Should I even use FP at Epcot now?

[Joy70]

We're heading to DW the week of Feb. 28th, which isn't a very busy time. We went that same time in 2014 and everything except for Soarin' and Test Track were basically walk-on. Now with the news that Soarin' will be down that week, should I even worry about using FP's at Epcot and just get there at rope drop for Test Track? We do have Park Hoppers, so I was thinking we could hit Epcot in the morning and afternoon, and save the FP's for MK later in the day or evening. I just hate to waste FP's on attractions that I could easily wait 15 minutes or less for. Is anyone else thinking this now?

 

[mesaboy2]

Using FP is always recommended, you have nothing to lose by doing so.

In park-hopping situations, it's often smart to use them at your second park of the day.

 

[mom2rtk]

With Soarin down, I'd be shocked to find TT a walk-on, even during what has traditionally been a slow week.

 

[sharadoc]

We're heading to DW the week of Feb. 28th, which isn't a very busy time. We went that same time in 2014 and everything except for Soarin' and Test Track were basically walk-on. Now with the news that Soarin' will be down that week, should I even worry about using FP's at Epcot and just get there at rope drop for Test Track? We do have Park Hoppers, so I was thinking we could hit Epcot in the morning and afternoon, and save the FP's for MK later in the day or evening. I just hate to waste FP's on attractions that I could easily wait 15 minutes or less for. Is anyone else thinking this now?

You're correct. I would use your FP + at MK later in the day.

 

[mmtwinmama]

I'm guessing many people are in the same boat while Soarin is down. We are doing 2 Epcot mornings. On day 1 We will FP+ at Epcot. TT, Character Spot and SE. At rope drop we will probably head to SOAT.
Day 2 we will RD, head right to TT and use FP later at MK.

 

[DebbieB]

I saw on another thread that Mission Space will now be Tier 1 starting in January with Soarin down.

 

[ZoZo]

I guess my question is, why wouldn't you make FPs? If it even saves you five or ten minutes, it would be totally worth it to me. And if it ends up being more crowded than you expect, you'll be glad you have them. Many folks report things being more crowded from one year to the next, so it might be more crowded than you think it will be.

And if you don't end up needing them (lucky you if things are walk-ons!), then nothing is lost.

Edited to add: I just looked at your WDW trip dates, and it was the same week that I went last year, in 2014. While it wasn't an especially crowded time of the year, the rides definitely weren't walk-ons, especially the more popular ones. So I say, book your FPs!

 

[LuvDaisy&Minnie]

Do you plan to be at the front of the rope drop crowd and head straight to test track? If that's the case, I would not use FP and Epcot and would save them for MK. There would be no question about it for me.

 

[mmtwinmama]

I saw on another thread that Mission Space will now be Tier 1 starting in January with Soarin down.

That's correct. I just booked FP for January and Mission Space is listed as Tier 1.

 

[Robo]

I guess my question is, why wouldn't you make FPs?

Because, if you were going to park-hop to another park later that day, you could book 3 FP+ in advance for that other park, instead.

 

[nooneshome]

Another vote to get FPs at MK for 7DMT and others instead of using them at EPCOT for TT. I would head to TT at RD and wait if necessary or ride single rider.

 

[Disneylover99]

If you're planning on park hopping over to MK later, I would definitely book my fp's for the MK, not Epcot.

 

[tndisneyfan]

I would save the FP for MK that night. Just be sure to be at the front of the herd at Rope Drop. You may get lucky and get two rides in on TT.

 

[minnie mum]

I agree that you should probably use your FPs at MK, but be prepared for some pretty long lines at Epcot. We were there the same time last year and couldn't believe that SSE had a 45 min standby at noon ( on a recommended day). Having Soarin closed is just going to make the rest of the lines that much longer. Try to take advantage of single rider for TT if you can.

 

[jwolfpack]

If your must do list is short and you plan to be there ahead of rope drop to get in front the crowds, definitely save them for Magic Kingdom. With Soarin' down, "everyone" will be headed for Test Track first, so just make sure you get there early.

We had a similar plan one day on our last trip -- Epcot in the morning, MK in the afternoon. I had booked my FP's for Epcot because we wanted to get in and out of that park pretty quickly. We rope dropped Epcot, headed straight to Test Track, then walked over to Soarin' and pretty much onto anything else we wanted to ride. When we saw the Soarin' line was still pretty short (<15 min wait), we decided to switch our FP's over to MK.

 

[thornton0511]

Because, if you were going to park-hop to another park later that day, you could book 3 FP+ in advance for that other park, instead.

GAH you beat me to it Robo lol

 

[Good Morning Dewdrop]

I agree that you should probably use your FPs at MK, but be prepared for some pretty long lines at Epcot. We were there the same time last year and couldn't believe that SSE had a 45 min standby at noon ( on a recommended day). Having Soarin closed is just going to make the rest of the lines that much longer. Try to take advantage of single rider for TT if you can.

bolded is my thinking .....I wasn't going to book FP for Epcot for our trip in January.....then I started to think about the things with normally relatively short lines that were going to now be holding the folks who would normally be in Soarin' via standby, FP or on the ride itself. I would suggest using your FP at Epcot then picking up extra ones at MK that evening.

 

[bookgirl]

I rarely do mornings at Epcot. I like to hit AK early (since there are only two rides I really care about) or the EMH park of the day and do stand by then hit another park in the after noon and make my FP+ there. So that is often Epcot. This last trip I arrived around Noon so I made evening FP+ at Epcot so that I wasn't rushed my first day and could still go over to do a few things other places before getting to Epcot and getting to walk on few of my favorites (Soarin and Spaceship Earth).

 

[Joy70]

Thanks everyone! Some really good points to think about, especially that since Soarin is down, the other rides may be a lot busier than expected. I think I will see how many of my FP I want and am able to get at MK for the 2 days we have planned there, and if we need to use the 3 from our Epcot day or not. I also remembered that when we were there last time we had rain almost all day, which probably affected the crowd size.

Does anyone know what are the easier FP's to get at MK, If I use up my 3 at Epcot and try to get more for MK later that day? That may help me plan my strategy for which ones to get at 60 days and which ones I can wait on the day of.

 

[mesaboy2]

Thanks everyone! Some really good points to think about, especially that since Soarin is down, the other rides may be a lot busier than expected. I think I will see how many of my FP I want and am able to get at MK for the 2 days we have planned there, and if we need to use the 3 from our Epcot day or not. I also remembered that when we were there last time we had rain almost all day, which probably affected the crowd size.

Does anyone know what are the easier FP's to get at MK, If I use up my 3 at Epcot and try to get more for MK later that day? That may help me plan my strategy for which ones to get at 60 days and which ones I can wait on the day of.

Post #2 in the green link in my signature has a list of all FP attractions in each park. Generally speaking, the further down the list you go the easier FPs will be to get.