Rise of The Resistance in Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World is one of the most popular attractions on property. The trackless ride experience brings storytelling to a new level with several pre-shows and a very immersive plot that puts guests in the belly of a First Order Star Destroyer.
Rise of the Resistance at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Florida
This attraction is one of Disney’s big wins of the last decade. It’s an incredible experience from beginning to end. A lot of that has to do with the focus on story. However, a recent single rider line test breaks that immersion for the sake of efficiency, and those riding the attraction for the first time might find themselves confused and disappointed.
The single rider line is designed to allow shorter wait times for guests who don’t mind riding without the rest of their party. This is a system used quite a bit at Disney’s rival theme park Universal Studios Orlando with single rider lines in place for attractions like Spider-Man, Transformers, and more. Disney has notoriously avoided single rider lines for most of its bigger attractions. The major exception here being Test Track, which boasts a popular single rider queue.
Rise of the Resistance at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Florida
READ: Universal Studios Will NOT Sell Single Day Epic Universe Tickets At Opening
While many who tried the Rise of The Resistance single rider line were able to ride in under 20 minutes in some cases, the line path forces guests to loop around the entire queue, skipping two pre-show experiences. Single riders will not see the hologram room show which features Rey, BB-8, Lieutenant Beck, and Poe Dameron. This is the show that sets up the story of the attraction. It also skips the I-TS (Intersystem Transport Ship) pre-show experience where guests are captured by the First Order.
The line path instead uses a side corridor that skirts around the perimeter of the I-TS courtyard before entering a backstage hallway that’s completely bare and takes guests into the star destroyer docking bay off to the right of the stormtrooper army. Once here, they’ll join in the story once it’s already underway and be assigned to a party that has an open space.
Walt Disney World is testing a single rider line for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. Here’s a look at the path the guests take. The test is expected to last a couple of weeks. We hope it sticks around after the test. It’s a great way to ride if you’ve ridden before. We don’t… pic.twitter.com/7q7XV3TURd
— Attractions Magazine (@Attractions) July 15, 2024
The hallway notably breaks guest immersion, feeling more like one of those side hallways in the Matrix sequels where they can step out of reality and wind up somewhere completely different. There’s even a sign on the door that says “this door opens on stage.”
While veterans of the attraction might find this appealing, first-time riders will do themselves an extreme disservice by skipping so much of the story.
Rise of the Resistance at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Florida
READ: Disneyland Rumored To Remove Major Moment From The Haunted Mansion To Make It More PC
It’s unknown whether the Rise of the Resistance single rider line is here to stay. Disney described this as a testing period to see if the single rider line was beneficial to guests. The company recently conducted a similar test on a single rider line for Soarin’ Around the World in Epcot, though that was ultimately abandoned.
Do you think single rider lines belong in Walt Disney World? Should guests skip Rise of the Resistance story elements to ride faster? Let is know in the comments.
Marvin the Movie Monster is a YouTube commentator and personality specializing in movies, TV, video games, and professional wrestling. He can be found on his channels Tooney Town TV and Tooney Town Wrestling with daily content and weekly livestreams. He can also be found on That Game Place, the That Park Place video game channel.
NEXT: 99% Of Disneyland Cast Members Vote To Authorize Strike
