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Magic Kingdom Will Soon Keep Guests from Entering a Land Without a Virtual Queue

Walt Disney World is entering a new phase of expansion, and Magic Kingdom is right at the center of it all. Construction projects are slowly reshaping parts of the park, while Disney continues preparing for some of the most ambitious additions the resort has announced in years.

Colorful illustrated map of Magic Kingdom at Disney World showing themed areas, attractions, dining, restrooms, and guest services. Includes attraction lists and labels for Main Street, Fantasyland, Adventureland, and more within Magic Kingdom.
Credit: Disney

Among those projects, one stands out above the rest: Villains Land.

Disney confirmed that the long-requested land will be built beyond Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, giving many of the company’s most iconic antagonists their own space inside the park. The idea has excited fans for years, and now that the project is officially underway, anticipation is only growing.

Concept art of the new Villains Land coming to Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom
Credit: Disney

But with that excitement comes a familiar challenge for Disney—crowd control.

Whenever the company opens something as highly anticipated as a brand-new themed land, demand can be overwhelming. Thousands of guests want to experience the newest attraction immediately, which often leads to massive lines and congested walkways.

Because of that, many fans believe Disney may introduce a system that prevents guests from entering Villains Land freely during its early months.

Instead, entry could require a virtual queue.

This would not be the first time Disney has taken this approach. Over the past several years, the company has relied heavily on virtual queues to manage demand for extremely popular rides. Attractions like Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure previously used the system before eventually switching to traditional standby lines.

The exterior of Tiana's Bayou Adventure at Magic Kingdom
Credit: Cory Doctorow, Flickr

While the parks currently operate without virtual queues for those rides, Disney has never ruled out using the system again.

In fact, there is precedent for using it to control access to entire lands.

When Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opened at Disneyland in 2019, guests couldn’t simply walk in. Instead, they had to secure a boarding group through the Disneyland app before they could enter the area. That system allowed Disney to control how many people were inside the land at one time.

A similar concept was used overseas at Tokyo DisneySea when Fantasy Springs opened. Guests had to request entry through the park’s app before accessing certain areas and experiences.

Those systems were designed to prevent overcrowding while the new lands adjusted to demand.

Villains Land could face the exact same situation.

Magic Kingdom already draws some of the highest attendance numbers of any theme park in the world. Adding a completely new land centered around Disney villains will almost certainly create another surge in visitors, especially during the opening months.

large crowd at cinderella castle in disney world's magic kingdom park
Credit: Disney Dining

Limiting entry through a virtual queue would allow Disney to gradually move guests into the land without overwhelming the space.

Of course, nothing has been officially confirmed yet. Disney has not revealed operational plans for Villains Land, and the opening date remains years away.

Still, based on how Disney has handled major launches in the past, many fans believe some form of digital reservation system could appear once the land is ready.

If that happens, guests hoping to explore the world of Disney villains may need to secure a boarding group before stepping inside.

Brittni Ward

Brittni is a Disney and Universal fan; one of her favorite things at both parks is collecting popcorn buckets. While at Disney World Resort, Brittni meets the princesses and rides Kilimanjaro Safaris. At Universal, Brittni enjoys the Minions and watching Animal Actors on Location! When not at Disney World Resort or Universal Orlando, Brittni spends time with her family and pets.

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