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Credit: DisneyLines are something every theme park goer must face and prepare for. With increasingly-impressive rides opening up like Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and Flight of Passage at Pandora – The World of avatar, more and more Guests are going to visit Walt Disney World, meaning larger crowds and longer lines.
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To combat this, Disney has implemented many different services and strategies, most notably with its FastPass system. Originally, Guests were able to use a paper ticket to bypass the standby line for any attraction. Once the ticket was used, they could move on to the next one. Recently, however, Disney has implemented another change to this system with Disney Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, and these additions have been quite controversial.
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Many Guests have seen success using these services but just as many are left confused, frustrated, and ultimately with a less than a magical day at the Disney Parks. Another way Disney has tried to combat long lines is with its virtual queue process. Here Guests can use their phone and make a reservation for a specific ride. The Guest makes the reservation and Disney tells Guests a window of time that they can come to the ride and bypass the stand-by queue.
This system allows Guests to essentially be free while waiting in line and doesn’t force them to be stuck standing in Disney lines for hours upon hours. The system was utilized first with rides like Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and the new Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure in EPCOT’s World Showcase, until the service as a whole was dropped a few days ago.
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Now the entire Walt Disney World Resort is free from virtual queues meaning Guests now can either use Genie, Genie+, Lightning Lanes, or the traditional stand-by queue. A recent post on Reddit gained traction and sparked a debate on this very topic. See the full post below:
Should virtual queues be added to more rides at the parks?
Instead of just new releases, should Disney add virtual queues to super popular rides such as Avatar or Space Mountain? What do you think of virtual queues in general?
Should virtual queues be added to more rides at the parks? from disneyparks
The post asked the question “Should virtual queues be added to more rides at the Parks?” and got a lot of people talking.
User u/Ctown073 commented:
No, not until they fix it. The system is a mess currently.
User u/miseconor agreed, saying:
No, having people in a physical line is a vitally important part of good crowd management.
User u/DisGayDatGay shared a similar statement, also bringing up the importance of the themed queues in Walt Disney World:
Oh heavens no. Having people in a queue helps alleviate crowds in other parts of the park. Additionally, I actually like the queue experience between the music, theming and being able to listen/talk to other people in line.
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Disney World recently removed Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure in EPCOT from the virtual queues system, eliminating the system entirely from the Resort in Orlando. We are unsure if Disney will choose to bring it back or change it, but for now, Guests can use the Disney Genie+ and Lightning Lane systems while visiting Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom. It is unknown if Disney will implement these services into other Disney Parks like Hong Kong Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland, Shanghai Disneyland or Disneyland Paris.
Do you prefer virtual queues or traditional stand-by queues? Have you used Disney Genie+? Let us know in the comments below!
Let the expert team at Academy Travel help you plan your next magical vacation to Disney World’s water parks, four theme parks — Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios — and the Disney Springs shopping and dining district!