Getting to ride a brand new attraction in Disney World can be a stressful experience — but it doesn’t always have to be!
The newest ride in Disney World, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, is now open in EPCOT and it does not have a standby line. This means that there are only two ways to actually get on the ride and if you don’t prepare you might miss out. So what are your options? We’re going to go over all of them here to help you choose which is best for you and your family!
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
Cosmic Rewind officially opened in EPCOT on May 27th, 2022, and it’s one of the longest indoor roller coasters ever made. This ride has unique Omnicoaster vehicles that rotate 360 degrees and it also features Disney’s first-ever reverse launch!
Cosmic Rewind does not currently have a standby line, which means guests are limited in how they can actually get on the ride. The two options include a virtual queue or paying for an Individual Lightning Line, and if you aren’t fully prepared for either option you can totally miss out — which means you can’t ride Cosmic Rewind at all. We don’t want you to miss out, so we have everything you need to know below!
Are you sure you even want to ride it? Check out our spoiler-free review of Cosmic Rewind here!
Virtual Queue
The virtual queue is one of two ways to ride Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at this time. Similar to attractions that have used a virtual queue in the past, there are two opportunities to join the virtual queue within the My Disney Experience app, and you can only join ONCE per day. The first opportunity to join opens at 7AM and you do NOT have to be in EPCOT at that time, though you do need to have valid admission (a ticket) and a park reservation for that date.
It’s important to note that the 7AM virtual queue can fill up FAST — every second counts! You want to be fully prepared with ALL your information accurate in the My Disney Experience app and you want to be familiar with where to go. As soon as 7AM hits, you can refresh the virtual queue page in the app to tap “Join Queue.” You need to be as fast as possible, and we recommend having someone keep an eye on a clock to count down the seconds to 7AM.
If you miss out on the 7AM virtual queue, you can then try again at 1PM. This opportunity is a little different, as you need to have an EPCOT park reservation and you must be inside EPCOT before 1PM in order try for a spot. This virtual queue tends to fill up a little slower than the 7AM virtual queue, but your mileage may vary. (And by “slower” we mean within a minute or two rather than less than one minute — but that can vary too!)
If you want to join the virtual queue at 7AM, you need to do the following beforehand:
- Make sure your My Disney Experience app is fully up-to-date.
- Get familiar with the app and where to join the virtual queue.
- Link all your tickets and make sure your party is up to date. See how to confirm your part in the app here.
- Have a ticket and EPCOT park reservation for that day.
- Be in the My Disney Experience app by 6:59AM at the latest and keep refreshing the page until the clock strikes 7AM.
If you want to join the virtual queue at 1PM, in addition to everything already listed above, you need to do the following:
- You must be fully scanned into EPCOT. (Note that you do not need to be in the park at 1PM, you just need to have entered at some point that day).
- Have a charged smartphone.
- Be in the My Disney Experience app by 12:59PM at the latest and keep refreshing the page until the clock strikes 1PM.
There is no guarantee for either virtual queue but the important thing is to be FAST. Practice navigating the app and being as ready as possible!
Read more about the Cosmic Rewind virtual queue here!
Individual Lightning Lane
The other way to ride Cosmic Rewind involves shelling out some cash — a.k.a. purchasing an Individual Lightning Lane without having to join the virtual queue. Only select Disney World rides qualify for Individual Lightning Lanes, and they cannot be booked via Genie+. Instead, you can book up to two of these qualifying rides per day at an additional cost.
On opening day, the Cosmic Rewind Lightning Lane cost $17, but that price could vary depending on the day. A few days after the initial opening, the price went down to $14. One benefit of purchasing the Lightning Lane is possibly being able to select a time slot you prefer, rather than being subject to assigned boarding groups with the virtual queue.
On opening day, the Lightning Lane was available until approximately 7:20AM, so if you can’t get that 7AM virtual queue and don’t want to take your chances during the 1PM slot, you might consider just paying for the Lightning Lane.
However, note that only Disney World hotel guests can buy Lightning Lanes at 7AM. Everyone else has to wait until park opening — which means that on opening day, only hotel guests were able to purchase Cosmic Rewind Lightning Lanes before they sold out for the day and this could very well be the case in the future on popular dates in EPCOT.
Of course, the drawback is that you could be paying $17 per person and that amount can quickly add up depending on your party. It’s also possible that the Cosmic Rewind Lightning Lane price could increase in the future.
So if you do decide that you want to opt for a Lightning Lane reservation, you need to do the following:
- Make sure your My Disney Experience app is fully up-to-date.
- Get familiar with the app and where to purchase Lightning Lanes.
- Link all your tickets and make sure your party is up-to-date.
- Have a ticket and EPCOT park reservation for that day.
- If you’re in a Disney hotel, be in the My Disney Experience app by 6:59AM at the latest.
- If you’re not in a Disney hotel, you must wait until park opening.
The Lightning Lane is a good option if you’re not into the stress of the virtual queue, but it’s also not a guarantee! The best way to ensure your chances is to be overly prepared and ready to book bright and early.
Learn more about paying for the Individual Lightning Lane for Guardians here!
Like with most decisions in Disney World, there are positives and negatives to both options, but you might find one option more appealing than the other. But, the most important thing to do is make your decision BEFORE 7AM — otherwise, you might miss out on both the virtual queue AND the Lightning Lane!
And, you might be thinking — “Can I ride Guardians TWICE in one day by taking advantage of both the Lightning Lane and the Virtual Queue?” The answer is YES and you can learn all about the pros and cons and how it can be done here!
Will Disney’s Guardians Coaster Make You Motion Sick? Find Out What We Experienced Here!
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What do you prefer — virtual queue or Individual Lightning Lane? Tell us in the comments!
I still get confused regarding which Lightning Lanes can be purchased without needing to pay for Genie+ first. Based on what you said in this article, it seems as though an ILL for Guardians is totally separate from Genie+, so at this time there’s no need to have Genie+ at all to access this attraction. Is that accurate?
Was at WDW starting the week right after the ride opened. Paid for ILL 3X for me and my daughter – worth every penny!
I had almost no wait with the VQ. I was called back to the line before even getting into EPCOT. Once in line, it took maybe 10 minutes to walk to the pre-show, watch the pre-show and board. All in all, on and off in 15 minutes.
Let’s hope the VQ ends quickly. It creates artificial demand for the ride as there are many who would not ride if they had to wait in a long line.
How long is the wait with the virtual queue
Can you purchase or virtual if you have a park pass reservation at 7:00am. But do not checkin to your resort until later that day? I hope that you can.
Yes, we were able to do both in the morning and didn’t check in to the hotel until late afternoon.
I was at EPCOT the first day G of G opened. I was on the phone ready to hit it at 7 AM. I hit it as soon as my phone showed 7:00 am. TOO LATE What about ILL? TOO LATE
How does this type of ride work with DAS?
Even with DAS you would first have to join the virtual queue, and then when your boarding group is announced you would go show the CM your DAS via the MagicBand or ticket. And they will then tell you where to go, whether it’s through the LL access line or another way.