I’ve seen a few people that seem to be down on virtual lines. Is there a reason why people are not excited about them? With a brand new park opening, I kind of hope that there’s virtual lines so that way I can be in line for a ride while I still get to explore some of the other areas, shops, and restaurants.
Having had to deal with virtual lines at Disney, I honestly never want to deal with virtual lines ever again, they have soured me on the concept that much. A quick little rundown on why...
1. Just to get a ticket/spot, it's always a stressful gamble. It's never a way you want to start any morning, and many a times you're out of luck if you don't get a spot. This is not a benefit; this is a hassle.
2. Let's say you do get a slot, you truly never know when you'll actually be able to get on. You have to keep monitoring the site to know when you can get in line. This feels incredibly counter-intuitive when Disney wants you to plan your entire day out in advance with dining reservations and lightning lanes.
3. And once you do get in line for the attraction, you don't know how long you'll be in line, and you can end up waiting in the entire line...and that for me destroys the entire concept of a virtual line.
If I'm jumping through all these hoops for a spot in a virtual line, but I still end up waiting in the whole line once I get there...this is NOT saving me any time. What would save me time, is just have the line open and I can take a look at the estimate wait and decide if I want to get in line, or do something else. It's truly that simple. Balking does a fantastic job of self-regulating lines, and I still have the ability to get in line for the attraction. Virtual lines don't give me that opportunity, and as a tourist that's garbage no matter how you look at it.
I've never felt like I've saved any time using a virtual line, it's always been a hassle for me, other guests and even CM's/TM's who have to constantly explain to guests why they can't just get in line like every other thing.