4. Plexiglass doesn’t ruin Rise of the Resistance—but it does make parts of it a little weird
Video: YouTube, @MyKingdomForAMouse
In our October update, we recounted how plexiglass dividers were added to certain portions of the queue for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance on the Star Destroyer, as well as how guests were being socially distanced on using small dots for the briefing and transport sequence. While this made for some bad views on the transport, the ride experience didn’t change much.
Enter the plexiglass.
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance has been plexiglassed out. It’s a Plexiglasstravaganza. It may leave some guests perplex(iglass)ed. We’ve got plexiglass for the briefing room, plexiglass on the transport, plexiglass in the ride vehicles. If you have an irrational fear of plexiglass, this is not an ideal time to ride Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.
Let’s start with the bad news… while the plexiglass doesn’t feel that out of place in the world of Star Wars, it does make for some slightly awkward viewing angles during the first two sequences. We ended up tucked up against the wall right under BB-8 for the briefing, and it was a little odd. Rey’s head was blocked by a good sized column, and we felt rather like what a goldfish must feel trying to watch an episode of The Mandalorian with a wall of glass, your bulbous head, and a flower pot in the way. It didn’t ruin the ride, but it definitely wouldn’t be ideal for a first time visitor.
We experienced similar awkwardness on the transport. In positive news, we finally managed to escape the dreaded dot tucked in the rear corner where you can’t see anything of import (we seem to have a knack for being placed there). In a hilarious switch of fate, this time we were placed in the opposite corner, tucked right next to the lieutenant and communications screen. This actually ended up being a pretty decent view we hadn’t seen before, but there was no question the plexiglass left a few guests positioned in less-than-ideal spots. This is such a fast-paced attraction, it’s not like you really have a moment you can ask, “Um, could I evacuate the planet on that dot over there instead?” The best strategy is just roll with it and enjoy the action pretending Batuu has a booming plexiglass-production industry.
As for the actual ride vehicles, we ended up in the rear seats behind the infamous plexiglass shields. I will say that despite the fact that the shields make filming a little challenging (the glare looks worse on video than it is in real life—plus it gives videos a trippy drunk-wistful-and-in-peril effect like something from an 80’s movie), the plexiglass really didn’t dampen our experience. The glass is kept pretty clean, so it didn’t really muddy any of our views, and it was actually nice getting to share the adventure with other guests. Our experience on Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway was similar—we definitely noticed the glass, but it didn’t harm the attraction experience.
Overall, the plexiglass jungle on Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is a little annoying, but it is worth it in this weird season to get more guests onto this popular attraction in a reasonably safe way.
5. Rise of the Resistance is still experiencing significant breakdowns affecting capacity
Video: YouTube, @MyKingdomforAMouse
It’s been nice to have some good news regarding Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance as we’ve reached the ride’s one year anniversary. Unfortunately, there is one big problem the minds at Disney still haven’t overcome…
On our last visit, we were impressed by how many boarding groups got to experience the ride—they made it all the way to group 112, which is well into the backup groups. On this trip, things didn’t play out so smoothly, and the troubles started early in the day.
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance still suffers from regular downtime due to ride breakdowns and maintenance problems. On the day we visited, the ride did not start accepting boarding groups until around 12 PM. Our group (16) was called around 1 PM only for the attraction to shut down again shortly after our ride completed. By 6:30 PM, they’d reached Group 66 (a bit ominous for Star Wars fans), making it unlikely they’d make it into backup groups by the end of the day. It seems these issues have continued in the days following, including one day where the ride didn’t start boarding guests until after 4:00 PM.
How might this affect your visit? It is wise for guests to remember that scoring a boarding group does not guarantee you’ll get to ride Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. Disney has done a decent job making sure guests who have a group still get to enjoy the attraction, but that may mean a long wait in the queue if multiple boarding groups are called at the same time, and you might even end up experiencing parts of the ride in B-mode. Our experience with the attraction has been largely positive without major breakdowns, but be aware that they are still happening.
6. Don’t expect too much holiday flair (with one weird exception)
Video: YouTube, User: Blog Mickey
While Disney’s Hollywood Studios has never necessarily been known as Disney’s most Christmas-y park, guests who were hoping for a Life Day Celebration on Batuu may be a little disappointed.
This isn’t entirely unexpected with all the belt-tightening Disney has had to do to ride out the financial losses of the pandemic, but Disney’s Hollywood Studios felt decidedly minimalistic when it comes to holiday cheer. Toy Story Land only got the barest holiday treatment, and rumors of a Life Day 2020 Celebration in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge never came to fruition. Echo Lake still hosts a good sized Christmas tree, and little bits of holiday bling can be spotted here and there, but decorations felt distinctly low key for Disney’s normal Christmas style.
With one notable exception…
Introduced in 2017, the Hollywood Holiday Tower Hotel is back with a shortened projection show transforming the Tower of Terror into a tower of toys, then a tower of gingerbread (eeeevil gingerbread, we assume), and a winter wonderland. You can’t miss it. Some guests love it, some guests think it looks a bit like that one weird uncle who gets a bit carried away with the Christmas decorations aimed his staggering collection of novelty projectors at the Disney landmark all at the same time. It’s a little weird, but hey, if the kids like it, we’ll take whatever cheer we can get. We appreciate that they didn’t project a giant Mickey facemask wrapped around the building or an enlargement of everyone’s least favorite sign:
Image: Jett Farrell-Vega
7. Some merchandise locations are opening late and closing early
You may not want to wait until the end of the day to pick up that lightsaber you were hoping for…
I’m not positive if this has been a policy since the parks reopened, but we noticed that Disney is limiting hours for many merchandise locations in the park. Keystone Clothiers, for example, did not open its doors until lunch time, and some merchandise locations are not open at all (particularly on low attendance days).
The biggest place we noticed these limited hours was in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. We intended to pick up a lightsaber sheath from Dok Ondar’s around 6:45 PM, but we noticed that the queue for Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run had fallen to just 20 minutes. Assuming this meant the attraction was essentially walk-on like on our previous trips, we went ahead and got in line. As mentioned, the wait times are no longer being padded as much, so we didn’t get off the ride until a bit after 7:10 PM.
To our chagrin, the doors to Dok Ondar’s Den of Antiquities were sealed, along with all other shops in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
We assume cost-cutting measures are at work again, but this is definitely something guests should be aware of if you plan to pick up any last minute souvenirs—expect most merchandise locations in the park to close by 7:00 PM. This policy may change, but we would recommend erring on the safe side and doing all your shopping earlier in the day. You will definitely find shorter waits if you visit shops later in the day (like the Jewels of Bith Marketplace in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge), but don’t wait too late or you may miss your window.
In summation, if you are comfortable visiting Walt Disney World with the pandemic still in play, it is still a very good time to visit Disney’s Hollywood Studios before the holiday rush. Capacity limits are still keeping crowds reasonable and despite some weirdness surrounding plexiglass and pandemic policies, we are not likely to see the parks this quiet again once capacities go back to normal in the future.
Enjoy this article? Keep reading for Answers to Your Top Questions About Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge or to learn about The “Mad” King Who Inspired Walt Disney to build Sleeping Beauty Castle…
Comments
I had a recent trip to Disney over thanksgiving break, and ive noticed that Disney lets people into the parks before the posted opening and some rides were running (I was in Hollywood studios, on slinky dog dash at 9:30)