Your Survival Guy is here to report that Walt Disney World is open for business. And if you’re in love with Star Wars, like my family is, then you need to check out Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge inside Disney’s Hollywood Studios, where you feel like you’re in a galaxy far, far away…
But, before you go, there’s some groundwork that needs to be covered. First, you need a reservation for the days you wish to visit a Walt Disney World (WDW) park. As we started our planning, we looked at the WDW calendar and found reservations for Disney Hollywood Studios to be sold out. Then, a couple days later, Disney made more available, and we were able to book out our desired days.
Covid rules are being relaxed daily. But, if you’re planning on going, make the park reservations first, then get your park passes. Also, if you get a Hopper pass, which allows entry to the other three parks after 2pm, you need to arrive at the “reserved” park first.
If you want to experience Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, you need to take an additional step by joining a virtual queue accessed via the My Disney Experience app. The queue opens at 7:00am. We were on the app at 6:45am, and as soon as the clock struck 7:00am we gained access to the virtual queue where you’re given instructions when to arrive at the attraction, which for us was around 11:30am (you have an hour window to arrive).
On day three, we visited Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance for a second time and, while in line, noticed the My Disney Experience app showing the Avatar ride (We love it! Our favorite! Do it!) over at Animal Kingdom had a 270-minute wait. We checked out Walt Disney News Today (WDNT) for the scoop. There’s a cottage industry of websites with up to the second reporting on all things Disney. Turns out there was a power outage at Animal Kingdom, which was the second one that week. When it was our turn to enter the Rise of the Resistance, we were told there was a service issue (power outage is my guess) and to come back when the attraction appeared again on the app, and we could use our pass to gain reentry to the front of the line.
How about those crowds? Civil, well-mannered, and everything you expect from Disney. There was no yelling. No fights in line. There aren’t many belligerents stumbling around when a couple beers costs twenty bucks. More updates? Fast Passes aren’t available because of Covid, but there’s a rumor about their imminent return, along with nightly fireworks in early July. Also, parks opened the gates a half hour before the reported opening times. Masks were “required” inside the attractions, but I just read the requirement has since been lifted. Like I said, things are fluid right now, and you need to keep checking on the rules. In October, Walt Disney World celebrates its 50-year anniversary and will pull out all the stops over the following 18-months.
Action Line: My Disney experience? Well, you’re never too old to visit Disney. I remember like it was yesterday visiting for the first time with my sister and parents. I remember how excited my mom and dad were to take us there. I remember sitting with my dad on the skyway and my mom telling us about Walt Disney’s dream to build a clean, safe park he could visit with his young daughters. And now, I can’t believe my children are basically adults—life goes on. But to be able to go back to a place where you just enjoy being together? To me, that’s magical.
