Virtual Queues Are Out:
Standby Lines Return for Guardians of the Galaxy and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
Big news for Walt Disney World visitors—virtual queues are officially snapped out of existence! Disney has announced that both Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and the soon-to-open Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will no longer use virtual queues. Instead, guests can now experience these attractions the old-fashioned way—by waiting in a standby line like it’s 2018 again.
A “Guardians” Game Changer
For those of us who have spent the last two years aggressively refreshing the My Disney Experience app at 6:59 a.m. in hopes of securing a boarding group for Cosmic Rewind, this update might feel like a miracle from the Nova Corps. No more waking up at the crack of dawn just to have your hopes shattered in two seconds. Now, you can simply stroll into EPCOT, hop in line, and prepare for an intergalactic jam session with Star-Lord and crew.
Of course, this does mean you’ll actually see how long the line is. No more blissful ignorance as you go about your morning, thinking you’ll just waltz onto the ride like a Ravager with clearance codes. But hey, at least you won’t have to explain to your travel party why they need to be awake before sunrise to get a ride on Guardians of the Refresh Button.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure: Get Ready to Wait in Line, Sugah!
Meanwhile, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure—which officially opens this summer—is skipping the virtual queue system altogether. That means when this ride debuts, guests will be able to hop in line right away, no boarding group stress required. Given the hype surrounding this attraction, expect long waits, at least initially. But if you’ve ever stood in a three-hour line for a Mickey pretzel on Main Street, this should be nothing new.
Disney has confirmed that both Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure will still offer Individual Lightning Lane purchases, so if standing in line isn’t your thing (or if your legs feel like Groot after a long park day), you can still pay to skip ahead.
What This Means for Guests
While virtual queues had their benefits—mainly allowing guests to avoid physically standing in line for hours—their unpredictability often made park planning feel like a heist mission with Rocket at the controls. Now, the return of standby lines means anyone willing to wait their turn will get to ride. No more hoping the algorithm is in your favour or watching your vacation dreams vanish like an Infinity Stone in Thanos’ grip.
So, is this a good change? That depends on how you feel about waiting in line. But at least now, instead of battling the virtual queue system, you can focus on what really matters—singing along to “September” as you blast through space with the Guardians.
What do you think about Disney bringing back standby lines for these attractions? Let us know in the comments!
