One of Disney World’s Newest Rides Has Glaring Design Flaw, Says Disappointed Guests

Fans discussed a common problem on one of Walt Disney World’s newest rides.

Credit: Krysten Swensen, Inside the Magic

Over the last several years, the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida, has changed substantially. Several new rides have opened to guests, ranging from exciting, adrenaline-pumping thrill rides to immersive dark rides.

Some of the resort’s most popular attractions now include Rise of the Resistance, a Star Wars-themed adventure, and TRON Lightycle / Run, a fast-paced roller coaster alongside classics like Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion.

Despite several new attractions opening over the last few years, Disney World still has a lot in store for the coming years, especially at the Magic Kingdom.

First announced during Disney’s annual D23 Expo last year, The Walt Disney Company revealed it had started work on a massive new project “beyond Frontierland.” Frontierland is one of the many lands featured at Magic Kingdom and is intended to transport guests into a fully realized Western world, complete with a thrilling train coaster and other activities.

However, few Disney projects have been as universally loved as Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.

Guests ride Cosmic Rewind at EPCOT — Credit: Disney

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind officially opened in 2022, marking a brand new chapter for EPCOT and the Walt Disney World Resort as a whole. The ride was the first roller coaster to open at EPCOT and the first ride to feature a backward launch at Disney World.

Blending immersive storytelling elements with a fast and thrilling ride experience, Cosmic Rewind is often considered to be one of the best attractions in Walt Disney World and perhaps the best roller coaster created by The Walt Disney Company.

However, despite the ride receiving near-constant praise, guests have one major problem: its queue.

Dozens of guests crowded into a small, red-light hallway. — Credit: u/lucepticon via Reddit

Since the day it opened, guests have pointed out issues within Cosmic Rewind’s line. The first part of the ride’s line is plain, giving guests practically nothing to look at. The longer guests wait, the better the theming and immersion get, but Cosmic Rewind ranks toward the bottom when it comes to having a “fun” line to wait in.

Things are made worse by Cosmic Rewind’s pre-show, which has been a constant point of complaint among guests.

During the ride’s pre-show, guests are brought into a large room and are encouraged to break free from the single-file line they’ve been in. However, once the show is over and guests head toward their ride vehicles, they are forced to funnel back into a single file line.

This merging point is often hectic and stressful and has left many guests feeling claustrophobic in the past. Because of the way guests merge, many opt to skip the pre-show entirely and just wait by the door before it opens, ruining the immersion the attraction sets up.

An example of this was shared on Reddit, sparking a discussion among Disney World fans.

Reddit user Eat_See_Trav87 shared a video that shows dozens of guests pushing through the doors before the ride’s pre-show even wraps up.

A guest or guests pushed through the door early, resulting in a massive stampede of other guests pushing through to the next room before the attraction was actually ready.

Something needs to be done to fix this.
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This post resonated with the community, receiving over 500 upvotes and nearly 300 comments. “I just stay on the opposite side till things settle down,” said John1744. “It’s not worth getting semi crushed to save a couple dozen spots in line, by that point the wait is minimal anyway.”

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“Wait, they manually opened the doors and pushed through? I’m drawing a blank on when the doors actually open during the pre show,” said Babymacsmama

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“I’m sorry you’re saying people literally push the doors open on their own while the pre-show is going on? WTF,” said sayyywhat.

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Another user, ITrCool, commented on how nonsensical pushing through the doors actually is. “It makes no sense to me. You WILL get on the ride. No need to rush. You won’t be forgotten and left behind. Just enjoy the pre-show and relax and take your time leaving the room. Pushing through the doors doesn’t make things go any faster and doesn’t save anyone any time.”

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This may just be something guests have to deal with, but it’s possible Disney could adjust Cosmic Rewind’s pre-show to account for guests piling on the right side of the room waiting to open the door.

It’s unknown if Disney has any plans to improve or address this issue with Cosmic Rewind. Haunted Mansion also features a somewhat chaotic merge point within its queue, forcing guests to regroup into single-file lines.

The issue is made worse by how popular Comsic Rewind is, with thousands upon thousands of guests riding the coaster each day. Guests still need to join the Virtual queue system if they wish to ride the attraction.

Guests can also purchase a Lightning Lane Single Pass to ride the coaster.

Do you enjoy Cosmic Rewind? What’s your favorite roller coaster at Walt Disney World?