I’ve heard a number of unhappy tales of visitors sauntering as much as a Disney World trip solely to be turned away as a result of the trip does not have a standard standby line. Whereas disappointing to the uninitiated, this is not an unusual apply. Disney has a number of strategies for accessing points of interest, together with a standby queue, Lightning Lane Multi Cross and Single Cross, Lightning Lane Premier Cross and a digital queue system.
A digital queue is usually used as an alternative choice to normal traces when a trip has newly opened. Quite than letting wait instances climb to 3 hours or extra, there are two particular instances every day when visitors can snag a digital queue spot within the My Disney Expertise app. In case you are fortunate sufficient to get a spot in line, you may obtain a return time within the app. If not, your solely possibility is to buy a skip-the-line Lightning Lane go (if they don’t seem to be already bought out) or attempt once more subsequent time.
Since opening, each Tiana’s Bayou Journey and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind have used a digital queue; this meant there was no possibility for guests to face in line, even when they wished to. That’s all about to vary, although.
Disney revealed Tuesday that it plans to take away the digital queue from each rides on Feb. 25. As of that date, visitors can have the choice to attend in a standard standby queue or buy a Lightning Lane go to entry these points of interest.
Relying on how you like to do Disney, this might be a great factor or a nasty factor. Many visitors favor the digital queue system (in all probability the identical individuals who do not thoughts the Southwest boarding course of); the method is meant to maintain wait instances manageable by limiting the quantity of people that can enter the queue at any given time. They benefit from the thrill of making an attempt for a digital queue spot and the comfort of planning their day across the return time.
Others — those that favor to sleep in late or tour the parks with a much less inflexible plan — would reasonably have a look at the wait instances and resolve for themselves if it is value ready in line for. Personally, I’ve a tough cutoff on the 60-minute mark. Aside from on a trip’s opening day, I cannot get in line for a trip that has greater than an hourlong wait. However there are many individuals who will wait two or extra hours for a trip, and starting Feb. 25, they’ve the choice to do exactly that.
Private preferences apart, the digital queue does not essentially imply no queue. Even once I’ve acquired a digital queue spot, I’ve typically nonetheless waited practically an hour to get on Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. With the digital queue system, there is no such thing as a posted wait time, so you do not all the time know what you’re in for if you step into the road.
With a standby queue, you will note a wait time within the My Disney Expertise app and on signage posted exterior of the trip. This leaves the choice as much as you and likewise offers you the choice to trip a number of instances all through the day if you want (you possibly can solely enter the digital queue as soon as per day).
This additionally means there are at the moment no rides at Disney World that make use of a digital queue system, which removes one layer of complexity from planning your Disney trip. That stated, these are each nonetheless very talked-about rides, and it is exhausting to say how lengthy the wait instances shall be.
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In case you are keen to place {dollars} towards comfort, you should purchase a Lightning Lane Multi Cross earlier than your journey and select Tiana’s Bayou Journey as certainly one of your prearrival trip picks, or you should purchase a Lightning Lane Single Cross for Guardians.
Company staying at Disney Resort accommodations, the Walt Disney World Swan, Dolphin, Swan Reserve or Shades of Inexperienced should purchase Lightning Lane passes and start choosing rides as much as seven days earlier than their trip at 7 a.m. EST for all the size of their keep (as much as 14 days). All different visitors can do that three days earlier than their go to.
For extra on decoding Lightning Lane and different essential Disney World planning ideas, learn these associated tales:
