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. On June 28, 2024, the all-new Tiana's Bayou Adventure opened at Magic Kingdom and continues to operate with a virtual queue. Additionally, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at EPCOT currently operates with a virtual queue. (TRON Lightcycle / Run recently transitioned from a virtual queue to a standby line, as of Sept. 9, 2024.) We've gathered some tips and tricks on how to join a virtual queue to get you prepared and ready to give it a shot — crossing our froggy fingers for you!
All About Virtual Queues at Disney World
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). Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and Tiana's Bayou Adventure are operating with a virtual queue at this time. As of Sept. 9, TRON Lightcycle / Run no longer uses a virtual queue.
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
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. This means you can pay to ride and not worry about getting your own Boarding Group (don't worry — the virtual queue still remains a free option as it always has!).
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. for say Cosmic Rewind, ride the attraction, and then hop over to Magic Kingdom and get a virtual queue for Tiana's 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 Guardians, you can try to join the virtual queue at 7 a.m. (from anywhere) and 1 p.m. (from EPCOT). For Tiana's Bayou Adventure, you can try to join the virtual queue at 7 a.m. (from anywhere) and 1 p.m. (from Magic Kingdom).
- 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. That means you would need an EPCOT reservation for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind or a Magic Kingdom reservation for Tiana's Bayou Adventure to join the virtual queue.
- 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 either EPCOT or Magic Kingdom to give it a whirl.
- On the nights with Extended Evening Hours, guests staying at eligible deluxe hotels may attempt to join the virtual queue for Cosmic Rewind at 6 p.m. from anywhere. You must have valid admission and if you have a non-dated ticket, you need either an EPCOT reservation or have park hopping abilities and already hopped to your first park.
- 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 if you aren't able to snag a spot in the virtual queue and it's a must-do for your frog squad.
Tiana's Bayou Adventure is not available as a Lightning Lane Single Pass. It is, however, available with Lightning Lane Multi Pass, meaning that if you purchase Lightning Lane Multi Pass, you could book a ride reservation time for Tiana's Bayou Adventure. (Subject to availability and pricing varies depending on the day and season.) To learn more, hop over to our in-depth Lightning Lane guide.
How to Join a Virtual Queue for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
As outlined above, you'll get a chance to enter the virtual queue at 7 a.m. (from anywhere) and 1 p.m. (must be inside EPCOT).
- On the My Disney Experience app home screen, scroll down to the Virtual Queue section.
- You can confirm your party one hour before the virtual queue opens. This is an improvement from the old process, which required you to confirm your party after the virtual queue opened and thus slowed down the rest of the process.
- Be sure to click over to the "EPCOT" tab. The screen has a "Refresh" button at the bottom. Once 7 a.m. rolls around, pull the screen to refresh or tap the "Refresh" button to launch the joining process. (Psst ... we actually like to get set up and start refreshing the screen a few minutes before the queue officially opens. If you start opening the app and getting the process started on the hour, you may be too late.)
- Tap Join Virtual Queue as soon as it appears.
- You'll receive your Boarding Group number if you are successful.
Guests staying at Disney Deluxe Resort, Deluxe Villa Resort or other select hotels have the opportunity to join the virtual queue at 6 p.m. during Extended Evening Hours. Guests do not have to be inside the park to join at this time, but they will need valid admission and, if you have non-dated tickets, a theme park reservation for EPCOT on the same day (or park hopping abilities) to experience during Extended Evening Hours.
How to Join A Virtual Queue for Tiana's Bayou Adventure
Tiana's Bayou Adventure opened June 28, 2024, at Magic Kingdom and is operating with a virtual queue. (A standby line won't be available initially, however, Disney expects to open a standby line soon after the ride's opening.) In the meantime, you will join the virtual queue just as you would with Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. You will have two daily opportunities to join the virtual queue for Tiana'a Bayou Adventure. At 7 a.m., guests can join from anywhere. At 1 p.m., guests must be in Magic Kingdom to join.
- On the My Disney Experience app home screen, scroll down to the Virtual Queue section. Be sure you are on the "Magic Kingdom" tab.
- You can confirm your party one hour before the virtual queue opens. This is an improvement from the old process, which required you to confirm your party after the virtual queue opened and thus slowed down the rest of the process.
- The screen has a "Refresh" button at the bottom. Once 7 a.m. rolls around, pull the screen to refresh or tap the "Refresh" button to launch the joining process. (Psst ... we actually like to get set up and start refreshing the screen a few minutes before the queue officially opens. If you start opening the app and getting the process started on the hour, you may be too late.)
- Tap Join Virtual Queue as soon as it appears.
- You'll receive your Boarding Group number if you are successful.
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: Everything We Know About Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
Keep hopping!
