EPCOT reopened to the public yesterday, and so has the Skyliner station at the International Gateway.
Signs advertise flights to Disney’s Riviera Resort, Caribbean Beach Resort, Pop Century Resort, Art of Animation Resort, and Hollywood Studios, which also reopened. Caribbean Beach Resort has not yet reopened, but its Skyliner station acts as a major hub for other lines. Pop Century is open and Riviera Resort is open for Disney Vacation Club members only. Art of Animation will be reopening in August.
With Disney’s Hollywood Studios reopening to the public yesterday, one of its most popular attractions, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, has made changes to its virtual queue system.
Cast Members from Batuu were stationed outside with iPads to check guests’ status within the Virtual Queue:
Guests have the opportunity to request to join the virtual queue via the My Disney Experience app at three different times during the day: 10 AM, 1 PM, and 4 PM (ET). Previously, all virtual queue spots were released at park open. Guests must be within Disney’s Hollywood Studios to request a queue spot.
Once at the park, pull up the My Disney Experience app and scroll down until you see this Rise of the Resistance section, then tap “Join”. At each of the three scheduled times, the request process will open.
To maintain fairness, guests can only enter the virtual queue once per day. This means that, for example, if you request to join the queue at 10 AM and successfully obtain a spot, you can’t request another spot at 1 PM or 4 PM.
With the 10:00 AM Virtual Queue opening, we found that all Boarding Groups had been fully distributed within 5 minutes. By 10:08 AM, the Virtual Queue page had been updated to reflect that no more groups were available, and that guests were to check back at 1:00 PM for another opportunity to join the Virtual Queue if they were not successful in the first round.
Given that Boarding Groups used to run out in mere seconds in the months prior to the closure at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the fact that they lasted a few minutes is a positive, but we’ll have to monitor how the progression of the Virtual Queue goes throughout the day (and the subsequent days) for a better sense of logistics for the attraction.
RISE OF THE RESISTANCE — Disney guests will traverse the corridors of a Star Destroyer and join an epic battle between the First Order and the Resistance – including a face-off with Kylo Ren – when Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance opens Dec. 5, 2019 at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and Jan. 17, 2020 at Disneyland Resort in California. At 14 acres each, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland Park and Disney’s Hollywood Studios is Disney’s largest single-themed land expansion ever. (Joshua Sudock/Disney Parks)
If your My Disney Experience account is linked to your park tickets and the others in your party, you should be able to enter everyone into the virtual queue at the same time. The app will also display when queue spots are no longer available for a certain distribution time. Should you be unable to attain a queue spot, backup groups may be available. While waiting for your boarding group to be called, you’re free to enjoy the rest of what Disney’s Hollywood Studios has to offer.
Be sure to have push notifications turned on for My Disney Experience, so that you’ll be notified if your group has been called to return. Guests have an hour from the time of the alert to arrive at the entrance to Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. Because of the possibility of unforeseen circumstances, Disney has stressed that joining the virtual queue is not a guarantee that guests will be able to experience the attraction.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios is reopening on July 15. One of the biggest questions still needing to be answered was how Disney was going to handle the virtual queue for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. Disney has provided an update!
Here are all the details from a Disney Cast Member:
“As we look forward to reopening Magic Kingdom Park and Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park tomorrow, our cast members are also preparing for the reopening of EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios on July 15.
For guests with upcoming Disney Park Pass reservations to visit Disney’s Hollywood Studios, we wanted to share an update about Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, which will once again be using virtual queue in the My Disney Experience app. If you’ve joined the Resistance before, you will want to note a few changes to the process beginning July 15. Most importantly – as availability allows – guests will have an opportunity at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. or 4 p.m. to request to join the virtual queue. This means there is no need to arrive early to the park to check the virtual queue.
Whether it’s your first trip to Batuu or you have joined the fight against the First Order before, there are a few important details to know before you arrive:
First, make sure you have the My Disney Experience app. Once you enter the park, log in to your account at one of the distribution times (10 a.m., 1 p.m. or 4 p.m.).
Once you have logged in, select “Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance Virtual Queue” on the home screen. You will be able to view the current status and next steps for joining the virtual queue.
The app will indicate when there is no availability for a specific distribution time. Some guests may join backup groups.
As long as your My Disney Experience account is linked to park tickets for you and the others in your group, you can enroll everyone in the virtual queue at the same time. In order to give as many guests as possible the opportunity to join the Resistance, each guest can enter the virtual queue no more than once per day.
Make sure push notifications are turned on for My Disney Experience so you will be alerted if your group is called to return. You’ll have up to an hour from the time of the alert to go to the entrance of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.
Please note that joining the virtual queue does not guarantee the ability to experience Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.
If you have any questions or need assistance with joining the virtual queue, cast members at Guest Experience Team locations throughout the park are available to assist. While you wait for your virtual queue group to be called, you can enjoy other experiences at Disney’s Hollywood Studios including our newest addition, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway.
RISE OF THE RESISTANCE — Disney guests will traverse the corridors of a Star Destroyer and join an epic battle between the First Order and the Resistance – including a face-off with Kylo Ren – when Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance opens Dec. 5, 2019 at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and Jan. 17, 2020 at Disneyland Resort in California. At 14 acres each, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland Park and Disney’s Hollywood Studios is Disney’s largest single-themed land expansion ever. (Joshua Sudock/Disney Parks)
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is one of the most popular attractions at Walt Disney World Resort, and we know many of our guests are familiar with using virtual queue to experience this one-of-a-kind adventure. For other attractions at Walt Disney World Resort, we plan to use our regular standby queues to manage capacity and to maintain physical distancing.
We can’t wait to welcome you back to the magic at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Walt Disney World Resort!”
We are so close to the reopening of Walt Disney World after a nearly four-month closure. Disney has shared with us information on what we can expect to see and interact with characters when the parks reopen this week.
1 – New Character Magic
Part of the magic of a Walt Disney World Resort theme park visit is seeing beloved Disney characters. With traditional parades and character greetings on hiatus to promote physical distancing among guests, theme park character experiences have been reimagined in new and different ways. From cavalcades down Main Street, U.S.A. at Magic Kingdom Park to sailings down Discovery River at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park and much more, characters from dozens of favorite Disney stories will surprise and delight guests across all four theme parks. These are just some of the reimagined experiences guests will discover as the theme parks begin their phased reopening.
2 – Magic Kingdom (reopening July 11)
“The Royal Princess Processional” – Several times daily, favorite Disney princesses travel through the streets of Magic Kingdom. Princess Merida leads the way on her steed Angus, followed closely by a gazebo float and crystal castle carrying Cinderella, Tiana, Belle, Jasmine, Snow White, Rapunzel and others.
“Mickey and Friends Cavalcade” – Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and their pals pop up throughout the day, inviting everyone to “Get Their Ears On” as they wave to guests along the park’s parade route.
Cinderella’s Evil Stepsisters – From time to time, guests in Fantasyland may spot the dastardly Anastasia and Drizella and can interact with them from afar while they’re perched on a balcony of Cinderella Castle.
Goofy Cavalcade – Goofy will star in “A Goofy Cavalcade!” when Magic Kingdom Park reopens July 11, 2020, at Walt Disney World Resort.
3 – Disney’s Animal Kingdom (reopening July 11)
“Donald’s Dino Boat Bash!” – Donald Duck, Daisy Duck and Launchpad McQuack wave to guests from their party boat as “Donald’s Dino Bash!” moves from DinoLand U.S.A. to Discovery River.
“Discovery River Character Cruise” – Throughout the day, guests can see Timon and Rafiki or Pocahontas with Meeko, who will set sail on the parks’ waterways.
Discovery Island Drummers – These high-energy percussionists cruise along Discovery River, entertaining guests on the shore with an energetic beat.
4 – EPCOT (reopening July 15)
“Mickey and Friends World Tour” – As guests travel around World Showcase, they may come upon Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Pluto and Goofy all out sightseeing and waving to their friends.
“Frozen Promenade” – Queen Anna and Elsa venture into the unknown around World Showcase, journeying from country to country and waving hello to guests along the way.
5 – Disney’s Hollywood Studios (reopening July 15)
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge – While living their own adventures in a galaxy far, far away, guests are likely to come across some familiar faces as they explore Black Spire Outpost on the planet Batuu:
Heroes of the Resistance, including Rey, Chewbacca and Vi Moradi, may be spotted on platforms above the garage in Black Spire Station or surveying activity around the spaceport where the Millennium Falcon has landed.
A contingent of First Order Stormtroopers join Kylo Ren in patrolling the landing platform at Docking Bay 9 beneath their TIE Echelon assault vehicle.
“Pixar Pals Motorcade” – Some of the biggest stars from Pixar Animation Studios’ films arrive on Hollywood Boulevard, from The Incredibles to Toy Story pals and more. They’ll wave to their fans as they head down the avenue accompanied by a celebratory musical score.
“Disney Junior Stars Motorcade” – Throughout the day, Disney Junior stars including Fancy Nancy, Doc McStuffins and Vampirina will cruise down Hollywood Boulevard waving to fans from colorful custom convertibles.
Just in! Walt Disney World releases the full list of Theme Park Restaurants that will be available upon reopen! While dining reservations are not yet available, at least we can begin planning to dine at some of our favorites. Check out the list below.
In-Park Dining: At this time, dining reservations are not available for in-park dining experiences. Reservations will resume at a later date. When in-park dining initially becomes available, you’ll need valid park admission, a reservation for park entry and a dining reservation to dine at an in-park, table-service restaurant. Dining reservations do not guarantee admission to the park.
When the theme parks initially reopen, the following dining locations will also reopen. Additional carts and kiosks may also be available during your visit.
More Information: When in-park dining initially becomes available, you’ll need valid park admission and a reservation for park entry. Additionally, you’ll need a dining reservation to dine at a table-service restaurant. Dining reservations do not guarantee admission to the park.
