I’ve seen a lot of people discussing the crowds at Disneyland waiting for #RiseOfTheResistance. So I wanted to explain some important details about the Virtual Queuing system. [thead]
#RiseOfTheResistance incorporates a Boarding Group system instead of a standard Stand-By line. You are only permitted access to the attraction if you have reserved a Boarding Group earlier in the day.
The best way to get a Boarding Group is to arrive before the scheduled opening time (around 8-9am, different each day), scan into the park, and grab a Boarding Group from the official app as soon the park officially opens.
However, there are some interesting things about this system that make it way more convenient than you think it would be.
First, while Disneyland Park has a specific opening time when are the attractions are open, you can still scan into the park before then. They usually open the turnstiles at least 30 minutes before opening (2 hours this morning for #RiseOfTheResistance)
This means you don’t have to arrive at 3am like some people did this morning to go on the ride. You can show up 30 minutes before park opening and still have a good chance of getting a Boarding Group. You just have to enter the park before 8am.
But that’s not all. The app will detect if you’re in the park after you scan your ticket at the turnstiles. However, it never checks to see if you have left the park, even with GPS.
As long as your party has scanned their tickets, you can leave the park and still get a Boarding Group at 8am.
BUT THAT’S NOT ALL. Multiple people can be signed into the same Disney account, and try to get a Boarding Group at the same time.
So if you have a party of six, everyone can try to get a Boarding Group for the whole group, as long as everyone’s tickets are linked to the same account.
AND THAT’S STILL NOT ALL. Because the app doesn’t use your GPS to detect if you’re in the park, you can have friends and family from OUT OF STATE try to get Boarding Groups, as long as they are signed into your account.
They likely have a better internet connection than you do, so this is a huge help.
So while the system is basically a lottery of who gets an earlier Boarding Group, there are many ways to improve your odds without waking up at 3am. If you do a little research instead of brute forcing it, you can have a very easy morning.
[P.S.] I forgot to mention that only 10-20 Boarding Groups are called at one time. Different Boarding Groups become active throughout the day, starting at #1 and going until around #120 (although the first 80 groups are the only ones guaranteed to ride the attraction.)
Because of this, the actual wait time for the attraction is only around 30 minutes. It only reduces the amount of people who can go on the ride in a single day.
