FastPass+ experience group tiers changing for Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios

[JohnD]

I kinda doubt it. ToT has a height requirement, so some families won't ride it if not everyone can get on. Star Tours might be a bit more difficult the day of but if I could still get RnRC and/or TSMM just a few days out, I c


This, plus, TSMM is the only ride on the Tier 1 list that just about anyone can ride (height wise). Putting TGMR in that list adds one more non-show option for those with smaller children.

If you can ride TSMM at park opening, the wait won't be very long (relatively speaking). On SW Weekend, I had a character breakfast at 9:30. I got in line between 8:15 and 8:30 and was out by about 9:15. Any later in the day, the wait will just get longer. So, I would recommend doing standby for TSMM at park opening and saving your Tier 1 FP for GMR or something else.

 

[cw1982]

If you can ride TSMM at park opening, the wait won't be very long (relatively speaking). On SW Weekend, I had a character breakfast at 9:30. I got in line between 8:15 and 8:30 and was out by about 9:15. Any later in the day, the wait will just get longer. So, I would recommend doing standby for TSMM at park opening and saving your Tier 1 FP for GMR or something else.

We never got to any of the parks at opening... we were doing good to be there by 11 haha!

We actually waited 20 minutes for TSMM during evening EMH. We did it right before the park closed, at 11:30, and we were heading towards the buses by midnight. Personally, I was glad we didn't use a FP for it, because there are other things we enjoyed more. Used our FP for RnRC instead. We actually got to ride that one three times this trip, which was awesome, because it's one of our favorites

 

[docdebbi]

i'm sorry guys, i'm still rolling on the floor laughing about living with the land being tier 1. you know if i had to choose between doing soarin' or the land............tough call, huh?

 

[cw1982]

i'm sorry guys, i'm still rolling on the floor laughing about living with the land being tier 1. you know if i had to choose between doing soarin' or the land............tough call, huh?

My guess is that people weren't using FP for Maelstrom, so Disney needed to give guests another option in tier one. TT and Soarin' are both usually unavailable by lunch time for those who wait until the day of or for those looking to add an extra FP. Since Maelstrom wasn't relieving any of the strain on those rides, maybe they're just experimenting to see how they can alleviate some of that.

Also, quite possibly, people were doing like was mentioned before and doing both Soarin' and LWTL on fastpasses, causing LWTL to get backlogged with fastpasses (although when we rode, it wasn't more than a ten minute wait, and we rode it standby right after our Soarin FP).

I have no hard answers here, but those are my theories.

 

[Dwarful]

Still crazy. We returned on Sunday and LWTT varied during our visits to Epcot between 5 mins and 25 mins. depending on the day and time. I suspect the 25 min. wait was due to FPs. I am glad to see Maelstrom go down to Tier 2. We left FW and went straight to Maelstrom at 11 AM and had a short wait but by the time we got off the ride it was a 30 min. wait.

 

[Dwarful]

Well, Maelstrom wouldn't help with lines and crowds until at least 11 AM since WS opens later than FW.

 

[cw1982]

Well, Maelstrom wouldn't help with lines and crowds until at least 11 AM since WS opens later than FW.

That's another good point! It does make more sense to have all of the tier ones be things that are available all day (other than Illuminations, of course).

 

[CJR]

My guess is that people weren't using FP for Maelstrom, so Disney needed to give guests another option in tier one. TT and Soarin' are both usually unavailable by lunch time for those who wait until the day of or for those looking to add an extra FP. Since Maelstrom wasn't relieving any of the strain on those rides, maybe they're just experimenting to see how they can alleviate some of that.

Also, quite possibly, people were doing like was mentioned before and doing both Soarin' and LWTL on fastpasses, causing LWTL to get backlogged with fastpasses (although when we rode, it wasn't more than a ten minute wait, and we rode it standby right after our Soarin FP).

I have no hard answers here, but those are my theories.

LWTL has had no wait for the longest time. If people were picking it, it was still a walk on regardless. It will definitely be a walk on now. I'm glad it will be easier to get one for Maelstrom though.

 

[doctornick]

Really happy about the shift of Maelstrom to Tier 2. Now, there is at least a reasonable option for 3 pre-selected picks for Epcot: TT or Soarin' + Maelstrom + M:S. I know a lot of people don't like or can't do M:S, but it can get a decent line. I was always bummed to see Maelstrom in tier 1 since I really enjoy the ride and it builds some decent wait times and is a better option than any of the other tier 2 choices. Now, it doesn't have to be ignored to take TT or Soarin'.

 

[Gomer]

i'm sorry guys, i'm still rolling on the floor laughing about living with the land being tier 1. you know if i had to choose between doing soarin' or the land............tough call, huh?

If I had to choose one, I think I’d actually go with LwtL. I know I’m weird and all, but is no one else with me on love of that ride?

 

[JohnD]

If I had to choose one, I think I’d actually go with LwtL. I know I’m weird and all, but is no one else with me on love of that ride?

I like it a lot. It just wouldn't be my first choice in Tier 1. Perhaps if I were visiting Epcot over two or more days, but not on the first or only day.

 

[PRNCSAurora]

We already made our FP choices for August and because of GMR move we have 2 tier 1. Do you think we will be grandfathered in or will have to change?

 

[docdebbi]

If I had to choose one, I think I’d actually go with LwtL. I know I’m weird and all, but is no one else with me on love of that ride?

there is no comparison in the length of the line for these.
none.
i like land too, just not comparable to soarin

 

[JohnD]

We already made our FP choices for August and because of GMR move we have 2 tier 1. Do you think we will be grandfathered in or will have to change?

You will be grandfathered in. You won't get booted. They're locked in, unless you make changes.

 

[Gomer]

I like it a lot. It just wouldn't be my first choice in Tier 1. Perhaps if I were visiting Epcot over two or more days, but not on the first or only day.

Yeah, I doubt and hope I will never use a Tier 1 FP+ for LwtL. I’m going to bank on lines being short enough to ride without one early and late in the day. But If someone told me I could only ride one of Soarin or LwtL during my trip…I think I’d chose LwtL. Soarin is great but its short. LwtL is one of the last rides that feels like old Epcot to me.

But to the topic, I hope that no one thinks its worth a Tier 1 FP. It will mean shorter lines.

 

[JohnD]

Yeah, I doubt and hope I will never use a Tier 1 FP+ for LwtL. I’m going to bank on lines being short enough to ride without one early and late in the day. But If someone told me I could only ride one of Soarin or LwtL during my trip…I think I’d chose LwtL. Soarin is great but its short. LwtL is one of the last rides that feels like old Epcot to me.

But to the topic, I hope that no one thinks its worth a Tier 1 FP. It will mean shorter lines.

Hey. Understand completely. Imagination and Energy have already lost their luster for me for that very reason. Imagination without Dreamfinder and Energy with Ellen DeGeneres dreaming she's on Jeopardy. Yeah, those are big draws (sarcasm).

 

[Gomer]

there is no comparison in the length of the line for these.
none.
i like land too, just not comparable to soarin

Ride quality and queue length are two different things. Like I said, under current rules I would never chose a FP+ for LwtL over Soarin, but I was responding to you comment on…”if you had to choose to ride just one”.

Just trying to get some love for LwtL is all.

 

[Tom Morrow]

No one is actually going to select Living with the Land right?

Everyone who makes their choices late enough to where Soarin', Test Track, and Illuminations are booked (which is often before noon) will literally be forced to select Living With the Land as one of their choices, at least until Disney gives the option to not be forced to pick three initial Fastpasses.

 

[Weather_Lady]

You can easily do both but have to hit rope drop still.

That's the ticket! We went to DHS with mid-morning FP+ for TSMM and Star Tours. On a day with a 9am opening and a "moderate" crowd level), we were able to arrive at rope drop and do Rock 'n Rollercoaster, Tower of Terror, Great Movie Ride, Toy Story (w/FP+), the "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" playground, Muppets 3D, Star Tours (w/FP+) and The Little Mermaid -- all before noon. Had we wanted, we could have re-ridden RnR and TOT multiple times in the first 90 minutes with short waits. As much as I dislike FP+ (and especially the "tiered" aspect at HS and Epcot), having a pre-arranged FP+ for one of the headliners allowed us to make better use of post rope-drop time to hit the rest of the "biggies," without any unnecessary running around.

However, unless one is only interested in one of the "Tier 1" attractions and has it pre-reserved through FP+, FP+ won't, as many had hoped, make things any easier for those who want to sleep in and arrive "late."

 

[Weather_Lady]

i'm sorry guys, i'm still rolling on the floor laughing about living with the land being tier 1. you know if i had to choose between doing soarin' or the land............tough call, huh?

As we entered Living With the Land on our WDW visit a month ago, a young couple walked up to the FP+ queue and proudly scanned their MagicBands to claim their priority access -- only to end up in the same boat (literally) as the entire standby queue (consisting of my party of 6), which "walked on" from the adjacent line. As their look of triumph and excitement turned first to confusion and then to dismay, I didn't know whether to laugh or feel sorry for them.