Five years of queue observing at the Gemini telescopes

We review the first five years of science operations at Gemini Observatory with particular emphasis on the evolution of the queue observing mode through its challenges, false assumptions and successes. The telescope operations are now acquiring high quality data very efficiently, completing the most meritorious programs and delivering data to the community in a timely manner. The telescopes routinely operate in a multi-instrument queue mode where several facility instruments are used each night.