5 tips for riding Cosmic Rewind at Epcot

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is a new (and popular!) roller coaster at Epcot.

Since it opened, we’ve had lots of fun checking it out. Here are our top 5 tips for riding Cosmic Rewind at Epcot.

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To ride Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind for free, use the virtual queue

Instead of a traditional standby line, a virtual queue is being used to control the crowds of people wanting to ride.

But, if you want to join it, you’ll need to have an Epcot Park Pass reservation.

Some days, joining the virtual queue is more competitive than others, so definitely make sure you review those steps in advance.

Step-by-Step Instructions for Joining the Cosmic Rewind Virtual Queue

Here are some additional tips for the virtual queue:

Virtual queue times open up for both onsite and offsite guests at 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. daily.
You do not have to be in the park for the 7 a.m. drop, but, you do need to be in Epcot for the 1 p.m. drop. (While Disney officially states guests must be inside the park for the 1 p.m. drop, we’ve learned that as long as you’ve tapped into the park, you can try to join the virtual queue at 1 p.m. from anywhere.)
If there are still spots available after 2 p.m. (which is the time of day guests are allowed to begin park hopping), people hopping to Epcot can join the Virtual Queue after you’ve entered the park.
Deluxe Resort guests (and a few others) also have a 6 p.m. drop when Extended Evening Theme Park Hours at Epcot are offered. This 3rd drop of the day is separate from the 7 a.m. and 1 p.m. drop, meaning eligible guests can get 2 spots in the virtual queue. If you are eligible for Extended Evening Theme Park Hours, you do NOT need to be in the park, but you will need to either have an Epcot Park Pass reservation OR have Park Hopping on your ticket.

guardians of the galaxy cosmic rewind - standby and lightning lane

To ride twice, get both a virtual queue and an Individual Lightning Lane Selection

Virtual Queue

Since there isn’t a traditional standby line, and you can only use the virtual queue once per day (unless you are a Deluxe resort guest on one of the Extended Evening Theme Park Hours nights).

That means you’ll have to use the virtual queue and buy an Individual Lightning Lane Selection if you plan to ride twice in the same day.

Remember:

Using the virtual queue requires having an Epcot park pass reservation.

The only exception to this rule is that if Park Passes from the 1 p.m. drop are still available after 2 p.m., guests park hopping to Epcot can snag one as soon as they enter the park. We don’t recommend counting on those spots to be available past 2 p.m., however.

Individual Lightning Lane Selections

While joining the Virtual Queue is free, Individual Lightning Lane selections are not.

Onsite guests can book Individual Lightning Lane Selections at 7 a.m. Offsite guests, however, have to wait for the park to open to book.

How to book an Individual Lightning Lane selection

Although they cost money, the nice thing about Individual Lightning Lane selections is that you select your return time. With the Virtual Queue, that isn’t an option.

At this time, Cosmic Rewind is not a part of Genie+. We do expect that to change at some point in the future, but for now, it is either Virtual Queue (free) or Individual Lightning Lane Selection (pay-to-ride).

If you plan to hop to Epcot, buy an Individual Lightning Lane Selection to ride

If you want to ride Cosmic Rewind, although there is a slight chance that spots in the virtual queue will be available after 2 p.m., we don’t recommend you count on that to be the case if you’re planning to hop to Epcot. You’re much more likely to find all the spots gone, and you without any way to ride this amazing attraction.

Instead, we recommend people planning to hop to Epcot spend the money and purchase an Individual Lightning Lane Selection.

Remember:

Park hopping begins at 2:00 p.m. so make your Individual Lightning Lane Selection return time for after 2:00 p.m.

Staying offsite? You’ll have a slight disadvantage. Onsite guests can book Individual Lightning Lane Selections at 7 a.m. Offsite guests can book after the park opens.

For more movement while riding, request car 3 (rows 5 and 6)

Want to feel like you’re floating in space? Make sure you request car 3, which is rows 5 and 6.

To be fair, all the cars move a LOT, it is just that some move more. So, if that is your thing, ask for car 3.

But, if you’re afraid that more movement will mean more problems, request the first or last cars.

Motion sickness for people that are sensitive to lots of spinning is a big factor here.

Trust us:

It’s no joke. Not everyone will get sick, but the ones that do will likely not feel so great for a while.

You’ll get 1 of 6 songs while you ride

Aside from the amazing effects, the innovative coaster cars, and the freaking adorable appearances by Groot (and the other Guardians), the music on this ride is as fun as what you find in the movies.

It seems like everyone has their favorite, but the good news is, all the music rocks.

The songs you’ll get while riding are: