Disney World is implementing a Virtual Queue for Tron Lightcycle Run at Magic Kingdom. While the procedures will be very similar to how the Virtual Queue has worked at Disney World up to this point with rides like Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, there is an interesting twist.
Scott Gustin confirmed that Disney World will continue the use of the Virtual Queue at Guardians of the Galaxy at EPCOT even after Tron opens in April. For the first time, Disney World will have two attractions with a Virtual Queue operating at the same time. It just so happens that Disney World’s two newest high speed roller coasters that are based on sci-fi movies and feature a launch will both require a Virtual Queue.
This raises some very interesting questions: Can you join both the Tron Lightcycle Run and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind Virtual Queues on the same day? If so, how would you do that with both the Virtual Queue and Park Hopping rules?
Luckily, the answer to the first question is yes. Guests can join both the Tron Lightcycle Run and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind Virtual Queues in the same day.
However, being able to get a boarding group for both Tron and Guardians will be tricky and may require some luck. Here’s our in-depth guide on everything you need to know in order to join two Virtual Queues on the same day at Disney World.
Update 4-3-2023 – We’ve updated this guide based on how strictly Disney World has been enforcing the return time for the Tron Virtual Queue.
Virtual Queue Requirements
In order to join both Virtual Queues in one day, you’ll need the following:
- A Park Hopper Ticket. It’s impossible to ride both attractions in the same day with a single park ticket, because the two coasters are located in different parks.
- A Park Pass Reservation for Magic Kingdom or EPCOT. This is required for the first Virtual Queue opening at 7 am. There is technically a way to go on both without a reservation, which we’ll cover below. But for most of the time, you’ll need one of these Park Pass Reservations.
- The My Disney Experience app. You need to use the official Disney World app to join a Virtual Queue. You can read about how to join the Virtual Queue in our step-by-step guide.
How to join both Tron and Guardians of the Galaxy Virtual Queues in one day.
The following is how most guests will be able to join both queues.
- Step 1: Join the Virtual Queue for Tron Lightcycle Run or Guardians of the Galaxy at 7 am. You can join this queue from anywhere.
- Step 2: Park Hop at 2 pm then immediately join the Virtual Queue of your second attraction.
For the 1 pm Virtual Queue opening, you must be inside the park that the attraction is located in order to join. Currently, Park Hopping at Disney World starts at 2 pm. So you have to get a bit lucky with this method in a few ways. First, you need to be able to get a boarding group at 7 am. Secondly, you need to be visiting on a day where the afternoon Virtual Queue stays open for at least an hour. Thirdly, you need the timing of your boarding groups to allow for Park Hopping. Let’s say you are able to join the Tron Virtual Queue at 7 am, but your boarding group entrance time doesn’t start until 2:15 pm. This could prevent you from Park Hopping in time to join the Guardians queue.
Things have to line up a bit for you to be able to join both Virtual Queues in one day. However, some guests will have an easier time on select days.
A Better Bet: Extended Evening Hours Virtual Queue
Both Magic Kingdom and EPCOT host Extended Evening Hours for guests at Deluxe Resorts and a select few other hotels. These typically fall on Mondays at EPCOT and Wednesdays at Magic Kingdom. On Magic Kingdom Extended Evening Hours days, Tron will have a Virtual Queue opening at 6 pm just for those eligible guests. The same is true for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind on EPCOT EEH nights.
If you are staying at an eligible resort, joining the 6 pm Virtual Queue on Extended Evening Hours nights for your second attraction is a much better bet. You don’t need to worry about Park Hopping at an exact time, and you can join the 6 PM queue from anywhere. This also gives you a bit more leniency in terms of the luck factor. You won’t have quite as much pressure to join the 7 am Virtual Queue for your first park, and because the hours of the second park are extended for you, your second boarding group should come at a late enough time so you can easily make it.
Here’s how to join both Virtual Queues if you are eligible for Extended Evening Hours.
- Step 1: Plan out your Park Pass Reservations around Extended Evening Hours days. For days where EPCOT has Extended Evening Hours, get a Park Pass for Magic Kingdom. For days where Magic Kingdom has Extended Evening Hours, get an EPCOT reservation.
- Step 2: Join the Virtual Queue for Tron Lightcycle Run or Guardians of the Galaxy, ideally at 7 am. You will have a second opportunity at 1 pm.
- Step 3: Join the Extended Evening Hours Virtual Queue at 6 pm. You can join from anywhere.
Should I join the Tron Virtual Queue or Guardians Virtual Queue first?
Our recommended strategy for getting Boarding Groups for both of these rides in one day is to try to join the Tron Lightcycle Run Virtual Queue at the 7 am drop.
At the time of this writing, it’s still very early for Tron Lightcycle Run’s virtual queue. However, in the few weeks that it’s been running so far, each opening of the Virtual Queue has run out of availability within seconds every day. Since Tron is the newer ride, demand for it will be much higher than Guardians during its initial opening months.
We know that the afternoon Virtual Queue can stay open for quite a bit at EPCOT for Guardians of the Galaxy. So by planning on joining Tron first at 7 am and trying to get a boarding group for Guardians later will be your best bet.
This is less important if you’re utilizing Extended Evening Hours.
Why can’t I just join both Virtual Queues at the same time?
Because Tron is in Magic Kingdom and Guardians of the Galaxy is in EPCOT, this prevents you from joining both Virtual Queues at the same time.
- The 7 AM Virtual Queue opening requires you to have a Park Pass Reservation for that day for the park the attraction is in.
- The 1 PM Virtual Queue opening requires you to be inside the park that the attraction is in.
- The 6 PM Virtual Queue opening is only on Extended Evening Hours nights, which do not overlap at Magic Kingdom and EPCOT. Magic Kingdom typically has EEH on Wednesdays, while EPCOT has EEH on Mondays.
Can I be late for my Virtual Queue window?
When your boarding group is called, you have one hour to get to the virtual queue entrance. Disney World’s official policy gives you a 15-minute grace period if you’re running late. This return window may make timing tricky when it comes to riding both Guardians and Tron in the same day with the virtual queue.
Cast Members at Guardians of the Galaxy Virtual Queue entrance have been pretty lenient about people arriving late for their return window. So at Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, you don’t need to stress about getting to your boarding group exactly on time. Of course, this is an unofficial policy, so Disney could decide to enforce return times here at any point.
However, BlogMickey has reported that Tron Lightcycle Run has been strictly sticking to the official Disney World return time policy. So if you get a Tron Virtual Queue slot, you must get on the ride within the hour window you’re called. You’ll still have a 15 minute grace period if you’re running late. It would not be surprising if Tron moves to a more lenient policy after a few months of operation, but while the ride is brand new, make sure you go to Tron during your return window.
Do I have to join during different Virtual Queue opening times for each ride?
Practically speaking, yes. This is because of the park reservations and park hopping rules. Your best bet is to join one virtual queue at 7 am, and then try for the second virtual queue either at 2 PM after Park Hopping starts or 6 PM on Extended Evening Hours.
There’s nothing preventing you from getting a Virtual Queue for Tron at 1 pm in Magic Kingdom, hopping on the monorail to EPCOT, and then joining the Guardians Virtual Queue at 2 PM. Technically, this would be joining the Virtual Queue during the same afternoon opening time. However, this would most likely require multiple park hops to accomplish: Getting the Tron Boarding Group at 1 pm in Magic Kingdom, going to EPCOT at 2 PM for the Guardians Virtual Queue, going back to Magic Kingdom to ride Tron then going back to EPCOT to ride Guardians. It is possible that everything will line up and you won’t have to park hop that many times, but you’ll have to get really lucky.
Is there a way to ride both without a Magic Kingdom or EPCOT park reservation?
Yes, but we wouldn’t recommend it as a guaranteed strategy. But it can be done if you are eligible for Extended Evening Hours. Here’s the best bet for that.
- Step 1: Go to your first park in the morning (Hollywood Studios or Animal Kingdom)
- Step 2: Park hop to EPCOT and enter the park right at 2 PM.
- Step 3: Join the Guardians Virtual Queue at 2 PM.
- Step 4: At 6 PM, join the Tron Virtual Queue on a day with Extended Evening Hours at Magic Kingdom.
It’s also possible to do this with Tron first and Guardians second on Extended Evening nights at EPCOT, but it will be much less likely to happen for the first few months of Tron’s opening.
Just like you would have to get lucky with joining both Virtual Queues with our normal strategy, you’d have to get even luckier here. You’ll have a narrower window for getting the right boarding group times, and you may find yourself racing from EPCOT to Magic Kingdom to make your reservation time.
Is there another way to ride both the Guardians of the Galaxy and Tron roller coasters in the same day?
Yes, but you will have to pay up for it. You can purchase Individual Lightning Lane reservations for front of the line access at both attractions. This comes with some advantages:
- You can choose your time slot, which makes planning around Park Hopping easier.
- You will have a shortened wait compared to the Virtual Queue.
- You can purchase both at the same time, so you aren’t worrying about joining multiple queues at different times of the day.
However, there are some things to keep in mind. Individual Lightning Lane costs money, and these Lightning Lanes aren’t included in Genie+ (Side note: a Genie+ purchase is not necessary for Individual Lightning Lane). You can only purchase 2 Individual Lightning Lane reservations per day. Individual Lightning Lane purchases are non-refundable, unless you aren’t able to go on because the ride breaks down. You can find out more information in our in-depth Guide 2 Disney Genie.
Tron Lightcycle Run and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind Virtual Queue on the Same Day Recap
Yes, it is possible to join the Virtual Queues for both Tron Lightcycle Run at Magic Kingdom and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at EPCOT in the same day. Our best strategy for most guests is to:
- Have a Magic Kingdom Park Pass Reservation
- Join Tron Boarding Group at 7 am
- Park Hop to EPCOT at 2 PM
- Join Guardians Virtual Queue as soon as you’re in the park.
The best strategy for riding both rides in the same day is to take advantage of Extended Evening Hours if you’re eligible. Otherwise, purchasing Individual Lightning Lanes for each ride can give you much more flexibility for a price.
Do you have any questions about the Virtual Queues at these two Disney World roller coasters? Let me know in the comments below!
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