Epcot Rope Drop and our strategy. November 12th,2017

[EastCoastMaritimer]

Good evening all! I am planning for a group of 7, mostly first timers who really don't have much time to plan nor really know what they are in for when it comes to planning and executing a Disney vacation. My question, if I do a rope drop and hit Test Track first then head to Soarin, will the wait already be considerable for Soarin? My wife and I who are on our 7th trip to Disney planned our days very meticulously to limit the walking.

Does this plan sound doable?

Day Park Activity Time
Day2 EPCOT Test Track 09:00AM
Day2 EPCOT Soarin 09:45AM (how long could the wait be at this point?)
Day 2 EPCOT Living Nemo with Seas and friends 10:20AM
Day 2 EPCOT Turtle Talk w/crush and NEMO 11:00AM - Fastpass

 

[mtemm]

That's exactly my plan for my July trip. My first fp (nemo) is set up for 9:45-10:45 so hoping can get both TT and soarin' in (rope drop TT) prior. Seems reasonable to me but haven't done it yet

 

[Nick6300]

More people will be headed to Soarin over TT from rope drop. If that helps. We like both attractions (admittingly Soarin more so a little biased), but we always rope drop Soarin, single rider TT (only takes few min and usually much less than the 15 min stated est. at this point). If you're hesitant on single rider, it will be considerably longer stand by, but the queue isn't as interesting as the old TT (my opinion), we often still get in same car (though not guaranteed). It's a 6 person car and many groups are 4. but honestly I pay attn to the ride and don't have to have my wife with me on ride.

If you standby TT 1st but near front of line, my guess is you're on and off well with your 45 min (im guessing like 20-25) but Soarin at 930am (by the time you walk there) will probably be over 30min by then with that crowd herding over there. Just guessing. We typically glance back at the estimate after first ride on Soarin and often decide not to go back on. You can test this by seeing at 930ish how the wait times are for Soarin in MDE, taking into acct if it's a weekday vs wknd and whether opened early for EMH. It's maybe a bit busier now because it's approaching summer, opening of Pandora. You'll have Food and Wine which increases crowds there though.

 

[finedice]

100% agree - rope drop Soarin', and then do single rider TT, unless you want to commit over 90 mins or more to the two attractions. You could be done with BOTH in around 45 minutes if you do it this way, and on your way to a quick 5-10 minute wait for Mission: Space.

Most importantly, it is imperative that you walk with zest. Don't dilly dally between rides for the first hour of park time. Plenty of time for that once the park gets busy! This can be hard to impress on first-timers... good luck!

 

[Nick6300]

Yes, it's very difficult convincing first timers sometimes the importance of Rope Drop, and going back and Spending more time on things after that early am. You almost have to have the talk before you leave. We actually would practice our "Disney walk" in super markets at random- speed walking through aisles. But we're a bit silly too.

We always try to be among first in line at gate (min 45 min early), know your routes to your first attractions, and have that game plan for rope drop. If we did it right it was often 5-15 min after park opening and we'd be done with Mine Train (usually let first on early), Space Mt, Peter Pan, and on way to Pooh. By around late morning, esp Mine Train / pan will be an hr+ Ea.

 

[EastCoastMaritimer]

Thanks All. I think we'll need to stick to our Test Track option first. Here is our full plan:

Day Park Activity Time
Day2 EPCOT Test Track 09:00AM
Day2 EPCOT Soarin 09:45AM
Day 2 EPCOT Living Nemo with Seas and friends 10:20AM
Day 2 EPCOT Turtle Talk w/crush and NEMO 11:00AM - FASTPASS
Day2 EPCOT Journey Into Imagination 12:00PM
Day2 EPCOT World Showcase. 12:30-5:00PM (Starting in Canada)
Day 2 EPCOT Frozen Ever After - Norway Pavillion 5:00PM - FASTPASS
Day2 EPCOT 3 Cabelleros Boat Ride - Mexico Pavillion 6:00PM (not worried if this is missed).
Day2 EPCOT Spaceship Earth 7:00PM - FASTPASS

We feel like this would ensure we do no zig zagging which we have been guilty of in the past on many of our prior trips. I am certainly going to get my friends and their little one to start a workout regime in advance of this trip. I want to avoid tired feet syndrome. I am hoping we'll be in line for Soarin before 9:45am and hoping for a 45 min or less wait. As long as we make our Fastpass times, all other times are negotiable up to our 5pm Fastpass at Norway. I wanted to allow lots of time for the adults at the Food and Wine Festival but the 5 year won't enjoy that as much so hitting the rides is the most important. I think we'll be lucky as the 5 year doesn't seem to interested in characters.

 

[CarrieR]

I would agree with your plan. The third theatre at Soarin' has changed things significantly, and waits at Test Track now build much more quickly than they do at Soarin. I have done FEA and then doubled back to TT singles (arriving at 9:05) and had a 20 minute wait or so - then gone to Soarin' and gotten on with a 15-20 minute wait. This was in Jan, but given the TT wait at this point, not crazy low crowds or anything. YMMV.

 

[BigredNole]

Which ever way you choose, the line at the other side will be about 1-hour long by the time you get off. Neither ride is what I consider "fast". Both take time to get through and complete. Soarin you queue up, wait to load, and go. By the time you are done at rope drop, it is almost 9:30 (9AM opening). By the time you get to TT, it is about 9:40 with a 45-60 minute wait. Go the other route and the same thing. Plus, you start to get the early runners to FEA coming back to the TT and Soaring queues.

The reason for all of this is due to the lack of attractions to thin the herds. You only have FEA, Soarin, and TT as critical first hit rides. Until 11AM, you only have a handful of attractions: FEA, Soarin, Test Track, Mission Space, SSE, Innoventions, Nemo, and JII. If you want, throw in the Character Spot and some of the street entertainment. But at the end of the day, this is really it. At 11AM, WS opens up and that will thin out the front crowds, but it will do nothing for the wait times.

Our practice for Epcot is to take it in 2 days. We separate the park in half: Left and Right. On Left day, we FP TT, hit it at rope drop to give us 2 rounds on it. Then Mission Space, SSE, and some pin trading at the shops. When WS opens, we work our way around starting at Mexico and stopping at US. On the Right day, we FP Soarin, hit it at rope drop. Then hit Nemo, Journey, Character spot, and SSE if we want to go a second time on it. We hit one of the boats and head to US. From there, we continue our journey clockwise from the US to Canada and maybe a stop into BW for a beer and food at ESPN or Big River Grill. On a third "trip" we do it at night for Reflections of Earth fireworks. We FP FEA so we can get that ride in.

 

[mtemm]

So if we get right to TT and on quickly, we should expect soarin' to be about an hour? Which won't be fun but still doable with my 9:45 nemo window. And we FP crush for after, and finally fp is FEA at 12:30. I feel like, assuming things are up and running, it is doable. Will know soon!

 

[EastCoastMaritimer]

Which ever way you choose, the line at the other side will be about 1-hour long by the time you get off. Neither ride is what I consider "fast". Both take time to get through and complete. Soarin you queue up, wait to load, and go. By the time you are done at rope drop, it is almost 9:30 (9AM opening). By the time you get to TT, it is about 9:40 with a 45-60 minute wait. Go the other route and the same thing. Plus, you start to get the early runners to FEA coming back to the TT and Soaring queues.

The reason for all of this is due to the lack of attractions to thin the herds. You only have FEA, Soarin, and TT as critical first hit rides. Until 11AM, you only have a handful of attractions: FEA, Soarin, Test Track, Mission Space, SSE, Innoventions, Nemo, and JII. If you want, throw in the Character Spot and some of the street entertainment. But at the end of the day, this is really it. At 11AM, WS opens up and that will thin out the front crowds, but it will do nothing for the wait times.

Our practice for Epcot is to take it in 2 days. We separate the park in half: Left and Right. On Left day, we FP TT, hit it at rope drop to give us 2 rounds on it. Then Mission Space, SSE, and some pin trading at the shops. When WS opens, we work our way around starting at Mexico and stopping at US. On the Right day, we FP Soarin, hit it at rope drop. Then hit Nemo, Journey, Character spot, and SSE if we want to go a second time on it. We hit one of the boats and head to US. From there, we continue our journey clockwise from the US to Canada and maybe a stop into BW for a beer and food at ESPN or Big River Grill. On a third "trip" we do it at night for Reflections of Earth fireworks. We FP FEA so we can get that ride in.

Thanks for the advice but unfortunately without thinking I encouraged my group to not buy Hopper passes because of 1)our Canadian exchange rate and 2) our limited time. We are only there for 6 days and 1 day is for Disney Springs and MVCMP and then 1 day at each park except Magic Kingdom where we'll do 2 days (2nd full day at Magic Kingdom is actually a shortened visit with a late arrival and early closure 6 or 7pm due to MVCMP on 11/17. I don't want anyone missing Soarin or Test Track therefore we have to hope for the best.

 

[takehertothemoon]

Another Maritimer! I live in Halifax

We're doing EMH our Epcot day and have a very similar touring plan! I haven't been to Epcot since I was a kid and it will be Husband's first time so we want to do TT together! We are going the first week of December so I'm hoping to get more insight on how this plan works.

The only Characters I want to meet are Joy and Sadness from Inside Out, not sure where to fit that in.

 

[Delirium]

Epcot is the most difficult park for having a rope drop strategy that works. The attractions are just too far apart, and FP tiering limits what you can do. We usually go for extended trips with Park Hoppers and can afford to use FPs for two different days at Epcot for that reason. With Pandora opening, I expect similar challenges with AK in the future. We're not going this year, but I'm already mentally planning next year to rope drop MK a lot and get by without FPs there on most days, and have multiple FP sets at each of the other parks for the evenings.

 

[EastCoastMaritimer]

Another Maritimer! I live in Halifax

We're doing EMH our Epcot day and have a very similar touring plan! I haven't been to Epcot since I was a kid and it will be Husband's first time so we want to do TT together! We are going the first week of December so I'm hoping to get more insight on how this plan works.

The only Characters I want to meet are Joy and Sadness from Inside Out, not sure where to fit that in.

Hello There, I am now living in Toronto for work but once a Maritimer, always a Maritimer. My wife and I are New Brunswicker's from Saint John. We play the tour guide for many first timers. We went last year and did see Joy and Sadness but did split up our visits to Epcot over 2 days with Hopper passes. Since you aren't there for the Food and Wine Festival, I don't know if you really need 4.5 hours in World Showcase therefore If I were you, I would look at fitting Joy and Sadness in sometime after Soarin. You can certainly skip Turtle Talk w/ Crush and since its for the 1 kid in our group . You could get through the Living Seas with Nemo rather quickly and if you need Journey into the Imagination can be missed if needed. I would try to hit Joy and Sadness before hitting Journey into the Imagination or starting into World Showcase. I can try to report back when we return.

 

[EastCoastMaritimer]

Epcot is the most difficult park for having a rope drop strategy that works. The attractions are just too far apart, and FP tiering limits what you can do. We usually go for extended trips with Park Hoppers and can afford to use FPs for two different days at Epcot for that reason. With Pandora opening, I expect similar challenges with AK in the future. We're not going this year, but I'm already mentally planning next year to rope drop MK a lot and get by without FPs there on most days, and have multiple FP sets at each of the other parks for the evenings.

Agreed! This is certainly the park that is giving me the most stress. My travelmates really want to experience Food and Wine Festival therefore I can't change the day so we'll unfortunately have to deal with this FP tiering and the additional weekend crowds.

 

[SaraSpringsIsHome]

We, too, only have 1 day in Epcot and no park hoppers this trip (which is a first for us).

Our plan is similar to yours:
Rope drop Test Track
Head straight to Soarin' (hoping the 3rd theater will make the wait time not too crazy)
1st FP Living with the Land 10:20-11:20
2nd FP Spaceship Earth 11:20-12:20
3rd FP FEA 12:25-1:25

So we basically have allotted 2 hours to do TT and Soarin. Our tier 1 FP is for FEA, so this is hopefully how we'll get to ride all three in a "reasonable" amount of time. We are an able bodied couple in our early 30's and don't mind crisscrossing the park a bit for lesser wait times. After we ride FEA, we'll eat QS lunch in WS and head back to BWV for a swim and nap before reentering Epcot in the evening to do Imagination and Nemo and then wander WS

 

[wareagle57]

If we have a GG pre park opening reservation and line up for Soarin before the park opens, what is a reasonable time to expect to be getting off Soarin' and power walking to Test Track? We'd really like to not do single rider because some have never ridden and want to do the design stage. Do they wait until the RD crowd arrives to let people on Soarin' or will there be enough people lined up early we could actually be past the video and on the ride at 9?

 

[Nick6300]

If we have a GG pre park opening reservation and line up for Soarin before the park opens, what is a reasonable time to expect to be getting off Soarin' and power walking to Test Track? We'd really like to not do single rider because some have never ridden and want to do the design stage. Do they wait until the RD crowd arrives to let people on Soarin' or will there be enough people lined up early we could actually be past the video and on the ride at 9?

http://www.wdwinfo.com/maps/epcot.htm

They usually allow everyone (non early dining folks) into EP up to 5-15min early but stop you at walkway before Character spot area #23 until close to/opening. Even if you're 1st, they typically let a glider fill up the 3 rows some before starting that video. The attraction itself is about 5.5 min. The Soarin line entrance/exit and walk out of Land Pav. is longer than most (maybe any) rides and everyone loves to spread across the hallway side by side / wall to wall.

Soarin' to TT. If you look at the EP map (link above). When leaving Soarin, we walk to large Fountain, passing Starbucks and staying to the right, past Club Cool #38, enter SW entrance to Mouse Gear #9, exiting east entrance towards #20 (back exit facing TT), to TT #6. Only a little shorter, but less people to speed around, and that's what we've gotten used to doing when RD Soarin to TT the last 50 times. We're typically the 1st on Soarin, and by the time we speed to TT, I think it's almost always states 15 min+ for single (and usually quicker - sometimes we go on 3x in a row) and at least double 30min+ for standby (but we rarely pay attn. because we don't stand by).

Nothing wrong with going through standby for TT the 1st time to fully customize car. The single rider, you can still choose a car from categories but not customize body shape, spoilers, etc. (wife and I "race" our 2 cars).

 

[takehertothemoon]

Hello There, I am now living in Toronto for work but once a Maritimer, always a Maritimer. My wife and I are New Brunswicker's from Saint John. We play the tour guide for many first timers. We went last year and did see Joy and Sadness but did split up our visits to Epcot over 2 days with Hopper passes. Since you aren't there for the Food and Wine Festival, I don't know if you really need 4.5 hours in World Showcase therefore If I were you, I would look at fitting Joy and Sadness in sometime after Soarin. You can certainly skip Turtle Talk w/ Crush and since its for the 1 kid in our group . You could get through the Living Seas with Nemo rather quickly and if you need Journey into the Imagination can be missed if needed. I would try to hit Joy and Sadness before hitting Journey into the Imagination or starting into World Showcase. I can try to report back when we return.

I'm originally from Labrador but have family all over Canada now, including Toronto, as they go where the jobs are. I spent a night in Saint John last summer and loved it, people told me I was crazy but I love historical towns by the water!

Thank you for the tips and information, super helpful! Neither of us have done World Showcase and it looks big on the map so I wasn't sure how much time to dedicate to viewing each pavilion and walking around. I'm not too sure what Journey into Imagination is but we love older rides (Carousel of Progress), I'd be so sad to miss Joy and Sadness so if all else fails we could skip that!

We didn't get park hopper & could only pick one park to do twice so we chose Animal Kingdom to get both Pandora fast passes, hope we've made the right decision! I don't want to wish away our very short summer period but I can't wait for this trip!

 

[Cinderella94]

This July we plan to do TT first and then go to Soarin'. We don't want to ride TT single rider so this is our best option.

 

[EastCoastMaritimer]

I'm originally from Labrador but have family all over Canada now, including Toronto, as they go where the jobs are. I spent a night in Saint John last summer and loved it, people told me I was crazy but I love historical towns by the water!

Thank you for the tips and information, super helpful! Neither of us have done World Showcase and it looks big on the map so I wasn't sure how much time to dedicate to viewing each pavilion and walking around. I'm not too sure what Journey into Imagination is but we love older rides (Carousel of Progress), I'd be so sad to miss Joy and Sadness so if all else fails we could skip that!

We didn't get park hopper & could only pick one park to do twice so we chose Animal Kingdom to get both Pandora fast passes, hope we've made the right decision! I don't want to wish away our very short summer period but I can't wait for this trip!

I had a chance to visit St. John's,NL last year for the first time in my life and it was awesome!! I want to take my wife back to Newfoundland for a trip someday. We have had many trips to Halifax and love the city but with our short visits to NB to visit family, we cannot seem to fit it back into our schedule. Journey into Imagination is not a classic like Carousel of Progress (I'm a big fan). Journey has been done over quite a few times and is certainly passable and we have skipped it many times. I just do not want the little one too bored before the adults in her group get to World Showcase so I'll try to fit it in for her. I would skip it if you want to spend lots of time in World Showcase. There is lots to do with the movies, entertainment, food and shops if you want. I was just the planner and guide for my in-laws and 7 year old niece last May so while I am looking forward to being on vacation, I was not ready to go back just yet. We made a promise to our friends little one who is 5 turning 6 that we would go with her when her parents were ready and alas they decided they were ready. Good luck with the continued planning!