‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ Roller Coaster Indefinitely Shut down After Emergency Incident

On Monday, an emergency alarm in the Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind building impacted thousands of EPCOT guests. Walt Disney World Resort cast members rushed everyone out of the attraction and its gift shop.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind opened in 2022. The World Discovery attraction is the first reverse-launch roller coaster at any Disney park and is one of the largest indoor roller coasters in the world.

A group of people, including a young girl with braces smiling happily, are gazing up at a colorful space display on a large, dome-shaped screen in a futuristic setting. The scene is illuminated with vibrant purple and blue lighting. — Credit: Disney

As the newest EPCOT ride, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind still uses a Virtual Queue system. Guests must register during the 7:00 a.m. or 1:00 p.m. window or purchase a Lightning Lane Single Pass to ride.

It might be the newest attraction at EPCOT, but Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind still experiences technical issues. The roller coaster occasionally shuts down due to guest misbehavior, mechanical issues, or fire alarms.

On Tuesday morning, Redditor u/lazy_hazy_daisy recalled a bizarre situation they encountered while waiting in line for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. Right before the guests boarded the ride, an emergency alarm blared, and Disney cast members evacuated everyone from the building.

“We were almost at the front when the whole building was evacuated,” the Disney Park guest wrote. “The staff didn’t know, they told everyone to exit the building as quick as possible but we didn’t know why.”

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

Disney cast members also appeared concerned.

“The staff also looked a little worried,” the Disney Resort guest continued. “The light on the walls was flashing yellow. Everything in the building had stopped and except the lights.”

Once the guests made it outside, Disney cast members directed them as far away from Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind as possible: “They were even having people move away from the building.”

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at EPCOT — Credit: Krysten Swensen, Inside the Magic

It’s unclear what happened at EPCOT on Monday evening. The emergency alarm didn’t impact World Showcase, World Celebration, World Nature, or the rest of World Discovery.

“Likely just a fire alarm went off,” u/Shot-Artist5013 suggested. “They won’t tell you that’s why, but they’ll usher everyone out and clear the building.”

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind eventually reopened and was operating normally at the time of this article’s publication.

Have you evacuated an area at Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, or Disney Springs? In the comments, share your most memorable experience with Inside the Magic.