At this point, its getting a bit hard to keep track of Disney's endless policy changes when it comes to boarding groups for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. With guests lining up earlier and earlier, and Disney moving the opening goalposts, getting into a (non-extended) boarding group for this attraction has become quite the challenge for the average guest. But hopefully, we have come to the end of the policy changes, as Disney has implemented a strict new procedure that went into effect earlier today that will level the playing field for the majority of guests visiting Disney's Hollywood Studios over the next few weeks. 

Opening time is now boarding time

For the past two weeks guests who have gotten in line hours before Disney's Hollywood Studios officially opened have been able to join boarding groups (and even experience attractions) long before the park's posted opening time, as Cast Members were letting guests in early to prevent a mob scene at the front of the park. However, it looks like those days might be over, as Disney is now implementing the following policy, effective today:

• Boarding groups will only be available starting at official park opening. Even if you arrive early, you will not be able to join a boarding group until the park is officially open. 
• Disney will open the park gates early to prevent crowding at the entrance, but attractions will not be available until the park officially opens, and guests will be corralled into holding areas near the center of the park.

So what does this mean for guests trying to get on Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance?

Right now, it looks like guests who arrive hours early will no longer have an advantage when it comes to getting an earlier boarding group time for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. Make no mistake, you'll still want to be at the park 30 minutes to an hour early, but as long as you are scanned in to the park before official opening, you should be good to go when it comes to getting a boarding group. However, there is one caveat...

Limitations of My Disney Experience

Though it has been around for several years now, My Disney Experience isn't exactly the most stable app, and it's unknown right now how thousands of guests logging on at the exact same time trying to get a boarding group will affect the app. Under the old system, guest levels were staggered as they scanned in to the park, which made strain on the app less intense (and also gave an advantage to those who lined up extremely early), but now with Disney opening boarding passes at a specific time to all guests, crashes and technical glitches seem more likely.

If possible, we'd say have My Disney Experience loaded up on at least two devices for your party (if you number more than one) and if your first attempt fails, immediately try again using the other device, rather than reloading My Disney Experience again and potentially losing out on your chance to join a boarding group.