Timing for Soarin and Garden Grill?

[tbre1982]

Hello!
I have managed to secure an 825 and 915 reservation for Garden Grill on a day Epcot opens at 9. We have our tier 1 FP for Frozen so are hoping to ride Soarin right at park opening.

Would our Soarin plan work better if we do the 825 pre park opening breakfast (and try to arrive early in hopes we get seated early)?

Or should we rope drop and head straight to Soarin the go to Garden Grill? I'm afraid we would be late for our reservation in this case.

Thanks for any input.

 

[Cynergy]

I would do the 825, you will get in at the same time as everyone else with a PPO ADR. Last year we had an 820 ADR but we're seated right when we arrived. we saw all 4 characters and were done eating by 850 or so. We walked onto the first Soarin ride of the day.

 

[brockash]

Hello!
I have managed to secure an 825 and 915 reservation for Garden Grill on a day Epcot opens at 9. We have our tier 1 FP for Frozen so are hoping to ride Soarin right at park opening.

Would our Soarin plan work better if we do the 825 pre park opening breakfast (and try to arrive early in hopes we get seated early)?

Or should we rope drop and head straight to Soarin the go to Garden Grill? I'm afraid we would be late for our reservation in this case.

Thanks for any input.

Keep the 825 ADR, show up at Epcot by 730, you'll be let in with all prepark area, go straight to Garden Grill and check in. Most likely you will be seated with 5 mins. of checking in, even though that will be well before your ARE time.

As soon as you sit down, ask for your check and tell your waiter you're trying to make rope drop.

Pay, eat, visit characters and leave around 840/845 and ride Soarin before everyone else.

With prepark ADRs, the times generally don't matter as long as you're before park opening ... it's more about when you check in.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Definitely agree with the two PPs. Excellent advice.

 

[tbre1982]

Thank u!! Sounds like 825 it is!!

 

[Tigger's ally]

With the opening of the third theater, I probably will no longer get a fastpass for Soaring on future trips. We had one for last thrusday evening at 6;00. Got there at 5:30 and the standby was 20 minutes. Rode it standby and it only took about ten minutes to get to transfer point. After riding standby we used our fastpasses and road it again. Third theater makes this ride perfect IMO.

 

[lisa cameron]

We have an 8:20 ADR for Garden Grill so plan on doing the above and heading to Soarin ASAP. We have a FP for Frozen at 1:05pm.
Question is about Test Track. We cannot do single rider because one of our kids is 5 years old. It will be Sunday of Presidents Day weekend. Will the line to TT already be an hour if we run over to it right after Soarin (assuming we get on Soarin right at 9am)? I know it is a little bit of a hike and then we will have to backtrack again to do Nemo, Land of the Living, Figment before heading to Frozen. Too much back and forth? Skip TT altogether?

 

[SaintsManiac]

We had an 8:10 ADR for GG and were seated at 8am. Definitely be at Epcot for 7:30am. The ADR line was pretty long the day we were there.

 

[lisa cameron]

We had an 8:10 ADR for GG and were seated at 8am. Definitely be at Epcot for 7:30am. The ADR line was pretty long the day we were there.

The ADR to the park or to Garden Grill?

 

[SaintsManiac]

The ADR to the park or to Garden Grill?

The park entrance

 

[lisa cameron]

Sounds like a morning for Uber! We have Pirates and Pals the night before so I cannot imagine the boys getting up much earlier than 7am. At least they are boys! Just throw on a T-shirt, brush the teeth and out the door in 3 minutes! Ha!

 

[CrazyHare]

Just know that at Epcot they will not let you in until closer to 8 am. When we were there in Aug, it was 7:50 before they let us past the security points. They said they were doing final checks. Everyone with ADRs made mad dashes to their areas when they finally let us in.

We bussed from Pop and had no problem getting there on time.

 

[wdw&sonny]

We have an 8:20 ADR for Garden Grill so plan on doing the above and heading to Soarin ASAP. We have a FP for Frozen at 1:05pm.
Question is about Test Track. We cannot do single rider because one of our kids is 5 years old. It will be Sunday of Presidents Day weekend. Will the line to TT already be an hour if we run over to it right after Soarin (assuming we get on Soarin right at 9am)? I know it is a little bit of a hike and then we will have to backtrack again to do Nemo, Land of the Living, Figment before heading to Frozen. Too much back and forth? Skip TT altogether?

I would skip TT. You will not enjoy breakfast or the rest of morning if you stress about the wait at TT. It could be 20 min. It could be 90 min. It could be down.
Get a FP for Spaceship Earth and Nemo.

Enjoy Garden Grill. Go to Soarin then The Land. Head over to Nemo and then Turtle Talk. Then Spaceship Earth. Go through the innoventions on way to Journey and Pixar movies. Have a snack then on to Frozen. After Frozen, check for TT FPs.

 

[lisa cameron]

Just know that at Epcot they will not let you in until closer to 8 am. When we were there in Aug, it was 7:50 before they let us past the security points. They said they were doing final checks. Everyone with ADRs made mad dashes to their areas when they finally let us in.

We bussed from Pop and had no problem getting there on time.

So maybe even getting there to the gate at 7:45 is ok? Otherwise will just be standing at the gate waiting anyway?

 

[lisa cameron]

I would skip TT. You will not enjoy breakfast or the rest of morning if you stress about the wait at TT. It could be 20 min. It could be 90 min. It could be down.
Get a FP for Spaceship Earth and Nemo.

Enjoy Garden Grill. Go to Soarin then The Land. Head over to Nemo and then Turtle Talk. Then Spaceship Earth. Go through the innoventions on way to Journey and Pixar movies. Have a snack then on to Frozen. After Frozen, check for TT FPs.

 

[lisa cameron]

Yeah, I have read TT is down often. But with it being Presidents Day holiday weekend, I doubt we will get a FP in the afternoon (not sticking around for evening) and I am sure lines will be long all day. But you are right, I would hate to run over there after breakfast and find that it is down.

 

[tiffne]

With prepark ADRs, the times generally don't matter as long as you're before park opening ... it's more about when you check in.

I have an 8:10 ADR at Garden Grill for 4 people but have been keeping an eye out for one for 6 in case my in-laws join us. There is one for 6 available at 8:40 and I didn't grab it thinking that would be way too late to eat and get to Soarin. But what you are saying is that typically as long as you are there by 8 you would get seated sooner than your ADR time? Trying to decide if I want to leave that up to chance. Hmm. I'll keep looking for an earlier time for now but I will keep this info in mind!

 

[CrazyHare]

So maybe even getting there to the gate at 7:45 is ok? Otherwise will just be standing at the gate waiting anyway?

The crowd waiting at the gates grew as we were waiting. And you want to be towards the front. It doesn’t really matter what time your PPO reservation is, they take you as you check in. So the further back you are, the later your seating time. We were a 8:25, but were the 3rd or 4th family seated.

 

[Janet McDonald]

I would skip TT. You will not enjoy breakfast or the rest of morning if you stress about the wait at TT. It could be 20 min. It could be 90 min. It could be down.
Get a FP for Spaceship Earth and Nemo.

Enjoy Garden Grill. Go to Soarin then The Land. Head over to Nemo and then Turtle Talk. Then Spaceship Earth. Go through the innoventions on way to Journey and Pixar movies. Have a snack then on to Frozen. After Frozen, check for TT FPs.

Totally agree with this. We had FP for frozen first. Did GG breakfast, no wait for Soarin, used our other fast passes as quickly as we could and then scored a Test Track fast pass. Just keep checking throughout the day and you will get a same day fast pass.

 

[Janet McDonald]

I have an 8:10 ADR at Garden Grill for 4 people but have been keeping an eye out for one for 6 in case my in-laws join us. There is one for 6 available at 8:40 and I didn't grab it thinking that would be way too late to eat and get to Soarin. But what you are saying is that typically as long as you are there by 8 you would get seated sooner than your ADR time? Trying to decide if I want to leave that up to chance. Hmm. I'll keep looking for an earlier time for now but I will keep this info in mind!

Yes. Our reservation was for 8:30 and we were seated right as we walked up at 8:00.