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Are you ready to save the galaxy?! After so much anticipation, it’s time for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind to open at Epcot! To make sure you’re ready, here are a few ways you can ride this new, indoor roller coaster on your next Walt Disney World vacation. The ride is currently in previews and will be available for everyone to ride starting May 27th!
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind will open with a virtual queue, like so many other new rides have used. The option to purchase an individual Lightning Lane entry for an additional cost will also be available. This ride will not use a traditional standby line at this time. Here are some tips!
Virtual Queue
The first, and most important, thing you’ll need to have set up is having a valid park admission linked in the My Disney Experience app and a park reservation for Epcot on the day you want to visit. Be sure everyone in your travel party is linked and sharing plans through your Friends & Family list.
At 7:00 a.m. on the day of your park reservation, you will be able to check for an available boarding group inside the My Disney Experience app and request access to the virtual queue. This can be done from your hotel room or while you are traveling to the park.
You will have a second opportunity to join the virtual queue at 1:00 p.m. if you were not able to get a boarding group earlier. The difference with this time slot is that guests must be in Epcot to access this opportunity. Take note that this time is still before park hopping begins so you will have to start your day at Epcot for both of these virtual queue options.
You will only be able to enter the virtual queue once per day during regular park hours.
This option does not require an additional purchase.
Virtual Queue During Extended Evening Hours
You will not need to be in Epcot to request to join at that time, but will need valid park admission and either a theme park reservation for Epcot for that day OR have the option to visit more than one park per day (Park Hopper ticket or Annual Pass) and enter the first park where you made your park reservation.
Just as above, there is not an additional cost to enter the virtual queue.
You can see which boarding group is currently being called by either checking the app or finding one of the digital tip boards in the park.
Tips to Join the Virtual Queue
- Be Ready Ahead of Time: Make sure you know how to navigate the My Disney Experience account ahead of time. Everyone in your travel party should be linked along with your park admission and park reservations. Sign on to the app before the distribution time and then refresh exactly when it opens. Spots will go quickly, likely within a couple of minutes!
- Check Availability: Log in to the My Disney Experience app at one of the distribution times. Select “Virtual Queues” on the home screen to view the current status and next steps for joining a virtual queue. The app will indicate when there is no availability for a specific distribution time, or if a backup group is available.
- Enroll Your Group: As long as your Disney account is linked to your group’s park tickets, and everyone has valid admission and park reservations for the park you will visit, you can enroll everyone in the virtual queue at the same time, based on availability.
- Enjoy the Experience: If your boarding group is called to return, you’ll receive a notification via the My Disney Experience app. You can head over to the attraction and scan in.
Purchase Individual Lightning Lane Entry
You also have the option to purchase an individual Lightning Lane entry in the My Disney Experience app using Disney Genie. Just like the boarding groups, this option is limited and subject to availability. You will still have to have valid admission and a park reservation for Epcot, or the option to park hop for times that are after 2:00 p.m.
There is an additional cost for this one. The price varies based on date, so it will not be the same every day. You do not need to purchase Genie+ to be able to purchase an individual Lightning Lane.
Guests staying on Disney property will be able to purchase this option in the app at 7:00 a.m. If you are staying off property, you will not be able to purchase the Lightning Lane until the park opens (if there are any times still available). The times typically are gone within a couple of minutes, so have everything linked in your app and know how to navigate it ahead of time. I recommend being logged into the app before 7:00 a.m. and then immediately refreshing exactly at 7:00 a.m.
Things to Note
- Joining the virtual queue does not guarantee the ability to participate in the experience.
- In order to give as many guests as possible the opportunity to join the queue, each guest can enter the virtual queue for a given experience no more than once per day, subject to availability.
- Boarding groups for a virtual queue are limited, subject to availability, and are not guaranteed. Not all boarding groups may be called to return, based on availability of the experience.
- Guests may not hold a boarding group for more than one experience at the same time. If more than one experience is using a virtual queue, guests will need to enter those virtual queues one at a time.
FAQs
- Once my boarding group is called, how long do I have to ride Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind? You will have one hour from the time you receive the notification that your group has been called. Make sure you have your notifications turned on!
- What is the height requirement? Guests must be 42″ tall to ride.
- Is there a ride photo? Yes, you can have your attraction photo linked to your My Disney Experience account by using Bluetooth or your Magic Band.
- Can Rider Switch be used? Yes! You can find all of the details here.
- Can I use DAS for this ride? Right now, guests that qualify to use DAS will still need to join the virtual queue for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. A DAS return time will not be distributed like it as for rides that have a regular standyby line. You can find out more about DAS here.
- Will I get motion sickness? This is definitely a thrill ride! If you are prone to motion sickness, you might want to sit this one out.
- Does Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind go upside down? No, it does not go upside down.
- Can I ride more than once on the same day? If you are able to grab a boarding group and an individual Lightning Lane, then yes!
Do you feel like you’re ready for your adventure through the galaxy? If you have questions, leave them in the comments. I hope this was helpful!
Jess
I didn’t know that some resorts/hotels had access to rides in preview like that! This blog post is so detailed, thank you. Everything I needed to know is here. 👏