Who’s ready to journey down into the Bayou?

The NEW Magic Kingdom ride Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is open NOW (on June 28th), and now that it’s open to everyone, we’re here to tell you how the queue and boarding process will work. As many fans predicted, the ride uses a virtual queue to manage demand, and now we know exactly how that virtual queue works.

Disney announced that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure uses a virtual queue in Magic Kingdom. This has become Disney’s go-to strategy for managing demand for popular rides. A couple of other rides that have a virtual queue in Disney World right now include Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and TRON Lightcycle / Run.

Here, we’ll be covering a step-by-step guide for getting in the virtual queue, but if you’d like to skip to a specific topic, check these articles out below:

• What is a Virtual Queue?
• Which Attractions Use a Virtual Queue? 
• What Do I Need to Enter a Virtual Queue?
• How Do I Enter a Virtual Queue in Disney World?
• How Do I Enter a Virtual Queue in Disneyland?
• What if I Don’t Get a Spot in a Virtual Queue? 

But now, onto the step-by-step guide!

What’s a Virtual Queue?

Let’s start at the beginning. A virtual queue is a tool available through the My Disney Experience app (Disney World) or the Disneyland app (Disneyland Resort) that allows guests to reserve a space in line for the most popular park attractions ahead of time from their phones. If you’re able to secure a spot in the virtual queue, you will be assigned a boarding group, and then you’ll use that individual boarding pass to enter the line when it’s time to ride.

Having a virtual queue means there is no standby line available, so you have only two options to ride Tiana’s Bayou Adventure: the virtual queue or buying an Individual Lightning Lane. Disney did share that this could change in the future, but for now, there is no traditional standby line.

What Do I Need For The Virtual Queue?

Here’s everything you need to access the virtual queue through the My Disney Experience App:

1. A registered account on the My Disney Experience app
2. If you’re an Annual Passholder, a Park Pass reservation for Magic Kingdom is required for the 7AM drop.
3. For the 1PM drop, guests are required to be INSIDE Magic Kingdom.

The virtual queue works exactly the same as the one for TRON Lightcycle/Run and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind; you can hop from another park and join the virtual queue once you enter Magic Kingdom in the afternoon, IF spots are still available.

Preparing to Join The Virtual Queue

You’ll first want to make sure that you have the My Disney Experience app installed on your phone and that it’s updated to the latest version.

Sign into your Disney account and check that the following things are linked to your account:

• Valid admission tickets;
• Disney Park Pass Reservations; 
• The accounts of any family and friends who are visiting the park with you and wish to be in the same boarding group.

Booking The Reservation

The virtual queue will open at 7AM and again at 1PM. You can be anywhere for the first opportunity but must be in Magic Kingdom to snag one at 1PM.

Step 1: Confirm Your Party

You can confirm your party up to an hour in advance of the virtual queue opening. This will help ensure everyone is linked to the reservation.

On the app, under “Join Virtual Queue,” you’ll find a button that says “Confirm Your Party.”

Step 2: Join The Virtual Queue

At EXACTLY 7AM (or 1PM), join the virtual queue by clicking the button. We suggest using a world clock on another device to be accurate to the second.

From here, move quickly through the prompts to land that Virtual Queue spot! These spots are gone in seconds, so when we say move fast, we really mean it.

Step 3: Celebrate or Go To Plan B

The app will notify you immediately if you have successfully booked a space in the Virtual Queue with an assigned Boarding Group Number. 

If you’re successful in joining the queue, you will receive a boarding group. Disney calls boarding groups back in sections, and once your group is called back, you’ll receive a notification from the My Disney Experience app telling you to head back to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. You’ll have one hour to return once your group is called. 

Although Disney doesn’t give you a return time, you can track the progress of the virtual queue on the app to get a fairly good estimate of when your group will be called.

If you have not received a boarding group, you can choose to buy Genie+, soon to be called Lightning Lane Multi Pass, to ride the attraction. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is one of the many rides included in Disney’s paid skip-the-line service. While it may be expensive, these will also book up fast, so we suggest grabbing a Lightning Lane reservation ASAP if you really want to ride.

During the first few weeks that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is open, it may be more challenging to secure a boarding group than once the ride is open for a few months. On the first day of the opening, virtual queue spots were gone within a few seconds at the 7AM drop. You have to be FAST.

And that’s it! Your step-by-step guide to booking a spot in the virtual queue for this popular new ride. Check out our 5 additional tips for grabbing a boarding pass you don’t want to miss, and stay tuned to DFB for all the latest Disney news!

Want to learn more about the new Tiana’s Bayou Adventure? Check out some of these amazing articles!

• Virtual Queue Details ANNOUNCED for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in Disney World
• FIRST LOOK At Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Cast Member Outfits!
• You Have to Hear the NEW Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Song Disney Just Released
• BREAKING: Tiana’s Bayou Adventure FULL RIDE-THROUGH VIDEO! Watch Now!
• This Character Is MISSING From Tiana’s Bayou Adventure!
• We Found the TINIEST Surprises on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure — And We Love Them!

Have you been successful in getting a virtual queue spot before? Tell us in the comments below!