Guardians Cosmic Rewind vs. Flight Of Passage: Which Disney Ride Is Better For Scaredy Cats?

If you’re reading this Guardians Cosmic Rewind vs. Flight Of Passage Disney ride review, it’s probably because you’re a scaredy cat, like me, right? It’s cool, I get it. I’m not all that into thrill rides either. (Or so I thought!) So far I’ve been able to do a few of the Disney thrill rides without dying and cussing, so I’m here to give you the deets from one scaredy-cat to another. You can thank me later.

If I rode ‘Flight Of Passage’ in Animal Kingdom can I handle ‘Guardians Cosmic Rewind’ at Epcot?

In a nutshell. Yes. But it depends on what you’re scared of.

I always tell people I’m scared of heights — but it’s not the height that really scares me it’s the fear of falling. I’m perfectly fine in a plane, looking out at the clouds, and tiny buildings beneath me. But I can’t stand on the second floor of a mall, and look over the glass railing. Even just the thought of my glasses falling off my face is enough to worry me. (I took ’em off for Guardians Cosmic Rewind. Held them on for Expedition Everest.)

So when I did Flight of Passage for the first time it took me a while to get used to it.

I was internally freaking TF out!!!

Yes, it’s only a simulation but it really looks and feels like you’re flying. So for those of us who are scared of heights or worse falling — it’s a lot at first!! Once you remind yourself for the 5th time that you’re actually on the ground, take a couple of deep breaths, and remember there are kids literally right next to you who aren’t flipping out, it becomes a whole lot more enjoyable! And once you’re in a groove, it’s smooth sailing from there on out! By the time it’s finally over, you’re a native to Pandora who never wants to leave. 

Flying feels incredible, but it’s also a simulation where you never leave the ground.

So what makes Flight of Passage so scary?

The biggest difference between FOP and Guardians isn’t just that one is a simulation and the other is a full-blown rollercoaster.

A big difference for scaredy cats is that for one of these rides (Flight of Passage), you can SEE an “open sky” and for the other (Guardians), you can’t. It’s an inside ride and it’s way too dark. So if you’re scared of heights, scared of falling, or worried about how high you are — just feeling like you’re above the trees can be pretty freaking scary. Not being able to see a lot (since it’s dark and my glasses were off and clearly I’m not as blind as a bat, as everyone likes to say) during the Guardians ride is in my opinion what made Guardians feel a bit more fun. It was just easier to enjoy since the one sense that tends to trigger my fear (seeing), was pretty much cut off.

Is Disney’s ‘Guardians Cosmic Rewind’ Thrill Ride Scary?

You can find a full scaredy cat review of Cosmic Rewind here, however … Guardians Cosmic Rewind is a high-speed coaster with twists and turns that feels like a high-speed car chase. You’re constantly moving! And at one point you’re also moving backward. 

This can be scary for a lot of people!

But trust me, it’s not as scary as you may think it is! It definitely wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I’d say it’s more fun than scary.

So which is better? Guardians Cosmic Rewind vs. Flight of Passage …

Of course, both rides are in different Disney parks, so it’s not like they’re directly competing against each other. Guardians is in Epcot, and Flight of Passage is in Animal Kingdom. But if they were grouped together, and you could only pick one? Guardians would totally win! I was immediately impressed by this ride, and despite the one-hour wait to get on, from the moment Cosmic Rewind started, it was an absolute blast! 

I thought because it was a thrill coaster that I’d have issues adapting but I didn’t. (FYI this isn’t my first thrill coaster! My first was the Lightning Racer wooden (outside) coaster at Hershey Park about a year prior to Guardians. And since I didn’t die on that, I was a little more prepared.)

So if this is going to be your very first thrill ride ever, I’d still brace for impact! (For both!)

But even with a little “practice” beforehand, with all the talk about people getting sick on Guardians I was still a bit scared! Luckily for me, motion sickness isn’t a huge issue — and I never felt sick, even after riding on a full stomach, considering we had literally just finished eating and drinking our way through the Food and Wine Festival. Maybe I just got lucky? Maybe sitting in the very first row has its perks?

Either way, I look forward to riding Cosmic Rewind again to find out!

So yeah, in terms of fun, they’re almost the same, with Guardians being slightly better.

Simply because:

1. it’s more plus size friendly than FOP so it’s not a tight squeeze to fit into and
2. I spent less time freaking out and adjusting to the ride and more time enjoying it than I did with FOP. 

FOP isn’t fast at all. It’s more of a glide feeling. So there’s really no speed to worry about. But at 60 miles per hour, the Guardians coaster feels like a speed demon. If you’ve ever sat in a car going 100mph on a highway and thought oh this is fun — then yeah this is for you. 

And yes, even with knowing that Guardians Cosmic Rewind is one of the fastest rides I’ve ever been on — I’d still pick Guardians over FOP in a heartbeat! I immediately wanted to ride Guardians again, after wobbling off and heading up the two flights of stairs to exit. It’s really just THAT much fun! (And I do plan on riding Flight of Passage again soon, but because of the safety restrictions, I’ll have to wait until I lose some weight because it’s way too tight of a squeeze to fit in and completely enjoy right now.)

If you’re still scared after reading all of this, I say close your eyes, scream your head off, and try to enjoy it. If you hate it — you never have to do it again. It’s 3 mins long so it may feel a bit long if you hate it. But it may surprise you, like it surprised me!