Things have already changed a lot in Disney World since January 1st.
To name a few, park passes went away for most guests, the Disney Dining Plan returned, it’s been announced that 1900 Park Fare is finally reopening, and Country Bear Jamboree has closed for its first retheming ever — just to name a few! But speaking of rules that have changed, if you’re heading to Disney World this year, you need to know unspoken rules about virtual queues.
So, first of all, what are Virtual Queues? Well, currently two rides use Virtual Queues (VQs) in Disney World — Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and TRON Lightcycle / Run. At 7AM and 1 PM each day, the Virtual Queue for these rides opens, and guests can reserve their spot to ride when their boarding group is called during the day. However, these boarding groups fill up very fast, so it’s important to be ready right at 7AM and 1PM to get your spot!
While most guests don’t need to book park pass reservations anymore, anyone without a date-based ticket (Annual Passholders, those in large school groups) does still need a park pass reservation, and if your park pass is for Magic Kingdom or EPCOT, that will determine what VQ you can join at 7AM. If you’ll be park hopping to one of these parks later in the day, you need to be in the park before that 1PM drop to ensure you can join the queue. This same rule applies to date-based tickets for the second VQ drop on any day. (However, if it’s a Good To Go Day, Annual Passholders don’t need a park pass reservation and can join whichever VQ they’d like.)
While both Cosmic Rewind and TRON have been open for some time now, don’t underestimate the popularity of these rides! The last thing you want is to not be ready at 7AM or 1PM and miss your chance to ride the attraction (since Individual Lightning Lanes can sell out quickly depending on the day as well). Grab that VQ spot ASAP and be ready to celebrate your success.
While it may sound awful to get up at 7AM just to grab a slot, and it may be tempting to wait until the 1PM slot, it’s always better to get up early to snag the 7AM slot. This is because if the ride is having trouble during the day, or the queue has gotten backed up, Disney may not drop the 1PM VQ as planned. It doesn’t happen super often, but it’s certainly happened.
And lastly, our most important tip is to do a “trial run” in the My Disney Experience App before your trip begins/you’re wanting to grab your VQ spot! This way, you know exactly where you’re going, how to confirm your party before the drop, and have the lay of the land mapped out.
Check out our step-by-step guide to getting a spot in the Virtual Queue here!
We’re suspecting that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will use a virtual queue when it opens this summer, and the same tips apply to that as well! However, if things change with the attraction’s VQ, we’ll be sure to let you know right away, so stay tuned to AllEars!
See what happens if TRON shuts down for HOURS in Magic Kingdom to prepare for the worst!
Do you prefer to use a Virtual Queue or a regular standby queue? Tell us in the comments!