There has been a big change that came out this week to Rise of the Resistance at Walt Disney World which could impact future trips. Since the opening of the Rise of the Resistance ride, it has always been a virtual queue. This has been to the dismay of some due to the difficulty of getting a time slot. How this would work, would be that you sign on to the MDE (My Disney Experience) app and try to join the virtual queue at 7 am. The slots are limited and will disappear quickly. During a recent trip, we attempted 3 times to get a slot but to no avail. However, this has now been changed.
Standby for entry
As of September 23rd, 2021, Disney World Rise of the Resistance moved to standby only queue and ended the virtual queue. This is the first time that it has been used since the ride had opened in 2019. Virtual queues will likely continue at times through Walt Disney World, however, it is unclear how often this will occur with newer rides that open. Before Rise of the Resistance standby lane, The wait times for the virtual queue could be up to 6 hours. Meaning if you were towards the end of the queue, it could be 6hrs before your return time. The concern among many Disney guests was that it would mean the standby time would be upwards of 6hrs. However, this was not the case. So far the times have varied from 180 minutes and as low as 60 minutes. We will see if this trend continues as time goes on.
Why the change?
It is unclear why the change has taken place, especially with the Walt Disney World 50th Celebration just 2 weeks away. Many of the theories are speculation from this will allow more people to enjoy the ride without having to set an alarm to get a virtual queue to a way of making more off of the Lightning Lane when it opens. If the wait times increase, they will be more likely to sell extra Lightning Lane passes when it becomes available. Overall, there is no definite reason why the sudden change.
What do you think of Rise of the Resistance standby lane? Let us know in the comments below!