UKDEB
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It's not officially open yet - not detailed on the Epcot park map, just billed as a 'preview' on the electronic schedule at the pin-trading station in Future World.
It was virtually a walk-on all day. We arrived at Epcot at around 10.30am and headed straight there. The wait time was 20 minutes, so we grabbed a FastPass and then got into the standby line.
There are effectively two holding areas - the main queue and then the area where you know you are going to be on the next 'flight'. We waited in the queue for 3-4 minutes and then got shepherded into the pre-flight area. Whilst you are in this pre-flight area, you are given a video 'safety' message (carry-on items in the stowage net under the seat, any shoes which could fall off on the floor in front of you, seat belts fastened) and then you move into the ride area.
90 people ride each time (3x3 banks of 10). The first time we rode we were in the second row. The first row ascends highest. From entering the Land pavilion to exiting the ride (including working out where the FP machines were) took around 25 minutes, so nowhere near the 20 minute wait time indicated. We were moving the entire time.
Our FP return time was 11.20-12.20 and we were off the ride by 11.10, so we went for a stroll. When we returned at around 11.45, it was literally a walk-on - they tagged us on to the back of a row which was about to enter the ride area. There are clearly two theatres - one for the standby line and one for the FP line - which are mirror images of one another.
When we exited, we got another FP - return time 11.35-12.35. The standby line was still showing a 20 minute wait.
We returned for our second FP ride at around 3.20 (you can't ride before your return time, but you can ride at any time after it - applies to all FP attractions). The standby wait time was still 20 minutes and as we walked down Concourse 1 (FP) we could see that the queue at Concourse 2 (standby) was an identical length. I'm guessing that they will be fully advertising the ride next week (the current park map still headlines Mission:Space on the front) and that it will start getting a lot busier.
The ride itself was very enjoyable. Not the most exciting ride in Orlando, but still well worth doing. The second and third times we rode, we were on the top row - dh reckoned we were about 60 feet in the air (the mechanism raises you at the start); a fact I told him I'd rather remain ignorant of! The 'smellivision' was a nice touch.
The rerurbished food court at the Land looks really nice as do the food choices. We wandered over to the BoardWalk for lunch today, but we'll probably give it a go next time. It didn't seem that busy at any of the times we were there today.
It was virtually a walk-on all day. We arrived at Epcot at around 10.30am and headed straight there. The wait time was 20 minutes, so we grabbed a FastPass and then got into the standby line.
There are effectively two holding areas - the main queue and then the area where you know you are going to be on the next 'flight'. We waited in the queue for 3-4 minutes and then got shepherded into the pre-flight area. Whilst you are in this pre-flight area, you are given a video 'safety' message (carry-on items in the stowage net under the seat, any shoes which could fall off on the floor in front of you, seat belts fastened) and then you move into the ride area.
90 people ride each time (3x3 banks of 10). The first time we rode we were in the second row. The first row ascends highest. From entering the Land pavilion to exiting the ride (including working out where the FP machines were) took around 25 minutes, so nowhere near the 20 minute wait time indicated. We were moving the entire time.
Our FP return time was 11.20-12.20 and we were off the ride by 11.10, so we went for a stroll. When we returned at around 11.45, it was literally a walk-on - they tagged us on to the back of a row which was about to enter the ride area. There are clearly two theatres - one for the standby line and one for the FP line - which are mirror images of one another.
When we exited, we got another FP - return time 11.35-12.35. The standby line was still showing a 20 minute wait.
We returned for our second FP ride at around 3.20 (you can't ride before your return time, but you can ride at any time after it - applies to all FP attractions). The standby wait time was still 20 minutes and as we walked down Concourse 1 (FP) we could see that the queue at Concourse 2 (standby) was an identical length. I'm guessing that they will be fully advertising the ride next week (the current park map still headlines Mission:Space on the front) and that it will start getting a lot busier.
The ride itself was very enjoyable. Not the most exciting ride in Orlando, but still well worth doing. The second and third times we rode, we were on the top row - dh reckoned we were about 60 feet in the air (the mechanism raises you at the start); a fact I told him I'd rather remain ignorant of! The 'smellivision' was a nice touch.
The rerurbished food court at the Land looks really nice as do the food choices. We wandered over to the BoardWalk for lunch today, but we'll probably give it a go next time. It didn't seem that busy at any of the times we were there today.
