When Will My Boarding Group Be Called?

It's 7 AM. You have been refreshing the My Disney Experience app now for 2 minutes straight. At 7:00 AM on the dot, you snag a boarding group for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind or Tiana's Bayou Adventure. You get your boarding group assignment. When can you expect to ride?

If you received a boarding group for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind  at EPCOT, and the group was 18 or below, you can expect to be called at or before rope drop. Over the past month, the first 18 (sometimes 20) boarding groups are called beginning at 8:45 AM. This gives you a window to board by 9:45 AM. Most days, EPCOT opens at 9:00 AM to everyone. In general, if you miss your boarding group window for Cosmic Rewind, Cast Members will still let you ride. Though it is best to get in line as early as you can to avoid a longer wait time.

If you received a boarding group for Tiana's Bayou Adventure at the Magic Kingdom, and the group was 15 or below, you can expect to be called at or before rope drop. This first set of groups is typically called before the general park opening at 9:00 AM, in the 8:45 AM to 8:50 AM range. Unlike Cosmic Rewind, Tiana's boarding group return time windows are very strict. Be sure to tap into the queue before 9:45 AM to ensure you do not miss your window, if you have a group within the first batch. Remember, too, that it can take considerable time to get into the Magic Kingdom from the Ticket and Transportation Center (TTC).

What if you got a number outside of the first set of boarding groups for either attraction? This can be a bit trickier. The My Disney Experience app will give you an estimate; however, it is typically not very accurate. What is a better estimate?

We've been tracking for boarding group progression for both Cosmic Rewind and Tiana since they opened. From this data, we've been able to generate some pretty reliable averages for better estimates on when a particular group will be called. Note that the rides do sometimes breakdown, causing delays that cannot be predicted ahead of time. But the averages described below should give you a more realistic time that you might board, assuming the attraction is operating properly, than the Disney app does. This can help you plan your meals and other attractions around your boarding group.

To get started, visit either of the TRON or Cosmic Rewind pages below.

Tiana's Bayou Adventure Boarding Group Data

https://www.thrill-data.com/waits/attraction/magic-kingdom/tianasbayouadventure/

Cosmic Rewind Boarding Group Data

https://www.thrill-data.com/waits/attraction/epcot/guardiansofthegalaxycosmicrewind/

Next, look for the group of menu buttons. Within it, click the button that says Typical Groups.

This will expand to a list of 5 minute intervals and what the highest group typically called at each time is, on average. Locate your boarding group number and take note of the estimated time. Simple as that!

On that same page, you can also get an idea if the attraction is progressing groups above or below average, to get an idea if your group might be a bit earlier or later. The blue dots are the highest group called at that time of day and the gray line is the average line. Typically, the line should increase over time gradually over time. Flat spots indicate that the attraction broke down or was delayed.

How long will you wait once you are in the queue? Budget for at least an hour, especially if your group is in the middle of the day, and you are making dining and/or Lightning Lane reservations.

How Long Does Boarding Group Distribution Last?

On any average to above average day at the parks, boarding groups for any of the virtual queue attractions are typically filled within seconds at 7 AM. The 1 PM drop typically lasts a bit longer, but can also go very quickly. On the attractions page for an attraction featuring boarding groups, the availability is track and graphed underneath the heading Boarding Group Availability. Hover over any of the blue dots to see the last time we captured availability on a given day. If no dots are present, availability was gone within a couple of seconds. Below is an example from Cosmic Rewind.

Have any questions? Ask in the comments.