In the past, Disney has used a virtual queue system for some of its most popular rides. Basically, that means that guests can use their smartphones to reserve a “boarding pass” for these rides early in the day, and then they’ll be called back later on when their boarding group is ready.
Virtual Queue Entrance when it’s GO TIME!
This prevents a long standby line from forming, and it can save you time in the parks as well. But with very limited boarding passes available and occasional technology glitches in the system, do guests really prefer a virtual queue over standby? We asked our readers to find out!
Two of the rides that Disney has used a virtual queue for in the past are Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure. Rise of the Resistance ditched their virtual queue and switched to standby in September 2021.
Rise of the Resistance’s Standby Line in Hollywood Studios
And shortly after, Remy’s did the same (switching to a standby queue instead of virtual) starting on January 10th, 2022.
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
Currently, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in Magic Kingdom and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind in EPCOT are operating with a virtual queue.
But how do the guests feel about these virtual queues? We asked you, our wonderful readers, on Instagram if you would rather use virtual or standby queues, and more than 7,000 people responded.
A LOT of people prefer virtual queues
Of those people, 61% said that they prefer virtual queues to standby! More than 4,400 people chose virtual, compared to about 2,800 who chose standby.
Standby Line For Rise of the Resistance
This might be a little surprising, since many people can experience difficulty with the virtual lines. If a guest doesn’t score a boarding pass right when they become available in the morning (or at the brief re-opening time in the afternoon), then their only option to ride that attraction would be to pay for the ride through Lightning Lane Single Pass (or pay-per-ride) if the ride is available through that system, try again on another day, or not go at all.
Since the boarding passes usually sell out within a couple of minutes, it can be tricky to secure your spot in line! In fact, in the past, we heard from lots of readers who were unable to get a Rise of the Resistance boarding group.
Boarding Pass for Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
But the nice thing about virtual queues is that they can take the actual wait time down (typically) if you do get a boarding pass. Once you’ve got your pass, you will generally only wait a relatively short time in the actual line when you return. Since we’ve seen the standby line for Rise of the Resistance get to 2 hours or longer, it seems that virtual queues can give you more time in the park, rather than leave you stuck waiting in line.
Rise of the Resistance Standby Line Wait Time Sign
For people who don’t score boarding passes every time or have had difficulty getting a Boarding Group in the past, that standby line option could be a life saver! And don’t forget that many attractions in all the parks can be booked through the paid Lightning Lane Multi Pass system.
Lightning Lane
So if you really want to get on these attractions but you don’t want to wait in line, you can pay to skip the line. Note that the price of these Lightning Lane options can vary depending on the ride, park, and day.
Lightning Lane sign at Rise of the Resistance
We’ll make sure to keep you updated on any chages to the Virtual Queue System! Keep following DFB for all of the latest news from Disney World.
I Paid $17 To Ride Guardians of the Galaxy in EPCOT, and I Still Waited in Line for an Hour
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What about you? Do you prefer virtual or standby queues in Disney World? Let us know in the comments!
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The virtual queue belongs with Rise of the Resistance permanently because the ride is a lemon. The only thing that can be counted on with RoTR is that it will break down. The virtual queue guarantees that people aren’t wasting their entire day in a line with no payoff.
Generally, I’d be all for standby for everything; wait times are pretty dialed in and the information can be acted upon by park guests to plan their day. Unfortunately, people can’t make informed decisions about a standby line for an attraction that is completely unreliable.
Personally I prefer the old Fast Pass system w/standby. It worked better, no glitches and was guest friendly if you are not technically advanced enough to use the genie like me.
Just go back to the old Fast Pass system. It worked perfectly and guests knew how to use it. It is fairly obvious that most of these new “innovations “ that were designed to make the Disney experience easier to navigate, just don’t work as the magic just keeps draining away.