January 9 is going to bring some changes to the Disney World parks. First, park pass reservations will no longer be required for most date-based tickets. This leaves annual passholders and Cast Members as the primary groups that will still need to make park pass reservations (there are other groups, too—basically anyone not on a conventional, date-based ticket). Second, park hopping will once again be an all-day affair. You won’t have to wait until 2PM.
These are pretty significant changes, and they’ve prompted a few more updates that guests need to be aware of. It’s possible we’ll see even more changes before/on January 9, but we’ve got at least one of the big questions answered…
Virtual Queues Change Beginning January 9
There are two rides at Walt Disney World that currently use virtual queues—Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind at Epcot and TRON Lightcycle Run at Magic Kingdom. These rides do not have traditional standby queues. Guests can either buy an Individual Lightning Lane or they can join the free virtual queue.
Currently, guests need to have a park pass reservation for the park containing the ride to join the virtual queue at 7AM. If they miss out on the 7AM drop, they can try again at 1PM, if they are inside the park.
Well, with park pass reservations ending for most tickets, this will change on January 9.
Beginning January 9, guests will be able to “join one attraction virtual queue at any theme park where they have valid admission.” Moreover:
“Select admission types may also require a theme park reservation to join a virtual queue.
Guests do not need to be inside a theme park to request to join the virtual queue at 7:00 AM.
Guests must be inside the theme park to request to join the virtual queue at 1:00 PM.”
The details on this are still a bit fuzzy, but the bottom line seems to be that if you require a park pass reservation, the system isn’t changing for you. If you don’t require a park pass reservation, you can join the virtual queue for any ride at 7AM, but at 1PM you’ll need to be in the park with that ride to join.
Below are a few questions that will probably not be answered until January 9. Disney alludes to answers to these, but I don’t believe they answer them concretely. Or I believe the system may actually work differently in practice. It’s possible some answers will be updated/clarified by the time you read this post.
Can guests who require park pass reservations park hop to a second park before 1PM and join a virtual queue in that park at 1PM?
Can a guest join a virtual queue, cancel that queue, and then join a different one?
Can a guest who joins one virtual queue and experiences the ride before 1PM hop to the other park to join that virtual queue at 1PM?
I don’t think virtual queue is a particularly good system, and I’m bummed to see Disney keeping it around after January 9. If this is going to be the future for new rides, I hope they revamp the system at some point. It doesn’t make sense to me to allocate ride slots based on who has the best internet and fastest fingers.
It’s particularly frustrating the guests who pay for Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes—i.e. guests who are giving Disney even more money—are seeing the value of those products diminished while they waste time joining virtual queues at 7AM, losing out on precious seconds to secure good Lightning Lane times.
“Good-to-Go” Updates
Things aren’t totally getting simpler January 9. Annual passholders have some new terminology to learn. “Good-to-do” days will be days when passholders can visit the parks without park pass reservations. Note that traditional blockout dates still apply. (I assume that during these days, the virtual queues will work for them like they do for all other guests, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see some glitches the first days).
Disney has announced that the first Good to Go days will be added to the calendar on January 11. They may be added days or weeks in advance, so you’ll just have to keep an eye on the calendar.
All Your Other Disney World Planning Questions Answered
Don't be overwhelmed by Disney World planning! Take a second to check out our most important content and you'll not only be an expert, but you'll save big $$$ along the way.
Just starting out? Check out our Walt Disney World planning guide! If you're still picking dates, we've got everything you need to know about Disney World crowd calendars. For picking your hotel, check out our Walt Disney World hotels guide.
When it comes time to book we’ll help you find discount Disney World tickets. Decide whether you need a dining plan in our Complete Guide to Disney World Dining Plans! And don't forget to book those Disney World Advance Dining Reservations!
Don't forget to master your Disney World Genie+ and Lightning Lane strategy a few months in advance. We'll keep you out of long lines so you can maximize the magical time in the parks! We've got park-specific guides as well: Magic Kingdom Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, Epcot Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, Animal Kingdom Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, and Hollywood Studios Genie+ and Lightning Lanes.
Know what to ride with our guides to: Magic Kingdom rides, Hollywood Studios rides, Epcot rides, and Animal Kingdom rides! Plus learn about the water parks with our guide to Blizzard Beach and our guide to Typhoon Lagoon! And for some some fun prep, check out our Ranking of Every Ride at Walt Disney World.
Finally, before you head out, be sure to check out our to-the-point packing list, 10 essentials you forget to pack for every Disney trip. And if you're interested in saving, there's no better list than our 53 Ways to Save on your Disney trip from start to finish.