EPCOT is home to many popular rides, so much so that it’s not uncommon to find multiple-hour-long waits at major attractions during certain times of the year.

One of EPCOT’s most popular rides is Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, and it is currently the only ride in the park using Disney’s virtual queue system. We noticed something interesting about the virtual queue rules for Cosmic Rewind on January 7th, 2024. Let’s take a look!
During the first week of January, runners from all over the world are participating in the Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend, which means it has been a BUSY weekend in the parks.

And, potentially due to those extra crowds and activities happening around the parks, we noticed that guests who booked a virtual queue for Cosmic Rewind had TWO hours to return to the ride after their boarding group was called on Sunday, January 7th.

As a reminder, Disney’s virtual queue system allows you to “wait” in line without physically standing in a line! Instead, you must join a virtual queue on the My Disney Experience app at either 7AM or 1PM, then wait for your group to be called.

Typically, when your virtual queue boarding group is called, you have about a one-hour window to visit the attraction. But on Sunday, our boarding group was called around 11:30AM, and we had all the way until 1:32PM to ride Cosmic Rewind!

Sometimes, that one-hour return window can be stressful to deal with if you happen to be called when you’re at a dining reservation, or you’re in a long line for another ride. Cosmic Rewind is a little more lenient when you’re late for your return time than TRON Lightcycle / Run, but we still encourage you to do everything in your power not to be late, just in case!

Disney didn’t announce how long this change will last, so be sure to look closely at your return time window for Cosmic Rewind during your visit, and stay tuned to AllEars for the latest Disney news!
Disney fans are confused about virtual queues — let’s help clear it up!
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Which do you prefer — Cosmic Rewind or TRON Lightcycle / Run? Tell us below!
I wonder if this 2-hour return window is a precursor to the ride dropping the virtual cue?