Early Entry at EPCOT is a perk for on-site resort lodge visitors at Walt Disney World, which gives a minimum of a 30-minute head begin on the official park opening or rope drop crowds. This gives step-by-step technique for undertaking as many rides as doable with minimal waits in the course of the morning hours when arriving through the entrance entrance of the park.
We’ve executed Early Theme Park Entry at EPCOT many occasions…however often from the International Gateway entrance. That’s as a result of we desire staying on the Crescent Lake Resorts inside strolling distance of World Showcase or the Skyliner Resorts that present gondola entry.
In reality, we routinely do (and suggest!) cut up stays at Walt Disney World resorts, selecting a type of motels on your EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios days, and elsewhere on your park days in Magic Kingdom or Animal Kingdom. Bus transportation is simply as environment friendly for the 2 ‘kingdoms,’ so it doesn’t actually matter the place for the opposite half of your trip. (We just like the Magic Kingdom space in case your price range permits.)
To that time, for those who’re planning on staying at one of many aforementioned Crescent Lake or Skyliner resorts on your park days in EPCOT, this publish shouldn’t be for you. Instead, seek the advice of our Skyliner Strategy for Early Entry at EPCOT & Hollywood Studios and EPCOT Early Entry through International Gateway Itinerary. None of the suggestions for 2023 are materially totally different from what’s coated there, so we received’t be sharing new studies on these approaches till after Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind drops its digital queue.
One factor many readers have requested is whether or not they need to exit of their strategy to arrive through International Gateway even when not staying at a type of resorts. It’s true that being nearer to Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure is advantageous, and the strolling distance disparity is insurmountable for these arriving from the entrance entrance of EPCOT.
Despite this, our reply is not any. It’s not value the additional effort to reach through International Gateway. From the entrance entrance, you’ve gotten a bonus for each Test Track and Frozen Ever After, and the trio of headliners has wait occasions which can be often inside 5-Quarter-hour of each other.
We’ve been capable of save about as a lot complete time when arriving through the entrance entrance as through International Gateway. The latter often does provide a slight benefit, however not an insurmountable one. So lengthy as you regulate your technique accordingly, both entrance works simply tremendous.
The subsequent factor you must know is that Park Hours at EPCOT are not as favorable for Early Entry as they had been final 12 months round this similar time. Currently, EPCOT opens to most of the people at 9 am, as in comparison with 8 am or 8:30 am for a lot of final 12 months.
This signifies that Early Entry presently begins at 8:30 am at EPCOT. That’s been true even for weekends, peak season dates, and holidays. Even on days when the gang stage has been 10/10, EPCOT has opened at 9 am to most of the people and at 8:30 am for the Early Entry arrivals.
As we’ve mentioned elsewhere, Early Entry is much less advantageous when it begins later. In a nutshell, there are a ton of individuals partaking within the 8:30 am Early Entry as a result of it’s comparatively straightforward to be out of the lodge room and to EPCOT by that point. It’s a distinct story completely when transferring that ahead by an hour–particularly for the households with young children.
Anyway, thought all of that was value addressing up entrance because it was a sizzling matter within the feedback. All of that is going to vary once more when Walt Disney World retires the digital queue for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. Then, it’ll be Crescent Lake visitors questioning whether or not they need to Uber to the entrance entrance. (Same reply applies: No.)
This specific morning, I left my room at All Star Sports at 7:25 am and made it to the bus cease by round 7:30 am, with the primary bus arriving a couple of minutes later.
From there, it was off to EPCOT.
Bag test and the tapstiles had been each already open after I arrived at them. After getting dropped off and making it by safety (together with a secondary screening as a consequence of my digicam bag), I made it to EPCOT’s entrance entrance at 7:58 am.
Still about half-hour to go earlier than Early Entry formally began.
On the far proper facet of the entrance entrance plaza at EPCOT, there’s a row of Cast Members scanning MagicBands, resort room keys, or no matter acceptable identification you may need if staying at one of many taking part third social gathering motels.
The remainder of this courtyard is open to all visitors, proper as much as the central fountain with the prismatic pylon fountain. This is the place off-site visitors are held till official park opening, and it’s roped off up right here (therefore the time period “rope drop”) till the clock strikes 9 am.
Here’s a have a look at the rope drop crowd already forming as of ~8 am.
I perceive that not everybody needs to be up on the daybreak on trip, however those that do ought to actually keep on website. I’m a robust believer that point is cash at Walt Disney World. These folks have basically arrived a minimum of an hour forward of once they’ll have the ability to do something, and can be ‘forced’ to observe Early Entry visitors (together with many who arrived after they did) bypass them. By the time rope drop rolls round, a lot of the headliners at EPCOT will have already got lengthy waits.
I additionally perceive that staying on-site shouldn’t be cheap or for everybody. However, as famous above, I stayed at All Star Sports for this journey. The nightly fee was solely barely dearer than Flamingo Crossing or different close by motels, and that’s earlier than factoring in the price of transportation or parking (which was “free” for me) or on-site perks.
In different phrases, for those who’re an early-riser who would in any other case be rope dropping the parks, you need to actually attempt to crunch the numbers and see if there’s a strategy to make staying on-site give you the results you want.
From the entrance entrance, there are a number of locations the place visitors are held previous to continuing to the primary attraction of the day.
Checkpoints are close to Club Cool, Creations Shop, and Moana’s Journey of Water. Respectively, these are the best beginning factors for Test Track, Frozen Ever After, and Soarin’ Around the World. The latter two are roughly equal for these making the lengthy haul to Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, however once more, you shouldn’t do this.
After making a fast lap to scope issues out and seize some images, I headed again over to Club Cool.
I’ve tried a number of methods from the entrance entrance of EPCOT for Early Entry, and located that beginning with Test Track is the optimum strategy. That is, assuming you need to expertise Test Track, received’t buy Genie+ or Individual Lightning Lanes, will keep in EPCOT for the rest of the day, and don’t have a low Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind boarding group.
To that final level, I’ve really been burned by the Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind digital queue previously, so I opted towards even attempting for it at 7 am.
Instead, I did the 1 pm entry time and simply secured a spot. It was nonetheless an earlier callback time than I might’ve preferred, however I wasn’t keen to attend longer to aim becoming a member of since this was the height of spring break season at Walt Disney World. (On regular days, I’ve discovered that becoming a member of the digital queue shortly earlier than 2 pm Park Hopping begins is about supreme for me. I might not suggest that gamble to a first-timer or rare customer who has by no means executed Cosmic Rewind.)
Anyway, I arrived on the Club Cool holding space at round 8:20 am. Had I gone right here straight, I might have arrived at 8:10 am or so, which might’ve saved me time in line for Test Track.
Early Entry began about 5 minutes later, and I’d estimate that 60% of visitors headed for Test Track. Roughly 20% headed for Mission Space and 20% headed for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. Frankly, I used to be shocked that the quantity heading to Test Track was so low, and I’d attribute this a minimum of partly to it being a peak vacationer season, which often brings with it much less skilled Walt Disney World guests.
Don’t get me unsuitable, I’m glad 40% of visitors had different plans, however they’re objectively unhealthy ones. Mission Space wouldn’t have an extended wait time later and even for those who’re within the very first boarding group for Cosmic Rewind, you’ve gotten a minimum of an hour to return. Spend that point doing rides through standby whereas wait occasions are low!
Once the road shaped for Test Track, about one other dozen or so visitors referred to as audibles and headed elsewhere. This can be objectively unhealthy technique. For one factor, this line shouldn’t be unhealthy in any respect. It simply appears to be like that means as a result of the attraction entrance had not but opened and not one of the inside queue was full. Unless there’s a trip breakdown (which does occur usually with Test Track), you need to stick together with your preliminary determination irrespective of how “bad” the road appears to be like. It can be worse later.
Once the road after began filling within the switchbacks and moved contained in the constructing, it was clean crusing and nearly always transferring.
My complete expertise time (forgot to time after I bought into the SIM Car Design Center or onto the trip) was simply over 20 minutes. For Test Track, that’s actually good. I’d’ve been capable of shave 5 minutes off that point had I been on the entrance of the pack, however not rather more than that.
Norway for Frozen Ever After was subsequent on the agenda, and I arrived there at 8:57 am. I used to be fairly happy with this, because it nonetheless put me forward of the rope drop crowd coming from the entrance entrance of EPCOT by about 10 minutes.
However, given the “trajectory” of the gang, I used to be behind lots of people who arrived from International Gateway and had completed up Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure. There’s a particular benefit to ranging from there, however not an insurmountable one. This line nonetheless moved rapidly and never the entire switchbacks inside had been in use.
It additionally helped tremendously that the Lightning Lane was solely a gradual trickle of visitors at this hour, that means standby was rather more environment friendly. Had I arrived 10-Quarter-hour later, I think the story would’ve been very totally different.
Frozen Ever After took about half-hour from the time I entered the outside queue till I exited the attraction again into the identical courtyard. That was really considerably much less time than the 45 minute posted wait time.
Even although it was solely 9:30 am at this level, I used to be basically at a crossroads.
One possibility would’ve been returning to the entrance of the park, doing Soarin’ Around the World, Living with the Land, Spaceship Earth, Journey into Imagination, Mission Space, and many others.
There’s going to be a robust temptation to go this route, as there are such a lot of sights on the entrance of the park and lots of nonetheless have comparatively low wait occasions at this hour. However, that’ll even be true later within the afternoon and wait occasions are rapidly rising at this a.m. hour. (To that time, I did stroll up and take a look at the Soarin’ line–it was too lengthy for my liking!)
The different different can be to stay with World Showcase, both racing to Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure or having fun with the environment, sights, and character meet & greets with shorter strains.
The overwhelming majority of individuals will probably choose the primary possibility, however we’d suggest selecting the second. As coated in our Ride Guide for Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, there may be often a mid-morning lull for the Rat Ride as Early Entry and twine drop demand subsides. Late arrivers balk on the larger wait time, not eager to be caught in line at lunch. That is when to pounce–or later within the night because the crowds begin to subside. Not proper after the most important wave of the morning crowd.
There’s nothing unsuitable with slowing down and having fun with World Showcase. It might really feel unproductive, however for those who can knock out the Royal Sommerhus Anna & Elsa Meet & Greet and different lower-profile sights whereas additionally experiencing World Showcase earlier than the crowds arrive in full drive, that’s a giant win. The entrance of the park can wait till later within the day when strains begin to subside. In reality, that is the very technique we advocate in our commonplace 1-Day EPCOT Itinerary.
As mentioned in our different posts about Early Entry at EPCOT, this strategy compares very favorably to purchasing the Genie+ service. With paid FastPass, you may often rating Lightning Lanes for two of the three headliners–similar to you may with Early Entry.
That has been our constant expertise in utilizing Genie+ since Frozen Ever After and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure had been added. However, you’re nearly actually going to be topic to the 120 minute rule for a minimum of the second choice, that means your third trip reservation received’t come till round 1 pm or later except you get extremely fortunate. By then, all three are often gone.
Moreover, you may’t select your Lightning Lane return occasions, in order that they is likely to be inopportune or require a whole lot of backtracking. That is not the case with this Early Entry plan, as going from Test Track to Frozen Ever After to the remainder of World Showcase earlier than doubling again to the entrance of the park is a standard about of backtracking for EPCOT.
While Early Entry requires being out the door on the daybreak and means hustling across the park to start out your day, you’d additionally must get up to have a shot at the entire headliners through Genie+ at EPCOT. After that, you’d should be in your cellphone and doubtlessly refreshing all through the day. You would additionally must pay additional for Genie+ at EPCOT, which may imply spending one other $25 or so per particular person in your social gathering (it was $29 plus tax on this specific day).
This is why Early Entry is superior to Genie+ at EPCOT for anybody who’s staying on-site. It’s much less anxious, extra environment friendly, inexpensive, and simply typically extra pleasing.
To that final level, there’s additionally a sure sense of serenity being at EPCOT because the park is waking as much as begin the day. I’ve talked about this beforehand, nevertheless it’s actually value reiterating. Seeing the solar reflecting off the panels of Spaceship Earth or glistening on the crisp and clear floor. Watching horticulturists water vegetation, experiencing people-less World Showcase pavilions glow within the morning gentle. (Just have a look at the images right here–a small fraction of the 300+ I took this morning at EPCOT!)
Hearing the background music and savoring the small print. When it involves environment or “user experience,” Early Entry completely trounces Genie+ at EPCOT. One entails having fun with the crisp ambiance of a pristine park…the opposite includes burying your face in your cellphone, attempting to navigate a counter-intuitive app. It’s no contest.
Ultimately, we extremely suggest making the most of Early Theme Park Entry at EPCOT. Even if every part doesn’t go completely and it’s important to wait a bit longer than what’s mirrored right here or if Test Track or a distinct trip is damaged down, Early Entry remains to be far and away the superior choice to paying for Genie+ and Lightning Lane entry.
Genie+ is considerably improved at EPCOT now that Frozen Ever After and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure have been added to the lineup, which may make EPCOT an intriguing possibility for “stacking” Lightning Lanes for a day arrival. Accordingly, we now suggest Genie+ at EPCOT to off-site visitors or those that received’t arrive very first thing within the morning. However, anybody who’s staying on-site ought to as a substitute reap the benefits of Early Entry. It’s the way in which to go.
Planning a Walt Disney World journey? Learn about motels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews web page. For the place to eat, learn our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To lower your expenses on tickets or decide which sort to purchase, learn our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets publish. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips publish takes a singular have a look at intelligent gadgets to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will assist. For complete recommendation, the most effective place to start out is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for every part you must know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Thoughts on Early Theme Park Entry at EPCOT? Have you skilled this 30 minute jumpstart to the day? Prefer ranging from International Gateway or the entrance entrance of EPCOT? Do you agree that Early Entry at EPCOT is superior to Genie+ and Lightning Lanes? What’s your most well-liked strategy to mornings at EPCOT? How would you’ve gotten executed issues in a different way? Any different suggestions on arriving early to the Walt Disney World theme parks? Agree or disagree with our recommendation or strategy? Any questions we might help you reply? Hearing your suggestions–even while you disagree with us–is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!