World of Color to Use Virtual Queue

World of Color returns to Disney California Adventure on April 22, 2022! The nighttime spectacular has enchanted millions of guests at Disneyland Resort with its dazzling display of water, fire, fog, lights, music and the magic of Disney storytelling.

World of Color is a breathtaking extravaganza that brings animation to life, with memorable scenes from beloved films. Powerful dancing fountains shoot high to the sky on Paradise Bay, creating a fantastic movie screen of water and a veil of mist, while lasers electrify the night, capped with a soaring soundtrack. You may see scenes such as WALL-E and Eve zipping through the cosmos, Pocahontas exploring just around the river bend, and Jack Sparrow battling on the sea.

When World of Color returns, it will be the first nighttime spectacular at Disneyland Resort to use a virtual queue system. This virtual queue is only accessible via the Disneyland mobile app. Beginning April 22, distribution times for the virtual queue enrollment will begin at noon, daily. This post covers details about how the World of Color virtual queue will work…

Follow these important guidelines to join the virtual queue and experience this thrilling nighttime spectacular from the preferred viewing area in Paradise Gardens Park:

• Guests with a valid ticket and theme park reservation for the same day may be able to join the virtual queue in the Disneyland app beginning at 12:00 PM (noon), subject to availability.
• To access the virtual queue, Guests must have entered Disney California Adventure Park with a one-park ticket/Park Hopper ticket, or Disneyland Park with a Park Hopper ticket, prior to 12:00 PM (noon).
• If the virtual queue reaches capacity, please visit the Paradise Bay viewing area 30 to 45 minutes before showtime to check in with a Cast Member for walk-up viewing options.
• Guests with a virtual queue selection will receive a notification through the Disneyland app to enter the viewing area via one of the 2 marked entrance points (Blue or Yellow) assigned to them, approximately 45 minutes before the show begins.

Guests who begin their day at Disneyland may then enter Disney California Adventure Park with their Park Hopper ticket after 1:00 PM for their designated entrance and showtime. Joining the virtual queue does not guarantee the ability to view World of Color.

Joining the virtual queue for World of Color is not required to view the spectacular, but it is highly recommended. Additional viewing for each performance is located around Paradise Bay on a first-come, first-served basis.

I believe what follows is all boilerplate language from Disneyland.com and not relevant to World of Color. Skip ahead to our commentary.

Get Ready to Join the Virtual Queue!
On the day of your visit, you may have the opportunity to join the virtual queue at daily distribution times, which are subject to change or cancellation as availability allows. Distribution schedules will be available in the Disneyland app.

Follow these steps to join the virtual queue:

• Step 1 – Check Availability: Log in to the Disneyland app at one of the distribution times. Select “Virtual Queues” on the home screen to view the current status and next steps for joining a virtual queue. The app will indicate when there is no availability for a specific distribution time, or if a backup group is available.
• Step 2 – Enroll Your Group: As long as your Disney account is linked to your group’s park tickets, and everyone has valid admission and park reservations for the park you will visit, you can enroll everyone in the virtual queue at the same time (subject to availability).
• Step 3 – Enjoy the Experience: If your boarding group is called to return, you’ll receive a notification via the Disneyland app. Then, head over to the entrance of the experience within your designated return window.

Please be aware that:

• Joining the virtual queue does not guarantee the ability to participate in the experience.
• In order to give as many Guests as possible the opportunity to join the queue, each Guest can enter the virtual queue for a given experience no more than once per day, subject to availability.
• Boarding groups for a virtual queue are limited, subject to availability, and are not guaranteed. Not all boarding groups may be called to return, based on availability of the experience.
• Guests may not hold a boarding group for more than one experience at the same time. If more than one experience is using a virtual queue, guests will need to enter those virtual queues one at a time.
• Guests with a Magic Key pass or Park Hopper ticket who will start their day at the other park, may begin crossing over between the parks at 1:00 PM to redeem their boarding group. The ability to visit a park is subject to the park’s capacity limitations, and a boarding group does not guarantee park admission.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please find a Cast Member at City Hall or a Guest Relations location. You may also select the “Chat with Us” function in the Disneyland app for assistance.

Our Commentary

This is really unsurprising, as World of Color previously offered paper FastPass or the ability to book a “free” MaxPass (meaning that it didn’t count against your other ride reservations) and Disneyland has since retired paper FastPass. Pretty much the only options were making it bookable via virtual queue, or only using Genie+ Lightning Lanes and dessert & dining packages.

There probably isn’t enough demand between Genie+ and dining packages (thankfully), which would’ve meant leftover capacity for standby. Locals may not like hearing this, but Disneyland doesn’t want standby viewing areas for nighttime spectaculars–they’re going to avoid it whenever possible. (If you like camping out, stick with Main Street Electrical Parade and Disneyland Forever, as it’s not possible to make Main Street all reserved in the same way as Rivers of America or Paradise Gardens Park.)

The whole reason Disneyland introduced FastPass for World of Color (and Fantasmic) several years ago was to eliminate standby. Locals would camp out for hours on end waiting for the show, and would essentially crowd-out tourists whose vacation time was more valuable and didn’t have the luxury of staking out a spot for hours on end. Adding FastPass (or now, the virtual queue) puts tourists who are more likely to be in the park (spending money) the whole day, and disadvantages locals who might show up after work, camp out for hours, and do nothing else. It’s a superior system, even if locals may grumble about it.

What follows is pulled from our World of Color Viewing Tips article. We’ll update this once we experience the virtual queue, but expect this to be ~75% accurate. Basically, swap out “FastPass” with “virtual queue.” The idea should be pretty much the same…

The front row is my go-to spot for World of Color, and I usually opt for the later showing of World of Color. The last show is significantly less crowded than the first one, so it will be easier to get a spot here.

FastPass order is blue, then yellow. This is because conventional wisdom says blue is the “best” view, and while that can be true, I disagree. I think the yellow zones average out to the best view. With that said, the easiest way to get to my preferred viewing spot where red meets yellow (on the map above) in the front row is by scoring a yellow FastPass (the easier FastPass to get!), arriving early to the yellow zone entry area by Golden Zephyr, and entering as close to the water side of the boardwalk as you can. Keep walking until you can’t walk any farther. Bingo, you should have a front row spot at the edge of red and yellow.

We usually return to view the show about 20 minutes before it starts, walking right up to the FastPass return. If you don’t get a yellow FastPass, you might have a more difficult time navigating the sea of ropes that potentially block your path to this area. If this happens, just wander until you get to the front boardwalk. There are ropes up all over the place, making this a veritable maze, so if you encounter these ropes or a Cast Member who won’t let you proceed, turn around and try going the other direction.

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 tons of other places!

Your Thoughts

What do you think about World of Color adding a virtual queue? Pleased about this, or are you “anti-virtual queue” across the board? Would you prefer a standby system that allows–and pretty much requires–guests to stake out spots for hours? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? 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!