Taryn's Mad Hatter Adventures

1/28/20

One of the main goals of this trip of mine, was to check out the process of securing a boarding group and ride Rise of the Resistance!  Park opening was 7 a.m., so our goal was to be at the park by 6:30 a.m. at the latest.  At the moment, you have to be through the gates before 7 a.m. (park opening) so that you can be on the app to secure your spot.

Everyone in the party must be scanned into the park.  You cannot send one person to the park to secure for everyone.

We planned to take a Lyft from All Star Movies to Hollywood Studios.  We were in the lobby by 6 a.m. summoning our pick up.  I do want to note that the whole time we were sitting there waiting, we did not see one bus come to pick anyone up.  So we were happy with our decision to Lyft!  Apparently we were not the only ones…this whole line of cars are Lyft/Uber drop offs!  (Lyft/Uber drop off is closer than the buses.  It’s a short walk to the entrance.)

There was no real line at security, so we got right in.

This is the line before scanning into the gates.

This is behind me.

Once onto Hollywood Boulevard, they don’t stop you at the end anymore.  You can go in the shops, get coffee, or proceed to either the Galaxy’s Edge area, or Toy Story Land area.  I walked by so fast that I don’t even know what was happening on Sunset Boulevard on the way to Rock N Roller Coaster!  You may be able to line up there too??

We headed directly to Toy Story Land.  They stopped people from entering the actual land, but had us gathered down the whole lane leading to it.  They were telling people, DO NOT GO THIS WAY FOR GALAXY’S EDGE!  (There is an entrance to Galaxy’s Edge through Toy Story Land.). That entrance was closed off, so don’t try to take a shortcut or avoid the Galaxy’s Edge crowd through the normal entrance!  We had about a half hour to wait until 7 a.m.

At 7 a.m. on the nose, you could hear the murmurs of the crowds and gradually cheering as people secured their boarding group!  On this particular day, in order to get a boarding group for Rise of the Resistance, which is the only way to ride this new ride, you have to log onto the My Disney Experience app at posted park opening time.  Smack dab in the middle of the screen is Star Wars: RISE OF THE RESISTANCE–ACCESS BY BOARDING GROUP.  You click on that and then JOIN BOARDING GROUP.  Here you will select those in your party and then it will hopefully generate your boarding group number.

You can check the land status throughout the day.  Just click on the FIND OUT MORE again and it will tell you what groups are currently boarding.  We were able to enjoy most of the rest of the park until our group was called, including our 3 FP+.

Simultaneously, the line started moving for the opening of the park.  We were rope dropping Slinky Dog Dash since we couldn’t get a FP+ for it.  This is my favorite ride in this park!

After getting off, we checked the wait time for Toy Story Mania, and it was already long, so we bailed on that and Alex got some breakfast at Woody’s Lunch Box.  She chose the kid’s meal:  S’more French Toast Sandwich–Sandwich Half with Marshmallow and Chocolate Ganache stuffed in Grilled Custard soaked Brioche encrusted with Graham Cracker Crumbs served with a Cuties® Mandarin and Potato Barrels with your choice of Beverage $6.19.

She liked it!  Kid’s meals are so underrated.  It’s the perfect portion size, especially for breakfast, and it comes with the two sides AND a drink.

I also want to mention Mobile Ordering.  I encourage you to use it!  Below you can see the line just to order your food.  You can skip that by ordering on the My Disney Experience app.  It’s very user friendly, you can see pictures of the food when you order, and you can customize things.  You skip the ordering line and head to the Mobile Ordering Pick Up Window once you arrive at the location.

This is especially helpful during super busy meal times.  You can order when you are on the other side of the park, away from the location, and just select that you are here when you get closer.  When using Mobile Ordering, you pay directly through the app with the credit card on file or add a new card, or use your Disney Dining Plan.

Once finished with her breakfast, we used our Toy Story Mania FP+ before heading into Galaxy’s Edge for my breakfast.

Up next…Galaxy’s Edge!