Disney News

Tag: Rise of the Resistance

  • Disney Makes New Changes to Virtual Queue for New Star Wars Ride

    Disney Makes New Changes to Virtual Queue for New Star Wars Ride

    Disney World is making a slight adjustment to the virtual queue process for one of the most popular experiences at Walt Disney World Resort, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.

    Beginning Sunday, Dec. 20, distribution times for virtual queue enrollment will be 7 a.m. and 1 p.m.

    Currently the virtual queue reopens daily at 2 p.m. for anyone who wasn’t already able to join a boarding group earlier in the day.

    Keep in mind, to access the 1 p.m. virtual queue opportunity Guests must have a valid ticket or pass, a Disney Park Pass Reservation for Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and be inside the park. Access to a boarding group is subject to availability and not guaranteed.

    As a reminder, only Guests with a Disney Park Pass reservation for Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be able to experience Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.

    When Park Hopper hours become available on Jan. 1, 2021, Guests visiting from another theme park will not be able to request to join the virtual queue. We encourage these Guests to explore other areas of the park, including in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge where they may experience Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run among other offerings.

  • Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance Virtual Queue Can Soon Be Booked from Outside the Park

    Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance Virtual Queue Can Soon Be Booked from Outside the Park

    Since its debut last year, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance has proven to be one of the most popular attractions at Disney World and to to help alleviate wait times and shorten lines Disney to created a virtual queue that could only be accessed while inside Hollywood Studios. Now Disney has changed the procedure and you can access the virtual queue outside the park.

    To better help guests visiting Disney’s Hollywood Studios plan ahead for their day at the park, they’re piloting a new approach to the virtual queue system for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. Starting Nov. 3, 2020, here’s how it will work: 

    • Guests with a valid ticket or annual pass and a Disney Park Pass reservation for Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be able to access the virtual queue system and check for an available boarding group starting at 7 a.m. on the day of their park reservation. This can be done before you leave your Disney resort hotel, or wherever else nearby you might be at that time. 
    • Just as we do today, the virtual queue will reopen daily at 2 p.m. for anyone who wasn’t already able to join a boarding group earlier in the day. Note: Guests must be inside Disney’s Hollywood Studios to access this second virtual queue opportunity, and access to a boarding group is subject to availability and not guaranteed. 

    Disney is hoping this new approach will make a day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios more enjoyable and relaxing, as guests no longer need to be inside the park each morning to request a boarding group for the first virtual queue opportunity. As a reminder, you need to be inside the park to request the 2 p.m. boarding groups. 

    To try to maximize the number of boarding groups Disney’s able to accommodate while adhering to current health and safety guidelines, they recently added a clear barrier between the two rows of seats on each First Order Fleet Transport vehicle inside the attraction. This enables them to invite more guests to board Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance each day. 

    The attraction’s virtual queue is only accessible via the My Disney Experience mobile app. To maximize your opportunity to secure a boarding group, here are some tips we recommend you check off your list prior to your day at the park: 

    • Register an account in My Disney Experience
    • Download the My Disney Experience mobile app on your smart device or ensure you’re using the most updated version of the app before you arrive at the park. 
    • Link and assign all park tickets in your party to a My Disney Experience account
    • Have a valid Disney Park Pass reservation for Disney’s Hollywood Studios for the day you’re visiting
    • Select one member of your party to access the virtual queue for everyone in your group; if multiple people in your party try to join the virtual queue simultaneously, that may complicate your ability to secure a boarding group
    • Remember, virtual queue boarding groups are limited and subject to availability 

    This new pilot approach to the Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance virtual queue is designed to give guests the best possible experience during a day at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.

  • Virtual Queue System Returns to Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance for Disney World Reopening

    Virtual Queue System Returns to Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance for Disney World Reopening

    Disney’s Hollywood Studios reopens on July 15 and in order to help maintain appropriate physical distancing, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance will once again be using the virtual queue system.

    If you’ve joined the Resistance before, you will want to note a few changes to the process beginning July 15. Most importantly – as availability allows – guests will have an opportunity at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. or 4 p.m. to request to join the virtual queue. This means there is no need to arrive early to the park to check the virtual queue.

    Whether it’s your first trip to Batuu or you have joined the fight against the First Order before, there are a few important details to know before you arrive:

    • First, make sure you have the My Disney Experience app. Once you enter the park, log in to your account at one of the distribution times (10 a.m., 1 p.m. or 4 p.m.). 
    • Once you have logged in, select “Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance Virtual Queue” on the home screen. You will be able to view the current status and next steps for joining the virtual queue. 
    • The app will indicate when there is no availability for a specific distribution time. Some guests may join backup groups. 
    • As long as your My Disney Experience account is linked to park tickets for you and the others in your group, you can enroll everyone in the virtual queue at the same time. In order to give as many guests as possible the opportunity to join the Resistance, each guest can enter the virtual queue no more than once per day.
    • Make sure push notifications are turned on for My Disney Experience so you will be alerted if your group is called to return. You’ll have up to an hour from the time of the alert to go to the entrance of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. 
    • Please note that joining the virtual queue does not guarantee the ability to experience Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. 
  • Disney Makes Changes to Virtual Queue and Boarding Groups for New Star Wars Ride

    Disney Makes Changes to Virtual Queue and Boarding Groups for New Star Wars Ride

    The newest attraction, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Disney World has gotten off to such a popular start that Disney has made some new changes to its virtual queue system and boarding groups that they hope will make things run more smoothly.

    “As more and more guests ride Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, we’ve been testing new ideas to make the overall experience the best it can be, according to Disney Parks Blog. “We’ve been learning so much and are focused on continuing to make the process of getting into the park and onto the attraction even better every day and want to ensure all of our guests know what to expect when visiting Disney’s Hollywood Studios.”

    Here’s what to know:

    • Virtual queue will be available at the published park opening time. We may welcome guests onto Hollywood Boulevard prior to opening the rest of the park, and limited nearby locations will be open for your convenience. This includes Trolley Car Café where you can pick up a beverage for your own personal “jump to lightspeed,” and if you need to grab a few galactic gifts, Keystone Clothiers will be available.
    • At the park’s published opening time, the virtual queue for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance opens along with offerings throughout the rest of Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Guests must be in Disney’s Hollywood Studios to access virtual queue in the My Disney Experience app.

    Due to the incredible popularity of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, Disney will continue to distribute backup boarding groups after the initial planned groups have been filled. Backup boarding groups will only be called if all of the initial planned boarding groups have been called back and there is capacity for more riders that evening. If we are able to accommodate boarding groups that evening, guests will be notified through the My Disney Experience app by a push notification (if enabled). 

    For anyone with questions or needing a hand with the virtual queue, the members of the Guest Experience Team are available throughout the park to assist. And while people wait for their turn to rise up with the Resistance, there’s plenty to do around Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Here are a few of our recommendations! 

  • Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance Debuts at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios Today

    Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance Debuts at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios Today

    Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance made its public debut Dec. 5, 2019, inside Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida and this is the Disney attraction you’re looking for!

    After years of anticipation for this groundbreaking new attraction, guests will now become heroes of the Resistance in a climactic battle with the First Order.

    During a special dedication ceremony Wednesday night inside Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney Parks, Experiences and Products Chairman Bob Chapek lauded the attraction’s immersive storytelling and technological innovation.

    “Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance sets a new standard for what a theme park experience can be,” Chapek said. “Tonight, we’re welcoming the world to experience the Star Wars galaxy like never before, with the opening of the most ambitious, immersive, advanced, action-packed attraction we’ve ever created.”

    Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is one of the most ambitious attractions ever created for a Disney park. The thrilling action takes place in massive sets that give guests the feeling of stepping inside a Star Warsfilm as they elude the clutches of Kylo Ren and the First Order in a mad dash through a Star Destroyer.

    The new attraction adds to the adventures that await inside Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, the 14-acre land that opened earlier this year at both Disneyland and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Guests become part of their own Star Wars stories as they take control of the fastest ship in the galaxy in Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, sample galactic food and drink, craft their own lightsabers and build their own droids in interactive retail experiences, and encounter some of their favorite Star Wars characters.

    Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is the latest chapter in the collaboration between Walt Disney Imagineering and Lucasfilm Ltd., a global leader in film, television and digital entertainment production, including the Star Wars franchise. The work on Star Wars between these two creative powerhouses dates back to 1987, when the groundbreaking Star Tours attraction opened at Disneyland.

    As a reminder, guests at Disneyland park in California can begin enjoying Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance when the attraction opens there on January 17, 2020.

  • Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance Attraction Opens Thursday at Disney World

    Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance Attraction Opens Thursday at Disney World

    Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance opens tomorrow at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Hollywood Studios and the force is strong with this attraction!!!

    Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance sets a new standard for what a Disney theme park experience can be, as guests become heroes of the Resistance in a climactic battle with the First Order.

    In one of the most immersive, ambitious and technologically advanced attractions ever created for a Disney park, guests launch into space aboard a transport shuttle, only to be captured by a Star Destroyer and pursued by Supreme Leader Kylo Ren as they frantically search for a way to escape the clutches of the First Order.

    This new attraction inside Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge draws guests into a sprawling Star Wars narrative that blurs the lines between fantasy and reality, as jaw-dropping sights brimming with vivid detail create surprises around every turn. In one of the longest Disney attraction experiences ever, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance delivers thrilling action driven by cutting-edge technology and innovative design that gives guests the feeling of stepping inside a Star Wars film.

    Join the Resistance

    • Guests exploring Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge find the Resistance’s temporary encampment in the forested area along the outskirts of Black Spire Outpost on Batuu.
    • The gateway to the encampment is marked by a large turret. From there, a pathway leads deeper into the forest toward towering cliffs and the crumbling remains of an ancient civilization. Guests weave through low stone walls, timeworn pillars and tight corridors as they progress farther into the base, hearing military communications chatter along the way.
    • In a makeshift briefing room, Rey – a hero of the cause – appears via holo-transmission alongside dutiful droid BB-8 to welcome the new Resistance recruits. She shares a plan to reunite with General Leia Organa at an off-planet location that must be kept secret from the First Order.
    • Guests then board a nearby Intersystem Transport Ship (I-TS) and have to make their rendezvous quickly to avoid a First Order Star Destroyer on its way to Batuu. They should have a bad feeling about this …

    An All-Encompassing Attraction Experience

    • Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance throws out the rulebook for traditional attraction design, eschewing and/or blending industry notions such as “queue,” “preshow” and “ride” to create a seamless, holistic experience full of rich details and breathtaking excitement on a cinematic scale.
    • When guests board the I-TS, they’ll feel as if they’re lifting off the surface of Batuu and blasting into space alongside Poe Dameron in his signature black-painted X-wing starfighter, Black One.
    • Before the I-TS can make the jump to lightspeed, it’s caught in the tractor beam of a Star Destroyer and pulled into a massive hangar bay.
    • Guests make their escape from the Star Destroyer aboard eight-passenger First Order Fleet Transports piloted by reprogrammed R5-series astromech droids.
    • The attraction features grand set pieces – including the hangar bay that is filled with 50 menacing stormtroopers and a docked TIE fighter. At various points, guests dodge blaster bolts from stormtroopers and AT-AT walkers, scurry past huge turbolaser cannons, and stumble into the Star Destroyer’s bridge.
    • Throughout their journey, guests are hunted by Kylo Ren, who uses the Force in an attempt to pry from their minds the location of General Organa’s secret base. Guests feel Ren’s tremendous malevolent power as they narrowly avoid his attacks.

    Authentically Star Wars

    • Actors from the current Star Wars film trilogy reprise their roles for new scenes and dialogue in Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, including Daisy Ridley (Rey), Adam Driver (Kylo Ren), John Boyega (Finn), Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron) and Domhnall Gleeson (General Hux). Many scenes were filmed at the same time “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” and “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” were in production.
    • Poe Dameron’s X-wing is one of several vehicles from the Star Wars galaxy appearing in the attraction.
    • Disney cast members adopt personalities of First Order and Resistance troops throughout the attraction to further deepen the immersive experience for guests.
    • Walt Disney Imagineering worked hand in hand with Lucasfilm in writing the attraction’s script, ensuring characters and storylines were properly integrated into the broader Star Wars
    • The attraction introduces a new featured character: Lieutenant Bek is a Mon Calamari Resistance officer who helps guide the Resistance recruits through their harrowing journey.

    Cutting-Edge Technology Powers Immersive Storytelling

    • Walt Disney Imagineering combined multiple ride systems to tell the story of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. In one sequence, a new simulator experience gives the sensation of falling from space to crash land on Batuu.
    • The trackless ride vehicles in Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance are some of the most advanced ever used in a Disney attraction, with a sleek, low profile and the ability to move in all directions.
    • Disney A-1000 Audio-Animatronicsfigures appearing in the attraction provide a deep level of immersive storytelling through their lifelike and dynamic movements.
    • To fully realize this Star Wars story, Imagineers created thousands of special effects, from slashing lightsabers and whizzing blaster bolts to exploding walls and massive star fields – just to name a few.

    Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance opens Dec. 5, 2019, at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida and Jan. 17, 2020, at Disneyland Park in California. 

  • NEW Footage of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance Ride Released by Disney

    NEW Footage of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance Ride Released by Disney

    Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is just days away from opening at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney has released a new video giving us another sneak peek inside the upcoming attraction.

    Airing Thursday night during “The Wonderful World of Disney: Magical Holiday Celebration on ABC, the new behind-the-scenes footage included footage of passengers on the ride, droids, explosions, Kylo Ren and even new glimpses at the ride’s queue.

    Disney Parks released some extra footage Friday which shows some of the the same scenes, but also features Disney’s “Volunteer Family of the Year,” which got to experience the attraction ahead of its debut as you can see in the video below.

    As the story of the ride goes, riders will be recruited to fight the First Order. They will first board a full-size transport shuttle before being captured by a Star Destroyer and the First Order. From there, they’ll come face-to-face with Kylo Ren as they try to escape.

    Trackless ride vehicles will transport rides through various scenes, where they’ll encounter Stormtroopers, TIE fighters, lightsabers and full-sized AT-ATs.

    Rise of the Resistance is comprised of multiple ride systems, making it one of Disney’s most ambitious attractions.

    Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is scheduled to open December 5 at Hollywood Studios and on January 17 at Disneyland in California.

  • Opening Dates for ‘Rise of the Resistance’ Announced for Disneyland and Disney World

    Opening Dates for ‘Rise of the Resistance’ Announced for Disneyland and Disney World

    We’ve got some exciting news to share with the galaxy! Disney has announced the opening date for ‘Rise of the Resistance’ at Galaxy’s Edge in both Disneyland and Disney World.

    You better brush up on your spy skills because Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance will be opening on Thursday Dec. 5th, 2019 at Walt Disney World Resort, and Friday, January 17th, 2020 at Disneyland.

    Guests visiting Galaxy’s Edge will be able to join the Resistance in a climatic battle against the First Order! Imaginers say it will be the most immersive and advanced attraction ever imagined in a Disney Park.

    When it opens, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance will blur the lines between fantasy and reality by putting Guests in the middle of a climactic battle between the First Order and the Resistance. You will be recruited to join Rey and General Organa at a secret base. Along the way, you will be captured by a First Order Star Destroyer, but with the help of some heroes of the Resistance, you’ll embark on a mission to escape, protect the secret base, and stay one step ahead of Kylo Ren.  

    Contact Kimberly at Enchanted Kingdom Vacations to plan your own trip to Batuu. I have lots of Disney trips and tricks that will make your trip even more magical; all at no extra cost to you!