For a select number of highly popular rides in Walt Disney World theme parks, there has been the need to jockey for a boarding pass using a virtual queue system. The alternative was to purchase your way onto the ride by buying a Lightning Lane pass or Genie+ (Lightning Lane’s predecessor). There was simply no other way to ride these rides, as a regular standby line was not available. The virtual queue is free, however, it is not guaranteed that you will be placed into a boarding group from the virtual queue system. This is because there are only a certain number of boarding groups issued each day. You generally have two shots per day to get into a boarding group. Your first shot is at 7:00 AM, when you would log into the MyDisneyExperience app and attempt to get into a group; the next opportunity is at 1:00 PM (at which point, you must be inside the park to be considered). If you get into a boarding group, you would be put into the virtual queue until your boarding group is called. The app will then send you a push alert letting you know that it is your time to ride.
We first saw these virtual queues when Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance opened at Disney’s Hollywood Studios back in 2019. This ride did not even have the secondary method of riding; it was virtual queue or bust. Disney ended the virtual queue for Rise of the Resistance in 2021, allowing for a standby line. The following year, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind debuted in EPCOT. It opened with the virtual queue and Genie+ Lightning Lane. The next two rides that opened at Walt Disney World in 2023 and 2024, TRON Lightcycle/Run and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure (both in Magic Kingdom), both opened with virtual queues and Lightning Lanes, as did the Journey of Water – Inspired by Moana attraction in EPCOT periodically for its first week. The virtual queue for TRON Lightcycle/Run ended on September 8, 2024 in favor of the standby line. Now there is word of additional virtual queue changes.
Effective February 25, 2025, the remaining ride virtual queues at Walt Disney World will be converted to standby lines. This change affects Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind in EPCOT and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in Magic Kingdom. This means that everyone will be able to jump into line and wait for their turn just like any other ride. If you believe the lines for these popular rides will be just a little too long for your tastes, there is still the option of purchasing Lightning Lanes. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is available as an option in Lightning Lane Multi-Pass, while Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is available as an a la carte Lightning Lane Single Pass. The price for Lightning Lanes varies based on projected demand and can be seen in the MyDisneyExperience app.
For frequent visitors to Walt Disney World, it will likely feel odd not being up at 7:00 AM to try for a virtual queue. The system is not going completely away, as Disney will still use it for non-ride experiences such as for merchandise pickup during the runDisney Health & Fitness Expos. With the upcoming park expansions and re-imaginations such as the planned Cars area and Villains Land in Magic Kingdom; the upcoming Muppets re-theming of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster and planned Monsters, Inc. Land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios; the highly anticipated summer 2025 re-opening of Test Track at EPCOT; and the Dinoland U.S.A. transformation to Pueblo Esperanza land at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, it is highly likely that virtual queues are re-introduced to new park rides eventually. If that happens, we’ll let you know! For more Disney Vacation News and Reviews for Disney Adults, stay tuned to Mouse House News, and don’t forget that .NET at the end of our web address!
