Epcot Strategy - Help?

[Duke07]

I could use the collective help of this forum for some Epcot strategy tips!

We'll be arriving at Epcot later in the day (probably around 5 pm) on a Monday (3rd week of August) and also taking advantage of extra evening hours (staying at S&D).

I'd like to be able to book Guardians, Remy, and Test Track in advance of arrival. Any tips or recommendations on how best to approach this would be appreciated.

I've heard that trying for a boarding group at 7 am for Guardians is the the best bet there, but I'm not sure if that is more reliable than buying an ILL?

For Remy - it seems unclear whether it will still be a LL or an ILL for that date (anyone know)?

For Test Track - is there a better option than just closely monitoring the LL's until a time opens up later in the day?

Bonus - we'd love to get into Space 220, even if just the lounge or bar, so any tips there would be great too!

Thanks!

 

[midwestdee]

I could use the collective help of this forum for some Epcot strategy tips!

We'll be arriving at Epcot later in the day (probably around 5 pm) on a Monday (3rd week of August) and also taking advantage of extra evening hours (staying at S&D).

I'd like to be able to book Guardians, Remy, and Test Track in advance of arrival. Any tips or recommendations on how best to approach this would be appreciated.

I've heard that trying for a boarding group at 7 am for Guardians is the the best bet there, but I'm not sure if that is more reliable than buying an ILL?

For Remy - it seems unclear whether it will still be a LL or an ILL for that date (anyone know)?

For Test Track - is there a better option than just closely monitoring the LL's until a time opens up later in the day?

Bonus - we'd love to get into Space 220, even if just the lounge or bar, so any tips there would be great too!

Thanks!

GOTG is such an awesome ride , we grabbed a BG first, then purchased an ILL. I’m glad Remy was a Genie+ in June because we weren’t impressed. I sure wouldn’t pay unless you have grade school kids ( IMO). DG8 liked it , DGS12 & the 4 of us not so much.

 

[Duke07]

GOTG is such an awesome ride , we grabbed a BG first, then purchased an ILL. I’m glad Remy was a Genie+ in June because we weren’t impressed. I sure wouldn’t pay unless you have grade school kids ( IMO). DG8 liked it , DGS12 & the 4 of us not so much.

Thanks! For the ILL purchase, was it easy to select the time you preferred? My last experience with ILL did not go well and it gave me a time for Remy (back when it was ILL) I did not choose which threw off our plans.

 

[cjlong88]

I could use the collective help of this forum for some Epcot strategy tips!

We'll be arriving at Epcot later in the day (probably around 5 pm) on a Monday (3rd week of August) and also taking advantage of extra evening hours (staying at S&D).

I'd like to be able to book Guardians, Remy, and Test Track in advance of arrival. Any tips or recommendations on how best to approach this would be appreciated.

I've heard that trying for a boarding group at 7 am for Guardians is the the best bet there, but I'm not sure if that is more reliable than buying an ILL?

For Remy - it seems unclear whether it will still be a LL or an ILL for that date (anyone know)?

For Test Track - is there a better option than just closely monitoring the LL's until a time opens up later in the day?

Bonus - we'd love to get into Space 220, even if just the lounge or bar, so any tips there would be great too!

Thanks!

GotG: I would go for the 7am boarding group. If you snag one, you can ride it any time after your BG has been called -- they aren't enforcing the 1-hour return windows AFAIK. If you don't get a boarding group at the 7am time, you can always purchase the ILL$, which stayed around for awhile the last time we visited. You can also try to grab the extended evening hours BG, which I believe is released at 6pm? I think it's definitely worth riding more than once! In all, if you successfully grab a 7am BG, an ILL$, and an extended evening hours BG, you can ride it up to 3 times.

Remy: I thought Remy was a really cute and fun attraction. My husband thought it was okay. If It's an LL, you will want to book that one first, as it will push out to even return times the fastest. If it does switch back to an ILL$, I would purchase it between your Guardians BG attempt and your Guardians ILL$ to ensure you get the time you want.

Test Track: If Remy is an LL and you book that one first, chances are TT might be gone when your 2-hour window opens to book another ride. BUT, I have found great luck with refreshing to grab TT for later in the evening. I have also heard about LL drops later in the day -- maybe someone in the know can share if TT was a part of that drop and what times those extra LL's would appear.

Space220: AFAIK you can only wait in line if you are planning to grab a drink at the bar (not the lounge or the restaurant) and that line can get long from my understanding. The lounge and the restaurant book up solid very quickly. You can use ADR alerts to notify you if there is a cancellation. We used dining alerts for the lounge on our last visit and nothing was ever cancelled, so YMMV.

ILL$ Return Times: Because you are purchasing your ILL$ for the evening, you should have zero issues getting the times you want. We have found that when you try to book a return time close to park open, it will shift on you, because everyone is going for those times. We almost always book our ILL$ for the afternoon or evening and not once has the time shifted on us. Again, YMMV, but I think it's a safe bet that those evening return times are not as coveted as the earlier return times.

Good Luck! Seriously, though, GotG is my new favorite attraction. We were more than happy to book a BG and an ILL$.

 

[midwestdee]

Thanks! For the ILL purchase, was it easy to select the time you preferred? My last experience with ILL did not go well and it gave me a time for Remy (back when it was ILL) I did not choose which threw off our plans.

I didn’t have any problem with getting the time I wanted. We got lucky enough the BG & ILL were so close - we had back to back rides.

 

[RoseGold]

There's a 6PM GOTG boarding group for the after hours. It sells out instantly.

This is assuming GOTG is still on the virtual queue.

You are way too late to get into Space 220. Best advice is to sign up for one of the paid alert sites. People do cancel the day before.

If you have to skip something on this list, I'd pick Test Track.

Remy has been finicky and down. It was down three days in June when I was there. If it's open and a priority, I would go while it is working.