Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is the new attraction replacing Splash Mountain at Disneyland. This guide covers how to experience the ride since there will be no standby line when it debuts–instead, you’ll need to join the virtual queue for the long-awaited attraction or use the Lightning Lane.
Disney restricts access to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure by using a free virtual queue (VQ) and ‘pay-to-play’ access via the Lightning Lane (LL), both of which are in lieu of a traditional standby line. This means that instead of being able to show up and wait in a queue for 60-120 minutes (or whatever the posted wait) at a time of your choosing, you need to roll the dice on the VQ or LL.
If you succeed, you’re able to ride Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. If you don’t…you aren’t. There is no third option. These systems are nothing new, as Haunted Mansion currently operates in exactly the same way. Before that, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, WEB Slingers: Spider-Man Adventure, and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance had similar systems.
Nevertheless, all of this has been confusing even for Disneyland diehards. Our goal here is to help you avoid similar frustrations. If you show up to the park, thinking you’ll be able to ride Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, you’re in for colossal disappointment.
To the contrary, you’re almost guaranteed you won’t be riding if you simply show up at the official opening time. Hence this ride guide and FAQ, so you can plan accordingly, beat the crowds, and have a delightful day at Disneyland!
When will the virtual queue end at Tiana’s Bayou Adventure?
This may seem like an odd spot to start, but before we dig in, we want to start by sharing Disneyland’s official announcement about the virtual queue:
“Upon its grand opening, joining the complimentary virtual queue, accessible only via the Disneyland app, is required to experience Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. A standby queue will not be available during the attraction’s initial opening days. The virtual queue enrollment times will be twice daily, at 7 a.m. and 12 p.m. PT.”
What does that mean? It’s anybody’s guess. For one thing, the virtual queue dynamic is always evolving. Disneyland tinkers with policies, demand rises & falls, and so forth.
For another thing, Walt Disney World specifically stated this back when its version of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opened: “While a standby queue will not be available during the attraction’s initial opening days, we expect to open a standby queue soon after the attraction’s opening.”
That was over 4 months ago, and the Florida version is still using a virtual queue and there are no signs it’s going away anytime before 2025. Virtual queue in the “initial opening days” and “standby queue soon after the attraction’s opening” must have different meanings to Disney than they do to me.
The reason for the delayed adoption of a standby line, as we’ve documented in multiple posts, is that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure has experienced significant daily downtime and ride reliability woes. The good news is that the Florida version has improved considerably in the last month-plus, and Magic Key previews suggest the Disneyland version is more reliable from the outset.
Not only that, but Southern California gets cold this time of year and this version of Tiana’s Bayou Adventure really soaks guests. Accordingly, our expectation is that the virtual queue will go away much faster in California. That could happen as early as December or in Winter 2025–it all depends upon a mixture of downtime and demand.
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What is the virtual queue for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure?
The virtual queue is one of two main ways to access the physical lines for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
Rather than a standby queue, you join this virtual line via the Disneyland app and are notified when it’s your turn to return to the physical queue (which, in the future, will be the standby line). The process requires a few clicks in-app, but it’s pretty intuitive.
Note that your entire wait is not virtual. You can expect to encounter a wait upon being called back to the physical line. The virtual queue is simply Disney’s method for pulsing demand to Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, which is largely necessary even though Splash Mountain didn’t have one, due to a combination of it being a new ride and it being unreliable.
When can we enter the virtual queue?
There are 2 daily opportunities to request to join the virtual queue for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure:
- 7:00 AM – Guests must have a park reservation for Disneyland Park with a one-park ticket or a park reservation for Disneyland Park with a Park Hopper ticket to request to join the virtual queue.
- 12:00 PM (Noon) – Guests inside Disney California Adventure Park with a Park Hopper ticket or inside Disneyland Park can request to join the virtual queue.
What is the process like for joining the virtual queue?
To join the virtual queue for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Disneyland, start by hitting the hamburger button on the lower right corner of the Disneyland app.
From there, select the “Virtual Queues” tile. Then “Join Virtual Queue.” Alternatively, there’s a shortcut from the home screen on the Disneyland app if you just scroll down a little bit–look for “Request Access with Virtual Queue.” Sometimes all of the tiles take a bit to load on here after you first open the app.
Here’s what the screens look like, albeit for a different Disneyland ride to do a VQ:
You’ll have the option of confirming your party starting at 6 am, or an hour before the virtual queue opens. Click the blue button to confirm your party (above left), ensuring that everyone visiting with you is selected for the virtual queue. So long as tickets are properly linked and everyone has a park reservation for Disneyland, this process should be smooth sailing and self-explanatory.
Once you confirm your party, you’ll see the above right screen until 7 am. Use the “fast finger” strategy below to get the timing right, and then either hit the refresh button or pull down to refresh at 7 am on the dot. You’ll then see the “Join Queue” button. Tap that and you’re done!
If successful, you’ll see an estimate of your waiting time, which will be several hours into the future (and not necessarily accurate) at 7 am since Disneyland isn’t even open yet. Once the park is open, this same screen will show you which boarding groups have been called plus a more accurate estimate wait time. Even then, return times can fluctuate based on downtime and other factors.
Once it’s your turn to join the physical queue, you’ll receive a notification stating “Your group has been called” (above middle). You can also see your virtual queue status towards the top of the Disneyland app home screen, as well as on the virtual queue page itself.
To access the virtual queue for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure at Disneyland, you’ll need to click that notification (or simply return to the virtual queue page in the app), which will then pull up your boarding pass (above right). Scan that at the entrance and you’re good to go!
Next, we’ll cover some techniques to improve your speed and increase your chances of success at the Tiana’s Bayou Adventure virtual queue!
Virtual Queue Speed Strategy
Disney WiFi versus Cellular Data?
It really depends on your carrier and where you’re located in the park/resort/etc.
We’d recommend doing a quick speed test with both a few minutes before it’s time to join the virtual queue. Anything at or above 50 Mbps should be sufficient, but the higher the better. If necessary, move around to get away from other people or increase your speed to that threshold.
Are there any ways to improve speed?
Obviously, there’s only so much that’s within your control when it comes to your internet speed at Disneyland. Two big things are getting away from congested areas and out from under things.
When it comes to the 12 pm virtual queue, avoid congested areas of the parks. If at all possible, attempt to join while not standing in line for anything else, as some queues have ‘dead zones’ without WiFi or cellular service.
How should we prepare for joining the virtual queue?
This might sound like overkill, but milliseconds matter.
Make sure your phone is fully updated and force close all apps, including the Disneyland app shortly before it’s time to join the virtual queue. Double-check the time on your phone or watch against time.gov, which is what Disney uses for opening the virtual queue.
What’s the best strategic approach for joining a boarding group? Should one person try for everyone, should we each try individually, or what?
Do not try individually–you won’t be in the same boarding groups, meaning you won’t ride together.
We recommend everyone try for everyone in your party. Disney’s official advice is not to do that, as it could cause problems. This isn’t true, or if it is, we’ve been incredibly lucky to never have any issues due to this. Everyone attempting increases your chances of success and minimizing issues in case one person’s phone freezes or is slow for whatever reason.
The person in your party with the fastest fingers will score the boarding group, while everyone else will receive a “Not So Fast/Already in Boarding Group” message. Just be sure that anyone in your party who tries for boarding passes attempts to add everyone. It’s good to do a practice run or two at home so you’re comfortable with the process in the Disneyland app so you don’t get flustered and mess up.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure Lightning Lane Strategy
Is there any other way to ride Tiana’s Bayou Adventure?
Yes.
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure also offers line-skipping access via Lightning Lane Multi-Pass. You can read about this system in our Guide to Lightning Lane Multi-Pass at Disneyland.
What’s the difference between the virtual queue and the Lightning Lane?
Aside from the virtual queue being free and the Lightning Lane access costing money, the latter is faster. Lightning Lanes are Disneyland’s line-skipping option, colloquially known as “paid FastPass.”
With the virtual queue, part of your wait is virtual, but you’re still going to stand in the physical line and spend some amount of time waiting. By contrast, guests in the Lightning Lane will move faster than you, and wait less time. (Unless the ride breaks down, in which case you both might be stuck.)
Which option is better?
The paid one, minus the whole “costing money” part.
In addition to the line moving faster, the other big upside with the Lightning Lane is that there’s more certainty–and that’s a big deal with an unreliable ride that suffers a lot of downtime, like Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. While no one is “guaranteed” to be able to ride, Lightning Lane guests have the closest thing to that. By contrast, if the ride has a bad day and doesn’t get to later boarding groups, the virtual queue guests are just out of luck.
How high of priority is Tiana’s Bayou Adventure when it comes to Lightning Lane rankings?
For the remainder of 2024, it’s an easy #1 pick–ahead of Indiana Jones Adventure and Space Mountain–in Disneyland. You will want to book ASAP once you enter the park, or get lucky with a ride reservation refill later in the day.
With that said, Splash Mountain ranked in the top 3 during the summer months, but fell from the top 5 during the winter months. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure being brand new and having daily downtime will keep it in the top slot even once the temperature turns cold, at least for the first couple of months. Once January and February 2025 roll around, it could be a different story.
Is it possible to score a spot in the virtual queue and purchase a Lightning Lane for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure?
Yes. There’s nothing that prevents it aside from how quickly both book up–meaning that there’s no policy preventing you from double-dipping that way.
Is Tiana’s Bayou Adventure open for Early Entry at Disneyland?
No. We don’t expect that to change, either. Only Tomorrowland and Fantasyland are available during Early Entry, which is not a new development. Bayou Country opens at regular rope drop.
Can we join the virtual queues for both Tiana’s Bayou Adventure and Haunted Mansion?
Yes, but you cannot hold spots in both virtual queues at the same time.
As a practical matter, this means that not only do you need to be successful with one ride at 7 am, but also that you need to be so successful that you get a reasonably low boarding group number and have an earlier return time–so you’re called back and tap into the first virtual queue before 12 pm.
Alternatively, you can join the virtual queue for one and buy Lightning Lane access to the other. You could also potentially gain free virtual queue access to both and purchase Lightning Lane access to both if you’re really efficient…and want to experience both twice, for whatever reason.
With that said, we’re expecting Haunted Mansion Holiday to drop its virtual queue within the coming weeks. Up until then, we’d highly recommend prioritizing Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
What time does Tiana’s Bayou Adventure run out of boarding passes?
There is no set time, but expect the first virtual queue to fill up before 7:01 am each day for the rest of 2024. That’s what has happened with all attractions that have come before and used virtual queues.
As for the 12 pm virtual queue, that really depends upon demand and downtime. In the near term, we’re expecting both Tiana’s Bayou Adventure virtual queues to fill up fast–within seconds or minutes, not hours.
Can we leave the park once joining the queue?
Yes. You could go back to your resort and take a nap, eat lunch at Disney California Adventure, etc.
How do we know when we can return?
If your phone has push notifications for the Disneyland app enabled, you’ll receive an alert that your boarding group has been called.
Failing that, the “My Status” screen on the Tiana’s Bayou Adventure virtual queue screen displays the same information. That should also give you an idea of how soon you’ll be called.
Does Tiana’s Bayou Adventure accommodate Disability Access Service (DAS) card?
Yes, but this is still truly first come, first served.
That means everyone must join the virtual queue first, which means arriving and going through that just like everyone else. To take advantage of DAS, go to the Lightning Lane return line once your boarding group is called.
What about Rider Switch?
Yep, same process as above.
When will the Tiana’s Bayou Adventure virtual queue get easier?
The good news is that Tiana’s Bayou Adventure isn’t a brand new attraction and it shouldn’t have the same fanfare as other recent rides like Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway and WEB Slingers, both of which dropped their VQs fairly promptly.
Our expectation is that the ‘reimagined ride’ smell will wear off pretty quickly. By early 2025, it’s likely that demand cools down or Tiana’s Bayou Adventure has gotten more reliable. Ideally, both. In which case, the virtual queue will stay open for hours instead of seconds/minutes. Or better yet, it won’t be necessary at all and the standby line will open.
Although the virtual queue creates winners and losers, if you’ve already read the ~3,000 words above, you’re much more likely to be one of the winners. You are far better positioned than 95% of other guests–many of whom arrive without knowing what a virtual queue even is or when it’s offered–and are more likely to succeed in scoring a boarding group. With a virtual queue, your wait time will be significantly shorter than if you just wait until next year or whenever the virtual queue is replaced with a standby line.
Our official position on virtual queues is that they’re bad and should be eliminated. The whole process is confusing (hence this post) and incredibly guest unfriendly as a result. Visiting Disneyland is already too complicated, and this just adds another layer of stress and unpredictability, with more you need to know. With that said, we selfishly kind of like virtual queues because we’re good at them and they give us an advantage–and shorter wait times than standby lines. It’s a similar story for you now that you’ve read all of this. You’ve already learned what to do and how to do it–now put that knowledge to use in experiencing Tiana’s Bayou Adventure!
Planning a Southern California vacation? For park admission deals, read Tips for Saving Money on Disneyland Tickets. Learn about on-site and off-site hotels in our Anaheim Hotel Reviews & Rankings. For where to eat, check out our Disneyland Restaurant Reviews. For unique ideas of things that’ll improve your trip, check out What to Pack for Disney. For comprehensive advice, consult our Disneyland Vacation Planning Guide. Finally, for guides beyond Disney, check out our Southern California Itineraries for day trips to Los Angeles, Laguna Beach, and many other SoCal cities!
Your Thoughts
Do you have any questions this FAQ failed to answer? If you’ve done Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, do you think there’s anything else first-timers should know? Is Tiana’s Bayou Adventure worth jumping through all these hoops or enduring daily downtime? Do you agree or disagree with any of our advice or answers? Any questions? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
