At this time, Disney World hasn’t revealed what their virtual queue system will look like when the theme parks reopen in July. But it seems like it is all but certain Disney will implement SOME sort of virtual queue experience, but it’s scope and intricacies are unknown at this time!
World of Disney Virtual Queue sign
We’ve seen Virtual Queues already in place at some experiences like World of Disney for when crowds get large. At Universal Orlando, not every attraction had virtual queues, so we may not see EVERY ride and attraction at Disney World add one. That said, we have a few ideas for which rides we think TOTALLY need a Virtual Queue in Disney World.
One of the pros of Virtual Queues is that much of your “waiting” in line happens before you even step into the physical queue space! Much like FastPass+, you wait for your designated return time, and then you enter the attraction with an expedited wait time from there. That means that you would walk through the queue area at a much quicker pace!
Universal queue
We’ve already seen Disney implement Virtual Queues with Rise of the Resistance, to mixed reviews. But most would say that the in-queue experience tends to be smoother and faster (well…most of the time)!
Rise of the Resistance
There are SEVERAL rides at Disney World with less-than-stellar queue areas. They are either entirely outdoors (making for a super hot, super NOT fun experience), or they are just plain boring and long with nothing to do or look at! These are our first prime candidates!
Read about our case for MORE Virtual Queues in Disney World!
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
The queue for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is entirely open-air, with relatively no air conditioning to relieve you from the Florida heat.
Big Thunder Mountain in Disney World
While there are a couple of fun, interactive elements throughout the queue, like “blowing up” dynamite out on the mountain or checking out all the odd cages full of canaries, it’s not nearly as interactive as the queues for Peter Pan’s Flight or even Haunted Mansion. The “wildest ride in the wilderness” would definitely benefit from a Virtual Queue where we don’t have to stand in that line for an hour!
Look back on the opening of Rise of the Resistance and their Virtual Queue system here.
Space Mountain
While we appreciate great air conditioning as much as the next person, we’re including Space Mountain on this list because it is an incredibly LONG queue.
Space Mountain
Space Mountain sometimes offers interactive games along the standby queue that give kids and adults something stimulating to do while standing in line. If this isn’t available, there are space-themed games you can play in the Play Disney Parks app.
Space Mountain
While interactive games on the Play Disney Parks app is a decent alternative to just standing in line, we would much prefer a Virtual Queue where we can just walk right on to the ride, more or less, when our return time comes up. And while the Star Tunnel’s music is among our favorites, it already takes several minutes just to walk through the entire hallway. That’s plenty of time for us!
Learn about our experience with Virtual Queues at Universal Orlando’s grand re-opening here!
Flight of Passage
Some folks love certain aspects of the standby queue for Flight of Passage. Much of the queue is indoors, and there are some pretty interesting things to look at! But to get there, you still have to stand in a long, and we mean LONG, outdoor queue.
Flight of Passage
Years after the attraction has opened, Flight of Passage still frequently has a wait time of two or more hours, so a virtual queue could be a very welcome change for this ride!
Read more about how Disney World is considering adding Virtual Queues to their parks.
Slinky Dog Dash
Slinky Dog Dash is another attraction in high demand, meaning that it is HARD to snag a FastPass for the attraction. And if you can’t snag a reservation, you have to resort to standing in the standby queue, and let’s just say…it’s miserable!
Slinky Dog Dash Wait Time
You would think that with all the innovations and improvements made to the rides and attractions over the years, the queue experience would grow and evolve with them! But Slinky Dog Dash is your typical 100% open-air, outdoor switch-back queue. And with wait times regularly well above one hour, that’s a LOT of time to stand around in the Florida heat!
Check out our video on tackling Disney’s most popular rides here!
Soarin’
Soarin’ also offers interactive games that are projected on the walls of the queue area from time to time through the Play Disney Parks app.
The queue area for Soarin’
But if you don’t have the Play Disney Parks app, Soarin’ can be one pretty uneventful queue experience. While the app is a good boredom-buster while you’re waiting in line, like Space Mountain, we would rather walk onto the ride when it’s time to hop in line!
Learn more about the massive transformation coming to EPCOT here!
Kilimanjaro Safaris
If you’re looking for a quintessential Animal Kingdom experience, there’s nothing better than Kilimanjaro Safaris. This is a truly one-of-a-kind attraction, not just at Disney World, but around the world!
Kilimanjaro Safaris Wait Time
The ride has seen some updates throughout the years. Its original version dealt with the dangers of poaching, and during the middle of your tour of the Harambe Wildlife Reserve, you would find yourself in the crosshairs of poachers! The ride has since been updated to just be a tour of the Reserve.
Kilimanjaro Safaris Lions
The queue area for Kilimanjaro Safaris is long and entirely outdoors. The pre-show video is a fun preview of the animals that you’ll see on safari, but we would much rather skip to the good part: the live animals themselves!
Check out these hidden GEMS at Animal Kingdom!
Rock N Roller Coaster
Our final attraction that we would love to see get a Virtual Queue is Rock N Roller Coaster! Until you reach the pre-show room where you have your encounter with Aerosmith, there is quite literally nothing to do in the queue.
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Entrance
Most of it is outdoors in a traditional switch-back configuration. And while much of it is shaded, the extended queue can easily stretch around the front of the building, creating a very unpleasant, sunny experience.
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster line
Virtual queues for Rock N Roller Coaster could also make for an easier way of planning your trip to the far end of Hollywood Studios, where many guests will often try to get back-to-back FastPasses for Rock N Roller Coaster and its neighboring attraction, Tower of Terror.
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
With FastPass+ temporarily suspended, guests will need to come up with another way of easily experiencing these two rides, and Virtual Queues may be just the solution!
Read more about Disney’s decision to temporarily suspend FastPass+ here!
There’s no question that the queueing experience at Disney World is already going to change drastically with the temporary suspension of FastPass+. And with a more-than-likely Virtual Queue system on its way, everything we know about planning your day around what rides you want to experience could look TOTALLY different! These changes are necessary as part of the new health and safety protocols, but we think some of these attractions will really benefit from having a new way of “waiting” in line!
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What queue at Disney World do YOU think needs an upgrade, or could really benefit from having a Virtual Queue? Let us know in the comments!
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I think the idea for virtual queues is great and would love to see them for many attractions. What I hope is Disney comes up with a better approach than “you gotta be in the park when (really before) it opens and then everyone bash on you phone hoping to get a virtual queue spot”. Really a terrible way to make this available. And heavens forbid the wifi or cell service gets overloaded.
Every virtual queue means people are somewhere else, i.e. common areas, shopping, dining. Even before COVID, those areas already seemed very strained or filled to capacity. The opening day of Epcot is a case in point when multiple rides shut down at once,, thereby squeezing common areas and making dining areas overcrowded and hostile as people just literally look for something to do somewhere to be.
The Rise of the Resistance Virtual Queue is an absolute disaster and has completely ruined Hollywood Studios for me. Disney have to come out with a system that is better than everyone must be in the park in order to get into the virtual queue at rope drop. Rise of Resistance is awesome, and the first time we went, with a 6am rope drop, we got a good boarding group and were through by about 9am. The second time that we went at rope drop, after Christmas, we got boarding group 100+. Within an hour of the park being open there were 3 hour lines on Slinky Dog, Rockin Roller Coaster, Haunted Mansion etc… Having everyone be in the park at the same time, rope drop, increases the crowds, and people stay there all day, having gotten up early to go to the park, it was mobbed. They need to release blocks of virtual queues throughout the day, not all at once at rope drop, that method is just plain silly!