Disneyland has been using various forms of virtual queues for years, but now it’s more important than ever because you can ride more with Disneyland’s virtual queue system. And so far, it won’t cost you a penny more.
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Disneyland Rides with Virtual Queues
Disneyland Resort has tested out virtual queues for lands and rides over the years. Here’s a quick guide to the terminology and the Disneyland virtual queue ride list.
FASTPASS line: FASTPASS retired in 2021 and will now be under the Disney Genie Plus umbrella. All FASTPASS lines will now be called “Lightning Lane.”
Lightning Lane: the new FASTPASS/MaxPass/skip the line queue, launching Fall 2021.
Lightning Lane Select: the pay per ride system launching Fall 2021, guests may reserve up to 2 rides for an additional fee. Standby lines will also be available for these attractions.
MaxPass line: Disney MaxPass retired in 2021 and will now be under the Disney Genie Plus umbrella.. All MaxPass lines will now be called “Lightning Lane.”
Standby line / Standby queue: regular line guests use when they want to ride an attraction. Standby lines are the main way to experience most rides at Disneyland Resort.
Standby Pass: Not available at Disneyland Resort, but introduced in 2021 at Disneyland Paris. The Standby Pass works a lot like Indiana Jones did during the initial reopening. Standby Pass is free at Disneyland Paris. Robert Niles at OC Register says, “it works in place of a standby queue instead of alongside one. If an attraction’s wait time gets too long, Disney activates Standby Pass, requiring park guests to get a return time through the resort app. That way, no one has to wait in an hour-plus-long physical queue.”
Virtual queue: join via the Disneyland App, but you still must wait in a standby line after your group is called to return to the ride.
Queue: where you wait or stand prior to boarding an attraction.
Which Disneyland Rides are Using Virtual Queues?
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.Beginning 11/21/21, RISE OF THE RESISTANCE will use virtual queue on an as-needed basis only. Keep reading for more details.
- WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure. Beginning 11/4/21, WEB SLINGERS will use virtual queue on an as-needed basis only. Keep reading for more details.
- Indiana Jone Adventure. Not currently using a virtual queue. Virtual queue and stand by line available, based on demand throughout the day. This virtual queue isn’t always “on”.June 15, 2021 the virtual queue did not return now that indoor lines are available.
Ride More with Virtual Queue
The good news is the virtual queue is accessible on the Disneyland App. It allows you to ride more attractions with potentially lower wait times and it’s free.
Unlike Disney Genie+ which is a paid upgrade, the virtual queue remains free for all guests with a valid park ticket and reservation.
The virtual queue allows you to reserve your spot for select attractions, sometimes even before you leave your hotel in the morning.
Want to ride even more attractions? Plan out your Disneyland day with a Disneyland Plan here but this article will also help you strategize.
Star Wars Virtual Queue
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge first implemented a virtual queue for the entire land when it debuted in 2019, but it was never really activated because crowd control naturally worked itself out in the land itself.
But the ride Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is another story.
Important things to know for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance virtual queue:
- Once you have entered Disneyland Park check the Disneyland app attraction listing to learn if access is via virtual queue or standby line.
- Guests must have entered Disneyland Park in order to access Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance virtual queue on the Disneyland app to obtain a boarding group, subject to availability. This is NEW as of 11/21/21.
- The previously used times of 7 am or noon will no longer be in place.
- You may join the virtual queue one time per day, with a valid theme park reservation
When your boarding group is called, you generally have one hour to return to the attraction but be sure to enable push notifications and check your app for updates.
More things to note when stand by and/or virtual queue is in place:
- No specific time for joining virtual queue
- Still free
- You must be in the park to join this virtual queue
- You may be able do the regular line and/or virtual queue in one day
- Join the virtual queue once per day, but ride in stand by unlimited
The virtual queue for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance holds your spot in line but there may be a short wait once you arrive at the attraction. Learn more about Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge including food and shopping here.
Spider Man Virtual Queue
WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure in Avengers Campus uses the same virtual queue set up as Rise of the Resistance, but only at select times (more on that below).
Important things to know for WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure virtual queue:
- Once you have entered California Adventure Park check the Disneyland app attraction listing to learn if c access is via virtual queue or standby line.
- Guests must have entered Disney California Adventure Park in order to access the WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure virtual queue on the Disneyland app to obtain a boarding group, subject to availability. This is NEW as of 11/4/21.
- The previously used times of 7 am or noon will no longer be in place.
- You may join the virtual queue one time per day, with a valid theme park reservation
When your boarding group is called, you generally have one hour to return to the attraction but be sure to enable push notifications and check your app for updates.
More things to note when stand by and/or virtual queue is in place:
- No specific time for joining virtual queue
- Still free
- You must be in the park to join this virtual queue
- You may be able do the regular line and/or virtual queue in one day
- Join the virtual queue once per day, but ride in stand by unlimited
The virtual queue for WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure holds your spot in line but there may be a short wait once you arrive at the attraction. Learn more about Avengers Campus including food and shopping here.
Indiana Jones Virtual Queue
The virtual queue for Indiana Jones is turned on “as needed” and works differently than other virtual queues. Note: on June 15, 2021 the virtual queue did not return now that indoor lines are available. Key differences include:
- No specific time for joining virtual queue
- Still free
- You must be in the park to join this virtual queue
- You can do the regular line and/or virtual queue
- Join the virtual queue once per day, but ride in stand by unlimited
This virtual queue is expected to be temporary, but we may see this method used for other attractions as well.
Disneyland’s Virtual Queue Q&A
More questions on how Disneyland’s virtual queue system work? I’ve got answers. You can also add your questions in the comments below to help me clarify and add to this section as we learn.
When can I join the virtual queue? Virtual queues are available and open to join on the day of your visit, not before. Virtual queues open at various times per day, check with your specific ride choose above for more information.
You may join the 7 am virtual queue from wherever you are (in the car, on a plane, at your hotel, at home, etc.) as long as you have tickets and reservations for that day and the desired virtual queue is in your starting park.
For example, if your reservation starts your day at Disneyland (in the case of a park hopper), you will be eligible for the 7 am virtual queue for Rise of the Resistance only.
If you’re successful and have ALREADY finished riding Rise of the Resistance, you can then choose to join virtual queue for WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure AFTER you have entered California Adventure Park.
How do I join the virtual queue? Beyond knowing the times for the virtual queue, you need to know how to exactly join. Practice this now and have anyone with you who’s trying practice beforehand.
- Locate the boarding group information on the Home Screen of the Disneyland App by scrolling down and locating the Virtual Queue image like this one.
- It will take you to this screen where you select Disneyland or California Adventure. You can do these steps before it actually opens at 7 am or noon.
- The next page is the one you pull down and refresh until you see a BLUE Botton to tap. You’ll proceed through other screens. Tap ANY blue button until it tells you you’re in queue. Do not worry about checking or unchecking names/tickets. That will slow you down!
- The queue opens at 7 am for guests who have tickets AND a reservation to start their day at the coordinating park. Set your alarm for a few minutes before and tap “JOIN BOARDING GROUP.”
- Try at noon if . . . you are park hopping or missed the 7 am time slot, you can join the queue at noon from inside either park. You no longer need to be in the same park for the noon queue.
When your boarding group is called, you generally have one hour to return to the attraction but be sure to enable push notifications and check your app for updates.
Can I join the virtual queue multiple times? You may join the virtual queue once per ride, but you may join the virtual queue for more than one attraction each day.
Can I join multiple virtual queues at 7 am? No, you cannot. You can only join the 7:00 am virtual queue for your starting park. If you have a park hopper, you can try again at the noon virtual queue opening.
If you’re confused about ticket options, I can walk you through that here. Also make sure you have a theme park reservation which clarifies what I mean about “starting park.”
Can I join both virtual queues at noon? No, you will only have time to join one or the other.
There’s definitely a lot to learn for Disneyland’s virtual queue system but it’s worth it for a free and convenient way to ride some of Disneyland’s newest and most popular attractions. I’ll keep adding to this as I develop more strategies and tips for joining the virtual queues at Disneyland.