Disney World Eliminates Virtual Queue From Last Two Rides
Disney World is making a change to two of its biggest rides – and effectively eliminating one of the park’s more frustrating features in the process. The virtual queue allows Disney World guests to reserve a spot on a ride or attraction through the My Disney Experience app and avoid waiting in the park’s infamous long lines. As opposed to what is now called the standby line (geez), guests had to reserve their place on the virtual queue at 7:00 AM if they wanted to enjoy a particular ride or try again at 1:00 PM from inside the park. And it’s not an option because standby lines are not available on rides with a virtual queue; it’s not even a guarantee, as guests on the virtual queue could still miss out on the ride. Virtual queue rides also offer the option of paying extra for Lightning Lane passes, which allow parkgoers to bypass the standby line and stand in a much shorter one. (In other words, you can pay extra to stand in line, but you can’t do it just for the price of admission; lovely.) But now, Disney is moving away from this model, as USA Today reports that virtual queues are being eliminated for two of Disney World’s biggest attractions – Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. The virtual queue will be removed starting February 25, 2025, and since these are apparently the last two attractions at Disney World to use the virtual queue, the feature will be no more.
These changes are coming for much different reasons, according to That Park Place. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Adventure is located in Epcot and is one of the park’s most popular attractions. However, because of its reliance on virtual queues, many guests missed out on experiencing the ride; they either had to wake up early (on vacation, with their kids, which must be a blast) and secure a place by quickly using the virtual queue at 7:00, or spring for a Lightning Lane pass, the price of which the Disney website doesn’t tell you, demanding you download the My Disney Experience app to find out. (Under “Frequently Asked Questions,” click on “How much do Lightning Lane passes cost?” and you’ll get a variation of “Don’t even worry about nothing.”) So, apparently acquiescing to their customers for a change, Disney is eliminating the virtual queue and returning to standby lines for the roller coaster, including during extended evening hours, though Lightning Lane will still be available.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is another story. This ride, you’ll recall, is the replacement for Splash Mountain, the most popular theme park attraction in the world that Disney threw away like a used napkin because they decided it was racist or something. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is the remodel/revamp/whatever that opened this past summer, and it’s been a rocky road since then, with the ride constantly breaking down and various animatronics not working. The water being drained from the ride has been a common sight at the Magic Kingdom. The likely reason Disney dumped the virtual queue for this one is because it simply didn’t warrant it; Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is not as popular as Disney had hoped, and, as per That Park Place, many assumed implementing the virtual queue was Disney’s attempt to make the ride seem more in-demand than it was. For guests who want to ride Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, the standby line probably won’t be as bad as some of the more beloved attractions… like, you know, Splash Mountain.
Shifting to a traditional line instead of making people wake up at the crack of dawn to reserve a spot on their phones makes more sense to me. I’m not a regular parkgoer or anything – the last time I went to Disney World, cell phones were for stockbrokers and Zack Morris – but I can imagine how it drove families crazy having to hustle to get tickets to a ride after the money and planning that already goes into a Disney World vacation. And who really benefits from this? It’s not like Disney gets more money, at least not that I can tell. The Lightning Lane passes are fair; they’re extra money, but the convenience makes sense for the customer, and the standby line (I still can’t believe they call it that now) is there, so nobody should be missing out on the ride unless they show up five minutes before the park closes. I would think a visibly long line would make these rides seem more popular than a busy virtual queue anyway, unless Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is so unpopular they can’t even get people to line up for it. Hopefully, at least the guests will have a better time at Disney World once the virtual queue is gone.
Let us know what you think of Disney World eliminating the virtual queue in the comments!
Keep up with Disney World and all sorts of theme park happenings at Park Hoppin’!
***
If you want to know what kind of political leanings movies have or just talk about cinema, check out the movie ratings community Criticless.
Get Your Geeks + Gamers merch here!
