Lightning lane strategy for Epcot

[VGCgroupie]

After watching a few more videos, I think I might have to go with Premier. One vlogger said LL isn't very good for Epcot because it can be a 20 minute walk back and forth to the rides. Unfortunately, my husband won't be able to do that. I'll price it when I get to my 7 day window. My other thought is to get the regular one and just exclude him from the rides where we'll be walking back and forth.

Isn't there a DVC lounge there? Maybe I can plop him down there for a while. Any good places to leave him to rest for a while? He's the type that falls asleep in church.

There is a DVC lounge and it's rarely full of people.

You may be able to get your LL so you dont have to bounce around the park. It just takes a lot of refreshes to get your ride bumped up, but I get it to happen all the time.

 

[VGCgroupie]

Also be sure to check out the thread about the boats at Epcot, it seems they have began running all of them again. I will link it here if I can find it.

 

[VGCgroupie]

Take a peek at this thread and see if the boats might help with getting around. https://www.disboards.com/threads/world-showcase-boats.3977524/

 

[cruisehopeful]

We use LLMP at Epcot and don't find it requires a lot of walking back and forth. For one thing, there's a huge window of time to use your LLMPs. If the scheduled time is 12 to 1, then you have until 3 pm to use it. Plenty of leeway.

I need to get the 3 hour return window to stick in my brain. I keep thinking it's only an hour. 3 hours changes everything.

I'm starting to think about getting the multipass and reserving Frozen+ whatever else fits for time and trying for Remy throughout the day. We are staying on property and we also have extended evening hours that day. Do you know if those extended hours make walk on easier?

Take a peek at this thread and see if the boats might help with getting around. https://www.disboards.com/threads/world-showcase-boats.3977524/

I'm not sure why I never heard of those boats before. I'll look for videos about it, but I'm sure we'll use the boats for something. We don't care if it takes longer to get somewhere.

When I was a kid, we used all the rides as transportation in Disneyland, even if it took longer because it was fun. RIP the skyride that used to go through the Matterhorn.

 

[VGCgroupie]

I need to get the 3 hour return window to stick in my brain. I keep thinking it's only an hour. 3 hours changes everything.

I'm starting to think about getting the multipass and reserving Frozen+ whatever else fits for time and trying for Remy throughout the day. We are staying on property and we also have extended evening hours that day. Do you know if those extended hours make walk on easier?

I'm not sure why I never heard of those boats before. I'll look for videos about it, but I'm sure we'll use the boats for something. We don't care if it takes longer to get somewhere.

When I was a kid, we used all the rides as transportation in Disneyland, even if it took longer because it was fun. RIP the skyride that used to go through the Matterhorn.

Ive never ridden because DH always says no faster to walk. Im like hey it's about the experience!! I havent been to Epcot since they started running more boats.

 

[zackiedawg]

Those of us who have been to Epcot since it opened can recall the double-decker busses that used to run all the way around the World Showcase. They ran from opening in 1982 to sometime in the early 90s. And there even used to be a tram that went around the Epcot Resort hotels, dropping off at the International Gateway - in case anyone wondered why there's a roundabout road that seems pointless and unused just before you enter Epcot there!

 

[Steelers0854]

Don’t sleep on Test Track 3.0, I think they did a great job with it!

 

[HyperspaceMountainPilot]

Unless money is literally no object, I would not recommend LLPP…as people have suggested rope dropping Remy and pre-booking Frozen is a good option, you could also do Remy single rider, which I believe is often less than 30m? Another possibility would be to rent a scooter for your husband so that he could handle standing in lines or cross crossing the park better (it’s $85 as opposed to about $500 to go from LLMP to LLPP).

We recently returned from Epcot on a very busy festival weekend and we found that with the LL return grace period, it was pretty easy to cluster the B tier rides (everything but Remy, Frozen, Test Track) into overlapping times—the bigger issue was Spaceship Earth being down a lot of the weekend and deciding if we wanted to backtrack when it came back up.

The other tip I have (as someone with a wonky spine and trouble with a lot of standing) is to alternate “sitting rides” with short rides. Mostly Spaceship Earth and the Land (which I think are like 5-10m sitting stretches) vs the other rides that tend to last a couple minutes or less. Nemo might qualify as a “sitting ride” too, but we never do it so I can’t say how long it is. On the other hand, rides like Mission Space and Soarin have a very high standing (even with LL) to sitting ratio, so we try to space them out if we do them at all.

 

[cruisehopeful]

you could also do Remy single rider, which I believe is often less than 30m

I didn't know Remy had a single rider. I'll definitely do that.

Another possibility would be to rent a scooter for your husband so that he could handle standing in lines or cross crossing the park

I've been trying to get him to do that for years at DL. He says he doesn't want to because it looks like he's disabled. He has a disabled parking pass for the state of California and he can't walk far. I'm like... if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck.....

It sounds like there's lots of places for him to sit for a while. We will have a car this time so if all else fails, he can go nap in the car.

 

[Wedgeout]

I didn't know Remy had a single rider. I'll definitely do that.

In that Rat-Mobile you do become a new friend with the one you sit next to. 3 wide seating.

 

[zackiedawg]

My stepfather always used that same argument about getting a cart..."I'll look disabled". Meanwhile, he walked around with a hobble, going 1/4 the speed of everyone around, was so unsteady trying to step up a curb or a stair that people would reach out for his arm to help him, and it took him a minute to get up off a bench. Meanwhile, we'd see a fit, athletic looking 40-something guy in the cart who probably had sports injuries, smiling, happy, and popping off the cart to go into a ride or store and looking so much better than my stepfather...we tried and tried to convince him he did NOT look better walking than most people do in the carts, but he was very stubborn. His solution was to stop going to Disney.

 

[cruisehopeful]

Making sure I understand this correctly....

If I reserve Frozen at 4pm, Soarin at 11am and Living with the Land at 10am, as soon as I scan into Living with the land at 10am, I can try to book Remy, even though I haven't done my other tier 1 ride. ???

I'll highly likely do single rider where available, but just wanted to make sure I understand LL.

 

[VGCgroupie]

Making sure I understand this correctly....

If I reserve Frozen at 4pm, Soarin at 11am and Living with the Land at 10am, as soon as I scan into Living with the land at 10am, I can try to book Remy, even though I haven't done my other tier 1 ride. ???

I'll highly likely do single rider where available, but just wanted to make sure I understand LL.

Yep!

 

[VGCgroupie]

I’ll add many people book the tier 2 at the closest and earliest ride so they can grab the the other tier 1 asap.

 

[Cfabar1]

I cannot wrap my head around LLPP at EPCOT, but I suppose if it was a once in a lifetime trip it might make sense...

 

[Sandisw]

I cannot wrap my head around LLPP at EPCOT, but I suppose if it was a once in a lifetime trip it might make sense...

It can make sense if you park hop…we do it and then grab HS or MK as we use up the Epcot ones.

 

[Sweettears]

It can make sense if you park hop…we do it and then grab HS or MK as we use up the Epcot ones.

Exactly Only way to do it, Did this my last trip and am going to do it again in a week. Never waited in a line

 

[HyperspaceMountainPilot]

It can make sense if you park hop…we do it and then grab HS or MK as we use up the Epcot ones.

Assuming @Cfabar1 meant LLPP, that would not work. Like Sandi, we buy LLMP and then usually grab rides at AK or DHS.

I did actually do LLPP at Epcot last year on my birthday, wanted to ride GOTG 2x and maximize free time for Festival of the Holidays…we did not feel it was that much better than LLMP, especially since we weren’t riding Frozen or Remy.

 

[nyy]

My husband and I are going to mostly take it easy at the theme parks and go with the flow, but there are a lot of rides that I want to do at Epcot. My husband doesn't do a lot of walking and will likely get tired of waking and waiting in lines.

I know "worth it" is subjective. However, do you think it's worth it to buy the Lightning lane Premier Pass for Epcot to cut down on walking and standing?

With all that in mind, would you recommend ponying up the money for the Premier Lightning lane? Is it possible that I still won't get Remy or Frozen with Premier? I understand if the rides are closed but if it's open am I guaranteed to be able to do lightning lane wherever I want? Even if all the return times are sold out?

No, I don't think LLPP would be worth it, as others have said, especially since you are skipping GoG, MS, and possibly TT. Unless money isn't an issue, in which case I would do it just to avoid making a plan that isn't time dependent.

My strategy would depend on where I am staying. I say that because in order to Rope Drop Remy, you need to use the International Gateway. Looks like you have stayed at Crescent Lake resorts before, so I am sure you already know that Skyliner resorts, BW, YC/BC, and Swan/Dolphin guests can easily use this entrance, but staying anywhere else makes your chances of using the IG much more difficult - and time consuming.
Remy really is the out of your way ride, location-wise.
If staying at an IG entrance resort, I would do Remy first. If you are purchasing LLMP, you could schedule Frozen as your Tier 1 and work the day around rides that are closer to each other, to minimize back-tracking. Yes, EPCOT is huge, but it's the back-tracking that adds too many steps!
The DVC Lounge is in the Imagination Pavilion.
If not using the IG, I would use SR for Remy. I love the ride, and think it would be a shame to skip it!
I agree with others that there are many places to sit around WS, more so than other parks, in my exprience.

I haven't been to WDW since they extended the LL window. I think that makes planning significantly easier!