Please note that a spoiler warning for the contents of Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is in effect for this article.

Disney started cast member and Annual Passholder previews of their newest attraction, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind recently. The first day of Annual Passholder previews was May 8th, Mother’s Day. Annual Passholders were sent an email back in April to schedule a time for this special event. The allotted number of time slots filled up very quick as it has for other special Annual Passholder previews. Some Annual Passholders were disgruntled that they didn’t get a time slot for the preview.

When you check in for the event as an Annual Passholder, you had to scan your ticket or MagicBand to prove that you had gained a time slot. A park reservation populated three days before for your preview day on the My Disney Experience app. There were cast members everywhere guiding guests to the queue to check-in, checking-in guests, and assisting with ride operations. Once you gained access to the area in front of the attraction, you were then directed to enter the queue for the attraction.  There was simply taped off lines outside the attraction for us to meander through not actual queue lines. Once inside, the queue is a swirling and rising line surrounded by a lot to look upon.

You are welcomed to the Wonders of Xandar, an attraction touting how Earth and Xandar are very similar. There are some immersive and impressive displays in the queue of various aspects of life on Xandar. The premise for you entering the building is to experience what life is like on Xandar. However, that doesn’t go as planned which is on brand for the Guardians of the Galaxy.

You are greeted by Nova Prime, played by Glenn Close, and Tal Marik, played by Terry Crews. In the first preshow room, you are told not to use your cell phones by a very intimidating Tal Marik. You are also told the some of the connections between Earth and Xandar. You are informed that on the journey you will be taking you will have the assistance of the Cosmic Generator which creates jump points to travel through.

You switch rooms and are told to move forward and there is a large circular device on the ceiling to transport you. Note: if you are sensitive to flashing lights, I would cover your eyes on this part. The room switches and opens up with a view of space. However, very soon after the power goes out and chaos ensues. The Guardians of the Galaxy are called in as reinforcements to aid the Nova Corps. A dastardly villain emerges and seemingly has stolen the Cosmic Generator. It is Eson, a celestial, who would like nothing more than to erase Terrans or us off the face of the Galaxy due to errors that have been made. We are told that we will be going to evacuation shuttles which Rocket has manipulated to have us work with the Guardians.  You are ushered off to a different room where you are about to enter the ride vehicles.

There are two sides for the ride vehicles and the process moves fast. When you are seated in the attraction, you lower a lap bar onto yourself. You are then set forward onto the attraction which is a spinning and gliding indoor roller coaster. You see our villain again, and the Guardians knock the cosmic generator out of its hand. Starlord says how no one is taking away Rock n Roll. You are sent back to the Big Bang.

When you are on the coaster, you get a song to listen to in true Guardians fashion along with commentary the whole way. You hear our heroes along with the song the whole time. You twist and turn around screens and projections of the villain and other celestial bodies. The vehicle doesn’t stay still and turns and glides while you go up and down. There aren’t any really big drops, but it does go backwards at times. The music truly adds to the experience. I rode the attraction twice and got a different song each time. Once I had “Conga” by Gloria Estefan, and the other time I had Tears for Fears’ “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.” In the end, you are hailed a hero by the Guardians of the Galaxy. I had a smile on my face the entire ride. It truly is an amazing experience that I highly recommend riding.

Disney announced they will be using the virtual queue for this attraction when it opens on May 27th. The mornings of waking up before 7am and using World Clock to make sure that you are right on time are back. The virtual queue was used for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure. These both now have a standby and Lightning Lane queues. Per WDWNT, guests with Disability Passes must also have return times with the virtual queue.

Waking up before 7am, setting the World clock, and getting in the virtual queue for Cosmic Rewind is truly a must do. It is an attraction that cannot be missed. My 8 year old daughter rode the attraction with me, and although she was scared, she did somewhat enjoy it.

Thank you WDWMagic for this ride through:

Have you rode Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind? Let us know what you think of it below in the comments.