When Rise of the Resistance opened at Disney's Hollywood Studios it did so with the theme park's first virtual queue. Rather than simply getting in line for the ride, or obtaining a FastPass return time, guests needed to use an app to get in line virtually. The system is now in place for Rise of the Resistance at Disneyland as well as WEB-SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure at Disney California Adventure. The system will also be implemented when Remy's Ratatouille Adventure opens at Epcot in just a few weeks. Perhaps in preparation for the new ride a change has now been made to the way the virtual queues work that should make getting them simpler for everybody.
The way virtual queues have worked previously was that at a set time in the morning and afternoon, batches of space would open up. Guests would use the appropriate Disney Parks app to select the attraction they wanted a virtual queue for, then they'd be taken to a window to confirm the party that would be on the ride. Usually if everybody in a group or family had all their tickets property reregistered, everybody would be automatically included, and once you confirmed that, you'd hit the button and try your luck.
Starting today, things have changed slightly. As reported by Scott Gustin, beginning one hour before a virtual queue opens, so 6AM currently, guests will have the ability to confirm the party that will be joining the virtual queue. This will remove that step from the actual virtual queue process, so when 7am rolls around, guests simply need to refresh the page on the app in order to join the virtual queue.
While this may not make it necessarily easier to get a boarding group, it will make trying to get one a little simpler. Frequently, though not always, virtual queue slots disappear within seconds of going live, so you have needed to be quick on the draw in order to be sure you'll even get a spot.
And confirming the party was always a potential hang up. If you had a member of your party who wasn't going to go on the ride, you needed to take a moment to remove them from the party, and that simple act could literally spell the difference between getting a spot in the virtual queue and not. It also meant you needed to load two different pages to get into the queue, so if your phone or your connection were a little slow, you were often out of luck.
The virtual queue process is a controversial one among theme park guests. While some appreciate the ability to try to sign up early, and the fact they can plan their day around getting, or not getting, a spot, others are frustrated that there is no standby option at all. While the line would certainly be long, many guests might be willing to stand in it in order to be sure they get on the newest ride. But that is simply not an option.
While this change in the process makes the system streamlined for everybody, and thus probably doesn't increase your personal chances of getting a virtual queue spot, making the system easier overall is certainly welcome. Not getting a change to ride Rise of the Resistance is frustrating, not getting a chance because the process was complex or confusing would be infuriating.
