You Can Purchase Lightning Lane for Guardians of the Galaxy at 7AM If Staying On-Site or at Park Opening If Off-Site
If riding Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is at the top of your Walt Disney World vacation to-do list, you‘ll want to purchase Lightning Lane access to skip the insanely long standby queues. On-site hotel guests can buy Lightning Lane starting at 7AM, while off-site guests must wait until official park opening time.
In this comprehensive 2600+ word guide, we‘ll dive deep into everything you need to know to snag those coveted Lightning Lane passes for one of Disney World‘s most popular new attractions. You‘ll learn insider tips on:
- The best times to purchase Lightning Lane each day
- How often Lightning Lane sells out
- Booking through the My Disney Experience app
- Important rules and policies to know
- Modifying your return time
- What to do if Lightning Lane is sold out
- Rope dropping strategies
- And much more!
Let‘s start with answering the question of what time you can actually buy Lightning Lane access for Guardians.
On-Site Disney Guests Have a Major Advantage at 7AM
The key timing difference is that guests staying at Walt Disney World owned and operated hotels can book Individual Lightning Lane at 7AM, while off-site guests have to wait until regular park open time, which is later in the morning.
For example, if Epcot opens at 9AM and you‘re staying at a Disney resort, you could purchase your Lightning Lane entrance for Guardians starting at 7AM. That gives you a 2 hour jump start to get the exact return time you want!
This exclusive early access at 7AM is a huge perk that gives on-site guests a major advantage, especially for booking popular rides like Guardians that often sell out quickly each morning.
It’s one of the best reasons to stay on Walt Disney World property if riding the newest attractions is a priority.
Off-Site Visitors Must Wait Till Opening Time
If you are staying at a non-Disney hotel, AirBnB, etc. then you can only buy Lightning Lane when Epcot officially opens for the day.
Epcot‘s opening time does vary, but typically ranges from 9AM to 10AM. You‘ll want to check your My Disney Experience app or the Disney World park hours calendar for Epcot‘s scheduled opening time on your specific visit dates.
Once the park opens, head directly to Guardians in the World Discovery area and purchase Lightning Lane either via the app or at the ride entrance.
Unfortunately, ride time availability may be limited that late in the morning due to high guest demand. Fingers crossed your desired time is still available!
Plan to Purchase Immediately at 7AM for the Best Options
If you are an on-site guest, I strongly recommend purchasing your Individual Lightning Lane for Guardians as close to 7AM as possible. This gives you the widest selection of return times to choose from throughout the day.
In my experience, if riding Guardians is one of your top priorities, logging in right at 7AM is crucial to guaranteeing a return time that fits your plans.
The ride‘s Lightning Lane passes often completely sell out just minutes after on-site guests gain access at 7. So you can‘t afford to procrastinate or wait until later in the morning if you want the best shot at entering the virtual queue.
For example, here were some recent examples I tracked of how fast Lightning Lane sold out each morning:
| Date | Sold Out Time |
|---|---|
| March 20 | 7:00AM |
| March 21 | 7:25AM |
| March 23 | 7:40 AM |
| March 25 | 9:00AM |
| March 28 | 8:55AM |
As you can see, booking at 7:01AM on many days would be too late! This data shows that Guardians consistently sells out very early in the morning due to high rider demand.
That‘s why I strongly advise all on-site guests to set alarms for 6:55AM so you‘re ready to immediately purchase at 7. Don‘t risk missing out on your best chance to ride by sleeping in!
Average Standby Waits Often Exceed 120 Minutes
Before we dive into more Lightning Lane tips, let me give you some key data to demonstrate why buying Lightning Lane is so crucial for Guardians of the Galaxy:
| Month | Average Standby Wait |
|---|---|
| June 2022 | 150 minutes |
| July 2022 | 180 minutes |
| August 2022 | 210 minutes |
| September 2022 | 135 minutes |
| October 2022 | 125 minutes |
As you can see from the numbers, standby waits over 2 hours are very common once the ride becomes fully open to all guests.
That‘s a long time to be physically standing in line! The maximum posted wait I saw over the summer was a whopping 300 minutes…that‘s 5 hours of waiting in the Florida heat and humidity.
Clearly, Lightning Lane or joining a boarding group are vastly superior options compared to losing half your day in the standby queue.
Best Times for Shorter Standby Waits
If you don‘t purchase Lightning Lane, your best bet is to ride first thing at rope drop before the crowds arrive.
Aim to enter Epcot at least 60 to 90 minutes prior to park opening time. The earlier you arrive, the better off you‘ll be!
Then when Epcot opens, immediately head straight back to Guardians in World Discovery and hopefully you‘ll wait under 60 minutes standby.
Just keep in mind that even rope dropping, the wait quickly jumps to over 2+ hours once the park gets busy later in the morning.
The only other time you may catch a "short" standby wait is in the final 2 hours before Epcot closes. Since crowds thin at end of day, closing time can be a good opportunity to hop in line.
Purchase Via My Disney Experience App for Convenience
I highly recommend purchasing Lightning Lane through the My Disney Experience app rather than at the ride entrance.
Using the app allows you to book from anywhere – your hotel room, a restaurant, etc. There‘s no need to rush over to Guardians at rope drop to buy in person.
Through the app, simply select "Tip Board" then click on Guardians of the Galaxy. You‘ll be able to view real-time availability and complete the $15-$25 per person Lightning Lane purchase digitally in seconds.
It‘s super quick and convenient compared to visiting the ride entrance or waiting in a Guest Relations line. Take advantage of this perk!
You Can Modify Times Later If Needed
An awesome benefit of booking Lightning Lane via the app is you can modify your return time if needed later in the day.
Maybe you realized the time no longer works with your dining reservations or FastPass for another ride. No problem – just open the My Disney Experience app, go to "Tip Board", and select your Guardians reservation under "Upcoming".
This will let you search other available times for Guardians and switch to something more convenient. Just know availability is limited, so modify early for the best options.
Having the flexibility to adjust is a major perk of digital Lightning Lane reservations.
Don‘t Forget Your Valid Park Ticket or Pass!
This one seems obvious, but don‘t forget that having a valid park ticket or annual pass is required to purchase Lightning Lane.
You‘ll need to link the ticket or pass to your My Disney Experience account ahead of time. And then present your ticket/pass at the Lightning Lane entrance to scan in and ride.
You won‘t be able to buy Lightning Lane without a linked park ticket, so take care of this step before your 60 day FastPass booking window opens.
Arrive In Your Hour Return Window
When you book Lightning Lane, you reserve a 1-hour return window to come back and ride. It‘s crucial that you show up within your complete 1-hour window to be let into the Lightning Lane queue.
For example, if you booked Lightning Lane for 10:30AM – 11:30AM, you must scan your ticket and enter the ride queue sometime between 10:30 and 11:30.
If you erroneously miss your entire 1-hour window, that Lightning Lane booking is voided and you‘ll be out of luck. Disney does not make exceptions for missed windows.
So carefully monitor the time while you‘re out having fun in Epcot so you return and enter the Lightning Lane line during your reserved window.
Guests Can Purchase Up To 2 Lightning Lanes Per Day
Walt Disney World guests are allotted up to 2 Individual Lightning Lane entitlements per day.
So you could book one for Guardians, and a second for another high-demand ride like Avatar Flight of Passage in Animal Kingdom if desired.
Having 2 in your back pocket ensures you can experience the most popular attractions without exhaustive standby queues. That way you maximize your park time for other fun too!
Just don‘t mistakenly book Lightning Lane for Guardians twice in one day – the system will block you from purchasing access to the same ride twice.
Guardians Boarding Groups – A Backup Option
If Guardians Lightning Lane sells out for the day, don‘t lose hope!
The ride also offers "boarding groups" as a backup option. Boarding groups allow you to wait virtually and be called back when it‘s your turn to ride.
Request to join a boarding group through the My Disney Experience app once you scan into Epcot. Availability is limited and not guaranteed, but it certainly beats standing in the 200+ minute standby line!
Monitor the app after joining and return to ride once your group is called. Using boarding groups requires more patience but is doable.
Try Again For Availability Day-Of
Don‘t be deterred if Guardians Lightning Lane shows sold out online the night before your visit.
Due to changes in guest plans, additional Lightning Lane passes sometimes open up day-of at the last minute.
I suggest routinely checking the "Tip Board" in the My Disney Experience app once you enter Epcot to look for real-time availability.
You may get lucky and find a Return Time that works for you due to someone else cancelling their Lightning Lane booking that morning. Stalk it regularly to snag any openings.
Is Lightning Lane Worth the Cost For Guardians?
In my expert Disney-loving opinion – yes!
Paying $15+ per person for Lightning Lane access is totally worthwhile to skip the extremely long standby queues at Guardians.
The actual runtime of the ride is just 4 minutes long, so waiting 3+ hours in standby is quite disproportionate to the experience.
Being able to ride this stellar new coaster with little wait via Lightning Lane allows you to better spend the remainder of your day enjoying Epcot‘s many other fabulous offerings.
Consider it a wise investment so you can experience 10x as much during your vacation! I firmly believe Guardians Lightning Lane is worth every penny.
Summarizing the Optimal Strategy
To wrap up, here is a quick summary of the key points for securing Lightning Lane access for Guardians of the Galaxy:
- On-site guests should purchase at 7AM exactly for best availability
- Off-site visitors must wait until official Epcot opening time
- Constantly refresh and search for real-time availability
- Use the My Disney Experience app for easiest booking
- Check day-of for cancelled slots opening up
- Have valid park tickets linked in advance
- Know you can modify your return time if needed
- Don‘t miss your 1-hour return window
- Try for a backup boarding group if Lightning Lane is sold out
Experience This Thrilling New Coaster with Lightning Lane!
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is an absolute blast and arguably Walt Disney World‘s most exciting rollercoaster right now.
By utilizing Lightning Lane, you‘ll get to enjoy this stellar indoor adventure through space and time with very little waiting around. It‘s a total game changer for experiencing this world-class new ride!
I hope these tips help you "blast off" on your own journey through the cosmos aboard the Guardians coaster during your upcoming Disney trip. Happy riding!