Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind

Everything You Need to Know About Disney’s Newest Attraction

 

Disney’s newest ride is about to launch (pun intended)!  If thrill-rides are your thing, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is a Disney roller coaster you won’t want to miss.  Trust me.  Walt Disney World is celebrating their 50th anniversary this year and, as part of the magic, we were invited to come and test out the brand new Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind roller coaster.  

 

There are a LOT of Disney blogs out there…and I mean, a lot.  I’ve scoured many of them so my goal here is to give the most important details, and leave out the rest.  So, here’s everything you need to know about the Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind roller coaster at Epcot.  Phew, that’s a mouthful!

 

Ride Overview

Nearly 6 years in the making, according to Wyatt Winter (senior Producer at Walt Disney World), Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind opens May 27th for the world to experience.  It’s a new era of roller-coasters with Disney’s first ever, reverse launch in an omnicoaster that rotates 360 degrees on the track!  The Wonders of Zandar pavilion (formerly The Universe of Energy pavilion) puts a new twist on Epcot’s model by taking you to another world, not just another Country.  

 

Location: Epcot, in the new Wonders of Zandar pavillion

Type: Thrill-Ride, indoor roller-coaster

Height Restriction: 42 inches or taller

Considerations: Dark

Cosmic Rewind Opening Date: May 27, 2022

 

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind Review

Don’t worry, dearest blog readers, I took one for the team and rode this coaster more than once to be sure I could gather as much information for you as possible.  How nice of me, right?  When you visit, I highly recommend being fully present for this ride because it moves fast and, according to Disney, riders will only be able to join the queue once per day.

The Queue System for Cosmic Rewind

Like some of the other more popular Disney attractions, a virtual queue will be in place when Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind opens May 27th.  That means, riders will need to join the virtual queue using the My Disney Experience app (really cool, if you haven’t seen it).  There will be no standby queue available but riders will be able to purchase lightning lane access. 

 

Cosmic Rewind Wind-Up

The pre-show is what makes many of Disney’s rides so immersive.  Many of Disney’s pre-shows begin in the queue which makes the experience even more engaging.  These elaborate queues also build a story in riders minds and give us a next-level connection to what’s about to happen.  Winding through the Galaxarium (like a planetarium…get it?…) you’ll learn about the differences between Zandar and Terra’s (Earth) science and technology.  As you enter the Zandar gallery (another room in the queue) you start to learn about the people and protectors of Zandar along with the heroes of Zandar that we all know and love – The Guardians.  

 

The Cosmic Rewind Storyline 

Long story short, Nova Prime (Glenn Close) and Tal Marik (Terry Crews) introduce us to the cosmic generator technology.  That creates jump points in space so we can travel vast distances.  As you would expect, sh*& goes sideways and the bad guy (Eson) takes the generator and we (the riders) have to save the day.

The Cosmic Rewind Omnicoaster

You board the Disney roller coaster like any other, but there’s a twist.  The cars don’t just go forward and back – they rotate 360 degrees for a fully immersive cat and mouse chase through space and time.  The reverse launch is meant to represent us being sucked back all the way to the Big Bang and then traveling through to today.  It’s an EPIC indoor-roller coaster that’s (in my opinion) a game-changer!

 

Surprising Things About Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind

The Smooth Ride

The Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind omnicoaster is the smoothest coaster I’ve ever been on – easily.  The technology creates a smooth, seamless ride. Even the reverse launch (which takes you by surprise) isn’t jerky or jumpy like other coasters.  And the 360 degree rotation of the cars makes you feel like you’re the only one on the ride.  You don’t see other riders, because the cars rotate and pivot to give every rider a front-row seat to the action.  My FAVORITE part was slingshotting around the moon!  

 

The Immersive Experience 

The blend of a physical roller coaster with the technology and virtual effects is amazing.  As I’ve mentioned, the experience starts as soon as you enter the queue.  The Imagineers at Disney have done an incredible job creating experiences, not just rides.  

 

The Music

This ride has a playlist, which means you never know which song you’ll get until the ride starts.  The music, as you’d expect, completely changes the experience.  We rode twice and actually had the same song both times “Disco Inferno” but I spoke to others who said that certain songs (like Disco Inferno) made the ride more exciting!

 

I think music creates a more visceral connection to pretty much anything, so I was 100% there for it.  Here’s the playlist:

 

“September” by Earth, Wind & Fire

“Disco Inferno” by The Tramps

“Conga” by Gloria Estefan

“Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears

“I Ran” by A Flock of Seagulls

“One Way or Another” by Blondie

 

A Word on Motion Sickness

 

Full-disclosure, I do get motion sickness (but not usually on rides).  I’ve heard (and read) others complain about motion-sickness for this ride but that wasn’t my experience.  I think the smoothness of the omnicoaster was perfect.  There are no drops, dips or falls so I left (both times) feeling perfectly fine.  The ride also doesn’t go upside down so, in my opinion, it’s not bad in the motion sickness department.

Final Thoughts on Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind

 

It’s hard to put into words how amazing this ride is…you really just need to go experience it for yourself.  Epcot, as a whole, is undergoing a major transformation and The Wonders of Zandar pavilion is just a part of that.  

 

When it comes to Disney roller coasters, Cosmic Rewind is easily my favorite.  Alongside Expedition Everest (so fun) and Space Mountain… but better!

 

 

* A HUGE thank you to Disney for inviting us on this trip of a lifetime to experience the Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind attraction.  Truly, this was an incredible experience.  As always, all opinions are our own.  We did, however, use some of Disney’s photos from the attraction because we were too busy holding on!