January 15, 2020

Sneak Peek at Rise of the Resistance!

Guys. Have I mentioned how much I love my husband now that he is a Disneyland cast member? I mean, I always loved him, obviously, but it’s definitely more now. On Monday we got to go to a preview of Rise of the Resistance, which opens on January 17th and is going to blow your minds. The whole virtual queue process is going to be interesting, and possibly challenging, but I’ll just say this: do whatever you gotta do to get on this ride.

Our experience (SPOILERS AHEAD): So Matt and I showed up to the parks at 9:30 Monday morning. I didn’t think it would be crowded since winter break is over and the holidays are officially done. Surprise! It was packed. It took us an hour to park, get through security and get into the parks. As soon as we got in, we went and got our boarding group. We were in group 29 and the park had been open for less than two hours. So get there early. We were on kind of a tight timeline since we had to pick Squirt up from school at 1:45, but we thought we could just squeak by. Our boarding group was called around noon, we headed to the ride, and got in line. The line is awesome and there’s tons to see, which is good because it moves SLOWLY.

Once through the bulk of the line, you’re taken into a room where BB8 and Rey give you your mission to help the Resistance. There are also appearances by Finn and Poe (swoon).

Once you have your mission, you’re taken outside, where BB8 is readying your ship.

You board a “train”, which is really just a room with screens at the front and back. And this is where the ride shut down. Yeah, fun times. Because of the timing, we had to leave the parks, go pick Squirt up from school, get both of our cars so I could leave to go to work after, and then come back and do the whole process again. The ride shut down around 12:30 and didn’t reopen until almost 4:00. And the only way to check and see if it reopened was to keep checking the virtual queue website and see if new groups had been added. So we finally got back in line, Squirt in tow, and made our way through. The train ends up being boarded by the First Order, and everyone is taken off the train and into interrogation, where you wait in another line.

The First Order cast members take their jobs VERY seriously, and they are not nice as you’re waiting and they’re getting you in line. In the interrogation room, you walk past the crowd of Stormtroopers and are taken into a small room where you are questioned by Kylo Ren and General Hux. But then Finn and the Resistance come to the rescue! They guide you to small vehicles, with two rows of four seats. After a quick seat belt check, you are on your way. And guys, I don’t even know how to really describe the experience. Because it’s an experience, not just a ride. The car moves through several different rooms as you try to escape, there is tons of screen work, there’s animatronics. It’s everything.

Now. This is a ride that’s worth waiting for, but some things to note. First, if you suffer from motion sickness, you might want to think about taking something beforehand. I do, and since I took Dramamine before we got in line the first time, it had probably worn off by the time we actually got on the ride, but I definitely had some in my system. After experiencing it, I think I would most likely be okay without it, but for your first time, I wouldn’t risk it. Second, Squirt (who is five and knows all of the Star Wars characters) was not a fan of the ride. It was loud, there’s some explosions, when we got off he said “Well, that was a bad idea.” Do with that what you will. Third, you need to be prepared for this ride to break down. A lot. The technology here is off the charts and it’s going to shut down often I would imagine, especially in the opening days. But again, it’s worth it. Fourth, this isn’t some five minute ride. The whole process probably takes a half an hour from the time you enter the first room to when you get off the ride. Plan accordingly.

I hope you all get a chance to ride ROTR soon because it’s amazing. Already been on it? Let me know what you think!