7 tips for Rise of the Resistance at Hollywood Studios (spoiler free!)

After its opening in December of 2019, Rise of the Resistance quickly became one of the hottest attractions in all of Walt Disney World.

And once you give it a try, you’ll understand why.

Ready to learn more? Check out these 7 (spoiler free!) tips you need to know about Rise of the Resistance at Hollywood Studios.

You may feel some similarities

One of the most common questions we have received is “what attraction is Rise of the Resistance most comparable to?”

This is kind of tough to answer while staying spoiler free, but if you’re familiar with the attractions of Disney World you’ll notice certain elements are kind of similar to other favorites:

• Spinning and rapid movements similar to what you feel in Toy Story Mania
• Simulation experiences like that of Star Tours and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
• Small drop and lift like that of Tower of Terror

Motion sickness may be an issue

If you are the kind of person that struggles with motion sickness you may be worried about how you’ll do on Rise of the Resistance.

And, honestly, we were too.

But, even though there is a LOT going on with this attraction (and we have had issues with motion sickness on all of the attractions that we find Rise of the Resistance to feel the most similar too), we didn’t find that we had much trouble riding it. At all.

Our best guess as to why this attraction didn’t cause us many issues is because even though this is a lengthy attraction, none of the elements last long enough to ignite that nasty motion sickness fire.

Just something to keep in mind if you’ve been on the fence out of fear of feeling ill.

The seats feel very inclusive

One of the most common complaints after Flight of Passage opened was the fact that the seats would not work with some body types. 

People that were too tall or those with bigger calves or larger chests may have found themselves unable to ride.

But, the main ride vehicle for this attraction won’t have that same problem. 

The seats here are very similar to the style of the seat in DINOSAUR! with 4 people sitting in a row, each with their own seat belt.

This is a much easier set-up for people of all shapes and sizes.

Rise of the Resistance has a Lightning Lane and a Standby Line (but you can’t use Genie+ on it)

When Rise of the Resistance first opened up, your only option for riding it was by snagging a Boarding Group.

But now, Disney has rolled out its new Genie+ service as well as creating Individual Lightning Lane Selections, and that means you’ll now have several different ways to get a ride on this popular new attraction:

For most guests, there are 5 main ways that will allow you to ride Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance with the least amount of waiting:

1. Pay to ride using an Individual Lightning Lane selection
2. Ride during Early Theme Park Entry (onsite guests only)
3. Ride right when the park opens
4. Hop in line right before the park closes
5. Ride during Extended Theme Park Hours (onsite Deluxe and Deluxe villa guests only)
   
   Although those 5 are the most common ways to skip the long waits at Rise of the Resistance, there are a few other ways that might apply for you:
   
6. Ride using Disability Access Service (DAS)
7. Ride while on a VIP tour
8. Stay at the Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser resort

  Learn how to ride Rise of the Resistance without waiting in long lines

There is a scare factor

If your child is tall enough to meet the 40″ height requirement here, you may be wondering if they should ride.

Probably the best way to describe the “scare” factor is that it is Star Wars scary, but not roller coaster scary.

It is tough to describe in too much detail (because we want to stay spoiler free) but, if you are familiar with the Star Wars saga you know that some characters definitely bring a heightened level of intensity.

Plus there’s definitely a lot of action whenever the characters of Star Wars are around, and those are both things you’ll find on this attraction (even down to the Cast Members working there).

So, when it comes to deciding whether or not your child will be frightened, you’ll have to make that call.

And honestly, as much as we hate spoiling things, if you have a child that you aren’t sure is ready it might be worth it to look up ride videos on YouTube because having the ride spoiled is probably better than accidentally thinking your child would like it only to discover it was way more than you (or your child) anticipated.

The details are amazing

Disney really nailed it when it came to this attraction. From the moment you step into the queue you are immersed into the story.

It is tough to describe without going into too many details (and we definitely don’t want to spoil it), but we promise that you’ll be impressed with what you see.

Planning is more important than ever

Because of the popularity of Rise of the Resistance, if your goal is to ride it, planning is more important now than ever.

Make sure you understand how the Individual Lightning Lanes work (if you are planning to pay for that) or what your best option is for minimizing your waits (if you’d rather skip paying).

And, don’t forget that Rise of the Resistance is just one part of the entire immersive Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge land, and there are more things to see and do (including Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run), so you’ll definitely want to allow some time in your day for checking it out.