How Disney World’s New “Return to Queue” Feature Works
Recently, Disney World changed its Disability Access Service policy.
Magic Kingdom
As a result of DAS criteria changing, some guests who previously used the service no longer qualify, and Disney has rolled out a new option for guests who may need to leave a standby line for a variety of reasons. We’re breaking down this new option for you now so that you know what to expect during your next visit!
Disability Access Service Criteria
Disability Access Service is a service that allows guests with qualifying disabilities the option to book Lightning Lanes as opposed to waiting in standby lines. Disney has written that qualifying guests must have “a developmental disability like autism or similar, or are unable to wait in a conventional queue for an extended period of time.”
Photo: Disney
To find out if you qualify or to apply to the program, you must register via live video with Cast Member prior to your visit. You can no longer apply for DAS in person, so make sure you plan ahead!
Photo: Disney
If you do not qualify for DAS, Disney has introduced a new “leave the line/return to queue” system to aid guests who need to exit a standby line for certain reasons. We’re breaking down what we know below.
Attraction Queue Re-Entry
Recently, a Cast Member we spoke to informed us that the new Attraction Queue Re-Entry system is intended to help guests who may need to leave a standby line.
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure standby line
According to Disney World’s website, it works by allowing a guest to exit the standby line while the remainder of their party remains in line. Cast Members will assist the guest(s) in rejoining their party in line once they return.
Note that Disney states, “Every location has a defined process to support this option based on a person’s disability while the rest of the party remains in line.”
Photo: Disney
During a recent Disney World visit, we asked several Cast Members how this process works, and as Disney noted, we received a different answer at every attraction location.
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
At one attraction, the Cast Member told us that if you do not have DAS and you are with a guest unable to wait in line, the CM would instruct the majority of the guest’s party to enter the standby line, while the other guest(s) would stay behind near the front entrance.
Once their party reached the point in line where the standby line merges with the Lightning Lane, the party would need to contact a Cast Member in line who would then contact the Cast Member at the front of the attraction and escort the waiting guest(s) to the rest of their party.
Rise of the Resistance
At another attraction, the Cast Member reiterated that as long as the majority of your party remains in the line, they will do their best to escort the guest(s) who had to leave the queue back to their party in line.
Haunted Mansion
At a different attraction, a Cast Member told us that guests who needed to leave the line were generally being issued Lightning Lane return times based on how long they were waiting and how far they made it in line.
Lightning Lane
Another attraction Cast Member emphasized that only a minority of your group will be allowed to leave the line to use this new policy.
For example, if you are in a group of six, four group members would not be allowed to leave. The majority of your party must remain in line.
Holiday Crowds at Hollywood Studios
If you’re a solo traveler, you may be wondering how this works without a party involved.
A Cast Member at one attraction said that if you are alone and do not have DAS and need to leave the line for a bathroom issue or a disability-related reason, they will do their best to accommodate you by holding your place in line.
Frozen Ever After
At another attraction that offered a Single Rider line option, the Cast Member encouraged solo travelers to use that line and also informed us that if we had to leave the Single Rider line for whatever reason, we would need to return to the back of the line.
Single Rider
If none of these scenarios work for you, you have several other options too!
Other Options
Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lanes
While DAS is a complimentary service offered to qualifying guests, Genie+ also allows guests to book Lightning Lanes — at an additional cost.
Disney Genie+
You can opt to purchase Genie+ daily for all four parks or for an individual park, and note that the cost does vary depending on the date.
You will likely spend between $15 to $39 per person, per day, depending on when you visit and where you’re going.
Photo: Disney
Most Disney World rides fall under the umbrella of Genie+, but a few rides must be purchased at an additional cost a la carte as Individual Lightning Lanes. These rides currently include:
- Rise of the Resistance in Disney’s Hollywood Studios
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind in EPCOT
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and TRON Lightcycle/Run in Magic Kingdom
- Avatar Flight of Passage in Disney’s Animal Kingdom
TRON Lightcycle/Run
You can buy Genie+ each day of your visit beginning at midnight the night before, and you can begin booking Lightning Lanes at 7AM on the date of your visit.
Single Rider
We’ve already touched on Single Rider lines briefly, but they really are a great option for solo travelers! Single Rider lines are often significantly shorter than standby lines, and you CAN enter with your entire party — just understand that you will not be riding together.
Single Rider
See below for a list of Disney World rides that currently offer the Single Rider option:
- Test Track in EPCOT
- Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain in Disney’s Animal Kingdom
- Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run in Disney’s Hollywood Studios
- Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith in Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Rider Switch
Rider Switch (also known as Rider Swap) is another great option for groups of guests with diverse needs! For this scenario, you will speak to a Cast Member at the front of the attraction to let them know you plan on using Rider Switch.
Note that Rider Switch is generally an option at most Disney World attractions, but your mileage may vary.
Rider Switch
The attraction Cast Member will identify the majority portion of your party that will wait in the standby line, while the remaining party members will stay behind and receive a Lightning Lane return time equal to the current standby line wait time.
Once the first group has exited the ride, as long as the return time is eligible the second group can then enter the Lightning Lane.
Lightning Lane
You can read more about Disney’s Rider Switch policy below.
Note that the group that stays behind to wait can include a maximum of two party members, so this is NOT an option to simply split up everyone in your group so that half can wait in the Lightning Lane.
Photo: Disney
All in all, this is a great option for groups in which someone is not tall enough or interested in riding certain attractions, or for groups in which a party member has a difficult time waiting in long lines.
Ride height
Your Mileage May Vary
Essentially, your mileage may vary when using the “return to queue/leave the line” option. We recommend speaking to the Cast Members in front of each attraction BEFORE entering the standby line.
That way, if something happens when you’re in line and you or a member of your party needs to step out of line, you’re already aware of that attraction’s policy.
Space Mountain Line
It’s also a good idea to discuss all of these options with your party prior to your visit. It’s never a bad thing to have everyone on the same page with your plans!
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
Above all, we recommend practicing kindness with Cast Members. As this new policy rolls out, there are bound to be growing pains, so make sure you’re practicing patience and kindness.
Cast Members in front of Roundup Rodeo BBQ
If this seems like a lot of info we just threw at you, we get it! You can always contact MickeyTravels for a FREE quote — and let them do all the heavy lifting planning your Disney World trip! It’s a win-win.
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