Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind Opening Date & Previews
Walt Disney World has finally officially announced that Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at Epcot will open Memorial Day Weekend 2022! In this post, we’ll share the details from Disney plus info about AP previews, soft openings, virtual queue v. standby, Lightning Lane status, and more! (Updated April 13, 2022.)
In case you’re unfamiliar with it, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is a “storytelling” roller coaster, which is to say it’s a mild thrill ride with show scenes. Walt Disney World has indicated that it’s a family-friendly attraction–but it’ll still have a height requirement. Its grand opening is another milestone in Epcot’s overhaul, and happens near the midway point of the World’s Most Magical Celebration.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is located in the old Universe of Energy pavilion, near the front of the park between Spaceship Earth, Connections Cafe & Eatery, and Play Pavilion (more on these last two and their statuses later in the post). The attraction itself is inside what’s called the Wonders of Xandar Pavilion, and is in the World Discovery neighborhood of Epcot.
The opening of Cosmic Rewind is cause for excitement, as this is truly a blockbuster addition to Walt Disney World. Although the company doesn’t release attraction budgets, this first-of-its-kind attraction is the biggest and most expensive addition of Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary. We have heard multiple, credible accounts that its budget was over $400 million, and could be closer to $500 million when all is said and done.
Originally, Walt Disney World announced that Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind would open “in time for the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World Resort.” However, the closure and subsequent phased reopening threw a monkey wrench into those plans. Fortunately, fans won’t have to wait too much longer.
Fast forward to the present, when Walt Disney World announced that Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind will officially open on May 27, 2022. That’s the Friday of Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial kickoff to the summer season at Walt Disney World.
Here’s the text of the official announcement from Walt Disney World:
What do we already know about this awesome new family-thrill coaster attraction at Walt Disney World Resort? Well, we know people from the planet Xandar are coming to Earth and creating the first “other-world” showcase at EPCOT – the Wonders of Xandar pavilion. We know we’ll learn more about their technology and culture as we move through the pavilion, and discover how our two worlds are similar in so many ways.
But what actually happens? I’ve got an idea – or 12% of an idea, at least – based on the new commercial spot we’re debuting right here on the blog. Check it out below, and then let’s break it down!
According to Walt Disney World’s announcement, here’s what we just saw in that Cosmic Rewind commercial:
- Someone shouts, “This is an SOS from Nova Corps … Our outpost on Earth’s EPCOT is in danger!” The Nova Corps is Xandar’s peacekeeping team serving as protectors of their planet and the broader Andromeda Galaxy, which is where Xandar is located. This must be a Nova Corps officer alerting us to an urgent situation.
- Clearly the Xandarians have come to EPCOT to oversee the Wonders of Xandar pavilion. I can tell because Spaceship Earth is visible outside the window, gleaming in all its glory. Oh, and because it says “EPCOT – Walt Disney World Resort” right there on the screen (nothing gets by me, I tell ya). But something is amiss because …
- Someone who appears to be a Nova Corps soldier shouts out, “Everything is disappearing!” And, yep, we see things – people, clouds, you name it – literally zipping backward out of existence. Rewinding, perhaps? Hmm …
- The officer is holding up a viewscreen communicator, and then we flash to the other end of that line … to the familiar confines of an M-Ship cockpit, where Peter Quill, a.k.a. Star-Lord, and a few of our other favorite Guardians of the Galaxy are relaxing between missions.
- Rocket is absorbed in apparently trying to “fix” Quill’s Awesome Mix tape. Thankfully, Groot is at least paying some passing attention to what’s happening on the screen in front of them and unmutes the volume – just in time to hear a distress call …
- “Help the galaxy – before it’s too late!” the officer urges – and then she, too, disappears … along with Spaceship Earth! Now we have Rocket’s attention, too, even if Star-Lord is peacefully snoozing away. (He’s been asleep this whole time? Typical.)
- Always considering himself the captain of the ship anyway, Rocket promptly takes the controls and decides to blast off for EPCOT. Because, as he says, “It’s save the galaxy time – again.”
- This is where we’ll come in, I think. As Rocket fires up the ship, we see other people zooming around the screen in Starjumpers, a type of Xandarian spacecraft. And just as the clip ends, Rocket takes the M-Ship into a jump point – the technology that allows Xandarians to travel vast distances of space in mere moments. And that’s it!
Now, let’s turn to questions about Cosmic Rewind’s Lightning Lane status, potential virtual queue, soft openings, AP previews, and more…
Cosmic Rewind Previews (Updated April 13, 2022)
First, there’s the question of soft openings and affiliation previews. Soft openings are also known as trial operations or technical rehearsals, and are basically an unannounced and controlled test period. They provide an opportunity for theme parks to open an attraction prior to its official opening and conduct operations and Cast Member training in a more forgiving and low stress environment.
Soft openings are not publicized via any official resources: not on park maps, the official Disney Parks Blog, annoying TikTok videos, wait time boards, or even in the My Disney Experience app. As a result, they always draw significantly fewer crowds than official openings. They’re a nice perk for guests who are already in the park and the most plugged-in Walt Disney World fans.
Walt Disney World has moved away from soft openings in the last few years. Given that precedent, we do not expect general public soft openings for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.
Instead, our expectation is that Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind will only offer pre-registered previews for select groups: Disney Vacation Club, Golden Oak, Club 33, and Annual Passholders. We expect this to work almost exactly like the previews for Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure last year, right down to all eligible APs not receiving the email before slots started filling up.
Also similar to that, we’re going to go out on a limb and predict roughly 2-3 weeks of previews for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. As evidenced by the preview rides given to executives and investors, the ride is ready to roll. Walt Disney World is simply waiting for the most opportune time to open it. While Memorial Day is the unofficial start of Summer 2022, the entire month of May 2022 will likely be a bit slower at Epcot.
The scenario was similar with attendance in September of last year when Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure had a prolonged preview period. This was mutually advantageous: it offered locals a “squeak peek” at the new attraction with shorter wait times, while also helping spike attendance for Epcot and pulling forward some of those locals’ visits from October.
These are pretty bold and specific predictions regarding soft openings and pre-registered previews, but we’d honestly be more surprised if Walt Disney World doesn’t follow the exact same playbook for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind that was used for Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure.
Walt Disney World already opened preview registration for Cast Member previews. Those dates start on April 17, 2022 and run up until the attraction prepares for media previews in early May.
Registration also already occurred for the Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind D23 Preview. That one-night event occurs May 15, 2022. Next up is Annual Passholder and Disney Vacation Club previews. Speaking of which…
DVC members can now “pre-queue” for the virtual queue to preview Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind. (Phew.) 😉 This is because the “Queue-It” registration link for Disney Vacation Club Members to schedule previews of Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is already live, and the registration process will begin on April 14, 2022 at 9 am EST. If you’re a DVC member, you might as well open the link now by clicking here. (H/t to Scott Gustin on this find.)
When registration opens, that page will refresh and you will be placed in the virtual queue *at random* regardless of how early you joined the page. Those who enter after booking begins will be placed in numerical order. In other words, you could join over your lunch break on April 13 or at 8:59 am on April 14 and your odds of a good or bad position would be identical.
As for Annual Passholder previews, we’re expecting those very soon. Both of us will be monitoring our emails like hawks in the coming weeks and will give you a heads up ASAP if/when preview registration goes live. Remember, you typically don’t need the email to register–just the link. You can subscribe to our free email newsletter for instant alerts.
Genie+ v. Individual Lightning Lane
Next up, whether Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind will be part of Genie+ or an Individual Lightning Lane. This is really a “wildcard” in name only, since Walt Disney World hasn’t officially announced anything.
We’d say there’s a greater than 99.999% chance that Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind will be an Individual Lightning Lane attraction. It’s really a question of how much it’ll cost and how quickly it’ll sell out each day. Will Cosmic Rewind be the first Walt Disney World attraction to break $20? $25? $30?!? My money is on $25. I think Disney could easily get $40 per person, but might not want to risk the backlash. They still haven’t raised prices on Rise of the Resistance, despite daily sell outs early in the morning.
The other big question is whether Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure will move to Genie+ (which still desperately needs more rides at Epcot, even with the addition of Frozen Ever After) or if Epcot will be the only park with two Individual Lightning Lane attractions. We could see it going either way given that the Rat Ride is less than one year old.
Standby v. Virtual Queue
Another big question is whether Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind will use a virtual queue. After Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance ended its boarding groups last fall and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure stopped its VQ this winter, there are currently no attractions at Walt Disney World utilizing this much-maligned system.
Both Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure used virtual queues for different reasons. The Galaxy’s Edge headliner did due to a lack of reliability. The Rat Ride did so due to a lack of physical space back in the expansion to the France pavilion.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind hopefully doesn’t suffer from downtime issues and it probably doesn’t lack queue space. There should be a lot inside the building, and there’s definitely ample overflow space outside. That means we’re in the clear. Cosmic Rewind should be standby…right?!?
Well, maybe. The issue with Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is actually the approach. If you’ve navigated the construction walls around the Giant Epcot Dirt Pit™️, you’re likely aware that getting between Spaceship Earth and World Discovery isn’t easy. It’s a recipe for potential problems, and could get downright dangerous at rope drop as guests stampede to be among the first to ride Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.
It’s conceivable that Epcot operations could implement a slow walk procedure to World Discovery in the morning, but that would be a big burden on Cast Members and there would always be guests within that sea of humanity jockeying for position with one another. Disney is pretty risk averse, and those liability concerns could dictate the decision here.
Even though Walt Disney World likely wants to avoid bringing back the virtual queue due to the drop in guest satisfaction it causes, I don’t think they’ll have any other choice here. I’m expecting a virtual queue for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. (Spoiler alert: whatever decision is made here, expect the exact same one with TRON Lightcycle Run for the exact same reasons.)
The positive development here is that the sharp turn to go behind the former Innoventions building is no more, as Epcot has reopened part of the regular walkway connecting the Epcot entrance area to World Discovery. This was done as Walt Disney Imagineering prepares to open Connections Cafe & Eatery sometime in the coming weeks, presumably before Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.
Even though this recently-opened pathway is wider and more conducive to smooth traffic flow, it’s still possible that peak park opening demand for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind will surpass what’s necessary for comfortable crowd flow. In which case, a virtual queue is still possible.
While we’ve gotten good at gaming virtual queues (and have “speed strategy” advice so you can achieve similar success), my personal hope is for a standby queue. It’s the more guest-friendly approach that levels the playing field, is less stressful, and results in fewer complaints.
Plus, if there’s a virtual queue, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind likely won’t open for Early Entry or Extended Evening Hours–and we really hope it’s available for both!
Play Pavilion Status?
It’s also worth touching upon one other upcoming addition to Epcot: the Play Pavilion. Originally conceived to offer interactive activities aimed at kids as a replacement for the defunct Wonders of Life, Walt Disney World has offered zero substantive updates on the Play Pavilion in the last 2 years.
Like so many other things, the Play Pavilion should’ve been open by now. We always viewed it as counter-programming to Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind that would help World Discovery absorb crowds. However, there’s absolutely not chance it’ll just “spontaneously” open with zero updates alongside Cosmic Rewind.
Walt Disney World likes the slow buildup for attraction openings–fans “need” to see more concept art and hear about Imagineering’s painstaking efforts to pick out flooring. Play Pavilion is easily still months–if not a year or more–away. Or, it could’ve been quietly cancelled or taken back to the drawing board. Expect to hear more during the D23 Expo in September 2022.
Ultimately, we’re looking forward to experiencing Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind opening May 27, 2022 at Walt Disney World. Even as a “recovering” EPCOT Center purist, it still bugs me that this is being added to the (former) Future World. As does the gigantic blue show building…and the amount spent on one single addition when the park needs a lot of help. However, what’s done is done–and this should be a really fun attraction.
That’s really the core of the apple. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is likely to be a crowd-pleasing attraction that wows guests with both its thrills and technology, plus its layer of Imagineered detail and storytelling, plus popular music and the irreverence of these Marvel misfits. It’ll likely rival Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, Tron Lightcycle Run, and Avatar Flight of Passage for the longest wait times and most coveted Individual Lightning Lane selections in all of Walt Disney World.
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Your Thoughts
Are you excited for the grand opening of Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at Epcot? Think it’ll have a virtual queue or standby line right at opening? What about soft openings v. pre-registered previews? Do you agree or disagree with our advice? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Woo hoo, soooo excited!! We will be at WDW from the 18th June for 2 weeks. Thanks for the update guys.
My expectations are pretty low for this ride. None of the promised animatronics and pretty “meh” reviews from previews. Who knows. But like many things Disney clearly decided to put way less into this than they promised. Ripping off Gringott’s isn’t exactly revolutionary. But I guess it’s marginally better than ripping off Legoland for Avenger’s Campus. Progress? Lol
“None of the promised animatronics and pretty ‘meh’ reviews from previews.”
Unless I missed something, the only people who have ridden it thus far would be under corporate NDAs. Even if they could, they wouldn’t be giving unbiased reviews.
♂️
Tom, I wound up being late to work for reading this! Thanks for the update. So excited for the “official” news. We will be there June 1st-9th.
Loved your mention of “Giant Epcot Dirt Pit™️“ I bet you laughed for 10 minutes when you wrote that!
How do DAS passes work with a virtual queue? We have never used a virtual queue and there is zero chance I can ride it if I have to stand in a long line.
Hello. The way it worked for both Remy and Rise of the Resistance was that you would secure your virtual que reservation at 7am. Then when scanning in at your virtual que return time, let the Cast Member know that you have DAS. They will direct you to the Lightning Lane entrance instead of the regular stand by line.
Just confirming that if I am signed up for the email newsletter, I will get the update about when the AP preview goes live.
Your connection was so clutch for the AP preview for Galaxy Edge, I am sending up good vibes for this as well. I don’t remember seeing the one for Remi…but honestly not nearly as high a priority.
You’ll find out as soon as we find out. We’ve sent out notifications for every preview dating back to at least Pandora.
With that said, this site is a two-person operation. There’s always the possibility that the AP preview goes live in the middle of the night when we’re asleep or we’re stuck in the woods without internet, I guess.
i am Groot,..
I knew it! 5/27 is the last day of my trip, and I already got my park pass for Epcot for that day. I had a feeling it would open the weekend I’m leaving, so I’m glad I’ll still be there to get at least one chance to ride it. I would consider buying an ILL for it if that’s the direction they go, even if it’s $20+. But I also don’t mind waiting in line if they just do a standby queue. I haven’t used Genie+ yet, so I’m not sure if I’d be quick enough to snag it, but I was pretty good at the virtual queue for RoR. We’ll see. I just hope I get to ride it!
Do you think this ride will be similar to escape from grinotts? That seems to be what keeps coming ti my mind when I think of the coaster plus show scenes? But maybe I am totally off base?
I think that’s a decent baseline comparison.
Well that sounds awesome! I haven’t done gringotts in four years but I loved it! It was amazing! If this one is like that I will love it to. Well except for Harry potter is far superior to guardians in my opinion, but still should be fun’
On the down side (and this is my own personal failing, I know) is that the lap bars on this ride are quite restrictive and are going to exclude larger guests. Anyone in that category should steel themselves for likely disappointment if they were on fire for this ride.
You positive of that? I was hoping that this would be more accommodating in that regard.
From the preview photos I’ve seen of the ride vehicles and related material, it appears to be the same (or at least very similar) restraint system as is used on recently debuted Disney and Universal coaster rides. Generally those restraints have been much less “forgiving” compared to rides that opened some years ago. I will find out for sure in about six weeks. Sometimes they offer slightly roomier seats in certain locations and you can ask for one of those; that is what I’m hoping for.
That 400+ million cost is mind boggling. I’ll be very interested to hear your thoughts about the attraction. I guess as a, “story coaster” it might be fair to have it duke it out with Hagrid’s? Of course, that’s all sophomoric, but our family rated Hagrid’s as the best highly themed coaster we had ever experienced. Be curious to see if Guardians surpasses it.
Honestly, I don’t see the problem with just “letting roller coasters be roller coasters” to some degree.
VelociCoaster is one of the best attractions I’ve ever experienced, largely because it doesn’t get in its own way–but still offers some sense of place and theme.
Thanks for being awesome, Tom & Sarah! I have not been so lucky as to be at the parks during a preview window before but do have plans for mid-May with a large group. Do AP previews allow non-AP guests? Our group has both. Is their a limit to how many? Thanks in advance for any info. 🙂
Lori, I am an AP holder who happened to be on vacation with my family when Remy had AP previews last year. I was able to snag a reservation, but it was not available to non-AP holders, so the rest of the family could not ride at that time.
In the past, Disney’s system has only allowed those with a valid AP to register.
That could always change, though. The only thing predictable about Disney IT is its unpredictability.
Any chance they would do a stand by line for early entry (and extended hours?), a virtual queue for regular hours plus ILL?
That would give a special benefit to resost guests but preserve other options.
We are set to come mid June to make up for our missed June 2020 trip. So excited about the possibility getting to ride this!
I don’t see that happening, but I’ve been wrong plenty of times before. It’s just too logistically complicated.
thanks for the updates Tom! We were scheduled to be at Epcot on 5/27 but could switch to 5/28 or 5/29. We are renting DVC points but not DVC members ourselves. Any thoughts on which day would be best?
If past precedent is any indication, I’d stick with 5/27. There’s something special about being there for opening day of anything–it’s a memory you’ll never forget–and the park will likely open much earlier than advertised. If there’s a standby line, the wait time will be quoted as something absurd by actual park opening time (600 minutes wouldn’t surprise me for this one), but it’ll actually be less than half of that.
The weekend will still be just as busy because of locals, so you really don’t benefit by waiting a day or two.
My kiddos AP comes up for renewal 2 May – will I need to have it renewed before AP previews link comes out or will I be able to register for the preview and then renew his pass? I know I typically have 30 days to renew once I hit the expiration date, so just trying to figure out if I need to renew in advance or if I can wait.
Honestly, I don’t remember whether the AP needs to be valid at the time the preview is booked, or if the system validates whether it’ll be valid on the date of the preview.
Unless you have a reason to wait, I’d get that squared away ahead of time. Those preview reservations go so quickly that you won’t have time to correct a “problem” if the system doesn’t think you’re good to go.
Do we need what is the height requirement to get on this ride?
Yep! 🙂
Already updated here: https://www.disneytouristblog.com/height-requirements-disney-world/
That commercial is really odd, those voices for Rocket/Groot definitely don’t sound like their usual voice actors (Bradley Cooper/Vin Diesel). They got all of the actual cast for the ride itself, didn’t they?
So my DD is an AP and is booked using my DVC points for her honeymoon the first week of May. Based on the rat ride previews, if her DH is not a passholder, would she still be able to book a preview ride for both of them? Or if I “add” myself to their reservation, could I make one for both of them and me not go?
Side note: They will be there May 2-6. Myself, my DH and my DS will be there May 15-20. Fingers crossed we all get to ride.
“Or if I ‘add’ myself to their reservation, could I make one for both of them and me not go?”
IIRC, that’s what you’d probably need to do. Doubt you’d need to be present at check-in for the preview, but I’m not certain.
(AP/DVC previews probably won’t start until the second week of May, FWIW.)
We are currently set to go to Epcot May 8, though we aren’t in any of the groups likely to qualify for a preview. Is there any chance we’d get access to a preview? Is this just going to make Epcot a crowded nightmare if they do start a soft opening that weekend? I wonder if this should make me rethink our plans!
No and no.
If anything, I might move my Epcot day to a non-weekend, but not because of this.
Thanks for the reply! I wish we could but we can only spend two days at the parks, Sunday and Monday. I opted to put our MK day on Monday. We are frequent visitors so I’m not too worried about missing out on things, and we are staying off property so I figure HS would be even worse on Sunday with no shot at the Rise of the Resistance LL anyway.
We are arriving on Friday the 27 and leaving Wed June 1. We were planning to do Epcot on the departure and arrival days (full days at the other parks and 2 days at MK) since it is the best late arrival park and we can finish what we didn’t cover on arrival day three morning of departure day. But does the fact that Cosmic Rewind is opening that Friday we arrive screw up the rest of our touring plan? In other words, will it be so inundated with crowds compared to usual that we are better off doing arrival day at MK instead?
“In other words, will it be so inundated with crowds compared to usual that we are better off doing arrival day at MK instead?”
Yes.
If you don’t care about being there for opening day, I’d probably switch to Epcot on June 1/2.
Yay! Oh man we are so excited. We are booked May 8 – May 14 via DVC and are sending out good vibes to the Nova Corps that we are there for a sneak peak. I honestly think we would move dates around if we could just to ride this! Otherwise we start planning the next one! I will definitely be checking back for releases dates (if). Thank you!!!
I don’t know the actual dates for DVC previews, but based on what I do know, your timing is pretty much perfect.
Now, it’s just a matter of actually getting the email, no technical difficulties, and being able to score a reservation when they go live!
So you’re thinking preview days might start 2nd week of May. Historically, would the emails to DVC and AP go out soon or shortly before the preview day weeks begin?
I feel like I’ll be checking emails about every 15 minutes now until we go!
Yay cause that’s when I am planning on being there too and I too and sending out good vibes to the Nova Corp and I can’t wait to ride the new ride