Complete Guide to the Disney Virtual Queue System

Complete Guide to the Disney Virtual Queue System

Complete Guide to the Disney Virtual Queue System

This article is the complete guide to the Disney virtual queue system! Disney’s newest ride, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at the Magic Kindom, and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at EPCOT are currently the only attractions to run on a virtual queue system. This means that guests must use the Disney World virtual queue system if they hope to ride either of these rides. We hope you find this post helpful, and if you are planning a trip to Disney World, be sure to check out our other FREE vacation planning tools. Our goal at The Park Prodigy has always been to help you save time on your next vacation and find the cheapest Walt Disney World tickets!

We will cover this again later in our post, so read on for the complete guide on the virtual queue at Disney World!

 Disney World Crowd Calendar

How Does Disney Virtual Queue Work in 2024?

Whenever there is a Disney virtual queue in place for a ride, guests must utilize this system to enjoy the attraction. To ride an attraction using the Virtual Queue system, you must receive a boarding group number and wait for it to be called. All of this can easily be done through the My Disney Experience App! Disney World virtual queue placements are distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis at 7:00 AM each day. And they do run out quickly! You can also track your place in the line while enjoying other park attractions while waiting for your group to be called. Disney uses virtual queues for the newest and most popular Disney World attractions. So, if you are worried about grabbing a WDW virtual queue, we recommend visiting during the off-peak time of year.

What is a Virtual Queue at Disney World?

The virtual queue at Disney World allows guests to request to join the line for an attraction later in the day, which will enable them to enjoy other rides and attractions while they wait.

What are the Disney Virtual Queue distribution times?

• 7:00 AM
• 1:00 PM

What is the 6 PM virtual queue?

An additional opportunity to join the virtual queue will be available at 6:00 PM during extended evening theme park hours – a benefit for guests staying at a Disney Deluxe Resort, Deluxe Villa Resort, or other select hotels. Guests do not need to be in the park to join the queue. Extended evening hours are only available on select nights for deluxe resort guests, so be sure to check the My Disney Experience App for updated park hours during your visit.

Related Post: Complete Guide to the Newest Rides at Disney World 

Disney World Virtual Queue Rides 2024

Currently, two rides are using the virtual queue system. They are Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind over at EPCOT and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Magic Kingdom Park. Both of these rides are some of the newest and two of the most popular attractions in Walt Disney World. This is why we highly recommend being familiar with how the virtual queue system works if you plan to ride them. Both of these rides are also part of the Lightning Lane Multi-Pass rides which can be purchased via the My Disney Experience App.

Important News: As of September 9th, 2024, Tron Lightcycle Run at Magic Kingdom has been removed from the virtue queue system!

What are the 2024 Disney World Virtual Queue Rides?

• Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind
• Tiana’s Bayou Adventure (Newest ride to be added to Disney virtual queue)

Related Post: How to Ride Star Wars Rise of the Resistance 

Joining Disney’s Virtual Queue System

The first step to using the Disney virtual queue is to download and sign up for the My Disney Experience App. Next, at either 7:00 AM or 1:00 PM, open the app and select “Virtual Queues” on the left side of the home screen. However, we recommend opening the app and start refreshing the Virtual Queues page 5 minutes before the release time. As long as the virtual queue page is open, it will say, “Join the virtual queue”. It’s important to note that it’s essential to time these steps correctly, as the Disney World virtual queue will run out for both of the distribution times.

There are a few steps to make sure you can join the 2024 Disney World VQ system:

1. Make sure you have purchased your Walt Disney World theme park tickets and have made a reservation for the theme park, which contains the Disney World virtual queue ride
2. Download the My Disney Experience App and link all members of your party
3. 15 minutes before virtual queues are released, confirm all members who will be riding
4. Click virtual queues 2 minutes before and begin to refresh your phone
5. When “Join Boarding Group” appears, click Join!

If you are not a morning bird, one of our favorite ways to use the Disney World virtual queue is during Disney Deluxe Resort after hours. From our experience, it is significantly easier to use the Disney Virtual queue during this time, and it gives you a greater chance of grabbing a spot.

Related Post: What is Disney Deluxe After Hours?

Step-by-Step Guide To Join Disney’s Virtual Queue System

Step 1

The first step to make sure you get onto your Disney World virtual queue ride is to purchase your Walt Disney World tickets. The reason is all guests must produce a valid theme park reservation for the theme park you are trying to make a valid Disney virtual queue reservation.

Step 2

After your tickets are purchased, connect them to your My Disney Experience account. Make sure to also connect everyone’s ticket in your party to your account who will want to experience the attraction! If you don’t, everyone will need to try to get their boarding group and risk riding separately or not at all! For kids and small children, you will add them as guests on your account.

Step 3

A few minutes before the virtual Disney queues are released, open the Disney World app and select each person who wants to experience the attraction. We recommend opening the app 5-10 min before the queues are released so that you don’t spend time loading the app in the precious seconds after they’re available.

Step 4

The last and final step to joining a Disney virtual queue is to refresh the page within the app by pulling down on your screen about 30 seconds before the queues are released. This way, at exactly the time when the virtual queue spots are released, you will be promoted to join. Once you see “Join Boarding Group,” tap that button, and you will hopefully be part of the lucky group that is selected!

Related Post: What is the Disney World Genie? 

How Does the Disney World Virtual Queue Work After Selected?

Now that you have been selected, what happens next? If you have successfully joined a Disney virtual queue, you will receive a boarding group number. Once Disney is ready for your boarding group to go and enter the attraction, they will notify you on your Disney World App. At that point, you will have an hour to go and scan in using the barcode generated on the My Disney Experience app.

How Long Do You Have to Return to the Disney Virtual Queue?

Disney World guests have one hour to return to the standby line after their Disney virtual queue number is called. It’s important to remember that you have to check in and scan your ticket, mobile device, or magic band as you enter the virtual queue line, so be sure to have them out to speed up the process.

Related Post: Complete Guide to Disney Genie+ Rides

Disney Virtual Queue Tips and Tricks 2024

• Getting more than one Disney World virtual queue for the same ride in a single day is impossible.
• Do not load the My Disney Experience app exactly when the WDW virtual passes are released.
• Double-check and be 100% sure that everyone in your party is linked to your My Disney Experience account.
• We have found that using your cellular service is best, so we recommend staying outside and grabbing your virtual boarding pass before going on rides when trying at 1:00 PM. (Turn off your Wifi)
• Be sure to have your smartphone push notifications on and keep an eye on your phone while enjoying the day at the parks. Guests must head to the ride once their boarding group is called.

Related Post: Should Your Rope Drop Hollywood Studios? 

Is the Disney World Virtual Queue Worth it?

From our experience, we believe it makes for a better guest experience in many situations. The new 2024 virtual queue system has eliminated waiting in hours-long lines for new attractions. For example, the longest we have waited for Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic rewind has been around 35 minutes once our boarding group has been called. As opposed to the 3+ hour wait we experienced when attractions like Rise of the Resistance first opened! Another reason we love the virtual queue is that it’s a free feature! Which we believe is very rare nowadays, especially when considering the prices of the Disney World Lightning Lane Multi-Passes.

Related Post: What to Bring to Disney World 

Disney World Virtual Queue System FAQ

Q: Can I join multiple virtual queues in one day at Disney World?

A: Unfortunately no, you can only join the virtual queue for a specific ride once per day. So if you get assigned a boarding group for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at 7:00 AM, you can’t try for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure again at 1:00 PM. But you can try to get one for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind if you park-hop to EPCOT and enter the park before they are released.

Q: Do I need to be in the park to join a virtual queue?

A: Yes and No! For the 7 AM queue, do not have to be in the park (because the parks aren’t open yet!). For this release time, you can join from anywhere. However, for the 1 PM queue, you must be inside the park of the attraction you wish to obtain a boarding group for.

Q: Is it better to use Wi-Fi or Cellular Data for Virtual Queues?

A: While park Wi-Fi is available, we recommend using your cellular data when trying to get a boarding group. You will have a much faster connection to the app and therefore have a better chance at joining the queue faster. Another tip is to find a spot where you can be away from other people, preferably outdoors. Being in big groups or crowded areas will disperse data signal and could make your phone load the option to join slower.

Are You Ready to Plan Your Next Disney World Trip?

Are you planning a trip to Walt Disney World? Be sure to speak with a Disney World Travel Agent for the most recent deals and promotions. The Park Prodigy will provide a Free Quote for all Disney World Vacation Packages. The Park Prodigy can also help you save up to $20 per ticket when purchasing your Walt Disney World Tickets, and we offer promotional discounts for special events such as Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party Tickets and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party Tickets. If you’re brand new to Disney vacation planning we recommend our Walt Disney World Planning Page! Learn more about Disney hotels by reading our Walt Disney World Hotels Review page.

Don’t forget to check out our wonderful friends over at Theme Park Today, as well!