Disney Tips Your Guide To A Great Disney Vacation
Walt Disney World Resort’s Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind faced an unusual partial shutdown this week, leaving thousands of guests with Virtual Queue reservations unable to ride. The popular EPCOT attraction, a guest favorite since its debut in 2022, has recently come under fire for unresolved maintenance issues, including reports of water damage.
An Afternoon of Frustration for EPCOT Guests
Credit: Disney
The breakdown occurred on Monday evening when half of the dual-track roller coaster stopped operating. Redditor u/ElectricalState258 shared an image of the ride’s empty loading area, noting their Boarding Group 29 was called hours later than expected.
Broken guardians 🥲
“Ride was stopped for about 20 minutes,” the guest explained. They reported a delay of an hour and a half to board the ride, a process that typically takes 30 minutes or less.
Disney Park guests in later boarding groups weren’t as fortunate. Redditor u/arcoiris21, who held Boarding Group 81, shared that they were “unable to be accommodated” before EPCOT closed for the evening. Normally, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind calls over 100 boarding groups daily, meaning thousands of guests missed their chance to ride.
Credit: D23
Others in the Virtual Queue, including Redditor u/MichiganAngler, noted extended wait times of up to two hours. Even paid Lightning Lane guests were reportedly waiting an hour for their turn on the coaster.
“I was there [Monday] too,” Redditor u/snesjerry commented. “My boarding group turned away which sucked but I was there on Sunday too so I got to ride the other day at least…”
Unresolved Maintenance Concerns
This isn’t the first time Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind has faced operational issues. Walt Disney World Resort has recently been criticized for unaddressed water damage on the attraction. While the Central Florida Disney park has not publicly acknowledged the ongoing maintenance concerns, the reports have sparked growing frustration among frequent visitors.
Redditor u/pleasebuysoap added context from earlier in the week, saying, “It was broken most of Sunday too. My husband made it as far as having his lap bar lowered when they shut down (around 1:30?) and it didn’t open again until close to 8:00. Ended up getting a refund for the [Lightning Lanes] we bought.”
A Disrupted Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind Experience
Credit: Disney
Even guests who managed to ride on Monday described an unusual experience. Redditor u/cavalier_92 said that Disney cast members sent smaller groups into the preshow and loading area due to the partial breakdown.
“Don’t know what was broken but it was such a weird experience,” they wrote. “We had a LL [Lightning Lane] and they only had like 30 people in the preshow. The hallway of hell after was clear, and we basically walked on from there. I never seen that.”
Disney’s Response
Credit: Jess Colopy, Disney Tips
As of now, Walt Disney World Resort has not issued a statement addressing the recent breakdown or the broader concerns about maintenance on Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.
More on Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is one of EPCOT’s most innovative attractions. Located in the theme park’s World Discovery neighborhood, the indoor reverse-launch roller coaster immerses guests in a high-energy adventure with beloved Marvel Studios characters like Star-Lord, Rocket, and Groot. Since opening, the ride has consistently drawn large crowds, with Virtual Queue reservations filling up quickly every morning and early afternoon.
Have you ever evacuated a Walt Disney World Resort or Disneyland Resort attraction? Share your experience with Disney Tips in the comments.
