Just last week, Disneyland opened a new show: “Walt Disney – A Magical Life, “ and the only way to see it on opening day was by joining a virtual queue. This is often the case with new Disneyland attractions and entertainment: the only way to experience them is by virtual queue.
A virtual queue is a Disneyland service that is free with admission. You use the Disneyland app to claim a spot in a virtual queue. Your spot is assigned a number based on when you joined the queue. Disneyland calls this numbered spot a boarding group, and boarding groups are called to the attraction in order over the course of the day. (Think of it like taking a number at the bakery counter and waiting for the baker to call the number on your little slip of paper.) Virtual queue spots are limited, and they do run out. Plus, there is no guarantee that all boarding groups will be called before the parks close for the day.
If you want to experience the latest and most popular attractions, you will want to know how to join a virtual queue and how to do so quickly. It is usually in your best interest to snag an early boarding group number, as Disney does not promise that all boarding groups will actually get to experience an attraction. To help you, we wrote the Disneyland Virtual Queue Guide.
That guide walks you through the steps of joining a Disneyland virtual queue. Today, we are adding some additional tips to that guide with 5 tips and strategies for joining a virtual queue at Disneyland. We have also included some FAQs at the end of this post.
Tip 1: Practice Before Your Visit with the Disneyland App
We recommend that everyone download and explore the official Disneyland app before visiting Disneyland. This is a powerful tool and what you will use for Lightning Lanes as well as virtual queues. If you wish, you can also use the app for mobile ordering, admission, dining reservations, PhotoPass… the list goes on.
Anyway, be sure to download the app and become familiar with it prior to visiting Disneyland. You can find the virtual queue section in the “hamburger” menu to the far right of the home screen or by scrolling through the tiles on the home screen. We suggest heading over to that virtual queue section and clicking through the process as far as you are able.
Do not worry: you will not actually be able to join a virtual queue without valid admission and a park reservation for the day. Just familiarize yourself with the steps by opening the app and reading through our: Disneyland Virtual Queue Guide
Tip 2: Set an Alarm for Disneyland Virtual Queues
By visiting the Disneyland app before you are actually in Disneyland, you should also be able to preview the distribution times for the virtual queues and plan accordingly.
A distribution time is the appointed time when Disneyland opens the ability for guests to reserve a spot in the virtual queue. Sometimes this happens once a day or sometimes more. You will want to know the distribution times, because virtual queue spots can get snapped-up within minutes or even seconds of these times.
We suggest checking the virtual queues page a few days before your visit to get a good idea of potential distribution times and again early on the day of your visit. Distribution times generally stay the same from day to day, but there is a chance that a new queue may be introduced. Also, keep in mind that morning distribution times for new attractions often take place at 7am: before the parks are even open for the day! This is why we suggest checking times prior to your visit!
Once you know the distribution times, set an alarm on your mobile device. Hopefully you are enjoying your visit to the Happiest Place on Earth and not watching the clock, so an alarm will keep you from missing that distribution time. We also suggesting allowing notifications from the Disneyland app to further help you with the virtual queues process.
Tip 3: Have Everyone in Your Party Try
If you are visiting Disneyland Resort with a group, you will probably want to experience attractions and shows together! The good news is that you can join virtual queues as a group: you do not need to make individual reservations. The other good news is that everyone in your group can take a shot at joining to give you all your best chance at snagging a boarding group.
`First, read through our Disneyland Virtual Queue Guide and follow our instructions for linking your party together. Once you confirm your party, you are able to join a virtual queue as a group. Now, everyone in your party with access to the Disneyland app can attempt to join a virtual queue at distribution time. The person with the fastest connection (or taps) will grab a virtual queue spot. Everyone else will get a screen saying they already have a spot. You will not undo an existing virtual queue spot this way, so you might as well all try!
Just make sure everyone you include in your party does actually want to join that particular virtual queue. There are restrictions on how many virtual queues you can book per day.
Tip 4: Delay Strategically
This next tip is a little risky, because virtual queues… well, they virtually always run out. It is almost always a good idea to try to join a virtual queue as soon as you can. So if you absolutely must experience an attraction, try to get in the virtual queue as soon as your fingers can get you there.
A time when you might wish to delay joining is if you are joining a virtual queue for some kind of entertainment and you are hoping for a later showing. For example, maybe you are hoping to join a virtual queue for the later of two nightly showing of World of Color. You are not currently able to pick which show you would like to be assigned, and you cannot book virtual queues for both showings. For this reason, you may wish to wait to join the virtual queue with the intention of joining at the right time for the second showing.
In the same way, you may want to delay joining a virtual queue for a ride in the hopes of getting a later boarding group. Perhaps you are not planning to get to the park until later or you want to save your morning hours for other attractions. In this case, you might delay on joining a virtual queue with the aim of being assigned a boarding group that will be called later in the day. Again, this is a risky move, because you might not get a boarding group at all, or your late-numbered boarding group might not be called before park closing. We would only suggest employing this strategy if you are visiting often or for multiple days: we would hate for you to miss your only chance to experience a show or attraction!
Tip 5: Try Again Later
Finally, remember that some virtual queues have multiple distribution times. It is often the case with new attractions that they have two distribution times: 7am and noon. If you fail to grab a virtual queue spot after the 7am distribution time, try again at noon. If you do not manage to snag a virtual queue on day one of your multi-day ticket (or even if you do), try again on the next day.
Also, virtual queues are usually used for an attraction or show that is not also employing a standby line, but that is not always the case. Recently, “Walt Disney – A Magical Life” used a standby line after all its virtual queue boarding groups were called. In another example, it is still possible to watch World of Color without access to the virtual queue reserved viewing area, and sometimes guests are even allowed into this area if it has not filled by showtime.
Basically what we are saying is that you should not give up hope if you are not able to initially join a virtual queue. Explore your other options and ask a cast member if you are confused. You may not be able to experience an attraction that is using a virtual queue, but sometimes you can.
Disneyland Virtual Queues FAQs
Let us round out this strategy post with some FAQs about virtual queues at Disneyland Resort.
Can I join more than one virtual queue at Disneyland?
Here are the current rules for Disneyland Resort virtual queues according to Disney: “Guests may enter a virtual queue for an attraction and one for entertainment or 2 entertainment offerings at the same time,” and “each Guest can enter the virtual queue for a given experience no more than once per day, subject to availability.”
So, you could hold virtual queue spots for “Walt Disney – A Magical Life” and World of Color on the same day. You could not, however, hold two reservations for “Walt Disney – A Magical Life.”
Can I join multiple Disneyland virtual queues at the same time?
If multiple virtual queues are being offered on the same day at Disneyland Resort you must join them one at a time. You must also follow the restrictions listed in the previous answer: “Guests may enter a virtual queue for an attraction and one for entertainment or 2 entertainment offerings at the same time,” and “each Guest can enter the virtual queue for a given experience no more than once per day, subject to availability.”
What happens if I miss the designated return time for my boarding group?
Do not miss the return time for your boarding group! We know this is tricky, because you do not get to pick the time or even know it in advance. But if you miss the call for your boarding group, you will not get another boarding group. You cannot switch your time, and you will not get another chance to join the virtual queue for that attraction on that same day.
Typically you are given a window of time to board the attraction or enter the show viewing area. If you are a little late, you can try explaining your situation to a cast member at the attraction. But try to avoid this and go during your boarding time!
My virtual queue boarding group was never called and now Disneyland is closing! Now what?
Unfortunately, securing a coveted spot in a virtual queue at Disneyland does not actually mean that you will absolutely get to experience that attraction that day. Often, virtual queues are used for new attractions for which Disneyland is still working through some operational issues or finding their daily ride capacity.
A spot in a Disney virtual queue gives you a boarding group number. Those boarding groups are called back to the attraction in number order. Sometimes, not all of the boarding groups are called before Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure Park closes for the day. If your boarding group not called before the park or attraction closes, you will not get to experience the attraction that day. Your virtual queue spot is not valid for the next day or any other day. You are welcome to try joining the virtual queue again on the next day or subsequent days, but your previous spot will not carry over.
Disneyland says that a spot in an attraction’s virtual queue is not a guarantee that you will be able to experience that attraction. For this reason, it is best to try for an early boarding group if you have your heart set on experiencing a certain attraction.
Can I reserve a spot in a virtual queue before I visit Disneyland?
Virtual queues are all designed for attraction and shows happening that same day. Disneyland does not employ virtual queues which allow you to reserve a spot for a future day. However, some virtual queues open before the parks open. These virtual queues are still for experiences on the same day, but you can join the queue before actually entering the park turnstiles (you do need a valid park reservation and admission though).
Can my whole family or travel party join a Disneyland virtual queue together?
Yes. You can link your travel party together before joining a virtual queue. We take you through the process in Disneyland Virtual Queue Guide.
Do I need to be in Disneyland to join a virtual queue.
It depends. For virtual queue distribution times before park opening (usually 7am), you do not need to be in Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure Park, but you do need to have an appropriate park reservation and valid admission for the same day. For distribution times after park opening, you do usually need to have entered for the day, but you do not need to be actually in the park while joining the virtual queue (for example, you could be having lunch back at your hotel).
Check the rules for each virtual queue you wish to join. They do vary. Disneyland policy at the time of this writing is that guests booking a virtual queue during a morning distribution time need to have valid admission and a park reservation for the park with the attraction. In the case of afternoon distribution times, guests need to have already entered the appropriate park that day OR have entered the other park with a Park Hopper ticket.
To use a recent example: if you are trying to book a “Walt Disney – A Magical Life” virtual queue in the morning, you will need a ticket and park reservation for Disneyland Park (the location of “Walt Disney – A Magical Life”). If you are trying to book a “Walt Disney – A Magical Life” virtual queue in the afternoon, you will need to have entered Disneyland Park already OR have entered Disney California Adventure Park with a park hopper ticket (or Magic Key).
Thank you for reading our 5 tips and strategies (plus FAQs) for virtual queues at Disneyland Resort.
We hope you have found this post helpful. Do not forget to check-out that Disneyland Virtual Queue Guide. For other powerful uses of the Disneyland app, see Disneyland Mobile Ordering Guide and Big Guide to Lightning Lane Multi Pass at Disneyland Resort. For a comprehensive and free guide to planning your Disneyland visit, see Step-by-Step Disneyland Prep, and please consider subscribing to our newsletter below. Thanks again for reading!
