Only 10 days after it opened!
OK I know you have heard so much about ROTR and you are probably trying to avoid spoilers until you experience it for yourself. I promise to not post any spoilers in this blog! I wanted to share my experience from waking up at 4:30 am, to getting into the virtual queue, and then getting onto the ride during opening week.
The Back Story
My boyfriend and I decided to take a last minute trip down to WDW to see it during the Holiday season, a first for both of us. We flew in from Boston, spent two nights and only one very full day in the parks. This may sound crazy to some, but for the rest of us you totally get it ;). We didn’t have much planned besides walking around taking in all the festive decor, eating the snacks and maybe hopping on a few rides.
We got to our hotel room around 10:00pm and were in the middle of unpacking when Tim asked if we had a park hopper pass. For some reason I thought we only had admission to one park but upon checking my tickets I realized I did splurge and bought us park hoppers (cue my mind making a million plans per second). HOLY MOLY, my only plans were to wing it in Magic Kingdom for the day but that quickly changed.
Getting to the Park
I decided we had to at least TRY to get on ROTR…I mean, it was basically opening weekend, how could we not? Our alarms were set for 4:30am and off to bed we went. We woke up (late), got ready for the day and left the Swan and Dolphin resort area around 6:00am (I recommend you aim to arrive at the park around 6:00am). We took an Uber to avoid any more possible delays. When we arrived at Hollywood Studios the lines were LONG. I wasn’t panicking just yet as I knew we still had a chance. Disney started to allow guests into the park at 6:30am so the lines started moving earlier than we had expected. While in line I noticed I left my magic band at HOME, a 3 hour flight away. I couldn’t believe I forgot it. A cast member was helpful in telling me to get my confirmation email out on my phone and I should be fine.
Once Inside Hollywood Studios..
Fast forward to us scanning our tickets and stepping foot into the park at 7:05ish. I was able to get in no problem, phew. I kept refreshing the My Disney Experience app but my ticket was not showing me as scanned into the park, only Tim’s!! Ahh!! We were doing this while walking to Batuu to avoid wasting any time. It was now 7:15 and the boarding group numbers were getting higher (about to run out). I was so bummed that my stupid magic band mishap was going to be the reason we missed out on getting into a boarding group. I decided to ask a cast member by the droids if there was a booth I could visit to get help. She pointed me to the line entrance for ROTR where a cast member in plaid could help. I bolted over to them and within a minute I was in a boarding group!!! SUCCESS!!!! Ahh I couldn’t believe it.
We rode a few rides in Hollywood Studios before heading out for the day. We spent the rest of the day in Magic Kingdom and Epcot eagerly awaiting a notification that it was time. It wasn’t until 7:30-8:00 PM that we decided to head back to Hollywood Studios, just so we were close by if we got called. As we were boarding the Skyliner we got the notification that it was time to board!! I was screaming internally at this point!!
A boarding group does NOT guarantee that you can ride ROTR. We were in boarding group 101 and I believe at park close, boarding group 114 was being called. Rumor has it the ride broke down several times during the day which slowed the boarding process down for a few hours mid day.
My Thoughts on ROTR
WOW, just WOW. This is more than just a ride, this is a total experience (I’m sure you have heard this several times by now but Idk how else to say it). I felt like I was IN a Star Wars movie during part of the ride queue and while on the ride. The ride queue for this ride is better than Smugglers run in total . In my opinion ROTR is far superior than Smugglers Run. I am not a fan of simulation rides as is, but it’s as if ROTR drops you in the middle of the movie. Again, no spoilers but you are seriously IN the action and this ride needs your full attention. I can not wait until I can get on this ride again and again.
Key Points:
- Wake up early, try to get to the park an hour or so before open.
- Everyone that is riding must be with you in the park in order to be in your boarding group
- Be familiar with the My Disney Experience app prior to arrival
- Head right to Batuu after entering the park incase you run into similar problems trying to get into a boarding group
- After you get your boarding group number you can leave the park and come back once your boarding group was called
- You have two hours to get back to the ride entrance once your boarding group is called so make sure your notifications are on
- ENJOY!
Have you been on ROTR? What were your thoughts after getting off the ride?
The Ride Vehicle on ROTR.