Everything Virtual Queue - Please Read Posts 1 and 2

[dina444444]

So would it be better to use a laptop instead of the app for these bookings?

You have to use the app to book VQs and/or Genie+/$LL.

 

[lovethattink]

The not eligible glitch happened to us our first time, back when the attraction first opened. I stopped in at guest services and the cm saw something in our MDE with the tickets (we have AP) and ended up calling IT. After whatever they did, I was able to choose the boarding party for the afternoon VQ and got that! But there wasn’t anything they could do about being unable to try for the 7am VQ.

 

[Grasshopper2016]

My Disney novice friends will be at Disney World during Spring Break. Their Epcot day (no park hoppers) is Monday, March 20 -- listed as a crowd level of 8 on Touring Plans. They are staying in a Deluxe hotel, and thus are eligible for the extended evening hours at Epcot that day.

I would like to advise them to wait until the 1:00 window to join the virtual queue, just because that's a lot less stressful and chaotic than the 7:00 window.

But two questions about that:

(1) On a busy day like that, is there much of a risk that the 1:00 window won't exist and/or will fill up within seconds?

(2) Is there much of a risk that the boarding group that they will be assigned at 1:00 will be so late that they won't be eligible to get a second boarding group at 6:00 for the extended evening hours (since they won't yet have been called for their first boarding group, and some people have reported that you can't hold two at once)?

Thanks for your help.

 

[CarolynFH]

My Disney novice friends will be at Disney World during Spring Break. Their Epcot day (no park hoppers) is Monday, March 20 -- listed as a crowd level of 8 on Touring Plans. They are staying in a Deluxe hotel, and thus are eligible for the extended evening hours at Epcot that day.

I would like to advise them to wait until the 1:00 window to join the virtual queue, just because that's a lot less stressful and chaotic than the 7:00 window.

But two questions about that:

(1) On a busy day like that, is there much of a risk that the 1:00 window won't exist and/or will fill up within seconds?

(2) Is there much of a risk that the boarding group that they will be assigned at 1:00 will be so late that they won't be eligible to get a second boarding group at 6:00 for the extended evening hours (since they won't yet have been called for their first boarding group, and some people have reported that you can't hold two at once)?

Thanks for your help.

The answer to number two is easier. You can get a 6 PM VQ whether you have one from earlier in the day or not. They are not connected.

My answer to your first question would be why not try at 7 AM, because if successful, there’s no need to try at 1 PM? I wouldn’t want to count on getting a VQ at 1 PM without trying for one at 7 AM first.

 

[Grasshopper2016]

The answer to number two is easier. You can get a 6 PM VQ whether you have one from earlier in the day or not. They are not connected.

Thanks. My fear comes from reports like this:

I've heard but not tested it myself that in order to be eligible to try for the 6pm DEEH, you need to have used the first VQ prior to 6PM.

Are people sure that that's not right?

 

[CarolynFH]

Thanks. My fear comes from reports like this:


Are people sure that that's not right?

I’m absolutely certain they’ll be fine, but if worried about it, that adds to the reasons to try at 7 AM so they’ll get an earlier BG.

 

[blistex]

My Disney novice friends will be at Disney World during Spring Break. Their Epcot day (no park hoppers) is Monday, March 20 -- listed as a crowd level of 8 on Touring Plans. They are staying in a Deluxe hotel, and thus are eligible for the extended evening hours at Epcot that day.

I would like to advise them to wait until the 1:00 window to join the virtual queue, just because that's a lot less stressful and chaotic than the 7:00 window.

But two questions about that:

(1) On a busy day like that, is there much of a risk that the 1:00 window won't exist and/or will fill up within seconds?

(2) Is there much of a risk that the boarding group that they will be assigned at 1:00 will be so late that they won't be eligible to get a second boarding group at 6:00 for the extended evening hours (since they won't yet have been called for their first boarding group, and some people have reported that you can't hold two at once)?

Thanks for your help.

To add on my experience from what others have said, we were at Epcot on 2/20 which I feel pretty safe saying every park was a 10/10 that day, and the 1 PM VQ filled up within 10 minutes but they were through all 1 PM BG well before the start of the extended hours. I managed to get a very early BG (206) for extended hours at the 6 PM drop and kept hoping maybe they'd start calling those a bit sooner since they had called all the regular ones but they waited until precisely 9 PM to start calling extended hours BG.

They then started calling them at a rate of 1 more group every 3-5 minutes so if you get a low number it's kind of worth just hanging out near the boarding area (out of the walkway, obviously!) because a lot of people wait until after Harmonious is over to come up so getting in before that crowd saved us a bunch of time in line.

 

[DavidNYC]

My Disney novice friends will be at Disney World during Spring Break. Their Epcot day (no park hoppers) is Monday, March 20 -- listed as a crowd level of 8 on Touring Plans. They are staying in a Deluxe hotel, and thus are eligible for the extended evening hours at Epcot that day.

I would like to advise them to wait until the 1:00 window to join the virtual queue, just because that's a lot less stressful and chaotic than the 7:00 window.

But two questions about that:

(1) On a busy day like that, is there much of a risk that the 1:00 window won't exist and/or will fill up within seconds?

(2) Is there much of a risk that the boarding group that they will be assigned at 1:00 will be so late that they won't be eligible to get a second boarding group at 6:00 for the extended evening hours (since they won't yet have been called for their first boarding group, and some people have reported that you can't hold two at once)?

Thanks for your help.

That really makes no sense. It’s not stressful or chaotic. You click and and you either get it or you don’t. And if they do not then they try for 1. If they don’t want to wake up that’s one thing but getting it at 7 is the exact same as at 1 in terms of what you have to do. Any stress is all self inflicted particularly if you’ll be there at 1. And chaotic?? We do it from bed and it takes 10 seconds…. No reason to not at least try for 7.

 

[Grasshopper2016]

Fair enough.

I remember my first time trying to get a BG (for RotR) as extremely stressful. I practiced many times in advance, and my heart was beating a mile a minute when the time came. We only had one DHS day, and we weren't planning on coming back to Disney for a long time, so a lot seemed to be riding on whether I could hit the join button at precisely the right instant.

These friends are already nervous that a Disney vacation seems a lot less relaxing that it was the previous time they went--2018 or so, in the days of Fastpass+, when you did your planning in advance and didn't have so many day-of uncertainties. Their Epcot day is the first day of their trip.

I was just thinking that, even if the process is the same, if the window is open for 10 minutes, rather than 1.5 seconds, the stress factor will be quite a bit different at 1:00. You don't have to have one device open to time.gov while another one is at MDE, while you're simultaneously trying to get the kids showered and ready, etc. Plus, they could book their first LL and their ILL$ at 7:00 without having to worry about the virtual queue happening at the exact same time.

But you all have convinced me that it would be wiser to try for the virtual queue at 7:00, and only go for the 1:00 window if they were unsuccessful in the morning. So that's what I will advise them to do.

 

[blistex]

That really makes no sense. It’s not stressful or chaotic. You click and and you either get it or you don’t. And if they do not then they try for 1. If they don’t want to wake up that’s one thing but getting it at 7 is the exact same as at 1 in terms of what you have to do. Any stress is all self inflicted particularly if you’ll be there at 1. And chaotic?? We do it from bed and it takes 10 seconds…. No reason to not at least try for 7.

I mean, assuming your app works? I felt about ready to cry when I realized it was going to claim I was ineligible despite clearly being eligible, I had to take a breath and remind myself how stupid it was to get upset about this even if I lost my shot at riding. Was doubly frustrating though because that's exactly what happened to me in 2020 with ROTR.

Still think OP should try at 7 but yes it can be really stressful, through no fault of your own.

 

[georgina]

I was on a plane at 7 AM this morning so I went for the ILL at 9 AM from baggage claim. Earliest time offered was 1:20. I also got a VQ at the 1 PM drop, estimated return 6:15, actual call about 5:15. When I used my ILL I waited about 25 minutes to board. When I tapped in for the VQ the attendant said at least a 45 minute wait, possibly an hour. I stood in a line just past the tap point that did not move AT ALL for at least 10 minutes. I was tired from my 6 AM flight and decided to not wait.

 

[blbrodger1]

We had incredible luck on Feb 25. I was ready to hit "join virtual queue" right at 7 a.m. and got boarding group 89. Immediately after getting a boarding group, I also purchased LL for our party and got a time around noon.

The original projection for our VQ return time was 5 p.m., but our boarding group was called around 2. So happy!

 

[Lady Hiss]

Okay. I’ve got group #53 today but we’re still traveling and won’t make that time, most likely. Can I go anytime after my group is called (when we arrive later than the BG time)? Hoping that’s the rule.

 

[lovethattink]

Okay. I’ve got group #53 today but we’re still traveling and won’t make that time, most likely. Can I go anytime after my group is called (when we arrive later than the BG time)? Hoping that’s the rule.

To date, no one has been turned away for late arrival of a BG.

 

[Lady Hiss]

To date, no one has been turned away for late arrival of a BG.

Thanks so much.

 

[disny_luvr]

Do you need to be in Epcot in order to have a chance at getting a boarding group at 1:00?

We never visit a park on arrival day, but we are flying in on a Monday, which is also a deluxe extended evening hours night, so we are going to Epcot to take advantage of those. Our flight only lands at noon, so there is no way we’ll make it to Epcot by 1:00, but we’d like to get a boarding group at the 1:00 drop if possible.

 

[dina444444]

Do you need to be in Epcot in order to have a chance at getting a boarding group at 1:00?

We never visit a park on arrival day, but we are flying in on a Monday, which is also a deluxe extended evening hours night, so we are going to Epcot to take advantage of those. Our flight only lands at noon, so there is no way we’ll make it to Epcot by 1:00, but we’d like to get a boarding group at the 1:00 drop if possible.

For the 1pm drop you have to have entered the park in order to join. If you are able to, you should join at 7am. You can return anytime during the day after your group is called. They do not enforce the backend of the return window.

 

[lovethattink]

Do you need to be in Epcot in order to have a chance at getting a boarding group at 1:00?

We never visit a park on arrival day, but we are flying in on a Monday, which is also a deluxe extended evening hours night, so we are going to Epcot to take advantage of those. Our flight only lands at noon, so there is no way we’ll make it to Epcot by 1:00, but we’d like to get a boarding group at the 1:00 drop if possible.

For the 1pm drop, you must have tapped into the park before 1. You don’t have to be in the park after you tap in.

There will be a separate VQ drop at 6 for the deluxe extended evening at Epcot.

 

[disny_luvr]

For the 1pm drop you have to have entered the park in order to join. If you are able to, you should join at 7am. You can return anytime during the day after your group is called. They do not enforce the backend of the return window.

Good to know! I’ll try to join at 7:00.

 

[Disturbia]

Thanks. My fear comes from reports like this:


Are people sure that that's not right?

CMs were telling us (incorrectly) in Dec (Christmas/NYE) that you have to use the first one in order to be eligible for the 6 pm. Other people have since reported not having used their first VQ and still getting one at 6 pm.

We were also told the 6 pm would be for park close and extended hours only, but people have had their VQ called prior to park close. We were staying at the Poly and leisurely made our way to Epcot just for the EETPH. Our BG was called around 10:15 pm (park closed at 9 pm).

The estimated time for the VQ was correct and it took us over 45 mins during extended evening hours (holiday crowds 1/2).

I would second getting a VQ at 7 am. We had enough to worry about around lunch (3 kids) and sometimes forgot to get a LL on time despite setting alarms