Disney World has a new roller coaster in town, Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind at Epcot! This attraction is marked as the World's largest indoor roller coaster and Disney's first reverse launch coaster. There are a lot of firsts to celebrate with this attraction. The first coaster attraction at EPCOT. The first reverse launch for a Disney coaster. The first Disney Omnicoaster, where vehicles make controlled rotations to always keep guests focused on the action. The first Walt Disney World attraction to feature the Guardians of the Galaxy. Now let's dig into more on Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind.
Warning: ride spoilers are ahead!
Cosmic Rewind Backstory
Your adventure starts by touring the Galaxarium! This is a planetarium-like exhibition showcasing the similarities and differences between Xandar and Earth's galaxies. You'll even get to discover some of the incredible wonders of Xandar and learn about their technology.
Just as you are about to reach the culmination of the tour, everything goes sideways, and you are called into action to help the Guardians of the Galaxy. Join Rocket, Groot, Gamora, and Star-Lord on an urgent mission where you'll rewind, rotate, and head towards the action through an exciting space pursuit.
The Guardians are asking for our help to stop Eson, the Celestial seen in the image above, from completing what I’m going to assume is a nefarious plan. I mean … look at that guy! Eson is huge. And powerful. And ancient. And seems poised to grab our pretty blue planet in one hand and slam dunk us like a basketball!
How to Join the Virtual Queue for Cosmic Rewind
To start Disney is running a virtual queue system for Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind. This means that there is no standby line. You must get in the virtual line in order to ride. The tricky thing is the spots to get in line fill up in under a minute at best you will have a few minutes to secure your spot.
If you have previously used this system for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance or Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure you can skip over the next bit as the process is exactly the same.
In order to book your spot in the virtual queue for Cosmic Rewind, you have to first have a park reservation for Epcot. Then at 7 am on the morning of your visit you can use the My Disney Experience App to book. If you miss your opportunity at 7 am there is a second chance at 1 pm but you must be inside the park to book it or have at least entered Epcot prior to 1 pm that same day. While we tend to opt for fighting for a morning booking the afternoon ones do seem to be much easier to snag.
When to Get an Individual Lightning Lane for Cosmic Rewind
Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind offers a paid Individual Lightning Lane. This is available for purchase to anyone. These do sell out quickly just like the virtual queue above but there is a major difference. If you use the hack of constantly refreshing the tip board we find that Lighting Lanes for Guardians of the Galaxy do appear throughout the day.
The price for an Individual Lightning Lane for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is set at $14. Note that at any time Disney could change this.
So just who should think about splurging for the Lighting Lane? It's great for those who slept in and can snag one, do it. Also good for the big fans who have a limited trip and want to ride more than once. If you plan things well you should be able to get a virtual queue and in addition, you can also purchase a Lightning Lane and get to ride twice in one day. I would say Lighting Lane isn't a good option for Annual Passholders who have multiple chances of coming back and taking a chance on getting into the free virtual queue.
Extended Evening Hours at Epcot
If you are staying at a Disney Deluxe Resort, Disney Deluxe Villa Resort, and The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin, then take note of the days that have extended evening hours at Epcot.
On Extended Evening hours days, you can use the Virtual Queue twice, once during the 7 am or 1 pm distribution and again at the 6 pm distribution for evening hours. In addition, if you wanted to be really wild, buying a Lightning Lane would allow for a maximum of three rides on Cosmic Rewind in a day.
Cosmic Rewind Entrance
Before you enter Cosmic Rewind be sure to check out the full-sized 51-foot Nova Core ship. This is the ship from the end of the first movie where they were able to all unite and save the galaxy. Hmmm... this may be a bit of foreshadowing for what adventures lie ahead.
Queue for Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind
On our visit we first had to wait in the blazing outdoor sun, I would come prepared with a portable fan or umbrella if you are going to wait for this ride in standby. Disney did announce that Cosmic Rewind will open with no standby queue. To start there will only be a virtual queue (free) and the paid Lightning Lane option.
Galaxarium
Once you enter the indoor portion of the queue this is the first room you will be greeted with the Galaxarium. This first area is a sweeping planetarium-style space showcasing planets, stars, and other intergalactic wonders that connect Terra and Xandar. Just tying in the fact we are all born of the same space dust. The Xandarian supercomputer, Worldmind, provides narration in the Galaxarium and gives context to the stunning visuals.
Each time in the Galaxarium we got a different snippet as Worldmind shared different facts with us. It was especially funny to listen to what she learned from Peter Quill.
Xandar Gallery
Once you leave the Galaxarium it's on to the Xandar Gallery. This is the area where you can learn more about the Xandarian people, culture, and history, including the heroes of Xandar! Don't skip by these specially crafted displays including models of starships and a Xandarian city. There is a fun Easter egg in this area that shows Walt Disney himself presenting a plan for Epcot.
