Walt Disney World has ended all digital queues, and that is the primary month with none for the primary time in years. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and Tiana’s Bayou Journey switching to standby has been controversial, with followers break up over whether or not boarding teams or bodily strains are higher. This covers the most recent, together with additional commentary about why are critics of digital queues and what some followers get improper about them.
Previous to this transformation, the final time Walt Disney World dropped a digital queue for a experience wasn’t that way back. It was again on September 9, 2024 when TRON Lightcycle Run switched to standby. Regardless of TRON nonetheless not collaborating in Early Entry, it’s going fairly effectively with no digital queue.
Previous to that, it had been a very long time since Walt Disney World dropped a digital queue–just a few months after the opening of Remy’s Ratatouille Journey. That change got here just a few months after Disney’s Hollywood Studios “paused” the digital queue for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. That pause turned out to be everlasting.
Technically, there was about 1-week of no digital queues in any respect in Walt Disney World between the time in late September 2021 when Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance dropped its digital queue and when Remy’s Ratatouille Journey opened one week later. Provided that was one of many lowest crowd stretches at Walt Disney World within the final 5+ years, we’re guessing not lots of you skilled it.
For the final significant stretch when Walt Disney World was with no digital queue, you’d have to return even additional–all the best way to the halcyon days of December 2019, earlier than the closure and phased reopening, previous to the opening of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. Again when free FastPass, night Further Magic Hours, and so forth. had been all nonetheless alive and effectively.
That makes March 2025 the primary month since November 2019 with none digital queues. Standby strains are lastly out there and digital queues are longer be supplied at Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind in EPCOT and Tiana’s Bayou Journey in Magic Kingdom. For the primary time in a protracted, very long time, there’s a standby line at each Walt Disney World attraction.
I’ve been doing intensive standby testing at Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind throughout Early Entry (4 days and counting!), in addition to rope drop, the mid-morning lull, late afternoon, evenings, and Prolonged Night Hours throughout spring break season. It’s been largely easy crusing up to now, though there have been just a few issues which have caught me without warning (in hindsight, they in all probability shouldn’t have) and methods standby for Cosmic Rewind deviates from TRON. However that’s one other matter for one more publish…or a number of.
For now, right here’s the most recent from Walt Disney World, posted to their digital queues web page…
Verify for Updates
There aren’t any digital queues out there right now.
Digital queues proceed to be useful with the launch of common sights and the debut of latest experiences and choices. Sooner or later, we could use them once more now and again for choose experiences.
Verify Digital Queue within the My Disney Expertise app simply earlier than your go to to be taught whether or not a digital or standby queue can be required or out there for any sights or experiences while you’re right here.
Some Walt Disney World followers will learn the above and construe the language to indicate that Walt Disney World is probably solely “pausing” the digital queues at Cosmic Rewind and Tiana’s Bayou Journey. To make sure, this does go away the door open for his or her return. The identical sort of language was used when Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance switched to standby–a transfer that proved to be everlasting.
It’s at all times doable that this time may very well be totally different. That Tiana’s Bayou Journey might regress, with extra reliability and downtime woes. That Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind proves so common that it overwhelms the comically-short bodily queue and overflow arrange outdoors. That visitor satisfaction scores take a nosedive.
We extremely doubt all of this. Walt Disney World has been doing visitor satisfaction surveys about digital queues for years; they already know the outcomes, which is exactly why they’re making this transformation. Projected demand for Cosmic Rewind ought to likewise be a identified amount, and Tiana’s Bayou Journey had higher be beginning to work reliably after the elevated after hours upkeep.
It’s however unsurprising that Walt Disney World would hedge a bit with its language. Nonetheless, in all probability, that is referring to different experiences like merchandise releases and different assorted one-off occasions. Issues like runDisney, uncommon merchandise releases, and that type of factor. If Walt Disney World ever involves its senses and releases a Large Al popcorn bucket, they’ll in all probability want a digital queue to handle the unprecedented demand for that.
Much less speculative is the launch of latest sights, as Walt Disney World particularly states that “digital queues proceed to be useful” with this, and that they “could use them once more now and again for choose experiences sooner or later.” That is utterly unsurprising, and we absolutely anticipate to see digital queues reintroduced on a number of events between now and 2030. There are just a few elements that would set off digital queues:
- New high-demand attraction launches
- Points of interest posing crowd-flow issues
- Rides with quick standby strains
- Complicated sights vulnerable to breakdowns or prolonged downtime
Most of these must be fairly self-explanatory (or have examples given above), however the crowd-flow downside is greatest exemplified by Remy’s Ratatouille Journey and TRON Lightcycle Run. Each of these sights had been shoehorned into beforehand backstage areas, and have pinch-points resulting in them. Had both or each opened with standby strains, that would’ve created considerations about congestion.
Beforehand, I discussed that Walt Disney World in all probability wouldn’t have a necessity for one more digital queue till 2027 when Tropical Americas opens. Nicely, that was improper. I by some means managed to miss the one ‘massive’ attraction reopening this 12 months.
Within the a lot nearer time period, there’s Check Monitor 3.0. It is a experience reimagining, so that you’d suppose it in all probability wouldn’t require a digital queue. Nonetheless, Check Monitor is notoriously unreliable and this sounds prefer it’ll contain main present scene adjustments. The latter might exacerbate the previous, particularly if the timing or pacing of the attraction adjustments in any respect.
On prime of that, Check Monitor–already a well-liked EPCOT attraction–ought to see renewed curiosity for not less than the primary ~6 months. All of this may very well be a recipe for a digital queue–it’s a considerably comparable set-up to what we’ve seen with Tiana’s Bayou Journey.
Frankly, the probability of a digital queue getting used for Check Monitor 3.0 appears increased than both particular person attraction in Tropical Americas.
Indiana Jones Journey seems prefer it’ll have a large overflow queue, and the Encanto Madrigal Casito darkish experience seems to be an omnimover. I’d nonetheless guess that a kind of two will use a digital queue (that’s the secure cash), however I feel the percentages of both one getting a digital queue are individually decrease than Check Monitor 3.0.
After that, it’s onerous to say which different new or reimagined rides will get digital queues. The Monsters, Inc. Door Coaster looks like a secure guess, as does the off-road experience in Automobiles Land. I in all probability would guess in opposition to one getting used for Rock ‘n’ Curler Coaster Starring the Muppets, however that’s utterly speculative shot-in-the-dark.
Lastly, I wish to revisit the controversy surrounding digital queues with some commentary additional clarifying our place.
In response to the announcement that Walt Disney World was ending digital queues for Cosmic Rewind and Tiana’s Bayou Journey, we acquired a variety of reader backlash. Most likely 75% of you’re in opposition to the change.
I might implore these of you who’re in opposition to this determination to contemplate this: not everyone seems to be you.
That’s an apparent and self-evident level, however I however really feel prefer it’s one value making.
Many longtime Walt Disney World followers take without any consideration simply how complicated of a vacation spot it’s, with its Byzantine insurance policies and quirks. We’ve all accrued a lot data over time that to many people, including one little factor appears easy and simple. As a thought experiment, attempt to assume a veil of ignorance about all of Walt Disney World’s myriad guidelines–Lightning Lanes, ADRs, Early Entry, rope drop, Eating Plans, and so forth.
That’s what it’s wish to be a first-timer. All the pieces is brand-new to you, and it’s totally overwhelming. (For this reason we are saying if you happen to can plan a visit to Walt Disney World, you may journey anyplace in the actual world. Nowhere else–nowhere–is that this complicated and sophisticated.) It’s not only one factor, it’s the totality of every part.
Most of you in all probability don’t even must think about this. You possibly can suppose again to when Lightning Lane Multi-Move or Genie+ had been model new, and the way overwhelming these adjustments had been. The story was largely the identical in each circumstances, complaints about paying for FastPass–but additionally many in regards to the adjustments themselves and the uncertainty they launched.
These of you who’ve been visiting Walt Disney World for not less than ~5 years can suppose again even additional to late 2019 or early 2020.
The digital queue and boarding cross system for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance was essentially the most urgent downside at Walt Disney World within the months previous to the closure. (Ah, easier instances!) We had a curler coaster relationship with the system, visiting Disney’s Hollywood Studios earlier than dawn not less than as soon as per week from early December by way of early March. The rationale we did this, fairly merely, was on account of reader demand. There was a variety of worry, uncertainty and doubt in regards to the new system.
We gained’t rehash all of that right here since most of you in all probability are acquainted with it, as an alternative fast-forwarding to the weeks instantly earlier than the closure. At that time, frustration was setting in for us and most Walt Disney World friends, main us to proclaim “this isn’t working” (400+ reader feedback). We adopted that up with Hollywood Studios: Walt Disney World’s Greatest Rides & Most Irritating Park.
These posts and others within the aftermath of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance opening had been massively common, as a result of Walt Disney World’s strategy was unpopular. A number of posts about Rise of the Resistance garnered a lot of feedback and, spoiler, that was not from followers who had been pleased with digital queues.
Whereas Walt Disney World’s strategy to digital queues fortunately developed later in 2020-2021, the most important change didn’t come from Disney. It was you. Most of you obtained firsthand expertise with digital queues, grew to become educated, and began leveraging them to your benefit. They grew to become extra of a identified amount and fewer controversial in consequence. For you.
Simply do not forget that not everyone seems to be you, and there are literally thousands of first-timers each single day feeling that very same worry, uncertainty and doubt that longtime followers felt in late 2019 and early 2020.
Within the spirit of this sentiment that not everyone seems to be you and first-timers nonetheless have FUD about digital queues, I’d suggest making use of the identical considering to Lightning Lane Single Move.
Some followers are claiming that Walt Disney World is eradicating digital queues out of “greed.” Their concept is that prime posted wait instances will push folks to buy Lightning Lanes. That individuals will balk at a 2-hour anticipate Cosmic Rewind and as an alternative purchase a Lightning Lane Single Move to skip that line. What I feel they actually imply by that is that they can be extra inclined to purchase Lightning Lanes, because the wait time will doubtless exceed their balking level.
This line of reasoning is sensible, however it overlooks a few essential factors. First, that Lightning Lane Single Move is Promoting Out Quicker than ever now that it’s bookable pre-arrival, and Cosmic Rewind is the most well-liked LLSP. It’s normally gone a number of days prematurely, so impulse buys primarily based on wait instances aren’t a factor within the first place.
Second, Walt Disney World has full management over capability allocation. Which means that in the event that they wished to promote extra Lightning Lanes…they may merely promote extra Lightning Lanes. We now have no method of figuring out what number of spots within the digital queue they had been distributing. The perfect proof that they don’t seem to be merely maximizing potential gross sales is the straightforward indisputable fact that Cosmic Rewind Lightning Lanes at all times bought out prematurely below the VQ, which means there was unhappy demand. They had been already leaving cash on the desk below the digital queue!
Lastly, some followers who’re extra inclined to buy a Lightning Lane for Cosmic Rewind now that it doesn’t have a digital queue are failing to contemplate the counterfactual: first-timers and rare friends are much less doubtless to purchase LLSP now that there’s a standby line. Earlier than, they risked being shut out utterly in the event that they didn’t purchase a Lightning Lane Single Move prematurely (since they’re bought out day of) and missed out in becoming a member of the digital queue (since there’s no standby line).
It’s secure to say that the stakes are increased for first-timers and rare friends than locals or Annual Passholders. It’s additionally secure to say that the previous demographics are freer spending and extra inclined to buy Lightning Lanes within the first place. As we talk about very often, the FOMO/FUD issue is a robust motivator for Walt Disney World friends, and Cosmic Rewind having no security internet earlier than was undoubtedly a powerful driver of gross sales. The standby line is such a security internet.
In the end, our view is that digital queues are unfriendly to first-time and rare friends on account of their studying curve and may solely be used when completely obligatory. There are some instances when, on stability, they’re a internet optimistic for the visitor expertise. The primary a number of months of Tiana’s Bayou Journey, when the attraction was unreliable and downtime was extreme, are one such instance. Opening days and weeks when wait instances would possibly in any other case be 3+ hours are one other.
In any other case, digital queues must be dropped at any time when sensible. And once more, I say all of this as somebody who selfishly likes digital queues as a result of they provide me (and different educated, frequent friends) a bonus over the typical guests. However I additionally acknowledge that what’s good for me is just not at all times good for the park-going public. Digital queues current an excessive amount of FUD/FOMO, introducing friction and stress to the visitor expertise.
There’s additionally the truth that experience capability is a zero-sum sport. Digital queues introduce friction that favors high-knowledge friends like Annual Passholders and locals who would skip a triple-digit standby wait, and they’re successful on the expense of another person. The losers on this state of affairs are doubtless disproportionately first-timers and different low-knowledge or technology-averse friends.
If Walt Disney World goes to tip the scales in anybody’s favor, it must be those that shouldn’t have common entry to the parks. On the finish of the day, standby strains stage the taking part in area–anybody is free to hitch them, as many instances as they so want, as long as the expertise is “value” the wait to them. The identical can’t be mentioned about digital queues.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you consider Walt Disney World switching to standby at Tiana’s Bayou Journey and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind? Want digital queues had been nonetheless round–or extra plentiful? Any expectations about VQs on new or reimagined rides going ahead? Do you agree or disagree with our evaluation? Any questions we can assist you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even while you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!
