How Long Did We Wait? Trying the Single Rider Line at Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is one of the most popular attractions at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. It’s not uncommon to approach the ride and find over an hour’s wait posted. What the average person doesn’t know is that a single rider queue is available. From our experience to date, the single rider line for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance offers an incredible opportunity to reduce your wait time significantly.
Similar to our experience using the single rider line for Test Track at Epcot, I believe that most guests will want to take advantage of the same option at Rise of the Resistance. Of course, there is a catch. If you’re not traveling solo, your party needs to be willing to split up, and that means that all riders in your group must be eligible to ride alone. As far as eligibility goes, this attraction has a 40″ height requirement, and a few ride warnings are posted outside its entrance. Disney also has a general rule that applies to all attractions: Children under the age of 7 must be accompanied by a person who is aged 14 years or older. Let’s take a look at how it all works!
When you arrive at the attraction’s entrance, you’ll see the regular standby lane to the left and the Lightning Lane option to the right. I always like to check out the posted wait time for standby. If the wait is 30 minutes or less (which is rare), we would probably just join the regular line. The single rider line is down a path to the right near the attraction’s exit. You’ll see someone holding up a sign. (We’ve walked through this experience a few times over the last 6 months or so. We found that when it was raining/storming, the single rider queue was not available. This is because a person has to stand outside the area and make sure guests are headed in the right direction.)
Here is a photo of the first portion of the single rider line that heads backstage.
Spoiler: You’re going to lose a little of the magic and storyline in exchange for a shorter line. So if you have never ridden before, you might prefer to experience the entire attraction first
On our last walk-through, we were held to the side in the area where the Resistance ship had been seized. If you look at the picture below, you’ll see that guests are exiting the transport into the First Order Star Destroyer, where an army of Stormtroopers is standing by. Once the guests clear the room, the group of waiting single riders is asked to rush through before it’s time for the scene to play out again with the next crew.
You’ll then stay to the left (or whatever side they are using) to continue to the boarding area.
Before you know it (hopefully), you’ll be in the holding cell where the Resistance is waiting to bust you out as part of a last-minute escape plan.
I say hopefully because there are never any guarantees as to how long you’ll wait in the single rider queue, or any queue, for that matter. Things can happen. What things? The ride could experience downtime while you’re waiting. If that happens, everyone is going to have to wait. You might also join a long, slow-moving single rider line. It hasn’t happened to us here yet, but that doesn’t mean it can’t happen.
So keep those things in mind when you decide to join the line.
You do not want to get upset and act like a Kylo Ren if you don’t end up with a short wait. Right?
Our Experience Using the Single Rider Line for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
Okay, I’m only kidding about Kylo Ren. I believe that if your wait was at the very least shorter than the posted wait time, you’re going to be happy with your decision. Let’s take a look at how well we’ve done when I thought to record the times:
Posted Wait Time: 80 minutes
Joined the Single Rider Line: 2:03 p.m.
Assigned a Row to Board: 2:22 p.m.
Total Wait: 19 minutes
Posted Wait Time: 55 minutes
Joined the Single Rider Line: 1:48 p.m.
Assigned a row to board: 2:03 p.m.
Total Wait: 15 minutes
One of these experiences was during an exceptionally busy season, while the other was on an average day. Needless to say, on every occasion, we’ve all been tickled to death to have such a short wait, especially since we didn’t have to pay for a Lightning Lane.
As with all single-rider lines, you do have to split up if you’re not a solo traveler. Most of my experiences have been with a friend and her son, who is a pre-teen. We all visit Disney often and know the drill. For us, splitting up is not a big deal. So far, when we’ve done this specific ride, two of us have ended up on different rows in the same ride vehicle, while the other was sent to a different group. We all just wait for each other near the attraction’s exit once we’re done.
Yes, it’s great to ride with your loved ones, but it’s just as great to have bragging rights about a short wait! There is one caveat. As we said in our Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure single rider report, you’ll want to consider if you have someone in your party who might not feel comfortable riding alone or sitting next to a stranger. It might be a deal-breaker for some.
Final Thoughts
Overall, we think that the single rider line for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is the way to go, especially when we’re talking about a 2nd or 3rd ride in a day’s visit. You can’t beat that! I don’t know about you, but we’ll continue to take advantage of this option whenever it’s available. Check back with Resorts Gal for the latest Disney updates and reviews.
In the Comments
Have you tried the single rider line at Rise of the Resistance? If so, how long was your wait? Let us know or share any other questions below in the comments.
