4 Problems We ALREADY Ran Into with the NEW Virtual Queue Changes in Disney World

February 25th was a BIG day in Disney World in the world of Virtual Queues.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind has used a Virtual Queue since opening in May of 2022

For the first time ever, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in Magic Kingdom and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind in EPCOT switched from using Virtual Queues to having standby lines, which means at the time of writing there are no Virtual Queues in Disney World at all. Disney World guests have mixed feelings about this change, and we made sure we were in the parks right at opening to see how this massive change was affecting crowds and wait times, and we gotta be honest — we’ve already run into some pretty big issues.

Rope Drop Strategies Have Completely Changed

This is true for both parks, but specifically, EPCOT now, as most guests ran (briskly walked) straight for Cosmic Rewind. We totally get it, we were part of that massive group (in the name of science), but this does mean that the rope drop strategy you’ve perfected now potentially has to totally change.

However, we’re quickly finding that the new rope drop strategy may be something very similar to Flight of Passage in Animal Kingdom, which is that if you’re not using Early Entry (which Cosmic Rewind IS part of) as a hotel guest and can’t be one of the genuine FIRST people in line for the ride, you’ll actually want to wait until later in the day to ride.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at night

When the park opened, the Cosmic Rewind wait time went from 35 minutes during Early Entry, to 170 minutes ten minutes after park opening, then down to 110 minutes at around 9:45 AM. However, by 5 PM, it was down to 70 minutes. Therefore, riding it first thing in the morning may not actually be the best for the shortest wait time!

Wait Times Are Far From Accurate

Similar to lots of other attractions in the morning right after the parks opened, we found that for both Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and Cosmic Rewind, wait times were WAY off during the first hour of the park day.

At Tiana’s, we spotted a line that claimed to be 45 minutes, but it was SHORTER than what we’d just seen it at half an hour prior when the wait time was lower. However, we would say that it’s better to trust a higher Cosmic Rewind wait time as true than for Tiana’s in the morning — if you’re going to take a risk on one, we suggest Tiana’s! It’s more likely to be lower than actually listed.

Cosmic Rewind Can’t Handle The Queue

A few days before this change, we spotted an extended queue for Cosmic Rewind set up. The morning of the changes, though, the line winded all the way back around past Space 220 and halfway to Connections Cafe at 9:10 AM — only 10 minutes after park opening!

If you’re heading to this line, OR more importantly, you’re heading somewhere else but have to walk past the line, keep in mind that you’ll want to pay close attention you’re not waiting in a line you don’t have to. For example, if you’re looking to get into Space 220, make sure you’re not waiting in the Cosmic Rewind line without knowing it!

A Standby Line Does Not Help Tiana’s

Unfortunately, we also found out firsthand that switching to a standby line has not helped Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at all with its frequent ride closure issues. The ride has struggled with closing frequently since opening, and it appears that a standby line may have made those worse.

The ride didn’t open on time, which was unfortunate, and when we checked again later in the day, it also closed unexpectedly at around 5 PM. So if you’re heading to this attraction and have big plans to ride it during the day, keep in mind that there may be multiple occasions it goes down and be ready to pack your patience!