Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance Has Arrived at Disneyland

If you’ve already been to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland Park, you might think you’ve seen it all. But you probably haven’t experienced the most ambitious ride in park history yet—and you’re in for a real treat. 

Opening in California’s Disneyland Park on January 17, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is unlike any other ride in the resort. According to reports from the ride’s identical counterpart at Walt Disney World Resort, the attraction combines multiple ride systems to immerse guests in the story. A walk-through experience; trackless vehicle excursion; and impressively realistic, emotive animatronics seamlessly combine to create an entire galaxy. 

But the attraction itself isn’t the only unique feature; the Rise of the Resistance ride employs the functionality of the Disneyland app, so it doesn’t involve mile-long lines like Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run. 

Guests must log in to the app after entering Disneyland to secure a virtual boarding pass and a spot in the queue. Once in the virtual line, guests will receive push notifications with a boarding time and reminders. This allows park-goers to enjoy the wonders of Disneyland without having to spend their entire afternoon in line. While this system provides much more flexibility, checking in early will still be vital—reports from Walt Disney World have mentioned daily time slots filling up by 8:40 a.m. 

After securing your Rise of the Resistance boarding group, wander around, visit other attractions, and eat your way around Disneyland until it’s time to experience the park’s newest ride. 

Disneyland Rise of the Resistance Opening Date

Friday, January 17, 2020

How to Get to rise of the Resistance in Disneyland

Once you enter the park and reach Main Street, U.S.A., hook a left to go through Adventureland, past New Orleans Square, across Critter Country, and into Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. From this direction, Rise of the Resistance appears along the pathway before you come upon the Creature Stall or any other shop in Black Spire Outpost. 

What To Expect From Rise of the Resistance in Galaxy’s Edge 

The Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance ride is a 15- to 20-minute journey through the galaxy that essentially combines multiple rides into one. During the experience, guests will join the Resistance in their battle against the First Order. 

Approximately two-thirds of the attraction is a walk-through experience in which guests board a spaceship to leave the planet and join up with the Resistance. During the journey, you find yourself captive aboard a Star Destroyer filled with members of the First Order consisting of Kylo Ren and legions of stormtroopers. 

Once you’ve been discovered, a covert team of Resistance fighters—including BB-8 and Rey—come to the rescue. You’ll board a trackless spacecraft driven by an R-5 droid (who is prone to freaking out and perhaps isn’t the best for the job) in order to escape the grasp of the First Order. The vehicle swoops around the scenery, interacts with the human-esque animatronics, backs out of danger, climbs and falls suddenly, and pauses to allow simulations to unfold in front of your eyes. Because there is no track, the possibilities are endless, and it’s nearly impossible to have the same ride experience twice. During your escape, you’ll come face to face with stormtroopers, TIE fighters, X-wing starfighters, lightsaber attacks, and droids. 

Do you have what it takes to fight off the First Order and become a hero of the Resistance?