Disneyland will change its ‘Star Wars’ ride for reopening. Here are the differences

Disneyland has decided to make some changes to the Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance experience for its reopening this week.

The ride — which takes guests on an adventure through a battle between the First Order and the Resistance — runs about 18 minutes, which makes it “too long for California health rules limiting indoor rides,” according to The Los Angeles Times.

• The main plot of the ride will remain, including “explosions, drama and high-tech mayhem,” per The Los Angeles Times.
• However, the ride will cut out some points where riders have to wait or walk around. This “could include the segments when visitors are waiting to be interrogated by the First Order’s leader Kylo Ren or when they are allowed to linger before a unit of stormtroopers in a Star Destroyer’s hangar bay,” The Los Angeles Times reports.
• There’s also a speech at the beginning of the ride where Rey explains everything that’s going on. That might also be shortened.

What is the Rise of Resistance like?

I had a chance to ride the Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance ride during its opening at Walt Disney World in December 2019 — before the entire world changed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The wait times — where you stand around within a First Order ship — was a little long for my taste. Some of the audio and visual moments — like the speeches from Kylo Ren — went a little long, too. Of course, there were some fun twists and turns. But overall, the actual ride itself was the best part. So this change from Disneyland might make the ride even better.

When does Disneyland reopen?

Disneyland will reopen its park on April 30 after being closed for more than a year. The park will reopen with a number of COVID-19 safety guidelines, which were implemented at Walt Disney World in Florida in summer 2020.

Right now, the park is only open to California residents. But that rule could change due to California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s new “Blueprint for a Safer Economy,” which allows out-of-state residents to participate in California activities and events, according to The OC Register.