3 Surprising Takeaways From the First Day Without Virtual Queues in Disney World

It has been an exciting day at Disney World. Both Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind in EPCOT and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in Magic Kingdom have eliminated virtual queues and now offer standby lines.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind

That means there are currently no virtual queues in Disney World (although we will likely see more pop up in the future). Of course, we were in the parks checking things out first-hand, and we have some surprising takeaways to share with you!

Both Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure had been using a virtual queue until today, February 25th, when both rides switched to using a standby line in addition to Lightning Lane.

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure

Today, we experienced both parks without virtual queues, and we wanted to share some takeaways. First, as the two attractions transition from a virtual queue to a standby line, they will be working on fine-tuning the wait times.

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure

We saw lots of big fluctuations at the beginning of the day (Cosmic Rewind even hit 170 minutes at one point!), and we also noticed that the line often seemed longer than what was posted. Just keep in mind that the wait times may not be as accurate for a bit as they work on transitioning to a standby line.

Crowds at Cosmic Rewind

We were also pretty surprised by the average wait times for the two attractions so far. They are both pretty popular rides, so we were worried we would see some hefty wait times. However, Cosmic Rewind has been hovering around a 60-70 minute wait so far today, and Tiana’s has been hovering around a 50-60 minute wait today.

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure

It is very possible that these average wait times will also adjust as they fine-tune the wait times for these attractions, but we were still impressed that the wait times were pretty manageable.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind

We were also surprised that ONLY Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind was available during Early Entry today. The wait time stayed at around 35 minutes during Early Entry. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is not currently available during Early Entry, but it is possible that it will change in the future.

Early Entry

We were at EPCOT for rope drop and were really impressed with the organization. While there was a large crowd waiting to ride Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, the Cast Members did a great job of directing people and maintaining a sense of calm. There was no running to be first in line, as they controlled the crowds very well!

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind

If you are rope-dropping either attraction, make sure you pay attention to Cast Member instructions and follow the flow of traffic! This will ensure everyone has the best experience possible.

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure

For now, there will be no more 7 AM wake-up calls to join the virtual queue! We will continue to monitor the crowds and wait times, so make sure to stay tuned to DFB for all your Disney World news!

Check out the crowds on the first day of no virtual queues at Cosmic Rewind and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure!

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