On May 27, 2022, EPCOT’s newest attraction, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, will to the general public. Much like the launch of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (Hollywood Studios) and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure (EPCOT), there will be a virtual queuing process AND an option to purchase an Individual Lightning Lane. As it was with Rise of the Resistance, there will be no option to join a standby queue during the opening period.

This latest edition to EPCOT is most commonly characterized as a family coaster, as guests must be at least 40″ to ride the attraction and has no upside down/looping experiences. It is an indoor coaster that includes a reverse launch, spins, visual effects and a fun playlist! The attraction is nearly 3 minutes long and the indoor queue (a win-win in Florida heat), is very elaborate and is stylistically similar to many fan favorite Disney attractions.

So, how will you be able to ride this newest thrill on your next Walt Disney World resort visit? Below are the steps you may take on the day you plan to attend EPCOT (*** Please note, you need a park reservation to enter into the park!***)

How to enter the virtual queue

7 a.m. – day of park reservation, guests with a valid ticket or pass and a Disney Park Pass Reservation for EPCOT will be able to check for an available boarding group via the My Disney Experience app and request access to the virtual queue. You can join this virtual queue at 7 a.m. from any location (i.e. resort hotel, home, etc.).

At 1 p.m., there will be another opportunity to join the virtual queue for anyone who wasn’t able to join a boarding group earlier in the day. As it was with Rise of the Resistance at it’s opening, you must be inside EPCOT in order for a chance to obtain the 1p.m.Boarding Group. You can only have one virtual queue boarding group per day for the attraction.

Per Disney: “In order to give as many guests as possible the opportunity to save the galaxy, each person can enter the virtual queue no more than once per day during regular park hours. Please note that joining the virtual queue does not guarantee the ability to experience Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.”

Guests staying at a Walt Disney World Deluxe Hotel – Extended Hour Opportunities Available

“Registered guests staying at a Disney Deluxe Resort, Disney Deluxe Villa Resort or other select hotels will have an additional opportunity to request to join the virtual queue at 6 p.m. on select dates during extended evening theme park hours. Guests with this benefit do not need to be in EPCOT to request to join at that time.

Guests will need valid admission and a theme park reservation for the same park on the same day to experience extended evening hours — or, guests may experience extended evening hours if they have a ticket or annual pass with the Park Hopper option and first enter the park where they made their reservation.“

This is a huge advantage for Walt Disney World Resort Deluxe Resort guests as it means that they have the opportunity to book this new attraction more than once in the same day via the Virtual Boarding Group option. They can attempt a 7am and 1pm Boarding Group drop (assuming eligible ticket and Park Pass Reservation) and again at 6pm. They cannot obtain 2 virtual boarding groups during normal park hours but could elect one paid ILL, one regular hours Virtual Boarding Group and one in the evening during the extended hours!

How to purchase Individual Lightning Lane entry

7 a.m. guests with valid park admission and a park reservation can purchase Individual Lightning Lane (ILL) entry in the My Disney Experience app via the Disney Genie service on the same day of their visit. Purchasing the Individual Lightning Lane is subject to availability. (These typically sell out pretty when looking at historical data of Rise of the Resistance Lightning Lane purchases.)

Booking the Virtual queue for your boarding group reservation time and Individual Lightning Lane entry are only accessible via the My Disney Experience app. If you should have any issues with your Virtual Queue or Individual Lightning Lane purchase, you should reach out to a Guest Experience team member when inside the park. These guests typically are in blue collared or polo type shirts and sometimes can be found by looking for blue umbrella.

For tips on how to obtain boarding groups, check out my previous post about Rise of the Resistance.

Updates to other attractions within the park with the opening of Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind

Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure will remain an Individual Attraction Selection option (aka a separate paid Lightning Lane) as well as a standby queue until May 31. Beginning May 31, the attraction will transition into becoming and offering within the Disney Genie+ system and will continue to offer a standby queue.

UPDATE: June 1, 2022

You can obtain an Individual Attraction Selection (Lightning Lane) for GoG: Cosmic Rewind as well as a Virtual Boarding Group. Please note that if you are having a hard time getting the app to load to make your purchase at 7:00am EST, they have been refreshing and dropping additional passes at around 7:10-7:15am as guests “shopping carts” are emptied, or cleared, do to the site crashes. So, don’t fret, just refresh and do your best. 🙂

Did this article get you jazzed about potentially taking a trip out into the galaxy? If you are interested in planning a trip to Walt Disney World resort, please email me at Blair@WickedMouseTravel.com or complete my no obligation quote form here.