How to Get a Boarding Pass for Rise of the Resistance (For Those Who Can’t Do Early Morning Peopling)
Rise of the Resistance (RotR) might be the best Walt Disney World attraction on property. With that, it is also the most popular attraction with hordes of guests vying for a boarding group.
Unlike other attractions, you can’t just walk up and wait in line. No, RotR has boarding groups that act as a virtual queue. Once you have a boarding group, you don’t have to wait around. When your group is called, you can go right on the attraction. One thing to remember, just because you have a boarding group, it doesn’t guarantee the chance to ride. Since RotR loves to break down, you do want to increase your chances of riding it by getting a lower boarding group. Since these groups are distributed in mere minutes, time is essential. You want to be ready to go when Hollywood Studios opens in the morning.
In most cases, that means getting up early and waiting around the park. But, there are easier ways to get a boarding group. If the thought of getting crammed into Hollywood Studios with thousands of other people breaks you out into a sweat, we have some tips to make the boarding pass process less hassle-y without a ton of people interactions.
Stay On the Far Right Side of the Entrance
Yes, you don’t need to be in the park to grab a boarding group, but you need to check-in at the entrance’s tap-styles. There is really no reason to get up super early…unless you want to rope drop Slinky Dog or Smugglers Run. But, you will need to scan in for park opening. If you want to get in and out, head towards the far right side of the entrance. For some reason, the right tap-styles move a lot quicker than those on the left. That can help if you’re short on time so that you can be officially checked into Hollywood Studios to get a boarding group.
You Don’t Need to Be in the Park to Get a Boarding Group
As long as you are checked in Hollywood Studios, you can get a boarding group. Now everyone will gather near Galaxy’s Edge and wait for the countdown at park opening. However, you can be anywhere to try to get a boarding group (as long as you have physically tapped into Hollywood Studios). The key is to find a less crowded area…out of the park. You can take a ride on the Skyliner or walk towards BoardWalk Inn for the best results. Some people are reporting that they are getting a low number boarding pass at the park’s opening with this method.
Do you have someone that you can trust? You may want to give them access to your MDE account. As long as your ticket or MagicBand is swiped into the park, they can log into your account. All they have to do is click the button to get a boarding group and your members of the party.
Remember, everyone is in a small space and jamming the network to get a pass. If you can get away from the mass of humanity, then you have a better chance to snag a boarding group for the attraction.
Make Sure Everyone Is Checked In
If you have a large group, you don’t want to waste valuable time checking them into the park. Before Hollywood Studio’s opening, double-check that everyone is tapped into the park and that you can add them to your FastPass groups in the My Disney Experience app. How do you do this?
- Hit the middle button (Plus sign) on the app
- Click “Get FastPass”
- View FastPass+ Options
- Create Your Party
If you can see the other members, you can add them to this experience. The last thing that you want to worry about is trying to add your grandma, aunties, or friends to a group, and they are not available on the app. A little preplanning can go a long way. If members of the group are not showing up, get to a Guest’s Experience Cast Member immediately. They can see what is the issue and save you some headaches down the road.
WiFi or Nah?
This point is up for debate. Some people swear by Disney Wi-Fi, while others suggest staying on your own network. Touring Plans tested Disney’s Wi-Fi and found if you got away from the crowds, it is a bit more reliable than your carrier.
This one is a toss-up. If you stay on Wi-Fi, get away from the mass of crowds. For those wanting to stay on their phone provider service, you might have better speeds to reach the Disney servers. Before you stick with your phone carrier, make sure to download an app and check the speeds. You don’t want a laggy time to take away a few seconds to connect to the boarding page.
Don’t Stay On the “My Status” Page
A couple of days ago, there was a glitch that allows guests to book boarding groups without entering the park. If you were in Chicago (or anywhere else), you could log into MDE and snag a pass. As a result of that, if you stay on the My Status Page at the opening, your app will lock up. You then have to close out the app and log back in. In fact, Guest Experience members are telling people to log into the MDE at 7:59 AM (a minute before park opening) to snag a pass.
As mentioned before, if you open the app any earlier, you could be locked out. While that, might not seem like an issue, but when you’re pressed for time, it can mean the difference between boarding groups 20 or 106.
Game Plan
You’ve entered the park, everyone is checked in, and you are far away from Hollywood Studios. Now, it’s time to rumble. So, let’s review the process to get a boarding pass for RotR (whether in or out of the park):
- Completely close the app on your phone. You might have to swipe up (or however your phone closes an app).
- Open at one minute before 8 AM (server is behind).
- Open MDE and click on the RotR “Learn More Page”
- Click “Join Boarding Group” button and get a boarding pass
- Boom! You have a boarding pass
By following these steps, you should secure a group for the day.
Those are some of the tips to increase your chances of snagging a boarding pass for Rise of the Resistance. We can’t guarantee any outcomes, and of course, Disney loves to change things at a moment’s notice. For now (March 2020), these are the best ways to get a boarding group for your next visit.
Have you tried any of these tips? Did we miss something? Let us know in the comments!
