In this post we will discuss everything about Walt Disney World’s Virtual Queue. There are 2 rides that you are not able to join a stand-by line at Walt Disney World parks. That is right, you pay to enter the park and cannot wait in line for a ride. To ride Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind in EPCOT or Tron: Lightcycle Run in Magic Kingdom you will need to familiarize yourself with the virtual queue. This is Disney’s version of you virtually standing in line or them throttling the flow of traffic to keep people from waiting in line for most of their park day. We touched on virtual queue here – Trip Recap – October 2023 – (themeparkvacationsplanner.com)
History
Prior to 2019 you could simply enter a stand-by queue and wait in line for even the latest attractions. What this led to was some of the high demand queues being reported at 240+ minutes. What you heard is right, 4 hours in a queue for some rides.
With Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance opening in 2019 Disney rolled out the virtual queue. Using the virtual queue, you request a launch group and if/when assigned, you go about your park day until your group is called. You return and enter the queue and ride the ride. There are a few tips to increase your chance of landing a launch group we will cover later.
Disney has been limiting the virtual queue to just two rides across parks for most days. They have started using it for certain special events. As of this post (December 2023), Disney is using it for Meet Santa Claus in Once Upon a Toy and Rise of the Resistance only during Jollywood Nights celebration. These will go away after the holiday season, but Disney can and will use it to control flow for other events.
How it Works
Some rides at Walt Disney World do not have a stand-by line and instead required you to join Walt Disney World’s virtual queue or buy an Individual Lightning Lane (ILL) which is a discussion for another post. There is a virtual queue that will open at 7am and 1pm. They will also open some others for special events such as 6pm or 8pm.
Planning and preparation are the keys to possibly getting a launch group. Prior to queue opening, close open apps on your phone and open the My Disney Experience App. Arrange your party and be ready to hit refresh as soon as the queue opens, or a few seconds early if you feel lucky. If you get a launch group, it will give you a number.
We suggest allowing notifications to be pushed from the MDE app so you will get a notification when your group is boarding. Check in with the app periodically and start making your way back to the attraction as your number approaches.
Disney will start with one or two groups but can call more at a time. Launch groups can move swiftly some days and slowly on other days depending on how fast people are tapping in. Once your launch group is called you have an hour to tap into the attraction. It is rumored Disney will grant some grace period, but do you really want to risk it? Be sure you are tapping into the “virtual queue” and not the “Lightning Lane.”
A virtual queue does not guarantee a walk-on ride. That will depend on how many other guests are tapping in at the same time. We waited for 15-20 minutes for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and less than 5 minutes for TRON: Lightcycle Run. We have heard of people waiting 1-2 hours to board.
Virtual Queue Tips
- Be ready to go before the queue opens. Some days the launch groups are gone in seconds.
- Open the My Disney Experience app and select your party about five or ten minutes ahead of time.
- Weigh the option on Wi-Fi versus Cell service for booking some cellular providers speeds will be faster than Wi-Fi.
- Queues open at 7am and 1pm. You must be inside the park to be able to join the 1pm queue. There is a 6pm queue for extended evening hours eligible visitors.
- Once the clock turns or just a second or two before if you feel lucky. Refresh and hit the button to join.
- Just because you have a boarding group does not guarantee you will get to ride the ride. If the ride breaks down, your boarding group may never be called.
- Once you have your boarding group, we suggest allowing push notifications or checking the app regularly to make sure you do not miss your group. You have an hour once your group is called to tap into the attraction.
- You still might have to wait in the queue for the ride. We walked onto Tron within 5 minutes but talking to some “line friends” they waited around an hour when they did the virtual queue.
Closing
Love it or hate it, Walt Disney World’s virtual queue will be here to stay, we are sure. It is a bit of a hassle and not everyone will get picked, but it does prevent wasting half of day standing in line. If you get a launch group, it allows you to continue your day while holding your place. The idea is to remove rides from the virtual queue as demand stabilizes.
If you have any questions regarding virtual queues, please, reach out and ask. We are here to help iron out the wrinkles in your Disney Vacation Planning. Please reach out for your free Disney Vacation Quote. Contact – (themeparkvacationsplanner.com) We are here to help you plan your Walt Disney World vacation. We can provide a free no obligation quote, advice, or suggestions for your trip. We love talking about Disney vacations.