Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is now officially open at EPCOT in Walt Disney World. The new roller coaster attraction combines rotating coaster cars, story elements, mixed media, and music to bring the Marvel characters to life.
The ride is only accessible by reserving a Virtual Queue or by purchasing an individual Lightning Lane at this time. It is not currently possible to simply wait in line for the new ride at this time, as standby is not available. See photos from opening day, as well as details on how to get your Boarding Group for this attraction below.
This new attraction is part of the massive overhaul of EPCOT, going on now, which also included the new Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and a redesigned central area with new shopping, gardens, dining, and more on the way.
Located in the park’s newly renamed World Discovery neighborhood, Disney says Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is the first “other-world” showcase pavilion at EPCOT.
Xandarians traveled from their homeworld in the Andromeda Galaxy to Earth – or Terra, as they call it – to create the Wonders of Xandar pavilion, inviting EPCOT guests to learn more about their people and their advanced technologies. That is until something goes wrong and the Xandarians call the Guardians of the Galaxy for help.
The ride is 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, and the first Walt Disney World attraction to feature the Guardians of the Galaxy.
Since music is an important element for the Guardians of the Galaxy films, Disney Imagineers tested more than 100 potential songs for the attraction. Imagineers used a combination of virtual and physical rides to assess which tracks best matched the spirit and movement of the coaster, finally choosing six songs in their original classic versions: “September,” “Disco Inferno,” “Conga,” “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” “I Ran,” and “One Way or Another.”
Currently, the only way to ride Cosmic Rewind is to either get a Boarding Group using the official My Disney Experience app, or by purchasing an Individual Lightning Lane pass using the app.
Both methods are only available while supplies last each day, and are first come first serve once they open. There is no standby line for this attraction, yet. One will be offered at a later time.
To get a Boarding Group, also known as a Virtual Queue reservation, you have two chances per day. You must have valid theme park admission tied to the app, and everyone in your party must have a park reservation for EPCOT.
The first time you can register for a Virtual Queue is at 7AM. You can do this from anywhere, so you do not need to be inside of the park. If you do not secure a Boarding Group at 7AM, you will have a second chance at 1PM, but you must have entered EPCOT first.
The other method of getting access to the ride, (during normal theme park hours,) is by purchasing a Lightning Lane entry. These become available at 7AM for on-site hotel guests only. Then, if any are remaining, can be purchased by regular guests beginning at park opening time. You do not need to be inside the park to purchase an individual Lightning Lane.
Note: It is possible to get both a Boarding Group AND an individual Lightning Lane.
During today’s grand opening, merchandise for the new attraction could only be purchased at Creations Shop, EPCOT’s main store. The new ride’s attached gift shop, named “Treasures of Xandar,” has not yet opened to guests.
Stay tuned for more theme park news and updates, as well as our podcast review for the new coaster attraction in the coming days!
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