Line for FP machine at EE at opening?

[janica]

I've read that the line just to get a FP for Exp Everest can be as
long as 20 minutes within a few minutes after the park opens. Has this been
anyone's experience?
My plan is to, at a 9:00 rope drop, head for EE, get a FP, ride EE using standby line, then be heading for Dinoland by 9:30. Am I being too optimistic on the time?

Thanks

 

[cleo]

The queue was about 10 minutes for EE at park opening when we were there in May. Everyone has the same idea, but it's still going to be better first thing than it will be later in the day.

 

[Brianne]

This past Sunday, the line for fastpass tickets for EE was easily 20-25 minutes long & that was at about 9:15am. Our return time was 10:40 & the standby line was out the door. I'd never seen so many people around one attraction before in my life.

 

[Area 4]

Both times I've been I have had the misfortune of visiting when the ride was down...because of that, people were scrambling to get FastPasses which by that time were out for the next 3-4 hours!

Luckily, the standby line wasn't too bad when the ride was back up because practically the entire park had a FP

 

[purpliequeen]

I agree with Brianne . It was horrible, but we made the ride on fastpass from 10:45-11:45 am on Thursday. I wouldn't be surprised if the fast passes were all gone on this past Thursday at 10:30ish.

 

[janica]

Wow! I'm amazed!

Does EE have the worst lines for getting FP and standing in line
first thing in the morning or are there others just as bad?

 

[PrincessJasmine08]

Yes, it has a long line, but it's not a big deal. We went straight back to EE at rope drop, waited about 10 minutes to get our FP, and had a return time of 10:40-11:40. The stand-by line went all the way to the bathrooms in Asia while we were getting our FP!

Side note...just be ready to go when it's your turn to get a FP. So many people would get up to the front and then decide it was time to get their park passes out!

 

[Todd&Copper]

I was there on 8/15, just after rope drop, and the FP line was about 5 min. and the standby line was already really long (about 30 min wait at least). I think our FP return time was around 10:30, so we went to Dinoland and went on Dinosaur and the Primeval Whirl (the mousetrap-type ride) and then took some pics and went on EE. The FP return time by the time we got off of EE was already 3:30 - 4:30 (the park was open until 6, I think).

 

[prestonsmomma]

OK so if I have breakfast reservations at 10:30 and I'm there at rope drop, should I wait in standby line or get a fast pass. I was hoping to do the safari before breakfast too but maybe I'm overly optimistic on those ideas.

 

[shafke]

Luckily for us, or should I say DS, on out next trip DD will still be too short to ride. We will be able to get FPs for the four of us and along with child swap, DS should be able to get 4 rides

 

[FINFAN]

We just returned (8/21) and were at AK on the 13th, not bad...went back various times the rest of the week..NIGHTMARE! One of the days we were there the CM at EE said the parks was well over 35,000 and that the fastpass machine spits out 40 passes every 5 minutes...so 480 an hour, park hours 9-6...9 hours, totaling 4320. Not very good odds of getting a FP...we were luccky and on the 13th got FP's, and then the kids rode in the single rider lane. Next visit, DH did get FP's, (waited in line about 15 minutes for them at 9:15 a.m.) and the return time was 2:28...a LOT of minute to minute return times this trip. Something I had never seen before, usually only 5 minute increments. CM's were NOT letting anyone in before their time either...and FP lones were still long. Only the first day dod my kids get to do the single rider line, it was closed the other 2 days we tried. I basically feel the free DDP was the root of the crowds. Based on the age of most of the kids there they were 5 or under, child swap was long, but manageable from what I saw. The families HAD to split outside the ride entrance, and then the first rider would go out to give their child swap card to the spouse in fromt of a CM and then the next one would ride. I think after this week it will be much lighter...we were in WDW form the 11 to the 21...and the 11, 12, and 13 were great....massive crowds after that.
EE is cool, my kids were hoping to get to ride it at night during EMH....the wait was 120 minutes when we walked past it...ummm, no way.


Pam