The long-awaited Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind roller coaster opened May 27, at EPCOT’s World Discovery — and it is the new super-headliner attraction in the park.
ABOUT THE RIDE
Your adventure begins in the Galaxarium, also known as the queue to the ride vehicle. As the queue winds its way along, you pass the Xandar Gallery. The aim here is to introduce you to the people of Xandar, their planet, agricultural, technology, and culture, all while you wait in line. Make no mistake, the line is long—very long—but at least it’s entertaining! It even includes a replica of the Nova Corps Starblaster that is the main symbol outside the attraction.
At long last, you make it to the Phase Chamber, where the Commander of the Nova Corps greets you. Now you’re about to be teleported via Cosmic Generator to the Starcharter cruiser orbiting planet Earth.
From here onwards, everything goes wrong, and the heroes of Xandar, including Star-Lord (a.k.a. Peter Quill) and his friends Rocket, Groot, Drax, and Gamora, come to your rescue. This, of course, requires you to board the escape vehicle.
Off you go on a 5,577-foot-long track (climate-controlled, no worries here), but the drops, reverse launch, and rotating ride vehicle occur in a whirlwind of action-packed scenes. All this happens while you are listening to one of the accompanying 1980s songs (“September” by Earth, Wind & Fire; “Disco Inferno” by The Trammps; “Conga” by Gloria Estefan; “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears; “I Ran” by A Flock of Seagulls; and “One Way or Another” by Blondie. You won’t know which track you’ll hear each time you ride!
Personally, I would have liked to have seen Disney add a few Guardians of the Galaxy animatronics in the queue and along the ride. The Cosmic Generator could also have benefited from more movement in the Phase Chamber.
Guardians of the Galaxy-themed fashions, accessories, collectibles, home decor, and toys are available at the Treasures of Xandar shop. After all we all know that you do not want to go home with Groot.
DO YOU NEED TO KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY MOVIES?
I do not think it is necessary, but it is more fun if you do, as the attraction does a superb job of integrating the irreverent and funny elements of the movies into the ride.
HOW TO RIDE
For now, you must join a Virtual Queue via Disney’s app to experience this attraction. There is no standby line.
There will be two daily opportunities to request to join the virtual queue for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. The first one is at 7 a.m. (You do not need to be in the park to join, but you must have a theme park reservation for EPCOT). At 1 p.m., there is another chance to join the virtual queue. This time you must be in EPCOT to join. Guests cannot enter the virtual queue more than once per day.
An additional opportunity to request to join the virtual queue will be available at 6 p.m. on select dates during extended evening theme park hours. This is a benefit for registered guests staying at a Disney Deluxe Resort, Disney Deluxe Villa Resort, or other select hotels. If you fall in this category, you do not need to be in EPCOT to request to join at that time.
Last but not least, guests at eligible Disney resort hotels will be able to begin booking Individual Lightning Lane reservations at 7 a.m. All other guests will be able to make ILL reservations at the official park opening time.
For all there is to see and do at Walt Disney World, check out The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2022, or to plan your family’s trip to Orlando, pre-order The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World with Kids 2023 (Release date December 6, 2022).
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