Sometimes you can’t just walk up to a Disney World attraction and get in the queue.
Virtual Queue sign up
If a Disney ride has gone down and the queue has needed to be evacuated, you won’t be able to stand in line to wait (though you can stand around the ride if you’d like, but we don’t recommend that if the Cast Members are hinting that the ride could be down for awhile). However, there are a handful of Disney World rides that have what are called Virtual Queues, and you must enter one of those to be able to ride. If you’re heading to the parks this year and haven’t been in a while, these are the only rides we expect to continue using Virtual Queues this year.
First, let’s review what a Virtual Queue is. A Virtual Queue can be entered at 7 AM or 1 PM via the My Disney Experience App as long as you have a valid ticket, or park pass reservation for that park. Availability often runs out in seconds, sometimes even a single second on extra busy days, so it’s important to be right on the dot.
Virtual Queue
Once you’ve been told you’re in the Virtual Queue, you’ll be given a boarding group and an estimated time your group will be called. If you’ve gotten an early group, sometimes they’re called before the park is even open, but other times, you could wait hours for your group to be called. Once you get the push notification from the app that your group has been called, you have one hour to return to the ride and get in the actual line (which is much shorter than what the line would be WITHOUT the Virtual Queue) — it’s essentially just a way for Disney to pace how many people are heading to the attraction at one time.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
At the time of writing, the only two attractions in Disney World that use Virtual Queues are Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in Magic Kingdom and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind in EPCOT. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is also included as part of Lightning Lane Multi Pass, which reservations can fill up fast for. However, if individuals are able to get a spot in the Virtual Queue for the ride, they’ll often forgo their Lightning Lane reservation, so be sure to check for new availability right after 7AM! Cosmic Rewind, on the other hand, can be bought individually as part of Lightning Lane Single Pass but is not part of Multi Pass.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
We aren’t anticipating any new rides other than the revised version of Test Track to open in 2025, and as there’s already a Virtual Queue in that park, we don’t anticipate Test Track having one when it reopens. We’ll be sure to keep you updated though, so be sure to stay tuned to DFB!
4 Rules You Need To Know Before You Use Virtual Queues in Disney World
Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!
WE KNOW DISNEY.
YOU CAN, TOO.
Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation.
Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever!
Do you like Virtual Queues, or wish they’d go away forever? Tell us in the comments!
Our handy (and portable!) ebook guides make sure you get the best deals and can plan a vacation of a lifetime.
A lot of people complain that Cosmic Rewind still has a virtual queue after being open almost 3 years. However, what they may not be taking into account is that the demand for the ride is still very high and if they take the virtual queue away, it would become a three hour standby wait line. For that reason, I’m glad it still has a virtual queue.
Sounds like fun. Let’s just make the whole Disney Experience so complicated that it isn’t worth the effort to come to Disney. After all, you’re already pricing the experience out of the realm of reality. GOOD FOR YOU DISNEY! Keep up the good (sic) work.