Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is the newest ride in EPCOT!

We already have SO MUCH information about this ride, like the height requirement, the villain, and what songs you might get while on board. We know that there are TONS of questions about the new ride, so we’re here to answer them all.

🚨 As a warning, note that there may be spoilers ahead, so proceed with caution if you’re hoping to be surprised!

What is Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind?

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is an indoor rollercoaster in EPCOT. It is themed after the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. It is located in the World Discovery neighborhood in EPCOT, near Mission: SPACE. The pavilion it’s located in is called Wonders of Xandar and is meant to be a pavilion where the people of Earth (a.k.a. Terrans) can learn about Xandarian culture. Xandar is the planet where the Guardians of the Galaxy are from.

The ride itself is one of the longest indoor rollercoasters in the world and the only Disney ride that features a backwards launch. The ride vehicles spin and rotate (utilizing technology coming from omnimover rides like The Haunted Mansion) and screens are used heavily throughout the ride. Throughout the ride, you will hear one of six songs (a la Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster).

What’s the height requirement?

Guests must be 42″ or taller to ride this new rollercoaster.

For reference, several Disney World attractions have a 40″ height requirement, like Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Splash Mountain, Test Track, and DINOSAUR. A few roller coasters in Disney World have a 44″ height requirement, like Space Mountain and Expedition Everest.

Are there any other safety considerations?

In addition to the height requirement, Disney also provides the standard safety information, and says that guests “should be in good health and free from high blood pressure, heart, back or neck problems, motion sickness, or other conditions that could be aggravated by this adventure.”

As is usual with thrill rides, expectant mothers should not ride.

Disney also notes that guests under the age of 7 must be accompanied by someone who is 14 years old or older.

Additionally, service animals are not permitted.

Is there a single rider line?

At this time, a single rider line does not appear to be available for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.

Is Rider Switch/Swap available?

Yes! If you are traveling with children who do not meet the height requirement or other safety measures (or maybe a child who just doesn’t want to ride), Rider Swap will be available at this ride. For more information, ask a Cast Member about it at the entrance.

Is this ride ECV/wheelchair accessible?

The queue is accessible by ECV and wheelchairs, but guests must be able to transfer into the ride vehicle when they arrive to the boarding area.

What are the ride vehicles like?

The ride vehicles (called Starjumpers) look like standard rollercoaster vehicles with a lap bar that comes down individually (think like the lap bars on Expedition Everest). Each car holds four riders.

There are a number of vehicles strung together that are loaded and depart at the same time.

Are there animatronics?

No, there aren’t any animatronics.

But there are a lot of screens throughout the queue, pre-show, and the ride itself.

Does it have any big drops or does it go upside down?

The answer to both of these questions is no. The most thrilling part of the ride is the backwards launch at the beginning.

It does not go upside down and it doesn’t have any big drops, either.

Will Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind cause motion sickness?

This one is difficult to answer because everyone is different! Some of our team members who rode it were totally fine while others (even some who aren’t typically prone to motion sickness) felt queasy afterward.

We did an entire post about this subject, but the short answer is: it might. If you’re someone who gets nauseous on rides, we recommend taking Dramamine (or another anti-nausea medication) or wearing motion sickness bracelets. We also probably wouldn’t eat a large meal right before you ride…just in case 😉.

From what we understand, Cast Members have been offering sickness bags at the end of the attraction as needed. They aren’t sitting out, but you can ask for one from a Cast Member (so it seems some people have been feeling that motion a bit more than others).

Click here to see our full post all about whether the ride will make you feel sick

How intense is the ride?

In terms of intensity, we’ve seen people compare it to Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster, Expedition Everest, and Space Mountain. We would probably put it somewhere in between Space Mountain and Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster.

It’s pretty dark inside, like Space Mountain and the comparison to Expedition Everest comes from the fact that it DOES go backwards. 

Also remember that the ride is an Omnicoaster. The ride vehicles spin a full 360 degrees on the track while traveling at high speeds. The video below gives you a good idea of what that looks like in the daylight.

Do I need to know Marvel to understand what’s going on?

The answer to this one is not really. The ride doesn’t really follow the plot of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the queue and pre-show do a pretty good job of explaining everything that’s happening as you experience it.

That being said, having some knowledge of the characters and plot of the Guardians of the Galaxy movies might be helpful. But again, it’s absolutely not necessary. If you want to watch some Marvel movies before you ride, watch the two Guardians of the Galaxy movies, there’s no real need to watch any other ones for this ride. You might also consider watching Marvel’s The Eternals before you ride, as well, as some story elements are pulled from the show.

Are there any special terms I need to know?

While you can enjoy the ride perfectly fine without understanding these terms, the ride does use a number of space-y and out-of-this-world terminology like Celestial, Starblaster, Galaxarium, and others!

Knowing some of these words can really help you go into the ride feeling much more knowledgeable!

Click here to see the NEW Disney language you’ll have to learn for Cosmic Rewind

How can I ride it?

The ride is not currently using a standby queue. A virtual queue opens every day at 7AM and 1PM.

On select dates it will also open up at 6PM, but only for eligible guests. The 6PM opening is only for guests who are eligible to experience Extended Evening Hours in the evening by staying at select Disney World hotels. A reminder that Extended Evening Hours is only for those staying at Disney Deluxe Hotels and Disney Deluxe Villas (as well as select other hotels), and the perk is only offered on select nights.

The coaster is also available as an Individual Lightning Lane purchase (pay-per-ride) each morning at 7AM for those staying at Disney World hotels. All other guests (those not staying at Disney World hotels) will be able to purchase an Individual Lightning Lane for the ride when EPCOT opens for the day.

Click here to learn more virtual queue details

How much does the pay-per-ride option cost?

Pay-per-ride costs vary depending on the day, park, and ride. On its opening day, Cosmic Rewind cost $17 for a single Lightning Lane use. On May 31st we checked and the ride’s price had dropped to $14.

Again, keep in mind that this is subject to change as there can be surge pricing or other alterations when it comes to this cost.

What’s better: virtual queue or pay-per-ride?

Well, that depends. On its opening day, we saw the virtual queue for this ride fill up in SECONDS at 7AM. So you may not be one of the lucky ones when it comes to that.

In terms of pay-per-ride, at 7AM (which is when this becomes available to Disney World hotel guests) we first saw it fill up by around 7:20AM. A few days after the ride’s opening date, Lightning Lane passes were available until around 8:14AM.

On the ride’s opening date, we didn’t see any more pay-per-ride options pop up at 8:30AM (the park’s opening time), but of course things can change. So you’ll want to consider both options and potentially check for availability of both routes to give yourself the best chance to ride.

Virtual queue vs. pay-per-ride: click here to see our full analysis on what’s the best way to get on Cosmic Rewind

Can you ride it twice in one day?

Yes, in theory! If you’re able to score both a virtual queue spot AND you pay for the Individual Attraction Selection (pay-per-ride) for the attraction, you would be able to ride it twice in one day.

Just keep in mind that virtual queue spots can fill up QUICKLY and the Individual Attraction Selection was available for quite some time after 7AM, but that availability was only for hotel guests. We didn’t really see any availability for Individual Attraction Selection at 8:30AM on the ride’s opening day, though that availability can change.

Click here to see more about riding Cosmic Rewind TWICE!

What are your spoiler-free thoughts on the ride?

We’ve got a FULL spoiler-free review of the ride here!

What does the queue consist of?

WARNING: QUEUE SPOILERS AHEAD!

There are several different parts to the queue — The Galaxarium, the Xandar Gallery, and the Phase Chamber. The Galaxarium is a planatarium-like exhibit that’ll show you some of the ways that Terra and Xandar are connected.

In the Xandar Gallery, you’ll get to see models of Xandar ships and a Xandar city, clips from “Good Morning Xandar” (which feature some of the Guardians of the Galaxy!), and more.

You’ll then get a bit of a briefing from Nova Prime…

…and Centurion Tal Marik (played by Terry Crews!)…

…and then you’ll move into the Phase Chamber, where you’ll be teleported to a Nova Corps ship.

That’s when things will start to go a bit awry!

We won’t give away huge spoilers but let’s just say the Guardians of the Galaxy have to be called in to defeat the ride’s villain — Eson, a Celestial who is looking to do some not-so-great-stuff to planet Earth.

Click here for a full look at the queue!

What are your spoiler-FILLED thoughts on the ride?

For a full look at the ride experience (including videos of portions of the ride) and our spoiler-filled review, click here!

Are there hidden Mickeys?

YES! There is a hidden Mickey in part of the queue so be on the lookout for that!

Are there other easter eggs to look for?

Yes, TONS! There are a whole bunch of easter eggs to find, including some video of Walt Disney, references to extinct EPCOT attractions (even sometimes through very specific music), and lots more!

There’s even a turkey leg joke!

You’ll want to keep those eyes and ears open for all of these special moments!

Click here to see the easter eggs you won’t want to miss on the Guardians of the Galaxy coaster

What song will I hear on the ride?

The song you’ll hear on the ride is random, so you won’t know what you’ve got until your ride hits a certain point! The 6 potential songs you could get are:

• “September”
• “Disco Inferno”
• “Conga”
• “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”
• “I Ran”
• “One Way or Another”

Which one do you hope to get?

Click here to read more about the soundtrack

Is there a gift shop?

Yes! Treasures of Xandar is the gift shop located adjacent to Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. This is a very small gift shop though, so you may find that the line to get in it is quite long!

According to Disney, the shop is operated by “The Broker,” “a proud Xandarian, who’s been awarded the contract and brought part of his famous store here to EPCOT.”

On its opening day, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind merchandise also made its way over to Creations Shop so be sure to check that location (which is much bigger) first to see what they have available.

There are a number of different Cosmic Rewind collections including “Heroes of Xandar — What if the Guardians were rock stars?”…

…the Groot Through the Years Collection…

…and more!

There’s a lot to check out!

Click here for your FULL GUIDE to Cosmic Rewind merchandise in EPCOT

Is there a ride photo?

Yes! There is both an on-ride photo…

…as well as special photos you can take around the ride.

For your on-ride photo, you’ll want to either (1) enable Bluetooth for the app before you ride, make sure you’ve logged into the My Disney Experience app some time that day, keep your phone OUT of low power mode. Then, you’ll, and keep your phone with you when you ride; or (2) wear a MagicBand that is linked to your account!

Click here to see more about the PhotoPass situation for this ride

Do the Cast Members have special costumes?

Yes! If you love Disney Cast Member costumes, you’ll be happy to know that these Cast Members are wearing looks specific to this ride.

The costumes have some style, colors, and symbols representative of the Nova Corps and the world of Xandar.

Click here to learn more!

I want MORE info!

Want more Cosmic Rewind info? Check out our DFB video all about the ride!

And don’t forget you can also visit our DFB page with more information about the ride.

Got more questions about the ride? Drop them in the comments below! And make sure you’re following DFB for all the latest Disney World news!

What questions do YOU have about Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind? Let us know in the comments!