Picture this: You’ve been waiting in line for what feels like roughly one full Marvel movie. You’ve admired the pre-show. You’ve buckled in. You’ve whispered a nervous “here we go!” to your travel companion. And then, somewhere between “blast off” and “wow, this is the best ride in all of Disney World,” everything stops.

The music fades. The lights come up. And a very calm Cast Member voice politely informs you that you will be walking out of this attraction. That’s pretty much what happened to us when we went to ride Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at EPCOT on the evening of October 28th. Here’s what actually happened.

Now, before you panic, let us say right away that it was fine! Totally fine! But because we know that Cosmic Rewind is one of the most popular attractions in all of Disney World, and because ride breakdowns do happen (even to the best of Disney’s best), we figured you might be wondering: what actually happens when your coaster-through-time-and-space turns into a surprise backstage tour?

Here’s how the ordeal started: the Guardians of the Galaxy preshow was down. If you’ve ridden Cosmic Rewind before, you know the preshow is a big part of the magic, so this was our first sign that something was off. Rather than sending us through the usual path, Cast Members rerouted us backstage to get to the ride vehicles. Yes, we got a peek behind the curtain! No, we can’t tell you whether we saw Rocket Raccoon on his lunch break. (We looked.)

We’ll be honest — at this point, we thought this was going to be the whole story. A little detour, a little extra walking, a fun “remember that time” anecdote for the group chat. Reader, we were wrong.

Next thing we knew, Guardians was being evacuated, and the fire alarms went off. This was not a leisurely stroll to the exit. Cast Members got everyone out of the building, and they did it with urgency. It was loud, it was a little chaotic, and it was definitely not the way we planned to spend our evening. But we want to give credit where it’s due: the Cast Members were clear, fast, and focused on one thing, which was getting every single guest outside safely.

Our tip: If you ever find yourself in this situation, don’t stop to grab your phone for a photo, finish your snack, or look for your travel buddy. Move with the Cast Members, follow their directions, and sort out the rest once you’re outside.

Once we were outside, Cast Members directed guests away from the building, keeping the area around the exit clear. This is standard for an evacuation, and it’s what you’d expect, but it’s a good reminder that you won’t be able to hang around the entrance waiting for the ride to reopen.

Not to mention that the lines at Guest Relations were long. Lots of guests headed straight there to ask about experience redemptions and to get new Lightning Lane selections for Cosmic Rewind. Considering how hard it is to snag a Lightning Lane for this ride in the first place, we completely understand the impulse!

If you’re thinking about heading to Guest Relations after a ride closure, go in knowing there may be a crowd, especially if the evacuation happened at a busy time of day. Be patient, be kind (the Cast Members are dealing with a lot of stressed-out guests at once), and have your Lightning Lane or reservation details handy. Lots of Lightning Lane experience redemptions were given out!

The good news is that Cosmic Rewind was back up and running by around 8:30 PM, with no issues. Even better, the preshows were playing again, which meant the full experience was restored.

While this type of evacuation isn’t common, it does happen. Here’s a quick recap of what to remember if you’re ever in this situation:

• Follow Cast Member instructions immediately. They’re the experts.
• Don’t linger near the building. You’ll be directed away, so go with the flow.
• Be prepared for lines at Guest Relations if you want a redemption or a new Lightning Lane.
• Check back later. Our ride reopened the same night, so don’t give up on it!

We’ll be on the lookout for even more Disney updates you need to know about. In the meantime, make sure you stay tuned to the Disney Food Blog and check out our video below on our Ultimate Guide to EPCOT!

Have you ever been evacuated from a Disney ride? Let us know in the comments below.