A new roller coaster is set to open in just a few days at Epcot. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind will officially get things rolling on May 27th, as the long ramp up to opening finally reaches its conclusion. Along with the new Marvel attraction debut will come massive crowds and wait times so it’s no surprise that Disney will enact a virtual queue. In this post, we’ll break down the details on how that virtual queue will work and add our own commentary.

Virtual queues have become a fairly normal thing in theme parks over the last few years. Disney has used the system several times for the debuts of Rise of the Resistance, WEB Slingers and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure. There have been issues but I like the virtual queue system for the most part. I may be in the minority there though, as it can overly complicate things and is a frustrating experience to those that don’t come into a Disney vacation with a wealth of knowledge on how everything works.

As for the queue at Cosmic Rewind, there will be a few slight changes from the previous debuts. Perhaps the largest change is that guests will be able to pay to skip the line (and virtual queue) via individual lightning lanes. I would expect these to sell out quickly so if you’re interested then get it as soon as it’s available. The pricing will be dynamic for the individual lightning lane but I expect the cost to be quite high, at least to start. I would guess over $20 per person. Purchasing this will include access to ride photos. That said, we don’t typically recommend going this route unless it’s a last resort or you really want to spend extra money.

Moving on, here are the details on the virtual queue and Epcot extended hours in regard to Cosmic Rewind!

Beginning at 7 a.m. on the day of their 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. This can be done before you leave your Resort hotel or on your way to the park. 

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. Keep in mind, guests must be inside EPCOT to access this second virtual queue opportunity.  

In order to give as many guests as possible the opportunity to save the galaxy, each guest 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.  

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.

Finally, here is how to join the virtual queue if all of this is new to you.

On the day of your visit, you may have the opportunity to join the virtual queue at daily distribution times, which are subject to change or cancellation as availability allows. Distribution schedules will be available in the My Disney Experience app.

Follow these steps to join the virtual queue:

• Step 1 – Check Availability: Log in to the My Disney Experience app at one of the distribution times. Select “Virtual Queues” on the home screen to view the current status and next steps for joining a virtual queue. The app will indicate when there is no availability for a specific distribution time, or if a backup group is available.
• Step 2 – Enroll Your Group: As long as your Disney account is linked to your group’s park tickets, and everyone has valid admission and park reservations for the park you will visit, you can enroll everyone in the virtual queue at the same time (subject to availability).
• Step 3 – Enjoy the Experience: If your boarding group is called to return, you’ll receive a notification via the My Disney Experience app. Then, head over to the entrance of the experience within your designated return window.

The process is fairly straight forward. I’d recommend logging into the app a few minutes before the time to get a virtual queue just to make sure it will load properly, all of your group is in there, etc. The app can be a bit finicky so just give yourself a little extra time.

I’m interested to see how the extended hours portion of the virtual queue turns out. This is a new aspect to the whole system and could end up being a huge benefit to staying at a deluxe resort. I could also see the window being so limited that the virtual queue runs out of spots nearly instantaneously. Time will tell on that one.

All in all, this seems to be the best course of action for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind’s initial debut. A standby line will come a year or two down the road, if not sooner, but for now this will ease the area’s congestion and demands on the ride. There will be some frustrations along with that though but as long as you come prepared, you shouldn’t be among those frustrated parties!

What do you think of a virtual queue being used at Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind? Are you excited for the attraction’s debut? Let us know, along with any questions you might have, in the comments! If you are planning a trip to Disney World, then check out our planning guide. If you enjoy what you are reading here on Wandering in Disney please share this post with your friends, as well as like our social media pages. You can also subscribe to the blog via WordPress or email. You can do all of that on the right side of this page. Thank you for reading, we really appreciate it!