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If you have been to Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, or the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, then you have most likely heard about Disney’s virtual queue system. The virtual queue is currently only being used at Disney World for TRON Lightcycle/Run and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. No Disneyland attraction is using the virtual queue system at this time.
Credit: Disney
If you are unfamiliar, here’s how it works. Each morning, at 7 a.m., the first virtual queue opens for TRON and Cosmic Rewind. If you manage to get into the queue, you will be given a boarding group number and an estimated time your boarding group will be called.
Another virtual queue for both attractions will open at 1 p.m. On evenings with extended evening hours, a third queue will open for guests staying at a Deluxe Disney hotel. It is important to note that for the 1 p.m. (and 6 p.m.) virtual queues, you must be in the park where the ride is if you want to join.
Credit: Disney
Related: Disney World Drops Virtual Queue Program for Select Guests
Overall, Disney’s virtual queue system isn’t that bad. If you are lucky enough to get into the queue, the My Disney Experience app will give you an estimated callback time. That allows your party to venture around the theme park you are in and enjoy other attractions.
Then, when your boarding group is called, you have one hour to make it over to the attraction and enjoy!
Credit: Disney
Related: Why You Should Sleep In and Skip the TRON Virtual Queue
However, there is one BIG drawback to the virtual queue…
If you want to try to get into the first queue of the day, you have to get up before 7 a.m., because that is when the first queue opens for both TRON Lightcycle/Run and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.
Credit: Disney
A Walt Disney World Resort vacation is typically a pretty tiring experience, and a lot of people do like to sleep in a little bit, since they will be going all day and taking thousands of steps. So, it’s definitely not that exciting having to set your alarm for such an early time.
What’s even more frustrating is having to wake up that early, sit by your phone, and then NOT get into the queue. This is especially true during busier times of the year. The queue for both TRON and Cosmic Rewind can fill up in a matter of seconds. Yes, seconds. So, it is entirely possible for you to try to get into the virtual queue at exactly 7 a.m. and you don’t get a bearing group.
Credit: Disney
And, the thing is, there’s no need to have the virtual queue open so early. At the earliest, Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Animal Kingdom, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios open at 8 a.m. or 8:30 a.m. (early entry). Most of the time, the parks do not open for regular guests until 9 a.m.
So, there is really no reason that guests have to wake up so early just to join the queue. Would it kill Disney to let guests sleep in a little bit? So many guests would probably be so much happier if they could just catch an extra hour of sleep. Disney is so tiring, that it could make a world of difference.
Do you think Disney should push back the virtual queue opening time to 8 a.m.? Let us know in the comments!
I absolutely hate the fact that I need to wake up this early to join a virtual queue that honestly the odds of getting a guaranteed boarding group are if you are staying on property rather than off. Better to have the virtual queues open at a more reasonable time like 1/2 hour before park opening when people are actually up and getting ready to leave for the day. It would be so much more appreciated! I truly miss the old Fast Pass system and while I like being able to track wait times on my phone, I hate the amount of time I need to be glued to my phone during my Disney day. I have yet to have the My Disney Experience App work correctly to make a same day dining reservation without having to have a member of the guest experiences team intervene.