Fast Facts
- As of Feb. 25, 2025, there are no active virtual queues for in-demand attractions.
- Virtual queues can return for future ride openings or other seasonal offerings.
- Virtual queues are free to join.
Over the past few years at Walt Disney World, new attractions have opened with a virtual queue instead of a regular standby line. We frogs have gone through some trial-and-error to learn the virtual queue system and get some quick amphibian fingers to snag a Boarding Group. As of Feb. 25, 2025, Tiana's Bayou Adventure and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind no longer use a virtual queue and have transitioned to standby lines — meaning there aren't any rides with active virtual queues! That said, virtual queues can pop up from time to time, especially during busier seasons or for future new rides and seasonal offerings. So, if and when the virtual queue system returns, we'll still be here with some tips and tricks on how to join a virtual queue!
Hop To
Disney World virtual queues act as a replacement for a regular standby line. Instead of waiting in a physical queue, you join a virtual queue on your phone via the My Disney Experience app (this is the same place where you link tickets and hotel reservations). Virtual queues allow you to spend the rest of the day enjoying rides and shows, rather than waiting in a line for half the day. But the difficulty is that virtual queues have historically been known to fill up in seconds, so not all frogs will be able to experience these in-demand rides via the virtual queue.
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Disney's Hollywood Studios was the first to debut the new system in 2019, followed by Remy's Ratatouille Adventure at EPCOT (since then, these have transitioned to standby lines — though Rise of the Resistance went back to using a virtual queue only during Jollywood Nights in 2023). As of Sept. 9, 2024, TRON Lightcycle / Run no longer uses a virtual queue, and as of Feb. 25, 2025, Tiana's Bayou Adventure and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind have transitioned to standby lines.
Virtual queues are available to anyone with valid tickets and admission, regardless of whether you're staying at an on-site hotel or not. The best way to find out which attractions are operating with a virtual queue is by using the My Disney Experience app. Any attractions utilizing the virtual queue system will have a module on the homepage with details (and of course, your froggy friends will keep this post up to date regularly!).
Pay to Ride with Lightning Lane Multi Pass
With Tiana's and Guardians moving to standby lines, wait times may be high. For an additional cost, Disney Lightning Lane Multi Pass allows guests to use an expedited queue for most attractions, including Tiana's.
For certain popular attractions, you will pay per attraction (aka Lightning Lane Single Pass), including Guardians. Guests can purchase these a la carte rides once per day, with a maximum of two different rides per day; you'd then use the Lightning Lane to skip the line.
You can hop over to our Disney Lightning Lane and Lightning Lane FAQs posts for our tips and tricks on navigating this service.
How to Navigate Disney World Virtual Queues
It’s also very important to add your entire party to your Family and Friends list within the app so that everyone can join the Boarding Group at the same time. Each member of your party must have a My Disney Experience account and be linked in your Family and Friends list, or be a guest (such as small children) that you already manage on your account. Only guests with valid admission can access the virtual queue system at 7 a.m.
As of Jan. 9, 2024, Disney Park Pass reservations are no longer required for date-based tickets, plus all-day park-hopping is back. So how does this affect the virtual queues? If you have a date-based ticket (the most common type), you may select any attraction virtual queue beginning at 7 a.m., without needing a park reservation. (Select admission types, such as annual passes, may still require a park reservation to join.) Guests still do not need to be inside a park to join the virtual queue at 7 a.m. For the 1 p.m. drop, you must be inside the specific theme park to be eligible to join. Since park-hopping is available all day, this means you may be able to join a virtual queue at 7 a.m., ride the attraction, and then hop over to the second park and get a virtual queue at 1 p.m. if the timing works in your favor.
To join a virtual queue, head to the Virtual Queue section on the Home Screen and tap "Join" at the designated times. For past virtual queues, most have had distribution times at 7 a.m. (can join from anywhere) and 1 p.m. (must be in the specific park).
- A valid ticket is required to join the virtual queue. For select ticket types other than date-based tickets, you may still need a Disney Park Pass reservation.
- You can only join each ride's virtual queue once per day.
- For the 7 a.m. drop, you can be anywhere and do not need to be in the park. For the 1 p.m. drop, you must have entered the theme park to give it a whirl.
- Boarding Groups do not guarantee you will be able to ride (the attraction gets through a different number of boarding groups each day due to ride closures, technical difficulties, etc.)
- If utilizing the Disability Access Service (DAS), all members of the party must join a Boarding Group first. Then speak to a cast member at the attraction for the rest of the process.
Disney recommends selecting one member of your party to access the virtual queue. If multiple people try simultaneously, that may complicate your ability to secure a Boarding Group. We personally have tried using different My Disney Experience accounts on different phones at the same time to increase the chances. There aren't any penalties that we've experienced, and usually, after the first person secures the Boarding Group, an error comes up and the second person will stop trying. But we wouldn't recommend using the same account on different phones so you don't risk any issues.
After Getting a Boarding Group
Your planning and speediness paid off — you successfully joined the virtual queue! Note the assigned Boarding Group number — Boarding Groups are notified in chronological order when it’s time to return to the attraction and enter the queue. The app provides an estimated wait time but it is not an exact number and should only be used roughly when planning the rest of your day. Keep an eye on the My Disney Experience app to check the status of the Boarding Group progress. Once it’s your turn, you'll have one hour to return to the attraction’s entrance and check in with the cast members to enter the queue. When you arrive at the attraction, be ready to tap your park ticket RFID card, MagicBand or MagicMobile device at the touchpoints to enter the line.
You went through the process and got a backup Boarding Group — what does that mean? Backup Boarding Groups are only called if all of the initial groups have been called back and there is capacity for more riders. Don't get discouraged because backup Boarding Groups are still occasionally called! However, they also come with a higher possibility that your number might not be called (for instance, if the ride closes during the day for a significant amount of time).
Not Receiving a Boarding Group
If you don't get a Boarding Group at 7 a.m., you can try again later! Fewer people will be trying at the 1 p.m. distribution time so there are better odds. But even when following all of the steps correctly, there is always the possibility that you won't get a Boarding Group at either time, so setting realistic expectations is important. Now that Lightning Lane has debuted, you'll have an additional option to access the ride via Lightning Lane Single Pass or Multi Pass if you aren't able to snag a spot in the virtual queue and it's a must-do for your frog squad. To learn more, hop over to our in-depth Lightning Lane guide.
Frogtastic Tips and Tricks for Disney World Virtual Queues
Here's the Frog Family's hop tips:
- Confirm your party, starting an hour before the virtual queue opens.
- In the morning, set an alarm on your phone for 6:55 a.m. and 12:55 p.m. so you don't froget later in the day! We even suggest multiple alarms to remind you, so you can avoid being on a ride when it's time to join a Boarding Group.
- Make sure you have a good signal. We recommend turning off Wi-Fi and using data if in the park.
- If possible, have more than one person in your party try for a boarding group. Likewise, you can designate someone in your party to pull up the world clock on their phone so you know how close you are — those extra seconds can make the difference sometimes!
- For the 1 p.m. timeframe, all party members must have entered the park to be eligible to join.
- Move quickly once the Join Virtual Queue button appears!
- Have your push notifications on and keep an eye on the app, as you only have a one-hour return window and may need to jump to the queue quickly.
- Bring a portable charger to ensure your phone lasts all day.
Let us know if you have any questions about Disney World virtual queues in the comments below!
Related: What to Know About Disney Lightning Lane
Keep hopping!
