virtual queue:
- If you have a valid ticket or annual pass and a park reservation for Disney’s Hollywood Studios, you can access (attempt) to join the virtual queue at 7 a.m. on the day of your Hollywood Studios visit — from anywhere. No need to be in the park. The virtual queue will still reopen daily at 2 p.m., but you will have to be inside the park.
- Disney is also adding plexiglass between rows on the ride vehicles to increase capacity.
Between these two changes, hopefully this will improve your chances of riding. But let’s prepare (or cope with) the worst-case scenario.
And because park-hopping is temporarily suspended, these two chances were my only chances. I didn’t have enough time to come back to the park a second or third day.
In the days leading up to my visit, I scoured the internet for all the tips and tricks to snag a boarding group number. Here’s what I did:
- Made sure I was in the park well before 10 a.m.
- Went to an area of the park that was in the open to avoid any cell phone interference
- Turned my Wi-Fi off
- Had someone in our group open time.gov so that we knew the official time (smartphone times aren’t always 100% accurate)
- Navigated directly to the queue “join” page on the My Disney Experience app and began refreshing at 9:59 a.m.
- Tapped “join” as soon as the button on the screen appeared
Unfortunately, both at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. the boarding groups were gone in seconds, if that. Both times, others around me in the same predicament let out screams of joy or groans of disappointment. I fell into the latter group.
I knew this was a risk going into the park, especially during this crazy reopening era at Walt Disney World when ride capacities and park hours are both limited. I tried to prepare myself and acknowledge that the odds were not in my favor.
But that didn’t do much good.
To say that losing out on a Rise of the Resistance boarding group was disheartening would be an understatement as large as the Death Star. After months – no, years – of waiting to ride this ride and coming out empty-handed was painful. I was standing a lightsaber’s distance away from the ride, yet I couldn’t ride it. I felt like a kid locked out of a candy store.
But alas, I lived to see another day. It was tough, make no mistake. But time does heal all wounds.
So if you’re unable to get a coveted Rise of the Resistance boarding group number, below is how I coped — broken into the five stages of grief.
1. Denial
After spending an hour with embarrassingly sweaty palms, grappling with off-the-chart levels of anxiety, seeing that “no longer available” message gave me a pit in my stomach that only a marathon stint on Tower of Terror could replicate. I felt as though my soul had been pulverized into oblivion.
© Disney Parks
But despite seeing the dreaded red box telling me that all boarding groups were distributed, I continued fervently refreshing the screen. Maybe, just maybe, it was a glitch and that I would get into a boarding group.
I couldn’t accept that I hadn’t gotten a boarding group number. Not me – I did the research, I followed every step. How could this happen to me? There must be some mistake.
After 30 or more app screen refreshes, I had to admit defeat.
2. Anger
Next, my blood started to boil. I grit my teeth. My fists clenched.
I was Kylo Ren mad.
This is where I really felt for the others in my group. Being the only serious Star Wars fan in the bunch, no one was quite as distraught as I was.
I may have said a few choice words (I made sure no young ears were around).
I may have huffed and puffed.
I may have wished ill will upon the Star Wars franchise.
This was one of the longer stages. But eventually, I stopped seeing red. I had to push forward. To the next stage, at least.
3. Bargaining
After losing out at the 10 a.m. distribution, I tried to maintain just a glimmer of hope that I would get one at 2 p.m. Of course, that didn’t work when I didn’t get one at 2 p.m., either.
I thought to myself, maybe if I just go and stand at the entrance all day someone will have mercy on me.
“I’ll wait for three hours. No, five hours. Seven. Okay, maybe not seven. Just let me ride,” I thought to myself, hoping that Disney would magically, retroactively change the queue process on the day of my visit.
“I won’t ride anything else.”
“I’ll never do anything mean to anyone ever again.”
“I’ll pay $30 to watch Mulan on Disney+.”
“I’ll write a positive review on the My Disney Experience’s App Store page.”
Okay, the last one I just couldn’t bring myself to do.
4. Depression
When reality began to sink in, the depression followed.
Yes, I know this is very much a first-world problem. I’m at Walt Disney World. For a roller coaster and theme park enthusiast, a day there is better than a day almost anywhere else.
But that didn’t help in the moment.
I sulked. I moped. My face mask shielded my quivering bottom lip. I may have shed a tear or two behind my sunglasses.
Thankfully, a couple of rides on Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror helped lift my spirits. A ride on the amazing, new Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway didn’t hurt, either (seriously, it was so good).
5. Acceptance
So here is where the coping really comes into play.
As we ended our day, I finally accepted that a ride on Rise of the Resistance wasn’t in the cards for me. Not on this trip.
I had to remind myself that although I missed out on what is touted to be one of if not the greatest theme park attractions of all time, I was still at Walt Disney World having an amazing time.
I was still able to stroll through Galaxy’s Edge, mouth open in awe for most of the time.
I was still able to ride Smuggler’s Run, which was a great consolation prize.
I was still able to try Blue Milk, which was delicious.
I was able to see a few familiar faces.
And I got to watch Stormtroopers banter with guests.
I reminded myself that I was not alone. While there were plenty of “winners” in this Star Wars Rise of the Resistance lottery, there were plenty of losers as well. I was not the only one coping with this “loss.”
And now I have even more of a reason to go back (or try my luck at Disneyland).
So that’s how I survived not riding Rise of the Resistance. Was it disappointing? Yes. Soul-crushing? Absolutely.
However, I survived.
And if all else fails, you can do what I did and grab a tub of your favorite ice cream (or Dole Whip) and have a good cry while watching one of the many on-ride Rise of the Resistance POVs on YouTube (I’ll let you find those). It wasn’t my proudest moment, but this is 2020 and there are no rules.
If you didn’t get into a Rise of the Resistance boarding group, how did you cope? Share your experience in the comments section below and let’s commiserate together and perhaps form a support group.
Finally, if you aren’t spoiler-averse, check out our “Top 5 Parts of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance” post from Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland.
I went to Disneyland on my 40th Birthday in February, hoping it would be a slow month…only to find everyone had the same idea I had!
After getting errors, got Group 108, but didn’t hold out much hope, even though some people had said they had gotten up into groups 115-125 in recent weeks at Disneyland.
As the day wore on, I kept checking, but finally at 9pm, the sign went up that Group 90 was the final one.
So, I had a CM snap a pic of me giving my best “NNNOOOOOOO” pose, before giving a sad confession to Chewie as he came on by, and he gave me a hug (probably the last time I’ll have interaction wih a face-character!).
After that, I had begun to consider going back later in the year, or even going to WDW. However, when Covid hit and places started to close for safety, I put such thoughts aside (I would like to ride ROTR one day, but not take the risk of my lungs becoming infected and dying before I reach 45).
And so, I wait for the day when I may one day be able to board the ride, and I wonder, will it make me shed tears when after 2-3 years, I finally get to experience this thing?…or, when the world recovers, should I just obtain a passport and visit Tokyo Disneyland to experience their Batb attraction?
Systems like this and the one they are testing at Paris on some major rides are the reason I am unlikely to go back to a Disney park anywhere that have these systems.
Having to take my phone to a park (I prefer to leave them at the hotel or turned off and locked away somewhere especially given that I am from overseas from every Disney park) is not something I like to do and being forced to not only take my phone but still not be guaranteed to get on the major rides is a huge turn off.
which is a shame because I love the Disney parks
Yes, what a massive joke that people are willing to pay admission for this BS. I would not be willing to pay for a “chance to experience” what I am paying for.
I wish we could have the lottery operate well in advance, so that you can be through the stages of grief before the day of. Or reserve it when you buy the tickets, so you know whether you even want to. I appreciate that you don’t have to get to the park early, but it’s a week until we’re scheduled to go, and it’s already stressing me out.
If they are disappearing in seconds Disney needs to do a lottery system well in advance for out of state/country visitors. That way you can book a day at a different Disney park. We are flying from Washington State in April to try and see this ride and this is our once in a lifetime trip and first time at WDW. It took years to save the money to go and we can’t afford to go annually like some families. If we can’t get a boarding pass out of 2 dedicated days in the park with park hopper down. It’s going to be a very sad day. Disney magic will have failed us.
I’m still crushed. I followed all the rules. I stayed positive after failing at the 7:00 a.m. slot. When I failed at the 1:00 slot too, I literally wanted to cry. I’m still quite angry. It’s not a park I would normally choose to go to because it’s lacking in adult thrill rides. I spent $400 for this and didn’t get it. To top it off, I couldn’t even get into the Cantina for a drink or a peek through the door. Screw Disney. Cheaters and robbers. Yep….still super angry.
You had me in tears bro literally crying with laughter. ? You are absolutely funny af. Sorry you didnt get to ride you will in life I bet on it. Patience is a virtue my friend.
Just went through the same experience. They have got to come up with something better. There is no rhyme or reason to it, just the luck of the draw. I have been to WDW a bunch of times and I have never been so incredibly angry in my life. Not awesome at all. It should not be impossible to get on a particular ride unless it is closed. Still upset. Lots of others, too. Bad bad bad.
Never been so incredibly angry in your life? Over a theme park attraction? No way, man. Really? Absurd.
I haven’t been in my life. And they deleted the pre show now anyway so why bother ever going to that park? With this stupid Covid. They ruined Disney completely for me.
OMG BOO HOO
Get over yourself. “How to cope…” Gimme a break.
This is the problem with self-entitled people.
I will be going in Mid September by myself. I wonder if it is easy to get in a boarding group if you are a solo rider?
Hi Will, unfortunately I don’t have a definitive answer. In theory, being in a group would increase your odds as each member of the party would be trying to get a boarding group. However, I’m not sure if/how the system fills empty seats in odd-numbered parties. Regardless, I wish you the best of luck!