Definitely a hitOver the past few weeks I’ve been adding some #ThrowbackThursday and #FlashbackFriday pictures to the Disney Over 50 Facebook and Instagram accounts. I love looking back. Many of the pictures that I’ve added are from rides or attractions that no longer exist. Some aren’t missed, like The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Others, like The Great Movie Ride, people do truly seem to miss. There has been a lot of change at Walt Disney World in the 13 years that my family and I have lived here. Some changes have been hits, while others have missed the mark. I thought it might be fun to write a short series on these hits and misses.
I started with one of the biggest misses that we’ve seen in a while, Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser. I thought that this time I’d go for a major hit. I’m talking about Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.
I’m not a huge roller coaster fan. Let me rephrase that, I’m not a fan of huge roller coasters. But when I first heard about Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind I was intrigued. I was lucky enough to talk to a couple of Imagineers who were working on the ride. When I told them my thrill level, they promised that I would love it. They were all correct.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind does just about everything right. The queue shows off The Wonders of Xandar perfectly. It even has Walt Disney explaining Epcot if you hit the film at the right point! Then you meet the Guardians in different interviews. My favorite part is when Star-Lord talks about wanting to return to Epcot and mentions the attractions that aren’t there anymore, including Ellen’s Energy Adventure.
The preshow videos are fun, especially when Centurion Tal Marik doesn’t realize that his microphone is on. The light sequence when being teleported to the Nova Ship is a bit intense, which is a slight miss because the flashing does bother some people. The actual story is silly, but what isn’t silly when it comes to Guardians of the Galaxy?
The actual ride is of course the best part of Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. As far as intensity goes, it’s not all that high. There are no loops and only a lap bar is used. There’s a 42 inch height requirement, which is fairly low for a roller coaster. There are no “lose your stomach” moments. Instead, you’ll twist and turn a bit, and the story plays out on screens. Some people describe it as a combination of Space Mountain and a Tilt-A-Whirl. That’s about as close as I can think, but it still doesn’t describe it accurately.
Another fun part of Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is the song that will play when you ride. There are six different songs, and each group will be assigned one randomly. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to which songs you’ll get. It took me over a year to finally hear I Ran, but I know people who have had that song the most. The only time the song wasn’t random was during the Epcot International Festival of the Holidays, when a special tune called Run, Run Rocket played.
Is Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind perfect? Of course not. The main flaw is that there are lots of complaints about motion sickness after riding. Many of these are from people who have never had an issue before. I’ve heard of everything from mild headaches to lose your lunch sick. But I’ve also heard of people who have gotten sick on other rides who don’t have a problem with Cosmic Rewind.
In my opinion, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is a fantastic ride. Does it really fit in with the overall theme of Epcot? Maybe, maybe not. But honestly, Epcot needed a new stellar attraction, and Cosmic Rewind fits the bill. It’s rare that I hear someone complain that Ellen’s Energy Adventure is no longer there. Unless, of course, someone misses being able to take a midday nap without leaving the park.