How to Get a Boarding Group for TRON and Cosmic Rewind in the Same Day

Do you want to ride both TRON Lightcycle/Run and Cosmic Rewind in the same day without buying an Individual Lightning Lane? Then you’re in the right place! Last updated October 11, 2023.

There are a few things you need to know if you want to score Boarding Groups for two different rides in one day. We’ll talk about the general situation here; things you need to know no matter which rides you’re looking at. But we’ll use TRON and Cosmic Rewind as our walkthrough example because let’s face it – that’s what everyone wants to try right now!

First we’re going to take a super-fast spin through the workflow to join a Virtual Queue. We have more detailed walkthroughs elsewhere; this one is just a step-by-step of the joining process in case it’s been a while. If you’re good to go, click here to skip ahead. Tap into any gallery or image in this article to see it at a larger size.

How to Join a Disney World Virtual Queue

Remember, this is the super-skimpy overview. Start in the My Disney Experience app, and click the hamburger button on the bottom right. Select the Virtual Queues tile. On the next screen, select “Join Virtual Queue” – you may need to select the queue you want first.

Tap confirm your party, and make any needed changes. The button at the bottom of the screen should say Refresh if the Virtual Queue is not open yet. It will not activate to join the queue on its own; a few seconds prior to the opening time begin repeatedly clicking to refresh. As soon as the button says “Join Virtual Queue”, tap it.

If you’re successful, you’ll be rewarded with a screen like the one below that shows your boarding group number and estimated wait.

What’s On the Playing Field?

The rest of this article assumes that you’re already familiar with the basics of Virtual Queues and the lingo (Boarding Groups, drops) used to describe them. If not, see Answering All Your Questions About Virtual Queues before continuing.

At one point, you couldn’t be in more than one attraction boarding group at a time. That restriction has been lifted, but park pass reservations (needed until January 9, 2024 on regular tickets) and park hopping restrictions (still in place until January 9, 2024) are still adding some complexity. After January 9 the game is going to change, but until then, the below strategy is still the most likely to be successful.

To do Boarding Groups for TRON and Cosmic Rewind on the same day you’ll probably need low to medium crowd levels. You’ll definitely need fast fingers and a bit of luck.

1. You need to be successful getting a Boarding Group for the first attraction
2. You need to be finished riding the first attraction before you try to get a Boarding Group for the second attraction This is no longer true as of October, 2023.
3. You need to be successful getting a Boarding Group for the second attraction

That might sound like the “no duh!” list, but here’s what’s going to get in your way. You need to be able to hop to the park with the second attraction in time to get there while the queue is still open. To get a Boarding Group in the 1 p.m. drop, you need to enter the park where the ride is located. But park hopping at Disney World doesn’t start until 2 p.m., so if the 1 o’clock drop doesn’t stay open long enough you’ll be done before you even get started.

That last bit tells you which attraction to try at 7 a.m. — it’s TRON. Although the 1 p.m. drop for TRON does sometimes remain open long enough for park hopping when crowds are very low, your odds are much better to get a Boarding Group for Cosmic Rewind as a park hopper.

If you’re eligible for Extended Evening Theme Park Hours (EETPH), this gets a lot easier. You can try to get the 2nd attraction in the 6 p.m. drop.

Getting a Boarding Group for Tron and Cosmic Rewind on the Same Day

To keep things simple-ish, the steps below assume you’re not eligible for Extended Evening Hours, or that it isn’t offered on the day of your visit.

1. Start by making a Park Reservation for Magic Kingdom. You’ll also need a Park Hopper ticket or an Annual Pass.

2. At 7 a.m. on the appointed day, try to enter the Virtual Queue for TRON.

3. Ride TRON when your Boarding Group is called.

4. As quickly as you can after 2 p.m., enter EPCOT and check to see if the Virtual Queue for Cosmic Rewind is still open. Join it if possible.

If you don’t get a Boarding Group for TRON at Step 2, all is not lost yet. You can try again at 1 p.m. – remember that you need to have entered Magic Kingdom to join here, but you don’t still need to be there. But if you truly want to ride both and you don’t get a spot at 7 a.m., you might want to consider an ILL for TRON. If you wait until 1 p.m. and then don’t get a spot, they could be gone at that point.

Wrapping Up

You’ll need some luck, but it can be possible to get Boarding Groups for both TRON and Cosmic Rewind in the same day. You’re most likely to be successful on days with low and medium crowds. This is because you’ll need the 1 p.m. queue for Cosmic Rewind to stay open long enough for you to enter EPCOT at 2 p.m. and get a Boarding Group.

If you’re eligible for Extended Theme Park Evening Hours, you’ll have more flexibility and options in trying to get both Boarding Groups. If not, and things don’t go as planned, you can still try to ride both coasters by using Individual Lightning Lane.

Will you try to get Boarding Groups for both attractions in one day? Does it seem like it’s too chancy? If you tried it, how did it go? Let us know in the comments!

Originally published March 18, 2023