The Disney Rise of the Resistance (ROTR) ride is one of the newest and most immersive attractions inside the new Galaxy’s Edge land at Hollywood Studios. More than just a ride, ROTR combines interactive experiences with a ride simulator and trackless ride vehicles to create an experience unlike any other. In our Star Wars Rise of the Resistance review, we will answer common questions and provide insights based on our experiences.
Star Wars Rise of the Resistance Review
To fully understand the ride, first, you will need the backstory to Star Wars Rise of the Resistance in Disney World. All Disney rides have a backstory, but this one has an intricate storyline that is integral to understanding and enjoying the ride. (Spoilers ahead!)
Admittedly, I am not a Star Wars fan, so my Star Wars Rise of the Resistance Review will be written for others like me who may not be so Star Wars savvy. Plus, odds are, if you are a Star Wars and Disney fan, you already know the ride’s story.
As you enter the queue, you are joining the resistance against the evil Empire. The “ride” begins with a hologram of Rey explaining that you are to board a transport ship because the current base is no longer safe. Once on the transport ship, which is essentially a mild ride simulator, the First Order captures the ship and boards it.
You are then moved through the First Order’s ship and separated into interrogation rooms. Soon, the resistance cuts open the wall and breaks you out. A droid operating a trackless ride vehicle is tasked with getting you off the ship, quickly. Unfortunately, the droid has some trouble and takes you the wrong way multiple times.
After running into the weapons room, on the bridge and many encounters with those trying to kill you, the droid finally gets you into the escape pod. A mix of ride simulator and drop ride gives the illusion of dropping out of the ship and flying back down to the ground.
Our thoughts on this ride were unanimously good. This ride is amazing. It is insanely immersive, thrilling, and leaves you feeling satisfied. Rather than waiting in line, hyped up for a 90 second experience, this ride is 18 minutes long. Or rather the experience is 18 minutes long. Technically, a lot of the ride elements are immersive queue sections that disguise the fact you are really in wait for the ride.
All in all, the Disney Rise of the Resistance ride is an incredible experience worth paying a little extra to purchase an Individual Lightning Lane experience.
Rise of the Resistance Ride Drop
The Disney Rise of the Resistance Ride does have a drop in it. Compared to Tower of Terror just down Hollywood Boulevard, the drop in ROTR is miniscule.
While the Rise of the Resistance ride drop is not big, the drop is… surprising. Once, your droid locks you into the escape pod, you will see a “window” in front, which is actually a screen for a ride simulator experience. As soon as the door behind you closes in the escape pod, you will experience the drop. It only lasts a few seconds and then your ride simulator will mimic the feeling of flying forward and down to the planet Batuu.
The drop is entirely manageable and fun for everyone. Unlike most drop rides, this one does not have real height involved. The only height you will experience is simulated through the height on the screen in front. It does an excellent job of making you feel high though. Many members of our group have fears of heights, but still enjoyed this experience.
Addressing Rise of the Resistance Motion Sickness
When it comes to addressing Rise of the Resistance motion sickness, its important to understand that I speak from Experience. Both my mom and I are prone to motion sickness ranging from moderate to extreme. Despite this fact, we both rode the Disney Rise of the Resistance ride not once, but twice.
We both experienced some motion sickness on the first ride simulator experience in the transport ship. This experience is mild, but all guests are standing during it, and that can make it feel more intense than it is. I found it helpful to lean against something if I could. Also, you can avoid most if not all of the motion sickness by not looking at the small screens that add the extra feeling of motion.
The next parts of the ride involve actual motion inside the trackless ride vehicles. This experience is quick, has a lot of back and forth, but is incredibly smooth. None of us had issues with this portion as far as motion sickness.
Inside the escape pod is where the real ride simulator portion is paired with a drop sequence. This portion of the Disney Rise of the Resistance ride is very short. Short enough that I did not feel any motion sickness during it. I left Smugglers Run feeling very ill, but ROTR did not leave me feeling that way at all.
Unfortunately for Mom, the simulator made her feel a bit queasy. The good news is that due to the brevity of it, she was able to close her eyes and get through it easily.
How Does Rise of the Resistance Work?
The Disney Rise of the Resistance ride used to have a virtual queue system in the past. With this system, rather than wait in line for hours and hours, you would join the virtual queue at either 7 am or 1 pm and then join the physical queue when the My Disney Experience App tells you to board based off of your assigned boarding group. This was all done on the My Disney Experience App.
Recently, with the introduction of Lightning Lane Single Pass, the virtual Queue has been removed from the Disney Rise of the Resistance ride. We predict that in the future, this system will return each time a new ride debuts.
Without the virtual queue, it is not uncommon for the Standby line to reach 2 hours of more on a moderate crowd level day. On busy days and seasons, such as Christmas, the line can be much much longer.
The only way to avoid these lines is to utilize the Lightning Lane. Single Pass allows guests to pay a fee to skip the line and return to the ride during a specific time that is booked when you reserve your Lightning Lane reservation.
While the fee for this service can change daily, the charge generally starts around $18 per guest but can reach as high as $30. ROTR is not part of the Lightning Lane Multi Pass fee and must be booked separately. To understand how the Lightning Lane works, be sure to read our Lightning Lane Multi Pass Guide.
Frequently Asked Questions About Disney’s Rise of the Resistance Ride
Can You Ride Rise of the Resistance Twice?
There are a few ways you can ride Rise of the Resistance twice. The first way is to wait in the standby line two separate times. This is only doable on shorter wait days, but still expect to wait well over an hour each time. If you “rope drop” the ride, you may get in quickly the first time. Then you can wait in the standby line a second time to get on the ride twice in one day.
Note: Rope dropping a ride is when you get to the park early enough to be at the front of the “rope drop” when the park opens. From there, you will have to race other guests to the line of the Disney Rise of the Resistance ride.
Besides waiting out the standby line twice, you can also pay to pay the individual Lightning Lane fee, (mentioned above,) and return to the ride during your designated return time. While you can only use one Lightning Lane pass per ride per day, you can then join the standby line before or after your Lightning Lane return time to ride Rise of the Resistance, or any ride, twice in one day.
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What Is the Age for Rise of the Resistance?
While Rise of the Resistance does not technically have an age limit, the ride does have a height limit which does not allow very small children to ride. To ride Rise of the Resistance, you must be at least 40 inches tall. This does exclude many younger guests, but it is important for the safety of riders.
For smaller guests, try Millennium Falcon, which has a minimum height requirement of 38 inches.
Are the Storm Troopers in Rise of the Resistance Real?
No Star Wars Rise of the Resistance review would be complete without discussing the Storm Troopers.
When you are first captured by the First Order, you will be taken through a hangar bay with 50 Storm Troopers staring at you. These 50 are a form of animatronics, not real people. Some of them are animatronics and capable of some more advanced movements, while others barely move, or not at all.
Storm Troopers also appear in projection form throughout the ride as well.
How Long is the Rise of the Resistance Ride?
The actual ride portion inside the vehicle is about 7 minutes long. That being said, the entire experience takes about 18 minutes. This is due to the fact that many portions of the queue are interactive and include things like boarding the transport ship, and being placed in the interrogation room.
