Virtual queues are one of 4 ways to queue for ride experiences around the Disney Parks and are used for all the latest must ride attractions. Virtual Queues are both genius and diabolical for guests, but every UK visitor needs to understand them to get the most out their Disney World experience.
What is a Disney virtual queue?
A virtual queue is a type of free queue used by Disney Parks for their newest popular attractions. It’s open to every guest with a park ticket and you join it through the My Disney Experience App where spaces are allocated digitally. Unfortunately, there is no other way to join a virtual queue other than through the app. The queue has a two step process. You get your space through the app and then when you are called to the ride you scan into the queue and wait for your ride as you would normally in physical queue line, albeit with a smaller wait time.
Virtual queues work solely through the app and your queue experience is linked to your phone, so you need to make sure you keep it charged and with you, even after you have secured your space. You will get a push notification when it is your turn to join the physical queue for your ride. The virtual queue system is open all day but it does work on a first come first served basis, so it is best to try and get a space when the queue opens. This is at 7am and 1pm every day.
Are there virtual queues in every park?
No, as Disney only use the virtual queue system for their most popular attractions as a type of queue management. It is not something you will need to use every day, or even at all unless you want to ride the attractions that use virtual queues. The only parks that have rides using a virtual queue are Magic Kingdom and EPCOT and the rides are:
- Guardians of the Galaxy in EPCOT
- Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in Magic Kingdom
Planning to ride
You may want to join the queue for the 2 attractions using this type of queue system but it’s a bit of a lottery and you can only ride for free if you get a space. This means that you cannot plan to ride Tiana’s Bayou Adventure or Guardians of the Galaxy for free as part of your day. Your free ride is solely relying on your getting a spot in that virtual queue, which is why it is important to try and get your party their space when the queue spaces release. Many guests find this a pain, but it does mean that you spend less time in a queue for a great ride.
It also means that you can’t plan to enjoy the ride experience and as you have no control over when your boarding group will be called, you can miss your ride if you have other plans. It’s not great to find yourself with a choice when you have two experiences you really want to do. It’s therefore important to understand the steps of the virtual queue process and bee able to use it from day one of your holiday. Being able to use the system like a pro will help make sure you don’t miss out on your ride by making a rookie mistake.
How do I join a Disney virtual queue?
Getting a space in the virtual queue comes down to a few of things:
1: Successfully navigating the My Disney Experience App
2: Applying for a space on time
3: Being prepared
4: Working as a team
5: A pinch of Disney Magic (also known as luck)
Let’s take a look at each one in a bit more detail, as they will affect your success in getting a space in the virtual queue and serve as our top tips for helping you get that space in the virtual queue.
Successfully navigating the My Disney Experience App
To successfully navigate the My Disney Experience App download it and take a look around it before you head off on your Disney World Holiday. Having a look through the app so you know where you will find all the sections you are most likely to use on your holiday will save you time, as you will know where to go to book your experiences. You’ll also feel more confident navigating the app and if you feel a bit flustered on the morning you are trying to book your first virtual queue spot you will be able to tell yourself you know the app.
Applying for a space on time
It’s easy to miss out if you don’t apply on time. Set alarms on your phone but also use a world clock to set your phone time to once you land. If you don’t want to do that, you can find a world clock to use and go from there. Set an alarm on your phone for 6:57am and 12:57pm, stop everything you are doing, and get ready to click to join the queue the instant the world clock hits 7am or 1pm.
Being prepared
Make sure your park tickets for your whole party are linked together in the app before you start using the ‘Virtual Queue’ system. This lets you put everyone in a group to be able to apply for the virtual queue space. Make sure all of your party are there in the your party section of the virtual queue process detailed below. You can link them together in plenty of time before the virtual queue opens. It does not need to be done at the time of booking but you cannot join the queue until you have selected your party. Your party needs to be selected together before joining the queue to ensure everyone is called in the same boarding group.
Working as a team
Apply for the virtual queue on everyone’s phone, and make sure they have the app. A team effort increases your chances of getting a space. Only one of you needs to get a slot for everyone listed in the party to be able to ride. Simply set up the party as you wish to ride on everyone’s app and follow the steps. Once one of you gets a slot, the other members can’t get one. The information for the boarding group will then come up on their app.
A pinch of Disney Magic
There is an element of luck, no matter what anyone tells you. Some days, usually when the crowds are highest, even when you do all of the steps you may not get a space. Don’t let it ruin your holiday and remember to always check back in the app throughout the day as sometimes slots pop up.
Use a 5-step virtual queue process to get your space
To join a Disney virtual queue, you follow a few steps in the app. We have broken it down into 5 easy steps you can follow to be in the virtual queue for the ride you want. To find out how, with images, keep reading.
1. Open the App
Tap the App to open it and scroll down to the Virtual Queue box. This is usually just below the details of the park opening times.
2. Click ‘Virtual Queue’
Click the icon saying ‘Join Virtual Queue’. This will take you to a page with two icons at the top for Magic Kingdom and EPCOT. Click on the park where the ride is located. Now click ‘join virtual queue’.
3. Select ‘Your Party’
This will take you to another page where you can fill in ‘Your Party’. Your party are the members of you group with a park ticket, linked to yours, that want to enjoy the ride experience. Select the members of your party who wish to ride and any children joining you in the queue who will not be riding as you are using rider switch. To do this click ‘edit’.
Important note: You must select all the members who wish to ride, or who will be joining you in the queue if you are using rider switch, to ensure you all get the same Boarding Group. If you do not and only select yourself, you are only applying for your space to ride. This means you can all get different groups if you are not linked, or worse only one of you may get a ride time that day.
4. Click ‘Join Virtual Queue’
Now click ‘Join Virtual Queue’.
Keep refreshing the page until one of two things happens. You get a slot, or the infographic tells you the ride is full for today.
5. Tried to join in the morning? Try again from 1pm?
No space, no worries. If you have tried before 1pm but missed out on a space, you will have seen this message:
That means you can try to grab a spot again from 1pm the same day as long as you meet 2 additional criteria:
- You must not have a space in a Disney virtual queue already.
- You need to be INSIDE the park where the ride is located to try for a space at or after 1pm.
If you meet the criteria, simply repeat steps 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the process.
6. “The ride has reached capacity”
If it is after 1pm and you cannot get a slot the ride is sold out. You will not be able to ride for free this day. You will most likely see the following message for the ride.
You will need to try again tomorrow or skip down to this question: “I can’t get a virtual queue. Is there another way to ride?” for another option.
Congratulations, you got a slot. What next?
Now you will see that you have been issued a boarding group. All people in your party with the My Disney App will be able to see the boarding group. For Guardians of the Galaxy it looks like this in the app:
You may have an estimated wait, you may not. Guardians of the Galaxy often has one; Tiana doesn’t yet. Whether you have an estimated time or not, you should make your way to the park, as any times provided are estimates.
Riding with a virtual queue
Once you have your virtual queue you need to know how your ride experience will work. With your boarding group secured, you can track the progress of boarding groups throughout the day in the app. This helps you with planning a little bit, as the closer it gets to your boarding group number the closer you will want to be to the ride.
How will I know when it’s time to ride?
When it is your time to ride, as long as you have enabled notifications from the app, you will get a push-notification from the My Disney Experience App. This lets you know that your Boarding Group has been called. From the time your group is called you have one hour to get to the ride and join the queue.
When your boarding group is called, make your way over to the queue. Deciding to stay waiting in a queue for another experience is not wise and could lead to you missing the experience you have queued virtually for. Remember wait times are estimates, rides break down and if you miscalculate because some needs the toilet, or it takes longer to walk to your ride you could miss out.
Top tips before joining the physical queue and riding
Even though your boarding group has been called there is likely a wait on the other side, and both rides using the Disney virtual queue system have some stomach dropping moments, so here are some top tips to get the most from your ride and queue experience.
- Don’t eat a heavy meal an hour before riding Guardians of the Galaxy. It is a fast ride and could make you sick if you are prone to motion sickness. Plus you can’t really tell where you are as the ride is in the dark, so it will throw your senses just a little. It is an awesome ride though, think Rock N Roller Coaster but modernised with a surprise tune from a list of 6 every time you ride.
- Use the bathroom as you may be queueing, and you have no way of knowing if you will be or for how long until you enter.
- Check the progress of the boarding groups on your app while waiting to join the physical queue and when heading into the park. When the number is about 30-50 away check in the My Disney Experience App how long it will take to get to your ride location. You can do this in the map app. Click on your virtual queue attraction, scroll to get directions and click it. This will tell you how long it will take to walk from where you currently are to the attraction. This will give you an idea of your timings. At this point it is wise to start moving towards the attraction rather than away.
Boarding group is called
When your boarding group is called, make your way over to the queue. Deciding to stay waiting in a queue for another experience is not wise and could lead to you missing the experience you have queued virtually for. Remember wait times are estimates, rides break down and if you miscalculate because some needs the toilet, or it takes longer to walk to your ride you could miss out.
How do I enter the ride?
To enter the ride you will need to scan in. Your ticket, phone, or magic band is used to do this and it works just the same as when you enter the park. There are cast members at the entrances to both of the rides using virtual queues so if you have any problems just have a word. You also need to speak to the cast members here at this point if you want to use rider switch. Remember to get to the ride within your one-hour time slot.
I’m in, why is there a queue to ride?
The virtual queue does not guarantee that you will walk straight on to the ride. We like to think of it as the pre-queue. You will enter a physical queue line and more often than not there is a queue time before you get on the ride. This is not posted so you don’t know how long you will wait in the queue before your ride experience. In our experience, you don’t usually wait more than an hour, but it depends on the number of Lightning Lanes and the speed the ride is boarding at. The time you spend physically waiting to ride is significantly less than you would spend if you were waiting to ride in a stand-by line.
Riding when things don’t go to plan
Even with a virtual queue slot rides can still encounter down time and human error can affect the chances of you being able to ride too.
What do I do if I miss my time slot?
If you miss your time slot, you have missed your opportunity to ride that day. You can go and speak to the staff at the entrance to the physical queue and it is at their discretion whether they will let you in. They will need to see and verify you had a boarding group, and admission is often unlikely the further away from your time slot it is. It is always worth checking though and remember to be nice no matter what they say.
The ride has broken down, will I still get to ride?
A place in a virtual queue does not guarantee your ride according to the Disney app. If the ride breaks down, they will stop boarding. When they start boarding again, they will begin from the group they stopped at, usually. The higher your number is, the greater the impact the breakdown will have on how likely you are to ride. They do always try and get everyone with a space through but a break down will impact your day, particularly if you have other plans or intend to park hop.
I can’t get a virtual queue. Is there another way to ride?
Yes, there is. If you cannot get a virtual queue for the ride, you can try to get a Lightning Lane Single Pass for the ride instead. This will cost you a one off fee per rider wishing to ride. There is no guarantee of availability. Prices also fluctuate during the day and from day-to-day, which means it may cost more to ride one day than it will on a different day. Weekend and high season tend to have the highest prices.
It can feel disappointing to miss out on a virtual queue slot, particularly if you have tried twice in a day. Remember not to let one ride experience define your Disney day and to enjoy all of the other wonderful experiences Disney parks have to offer.
Virtual queue top tip if you miss out
It is always worth checking the virtual queue page on your app when you are in EPCOT or Magic Kingdom to see if there any spaces left or if more boarding groups have been added. You never know, you might get an unexpected ride. If there is one there, grab it and enjoy.
Riding twice in one day using the virtual queue
It is possible to ride both Guardians of the Galaxy and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in one day using the virtual queue system. But, it is incredibly tricky to do so. Disney only allow for you to hold one virtual queue space at a time and you cannot try to get in another virtual queue until you have enjoyed your first experience. With both rides being very popular it is hard to get two virtual queues in one day. The only way this works is if you get an early boarding group and have had you ride experience before 1pm. If you can make it to the other park by 1pm and follow the steps to get your queue space again you can ride both in one day.
The only other way is to hope for bad weather and for crowds to drop, but that may well impact your enjoyment of your park day.
Planning your day with a virtual queue slot
Having a virtual queue can make your Disney day a little stressful, as you are never sure when you are going to get called. Our advice is to see how big of a number you have. They board groups starting with the lowest number and move up through the numbers as the day progresses.
The lower the number, the earlier in the day you will be called to the attraction. For example, if your boarding group is 20, you are going to get called early. The higher your boarding group number, the later in the day you will get called to the attraction. If it’s 110, it’s going to be an afternoon ride.
No matter what time it is, once you get your boarding group immediately check where the boarding is up to and plan your day from there. We have put together three example scenarios to help with your planning.
Scenario 1
You have a low boarding group number, having got a space in the virtual queue at 7am. You want to spend all day in the park.
Plan: Head to queues that have a wait time of less than 20 minutes and that are within a 15-minute walk of your virtual queue ride.
Do the attractions that are further away and have higher wait times after Tiana’s Bayou Adventure or Guardians of the Galaxy. Do not head to eat any large meals, eat after the ride.
Keep checking your app. If the boarding group that is currently boarding is a number less than 20 away head over. Stop for restroom breaks along the way in case the queue wait is long.
Scenario 2
You have a high boarding number, having got space in the virtual queue at 7am. You want to spend the day in the park.
Plan: If you are heading to the park for the day and are heading to the park within the first hour of opening head to some of the other big rides you want to do. The length of the wait time is not important. Enjoy the other attractions. You are more likely to be looking at an afternoon call back, so just check your app in queue lines.
When the boarding group gets closer, less than 20, head towards the ride as you could be anywhere in the park. Don’t stop for heavy, filling snacks, better to grab a bite after riding.
Scenario 3
You enter the park at 12.30pm. You get a boarding group after joining the virtual queue at 1pm.
Plan: Check where the boarding groups are up to in your app and then apply the advice from scenario 1 or 2 to the number you have.
Frequently asked questions:
How much is it to use a virtual queue?
Virtual queues are free to use and are part of your ticket.
Can I use rider switch when joining virtual queue?
Yes, you can join as a family and use rider switch, so you only need to queue once.
I didn’t get a space in a virtual queue in the morning, what can I do?
If you don’t get a space in the virtual queue at 7am you can try again at 1pm as long as you are in the park where the ride with the virtual queue is. Let’s say you want to ride Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, you need to be in Magic Kingdom at 1pm to try again for a space in the queue. If you are not in Magic Kingdom, you cannot try for a space as the app knows your location.
There is no space and it’s 1:01pm, what can I do?
Sadly, you won’t be riding today using the virtual queue system. You could see if there is availability for a Lightning Lane Single Pass. Or you could follow our tips and steps for virtual queues and try again another day.
If the weather suddenly changes, for example a heavy rain storm sets in, it may be worth checking the virtual queue app again as sometimes if people leave space becomes available.
Do I still have to queue when I have a virtual queue?
Yes, it’s a bit like a pre-queue. The queue to join the stand-by queue. You still join a physical queue for the attraction, and you don’t know how long you will wait when you join. In our experience they usually move better, but you could be in it for a quite while.
How do I get a virtual queue for Guardians of the Galaxy and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure?
You would need to get an early slot for either ride and then having experienced the ride, try and get a virtual queue slot for the other ride. Disney only allow you to hold one virtual queue at a time.
If you have tickets for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is operating a stand-by line queueing system, so it is possible you could ride both in the same day by getting your virtual queue in for Guardians and riding Tiana at the party.
Conclusion
Disney virtual queues are great for queue management and they definitely free guests from standing in long queues. However, they are tricky to get and add a level of complexity to your day which often feels unnecessary. Navigating virtual queues may be annoying but you can now use the system like a pro.
