Hey there guys and girls, thanks so much for dropping by SoCal Style to check in on the Disney Vacation Planning Series! If you haven’t joined in before this is part 9. I went to
Last week I rambled on about FastPass+. What it is, how it came to be, and some basic strategies. I also assigned some homework, which I hope you did. Now that you know when you’re going, where you’re staying, and how much you’re looking to spend; it’s time to get down to the nitty gritty and look at park details. Last week I asked you to complete the FREE PRINTABLE and fill in your dates, the EMH (Extra Magic Hours), your general rope drop ability, and decide which parks on which days. This week I’m going to help you start filling in some more details as we talk All About EPCOT FP+
2-Tiers
Epcot has 2 tiers from which you can select FastPasses; Group A and B. You are allowed to book 1 FP+ from group A and 2 from group B. You cannot book another Group A attraction, until you have used your first 3 FP+ (so essentially until you use 2 group B FP+).
Group A (Pick 1)
Frozen Forever After
IllumiNations
Soarin
Test Track
Group B (Pick 2)
Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival
Journey into Imagination with Figment
Living with the Land
Epcot Character Spot
Mission Space
The Seas with Nemo & Friends
Spaceship Earth
Turtle Talk with Crush
Prioritize
You probably noticed that everything you want to ride is in Group A, right? It’s almost like they planned it that way!! So how in the world do you choose? I’m going to throw IllumiNations off the list right away for a few reasons. Mainly because the show is at night and the viewing area is huge. The FP+ will get you preferred viewing, but honestly you can see it from just about anywhere in world showcase. The best way to catch the show is to grab dinner and stake out a spot, by that time of night you’ll be ready for a break anyway. The rest of this decision making process is going to rely heavily on what your schedule is. Can you get up for rope drop, do you prefer to stay up late at night, are you going to EMH or avoiding them?
Frozen Forever After
If you want to go on Frozen or someone in your group wants to go on Frozen, get this FP+. This is still a relatively new ride for the park and the wait can exceed 4 hours at it’s worst. Even trying to sneak in at rope drop or during EMh is difficult, because it’s so popular. Now if you can avoid this ride I recommend doing so 100%. Personally I can’t stand the movie and I don’t think the ride is all that impressive. (My niece however is obsessed, so we did ride it. Twice…)
Test Track or Soarin’?
It really doesn’t matter. The lines for both rides are in-doors and they both get really long. All things being equal, either one will benefit you. If you can get your party up in time for rope drop though, then it’s going to depend on which hotel you chose. I know that sounds arbitrary, but stay with me.
Epcot is the only park that has 2 public entrances. The main entrance is where most guests enter, BUT if you are staying at one of the Epcot Area Resorts then you can go in through the backdoor – the international gateway. The main entrance is going to put you closest to Test Track, in which case you should hit that first and FP+ Soarin’. The International Gateway will put you closer to Soarin’ so hit that first and FP+ Test Track.
If you are doing the late night EMH, use your FP+ for Test Track and do Soarin’ after hours. Test Track is a thrill ride and the young adults and teenagers that flood EMH will be looking to ride this over and over again. Soarin; on the other hand, while still amazing, is not quite the adrenaline surge and the line tends to go down after the official park close.
If you fall somewhere in between, then it really depends on your group. The queue for Test Track has some interactive elements, but not until almost the end of the line. There are also some neat automotive displays in the main part of the line, but if you’re not much into cars than it’s not much more interesting.
Group B
Picking from Group B will largely be a personal preference but there are a few factors to point out that could influence your choice.
Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival
This is literally a showing of the Pixar shorts that play before movies in the theater. You could easily find these same clips on YouTube, so don’t waste your FastPass+ on this unless you are an extremely loyal Pixar fan.
Journey into Imagination with Figment
Figment is the alternative Epcot icon and he’s a classic ride character. He has a dedicated cult following and if you are among them, this is a great choice for you. The ride is okay, but I would rather take the line as there is a call out to Robin Williams in the queue and I miss him.
Living with the Land
Don’t laugh but, this is one of my favorite rides in Epcot. It starts as a dark ride teaching you about agriculture and humanity, but then it opens up and takes you through the living, working greenhouse that supplied the Garden Grill’s produce. It’s really fascinating to see, but there’s never a line.
Epcot Character Spot
If you want to do character photos and/or autographs this is the way to do it. There are 3-6 characters lined up in their own little cubicles and you just visit each one. The line for this averages about 45 minutes, so the FP+ is well used. Then you can move on to rides, shows, and snacks. Who doesn’t love snacks?
Mission Space
It’s actually surprising that this isn’t in Group A, because it’s pretty popular too. If you get motion sickness at all then don’t get this FP+, instead wait in the line for the Green team. Then you can watch the video and not be hurled around in circles until you well…hurl.
The Seas with Nemo & Friends
Again, I’ve never seen much of a line here. If you’re going at peak season everything will have a line, so you’ll need a FP+ then. Otherwise there’s not really any need.
Spaceship Earth
It amazes me how long the line for this ride gets. It’s not really an attraction I get that excited about, but it’s a classic and so it is innately popular. If you want to ride this one, you will want to use the FP+.
Turtle Talk with Crush
Crush does 15 minute shows all day long in a fairly large auditorium. It makes for a nice break actually, but no Fastpass required.
Let me know in the comments which FP+ you are planning to book.
