When Walt Disney World's Epcot opened its new Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind roller coaster on May 27, 2022, guests needed to sign up for a boarding group through the virtual queue system on the My Disney Experience app.
Guests had two chances, at 7 a.m. and 1 p.m., to try to reserve a spot in line to get on the ride. Unfortunately, many Disney (DIS) guests were out of luck as the virtual queue filled up in about 30 seconds after they were available on the app at 7 a.m., according to Disney Food Blog. The next opportunity would be 1 p.m., which would fill up just as quick. Once a boarding group was called to the line, the wait would be about 30 minutes.
Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., opened its new Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge land on May 31, 2019, while Disney World's Hollywood Studios opened its new Galaxy's Edge on Aug. 29, 2019. The first ride in the new land, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, had wait times ranging from 45 minutes to 80 minutes when the ride opened to guests.
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Virtual Queue Was Needed on Rise of the Resistance
When the most popular ride in Galaxy's Edge, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, opened in Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Fla., Dec. 5, 2019, and at Disneyland on Jan. 17, 2020, a virtual queue was used to board the ride. Hollywood Studios discontinued the virtual queue on Sept. 23, 2021. Disneyland on Nov. 22, 2021, began using a standby line as well as a virtual queue, which was eventually phased out.
Disney World Magic Kingdom guests may soon need to line up early for its newest ride, as long lines can be expected whenever a much-anticipated new attraction opens at a Disney theme park. Disney has not yet revealed whether visitors will need to use a virtual queue or a Genie+ or a Lightning Lane to get on this ride that many guests are already anxious to experience.
Tron Lightcycle/Run Has an Opening Date
Magic Kingdom will finally open its long-awaited Tron Lightcycle/Run thrill ride on April 4 in Tomorrowland, according to its website.
"Lean forward into the ultimate race of survival! Leave the real world behind and join Team Blue in an epic quest across the Grid — the dark, computerized world with no horizons from TRON. Here, there’s no limit to the excitement," Disney World's message on the website states.
"Climb aboard your very own Lightcycle and take off on a high-speed adventure, racing against the Grid’s most menacing Programs. Surge past your fierce opponents as you attempt to cross through 8 Energy Gates and secure your team’s victory —so you can survive to race another day," the message continues.
"Scheduled to open April 4, 2023, TRON Lightcycle / Run will be one of the fastest coasters at any Disney theme park in the world," the message concludes.
Magic Kingdom's Tron Lightcycle/Run ride will be Disney's second such ride as it opened a similar Tron Lightcycle Power Run ride at Shanghai Disney in June 2016.
Tron Lightcycle/Run is based on Walt Disney Productions' 1982 film "Tron," starring Jeff Bridges, which made filmmaking history as the first production of its kind to mix live action with computer-generated visuals and backlit animation. The original "Tron" inspired video games, comic books, an animated series, as well as the 2010 sequel "Tron: Legacy."
