EPCOT's Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
The entrance to the ride; the Xandarian Starblaster stands tall out front.
The Premise
If you are familiar with how the rides at Disney Parks work, then you will not be surprised that the new Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, which opened in May 2022, follows closely in the same footsteps.
Upon entering the attraction, you'll find yourself looking over artifacts, diagrams, and presentations about Xandar. You are then invited to take a demonstration ride to test out Xandarian technology that allows you to jump through time and space.
Of course, something goes wrong, and then chaos ensues. A 'big man' has deemed that the Earth was a mistake after we have collectively "failed a test we didn't know about," and you are sent on a mission to help the Guardians of the Galaxy. Rocket comes up with a crazy plan with a minuscule success rate, and it's at that point that the ride begins.
It is incredibly hard to get good pictures of anything inside the attraction. Everything is behind glass to create the museum aesthetic. The map of the capital city is really cool, but I know I did not do it justice.
The Ride
I am not a huge fan of spoilers, but I do feel that this ride has had a lot of buzz surrounding it, so it is a good idea for potential riders to have knowledge of what they are getting themselves into.
The ride vehicle is a traditional two-seater roller coaster. If you are someone that is not a big fan of these types of rides, I will let you know that the restraint system is just a lap bar. This means that the ride cannot be that intense since a full harness, like what is on Rockin' Roller Coaster, is not used.
Cosmic Rewind With a Fun Soundtrack
Once you are seated and have passed the safety check, you are on your way. Throughout the ride, some screens play action sequences. Right as you enter a rather dull-looking room, the Guardians are voicing their opinions on the matter as the coaster launches—backward. Well, first, the cars individually turn 180 degrees. And at that moment, whatever song you get for your ride will begin.
Honestly, the music is what makes the ride. There are six songs that are chosen at random: "Disco Inferno," "September," "Everybody Wants to Rule the World," "I Ran (So Far Away)," "One Way or Another," and "Conga." The first time we rode, we had "Everybody Wants to Rule the World," and the ride was just amazing.
It felt so smooth, there was no jerkiness, and it really felt like it fit the music. The second time we rode, we had "Conga," which was also fun, but the ride itself felt jerkier on the turns. The overall ride was still smooth, but it felt different. The cast members said it was the same ride, so maybe it was just how we felt with the music. They did make a holiday playlist for the winter holidays, but the songs on that list and the exact dates had not been released at the time of writing.
Intensity of the Ride
There are no large drops or inversions on this ride. This ride is similar to Space Mountain in that there are a lot of twists and turns. However, Cosmic Rewind takes it up a major notch. Throughout the entire ride, the individual cars rotate in nearly every direction. This is to keep your eyes directed to where the action is and to give the full effect of flying through space.
This ride is intense. It is on a similar intensity to Flight of Passage. I feel like it is an updated and modern Space Mountain. I really enjoyed the entire experience and think it makes an excellent addition to EPCOT.
Other Reviews
When the ride first came out, I heard pretty mixed reviews. Nearly everyone loved this ride, but a lot, and I mean a lot, of people said they experienced motion sickness after riding it. This gave many in our first party anxiety about riding. Many of us took non-drowsy Dramamine prior to boarding. However, I felt like it wasn't needed and didn't take another before our second ride. Perhaps that is why I felt like the second ride was less smooth.
Of the eight people I've ridden it with, only one did not like the ride; the rest of us loved it.
How to Ride
I think this was one of the best rides that have been added to Walt Disney World in a long time. I still think Flight of Passage is the better ride, but EPCOT needed something, and this was exactly it.
Virtual Queueing
Currently, this is the most popular ride on the property. As such, the ability to ride it is limited. Guests with a park reservation can enter the virtual queue at 7 a.m. on their park day. These queue spots will go fast, so you should be ready right at 7 a.m.
Another slot of boarding groups will be released to people in the park at 1 p.m. If all the previous boarding groups have been able to ride, then at 6 p.m., the virtual queue will open to everyone. We were able to get a boarding group while having dinner at Disney Springs.
I have mixed feelings about the virtual queue systems. I like that it does keep wait times down when I get to ride; however, I don't like not knowing exactly when my boarding group will be called. It makes it difficult to do other things since you only have a one-hour window to show up to board.
If you don't want to get up early or you weren't able to get a boarding group, you can still ride the ride. At the end of the day, when all boarding groups have been able to ride, they open the ride for the general queue; however, this does not always happen, and even when it does, it is typically after 8 p.m. For the time being, I wouldn't bank on this option if this ride is on your must-do list.
Lightning Lanes
As much as I am not a fan of the system itself, the Lightning Lane is an option. You can pay to use the Genie+ program and then buy the individual lightning lane for around $17 per person. Some people feel that you are already paying so much for the park ticket that what's a little more and don't want to wait forever in line.
I do not have this mindset. I'm not thrilled with practically being forced to spend money to ride something that is included in park admission.
