Today is opening day for Bluey’s Wild World at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and we were there to experience the new Virtual Queue system firsthand. Both the 7:00am and 10:00am drops were gone in seconds, but we got lucky on the second drop, and we wanted to share our firsthand experience. Here’s exactly what the experience looks like from start to finish, along with what to expect when you make it out to Conservation Station and queue up for Bluey’s Wild World.
Bluey’s Wild World: Opening Day Virtual Queue Experience
In This Article
- How the 7:00am and 10:00am VQ drops work
- Step-by-step guide to securing a Virtual Queue
- What happens when your boarding group is called
- Getting to Conservation Station via the Wildlife Express Train
- Bluey’s Wild World queue and experience
The 7:00am Drop
Like many guests this morning, we were in position well before 7:00am with the My Disney Experience app open and ready, but we missed out. As we reported earlier today, the Virtual Queue filled in a matter of seconds.
That left the 10:00am window as the only remaining option for the day, with one key difference: at 10:00am, you must already be inside Disney’s Animal Kingdom with valid park admission to join. We were, and it worked well for us.
Securing the 10:00am Virtual Queue
I thought that the 10:00am drop would be marginally easier than the 7:00am one. I guess it was, because I was able to get a Virtual Queue spot, but it was gone in seconds as well. We got lucky. If you’re planning a visit in the coming days, treat both windows with equal urgency and have the My Disney Experience app loaded and ready to go before the clock hits.
With a boarding group in hand, we started to head toward Harambe in the Africa section of the park. Cast Members were at the entrance to the Harambe Station to ensure that guests had a valid Virtual Queue and that their Boarding Group had been called (or close to it). The Wildlife Express Train departs from Harambe Station, and as we’ve noted previously, the Virtual Queue covers the entire Conservation Station experience, including the train itself. You cannot board without a return time when the VQ is active. There is no standby option right now, though Disney has said one will be added at a later date.
Step-by-Step Guide to Bluey’s Wild World Virtual Queue
Here’s a step-by-step guide to using the My Disney Experience app to secure a Virtual Queue. Back when the Virtual Queue debuted years ago, there were ways that pros could give themselves a leg up on the average guest. To Disney’s credit, they have made it so the average guest has a fighting chance. To that end, there really isn’t much in the way of tips to give beyond ensuring that you know the basics. That said, if this is your first time experiencing the My Disney Experience app Virtual Queue process, it can be a bit daunting, so here’s a step-by-step guide, with screenshots.
Ok, the series of screenshots below shows multiple ways to end up at the same Virtual Queue destination:
- The screenshot to the far left shows that you can either scroll down on the My Disney Experience app homepage to the “Request Access with Virtual Queue” section and click “Join Virtual Queue,” or you can click on the ‘+’ button along the bottom toolbar
- If you click on the ‘+’ button on the bottom toolbar, you’ll be brought to a page that looks like the screenshot in the middle. Scroll down until you see “Virtual Queue” and click on it.
- Either way, you’ll be brought to a page that looks like the screenshot on the far right below. This is where the fun begins. When the Virtual Queue window is near enough, you’ll see a button that says “Confirm Your Party”. Click on that to continue our step-by-step guide.
- After clicking “Confirm Your Party” above, you’ll be taken to a page that looks like the screenshot on the left below. Here, you can add or remove your friends and family from the party that you’ll group together to try for the Bluey’s Wild World Virtual Queue. In our case, both Sorcerer Mickey and Donald Duck had valid park admission and were eligible for the 7am drop. That said, Donald didn’t want to join, so we deselected him and created a party of one. Captain Hook and Darth Vader didn’t have valid admission, so they were left off the list.
- While we missed the 7am drop, we tried again for the 10am drop. From the “Confirm Your Party” screen (bottom, left), you’ll be taken to the “Review Details” page. This is where you’ll actually attempt to secure a Virtual Queue. As you can see, we have already created our party, or group of guests that will try for the Virtual Queue. Thankfully, if you have your friends and family properly linked, only one person needs to try for the Virtual Queue. Disney will say that only one person should try, but I’ve seen others suggest that everyone in your group attempt. Just know that multiple people from the same group attempting to get a VQ could cause an issue.
Either way, from the “Review Details” screen (below, right), we’re going to smash the heck out of the “Refresh” button the second that the clock hits 10am (or, perhaps the millisecond before it hits 10am). Keep smashing the button as quickly as you can, because when the Virtual Queue opens, the “Refresh” button turns into a “Join Virtual Queue” button, which will take us to our next set of screenshots.
- Right at 10am, the “Refresh” button turned into a “Join Virtual Queue” button. Because we’re still smashing the button, our brains are turned off, and it’s up to Walt at this point. We got lucky and were able to secure a Boarding Group during the 10am drop.
- When you have successfully secured a Boarding Group, the page will turn into your Boarding Group page, showing your group number (below, right)
Ok, with our Boarding Group secured, all we had to do was wait until we were called.
The Train Ride to Conservation Station
The journey to Conservation Station hasn’t changed much in terms of visual theming or route, but there’s a new layer of fun for Bluey fans. The Wildlife Express Train audio has been updated with Bluey characters, setting the tone before you even arrive. It’s a small touch, but a welcome one for families with little ones who are already locked in to the Bluey experience before even spotting the blue heeler.
Bluey’s Wild World Queue & Show
Your Virtual Queue boarding pass is redeemed at the entrance to Conservation Station, which is the important detail to keep in mind: each VQ covers one showing per day. Once you scan in, that’s your one experience in the show itself.
Once we made it to Conservation Station proper, we saw that there was an outdoor queue set up. If you have made it this far, that means that you have a valid Virtual Queue, and this is the queue that you’ll want to enter to experience the Bluey’s Wild World show. From here, it took us about 50 minutes until our show started. Thankfully, most of the queue is indoors, but we did spend about 10 minutes out in the sun.
Once you reach the interior of the building, you will tap your park media (ticket, MagicMobile, MagicBand, etc) to the tappoint. This informs Cast Members that you have a valid Virtual Queue, and this tap is what redeems your Virtual Queue to ensure that it is marked as used and can’t be used a second time, just like how it would work for a standard attraction.
I’ve seen some viral videos showing the Bluey’s Wild World space that appear to present very poor views of the show, and a poor experience. These videos have been filmed from the queue or the on-deck queue and are NOT representative of the actual show experience. Unfortunately, the show is not hidden away from either the queue or the on-deck queue, which means that you can see the show happen once or twice before it’s your turn. My understanding is that this issue will be addressed at some point. Either way, I’m going to include some annotated photos below to try and give you a better idea of what the sea of people actually represents.
Within the Bluey’s Wild World at Conservation Station building, there is a snaking queue that includes both the queue itself and a staging, or on-deck, area. Basically, you go from the queue outside, to the queue inside, and then Cast Members create a holding area, or on-deck queue, to approximate how many guests can get into the next show. This is an operationally great move, but it creates some confusion when you’re in the queue, and certainly a lot of confusion in online videos.
Here’s a look at the empty on-deck queue after Cast Members filled in the show area, but right before they started pulling from our queue.
The photo below shows our position at the front of the on-deck queue as we held for a Bluey & Bingo crossing as they made their way to the show area for the showtime before ours.
We’ve finally made it to the front of the on-deck queue, with the showtime in front of us kicking off.
Finally, here’s a look at the Bluey’s Wild World show from the very back of the show area. Kids are up front, with parents behind them. Annoyingly tall bloggers at the back. It’s chaos, but it’s surprisingly well-controlled chaos.
For a more detailed look at the Bluey’s Wild World show, check out our article from the soft opening below!
Jumping Junction and Animal Care
Once you’ve experienced the show, the rest of the area is yours to enjoy at your own pace. Jumping Junction occupies the former Affection Section space, now home to kangaroos and wallabies, a nod to Bluey’s Australian roots. The Animal Care areas and other Conservation Station staples remain available as well. There’s no rush, and no additional scan required for these areas.
We’d highly recommend building in an extra 15-30 minutes or so to experience the animal care areas and Jumping Junction. As we previously reported, Jumping Junction isn’t fully open to guests yet as the animals acclimate to their new environment. Cast Members say that there is no way to know yet when the experience will open to all guests. Right now, we’re moving at the pace of the animals themselves as they pass milestones that show their comfort levels with people in their proximity.
What to Know Before You Go
The Virtual Queue is the only way in right now. Join at 7:00am from anywhere with valid park admission, or at 10:00am from inside the park. Both windows move fast, and today proved neither is a sure thing. Plan to be ready before the clock hits. Once your boarding group is called, make your way to Harambe Station and give yourself enough time to get there comfortably.
Opening Day Madness vs. A Few Weeks From Now
It’s worth putting today in context. Opening day demand is a different animal from what a typical visit will look like in two or three weeks. The combination of Cool Kids’ Summer buzz, strong Bluey fan turnout, and the novelty of a brand-new experience drove intense interest this morning. Both VQ windows were gone almost simultaneously. That’s not necessarily the baseline, but it is the reality right now.
As the opening day excitement settles and the initial wave of guests who’ve had the experience passes through, there’s reason to think the Virtual Queue will become more manageable. In fact, Disney has also indicated a standby queue will be added at some point, which indicates that Disney expects demand to normalize enough to allow for a comfortable standby experience.
Time will tell how quickly demand normalizes. We’d expect the first few weeks to remain competitive, particularly on weekends. Families planning a trip specifically around Bluey’s Wild World should build their strategy around the VQ drops rather than assuming walk-up access will be available anytime soon.
We’ll be watching closely and will report back as the situation develops.
OUR TAKE: As I’ve said before in some of our previous coverage, the Virtual Queue remains a necessary step for Disney to take to ensure that guests don’t spend their entire day queuing for Bluey and Bingo.
Unfortunately, that will lead to winners and losers while demand remains high. If you’re visiting Walt Disney World right now, know that there is a possibility that securing a Virtual Queue spot will be very difficult. We’re hopeful that day two looks different than opening day, and that week two looks different than week one.
Beyond the opening day Virtual Queue struggles, the Bluey’s Wild World show is a home run with the age group that it’s targeting: young kids. It’s amazing how locked in these kids are when the Bluey jingle drops and the Heeler sisters make their arrival. The games are super engaging, and Bluey and Bingo do a wonderful job of working through the crowd to give everyone a chance to snap a selfie or say hi.
Once the demand stabilizes and you can join a 20-minute standby queue, Bluey’s Wild World will be a must-do for young families visiting Disney’s Animal Kingdom. In the meantime, pack some patience!
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!