Welcome back to planDisney, Patrina! I am so glad you’ve come here to ask your question!
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is one of the most immersive, truly spectacular attractions that I have ever had the pleasure to ride. It also remains the most elusive attraction to gain access to at Walt Disney World.
In order to obtain a boarding group for Rise of the Resistance, you are correct that you would need a theme park reservation for Disney’s Hollywood Studios for that day. Then, you would be able to try at 7am for a RotR boarding group. Should that prove to be unsuccessful, you would need to be scanned into Hollywood Studios when the 1pm drop occurs.
At this time, park hopping begins at 2pm. This being the case, you would not be able to head to Disney’s Animal Kingdom that morning. I have found that the wait times at Animal Kingdom have not been super bad in the afternoons and heading to
Avatar Flight of Passage near park closing has proven quite successful recently.
The nicest part of the 7am boarding group is that you can access it from your hotel room. Should you be successful, you’ll know an approximate time that your group will be called, so you can possibly take your time getting ready. We’ve even had a nice sit-down breakfast before heading to Hollywood Studios for the day.
I hope you have a wonderful trip to the Walt Disney World resort! Please visit us again with other questions that you think of!
Happy Traveling,
Tracy