Disney's Hollywood Studios · Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
An eighteen-minute, four-part Star Wars ride combining a simulator, a trackless dark ride, a walkthrough and a drop; widely considered the best attraction Disney has built.
Ride facts
- Type
- Dark ride
- Height
- 40in (102cm)
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Motion sickness
- Low motion risk
- Getting wet
- Stay dry
- Indoor / outdoor
- Indoor
- Air conditioned
- Yes
- Rider Switch
- Available
- Travels backwards
- Yes
Last verified July 2026
What it is
Rise of the Resistance is not a ride so much as a sequence of four rides wired together. You are recruited by the Resistance, board a transport shuttle, get captured by a Star Destroyer, escape through the ship aboard a trackless vehicle while stormtroopers and AT-AT walkers shoot at you, and finally drop out of the hull in an escape pod. It runs about eighteen minutes from the first pre-show to the exit, which is roughly three times the length of a normal Disney dark ride.
It opened in December 2019 and it changed what people expect from this park. The scale is the point: the hangar bay you walk into holds a full-size vehicle and around fifty stormtroopers, and the ride's most-photographed moment is a room you walk through rather than ride past. Very little of the budget went into things you would notice on a POV video, which is why it holds up in person far better than it does on a phone screen.
It is also the most breakdown-prone major attraction at Walt Disney World. Four ride systems in series means four things that can stop, and it goes down for a stretch on most days. That is not a reason to skip it; it is a reason to ride it early, when the day's first fault has not happened yet and the recovery queue has not formed.
What riding it is actually like
The queue winds through a rock formation and into a Resistance base with a full-size starfighter parked in it. You get a briefing from a hologram, then load into a transport shuttle. The shuttle is a simulator with windows; there is no motion base drama here, just a good view and a very effective moment when the ship is captured.
The doors open and you march out into the Star Destroyer hangar. This is the set piece everyone remembers and it is the one part where you should walk slowly and look up. Then a short interrogation scene, then you board the trackless vehicle. From there the ride runs about five minutes through corridors, a cannon bay, an escape and a chase, with your vehicle spinning, reversing and occasionally being lifted.
The finish is two short free-falls of maybe a story and a half each. They are startling rather than intense, and there is an on-ride photo at the second one. If you want the photo to be good, the camera is above and slightly to the right of the escape pod door.
Is Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance scary?
Two short free-fall drops at the end are the only physical thrill, and they are gentle compared with Tower of Terror. The real distress trigger for children is the middle section: you are marched off a transport by stormtroopers, held in a detention cell, and confronted at close range by a villain. Kids who dislike being told what to do by strangers in costume find that portion genuinely upsetting even though nothing happens to them.
Scores are editorial, on a 1–5 scale, judged against what frightens a typical four- to seven-year-old rather than an adult.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair
- Stay in your wheelchair or ECV
- Audio description
- Available
- Handheld captioning
- Available
- Assistive listening
- Available
- Sign language
- Not offered
- Service animals
- Must use a kennel or wait with a companion
The trackless ride vehicles include wheelchair-accessible units, but the attraction includes two standing pre-show rooms and a walking transfer between segments, so you must be able to stand and walk short distances or use a wheelchair through those rooms. The drop section requires transfer into a ride seat with a lap restraint.
Tips that actually help
- This is the one attraction here that justifies buying a Lightning Lane Single Pass. If you buy exactly one Single Pass all day, buy it for this.
- Ride it in the first hour if you are going standby. The queue does not get shorter later, and a mid-morning breakdown adds an hour to everyone's plan.
- The trackless vehicles seat two rows of four. Ask for row one, right side, for the best view into the cannon bay sequence.
- If the ride stops mid-experience, cast members will either restart it or walk you out with a re-entry pass. Take the pass and come back late; do not argue for a re-ride on the spot.
- Repeat visitors: the hangar bay scene has a different stormtrooper deployment depending on which shuttle group you are with, and the interrogation-room villain varies. The ride is more variable than its reputation suggests.
Timing
- Best time to ride
- First 60 minutes of the day, or the last hour before close if the ride has been running reliably.
- Typical wait
- 60 to 120 minutes for most of the day, longer after any downtime. Under 45 only at open and close.
- Lightning Lane
- Lightning Lane Single Pass
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance: common questions
What is the height requirement for Rise of the Resistance?
40 inches. It is measured at the entrance with shoes on, and children who clear are given an all-day wristband so they are not re-measured at other attractions. Rider switch is available if one child in your party is too short.
Is Rise of the Resistance scary?
For adults, no. For children, the frightening part is not the two small drops at the end but the middle section, where stormtroopers march you off a transport and a villain confronts your group at close range. Children who are sensitive to being singled out find that harder than any coaster.
How big are the drops?
Two short free-falls, each roughly a story and a half, at the very end of the ride. They are nothing like Tower of Terror. Most people who dislike drop rides can handle these.
Does Rise of the Resistance still use a virtual queue?
No. The virtual queue was retired and the attraction now runs on standby plus Lightning Lane Single Pass. You can walk up and join the standby line whenever you like.
Why does it break down so often?
The attraction chains four separate ride systems together, so a fault in any one of them stops the whole experience. It goes down at some point on most operating days. Ride early, and if you are evacuated mid-ride take the re-entry pass you are offered.
How long does the whole experience take?
About 18 minutes from the first pre-show to the exit, and that is after the standby queue. Plan for it to consume a genuine chunk of your morning even with a Lightning Lane.