Help! I need an Epcot plan!

[E.Jane]

Hello all... we are a group of 8 visiting the first week of February. We are 6 adults, a 7-year old "Frozen" fan, and a 1-year old. My FastPass+ date is approaching, and I'm torn on a strategy. "Must-do's" for the adults are Soarin' and TestTrack. Frozen is a must-do for the 7-year old. Naturally, all 3 must-do's are in Tier 1.

My thinking is to secure a FastPass for Frozen later in the afternoon so we can rope-drop and finish off in FW before heading over to WS and the Frozen ride in the afternoon.

So, at rope drop... are we better off to head to Soarin' or TestTrack first? Could we get both of those done by 10 am, so I can plan on FP+ for two second-tier attractions?

Have to say, I really hate planning for Epcot now that they've added Frozen to Tier 1... it really just seems to complicate things. We had hoped to sleep in this day but if we want to do the 3 headliners, we have no choice than to rope-drop.

 

[LSUfan4444]

I dont think you HAVE to do rope drop. I think if you make Sorain your first FP+ in February you've got a good chance at being able to nab a Soarin for later in the day then use single rider for Test Track OR nab an extra FP+ for test track and just do Soarin via Standby.

If you did want to rope drop than Id say start with test track first then move to soarin OR hit Saorin first then hit test track and use single rider.

 

[Tiggerlover91]

Hello all... we are a group of 8 visiting the first week of February. We are 6 adults, a 7-year old "Frozen" fan, and a 1-year old. My FastPass+ date is approaching, and I'm torn on a strategy. "Must-do's" for the adults are Soarin' and TestTrack. Frozen is a must-do for the 7-year old. Naturally, all 3 must-do's are in Tier 1.

My thinking is to secure a FastPass for Frozen later in the afternoon so we can rope-drop and finish off in FW before heading over to WS and the Frozen ride in the afternoon.

So, at rope drop... are we better off to head to Soarin' or TestTrack first? Could we get both of those done by 10 am, so I can plan on FP+ for two second-tier attractions?

Have to say, I really hate planning for Epcot now that they've added Frozen to Tier 1... it really just seems to complicate things. We had hoped to sleep in this day but if we want to do the 3 headliners, we have no choice than to rope-drop.

I'm going in June, so Rope Drop is a must for my family. I've chosen to FP TT because that ride breaks down quite a bit. With a FP if it breaks down then your FP becomes an anytime FP for that ride. Soarin' I'm told is easy to get any time throughout the day. But what my family has decided is to rope drop FEA and then walk over to Soarin'. I realize they are WAY across the park from one another, but they say Soarin' has a larger ride capacity so the wait wouldn't be as long.

It really isn't that bad with all the big ones being tier ones. What you can do is maybe FP Frozen for first thing....9:30. Once you tap in on that, then have two tier twos you aren't really interested in or can be in and out of very quickly. Make one for 10:30 and the other for 11:30. Once you tap those...then you're free to do your next tier one. Rope drop either TT or Soarin' allowing yourself enough time to reach your first FP....just remember with a 9:30 FP you have till 10:30 to get there. I hope this has helped.

 

[g-dad66]

We don't like being in the Rope Drop crowd that dashes to Test Track, so we will Fast Pass that one. Soarin is our top priority so we will Rope Drop it.

I have been checking out wait times at about 9:40 am for Frozen the past couple of weeks, and it is typically 10 to 20 minutes, so we will be heading straight to Frozen after Soarin. It means a good bit of extra walking and then back-tracking to Future World, but we prefer that to a long wait in line.

 

[Tiggerlover91]

We don't like being in the Rope Drop crowd that dashes to Test Track, so we will Fast Pass that one. Soarin is our top priority so we will Rope Drop it.

I have been checking out wait times at about 9:40 am for Frozen the past couple of weeks, and it is typically 10 to 20 minutes, so we will be heading straight to Frozen after Soarin. It means a good bit of extra walking and then back-tracking to Future World, but we prefer that to a long wait in line.

Another reason on why I've chosen to FP that one. I actually don't mind the hike across the park. We're going to rope drop FEA and have to go all the way back to Soarin. I'm told by that time, the wait should be about 30 minutes, but with the ride capacity, it should move quickly.

 

[bkfamilyof5]

Maybe I’m wrong, but since the baby won’t be able to ride anything other than FEA, couldn’t you split your FP and get FP for the 7yo and 1-2 adults if the other adults don’t care about FEA, then do rider-swap for TT and S and get everyone on each ride with a FP or RS?

 

[CAQDaddy]

I would probably FP TT and rope drop FEA. Soarin' is actually an easy 4th FP and the standby is often reasonable. Like bkfamilyof5 said above, you could also split the group up if you don't want to do the extra walking. If you can get the group up and around I would highly recommend rope dropping every chance you get. You have to do it wisely (don't follow the crowds), but you can accomplish a lot before the crowds get crazy.

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

We had hoped to sleep in this day but if we want to do the 3 headliners, we have no choice than to rope-drop.

That’s not true at all. On our most recent visit in June, we didn’t arrive until 10:30 and were able to ride Frozen and Soarin twice each and Test Track once. We could have done that one again too but don’t really like the current version.

We find rope drop to be way too crowded and stressful. The key this time was being able to easily refresh for additional fast passes throughout the day and also waiting until later in the evening when the lines get short.

 

[Lisa F]

I would FP Test track, Rope drop Soarin' (even better with PPO garden grill, takes the frenzy out of it) and do frozen right after Soarin'.

My preference is for this because TT seems to go down a lot and your FP will go to anytime if it goes down and let you do it at your leisure. If it's closed when you attempt to RD it or ride it 2nd, (has happened to me several times) you're outta luck unless you can pick up a FP later

Also get through your first FPs as quickly as you can, Epcot seems to be the easiest to pick up additional Tier 1s in if you want to ride anything again. Soarin' is worth a 2nd ride for sure.

 

[LiveToTravelNicely]

You are going first of February which has crowds similar to September when I was last there. We were able to go to Soarin at rope drop and ride three times with less than 10 minute waits. Likewise, on a different morning we rode FEA twice with no wait. TT had the longest wait unless you were willing to Single Ride. So, if only one morning and given the low wait times at FEA and Soarin, I think I'd do FEA first, then Soarin, then FP+ TT. Or, if you do the FP+ for FEA, go to TT first, then Soarin.

Also worth noting. Not everyone in the group has to have the same FPs. So if the kids and 1 adult aren't interested in TT or Soarin, for example, those three could get FEA FPs while the other 5 adults could have their tier 1 at Soarin or TT. You don't even necessarily have to split up the group so much. Could rope drop Soarin. Then have a FEA FP from 11:00-12:00 for the 2 kids and 1 adult. The other 5 can get a snack in Norway while the kids/adult ride FEA. Then have the 5 TT FPs be from 12:30-1:30. After FEA, head over to TT and the three FEA riders will have a snack or get started on lunch while the 5 adults ride their TT FP.