I find that FastPasses are the biggest source of frustration to first-time or infrequent park goers. Many people don’t know what FastPasses are, how to use them, or what to use them on. With this in mind, I’m going to write a guide to each U.S. park on when and where to use FastPasses.

In this post, we’ll run through the best strategy for FastPass+ at Walt Disney World’s Epcot. If you are completely unfamiliar with FastPass+ I would recommend starting with the Animal Kingdom post, which has a detailed description of how to use FastPass+.  To see our FastPass strategy for other parks, click here.

Are there differences in FastPass+ at Epcot than other parks?

Epcot uses the same tiered system as Hollywood Studios.  FastPasses at Epcot are divided into two different groups – Group A and Group B. Group A is supposedly the marquee attractions while Group B is slightly less thought of. When reserving FastPasses ahead of time, guests can select one attraction from Group A and two selections from Group B. If you are at Epcot and have completed your FastPasses then you can reserve a FastPass from either group at a kiosk, assuming they are available.

Here are the attractions in both groups:

Group A:

• Soarin’ Around the World
• Test Track
• Frozen Ever After
• Illuminations: Reflections of Earth
• Meet Disney Pals at the Epcot Character Spot

Group B:

• Journey Into Imagination With Figment
• Mission: SPACE
• The Seas With Nemo and Friends
• Spaceship Earth
• Turtle Talk With Crush
• Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival
• Living with the Land

Group A FastPass+ Strategy and Rankings

Let’s start with Group A.  Frozen Ever After, Test Track and Soarin’ are the marquee attractions at Epcot and it’s fairly tough to decide between where to use your FastPass+ here.  Soarin’ is fairly popular but likely has the shortest lines between the three.  Frozen Ever After is the newest ride of the bunch and is probably the most popular attraction in Epcot.  With that in mind, I’d use my FastPass+ there and make it for late morning if you have the option. I would then immediately go to Soarin’ and Test Track at park opening.  Personally, I like Soarin’ a little more than Test Track while I find the queue for Test Track more interesting.  That makes picking Soarin’ for my FastPass+ an easy choice if you don’t care about Frozen Ever After but I can certainly understand someone going the other way with it.  Test Track does also feature a single rider line that can cut down on wait times if you’re okay with splitting up with your party for the attraction.

I adore Illuminations: Reflections of Earth but it’s probably not worth a FastPass. We’ve actually had pretty good luck at snagging a FastPass for this show after using our initial three. If that’s available then go for it!  Along those same lines, we never recommend FastPasses for meet & greets. If that’s a big part of how you and your family enjoy the parks then look for this FastPass later in the day.

Here are my rankings for Group A:

5. Meet Disney Pals at the Epcot Character Spot – I never would recommend a meet & greet for a Tier 1 FastPass.

4. Illuminations: Reflections of Earth – The spot saved with this FastPass is really nice but still not worth using for this. Try to snag this FastPass after your initial three.

3. Test Track – These last 3 are both good choices, it just depends on which you like better.

2. Soarin’ – If Frozen isn’t your thing then this is probably the way to go.

1. Frozen Ever After – This attraction has long lines and not a very high ride capacity.  In other words, definitely FastPass it.

Group B FastPass+ Strategy and Rankings

To be perfectly honest, Epcot’s Group B is lacking.  The Pixar Short Film Festival is in a large theater and there’s hardly ever a wait.  Turtle Talk With Crush and Journey Into Imagination With Figment don’t often have long lines.  If something doesn’t have long lines then well… It’s not worth talking much about here.  Don’t use a FastPass on these.

Living with the Land is typically a short wait, as well.  Once in a while the queue can get backed up thanks to being in the same pavilion as Soarin’ and Sunshine Seasons.  It’s also the best attraction out of Group B so it’s not a bad use of the FastPass.

The Seas With Nemo and Friends is a tiny bit more popular but still not worth a FastPass, probably.  I guess if the top 2 attractions here don’t interest you much then use a group B FastPass here.

Those top 2 attractions are Spaceship Earth and Mission: SPACE.  We could argue if these attractions are actually quality attractions (I like Spaceship Earth) but they are definitely the most popular on the group B list.  Some people don’t go on Mission: SPACE because it makes them sick.  I’m one of those people.  While the tamer one doesn’t affect me or anyone else I’ve talked to, I can understand people being nervous about going on it.  Still, that doesn’t mean it’s not a good use of a FastPass.

Here are the rankings:

7. Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival – We’re not fans of this being in the park (most of it’s on Netflix) and there isn’t a wait for it.

6. Journey Into Imagination With Figment – Until we get the long-awaited refurbishment, this probably isn’t worth a FastPass.

5. Turtle Talk With Crush – When I’ve experienced this attraction, I’ve been able to just walk right in.

4. The Seas With Nemo and Friends – This has a pretty cool queue for a really lame, unpopular attraction.

3. Living with the Land – My favorite attraction in this grouping (and maybe in Epcot) but it’s not extremely popular. If one of the top two isn’t your thing then just get one here early so that you’ll be able to possibly pick up an extra Group A FastPass once your initial three are finished.

2. Spaceship Earth – A Disney classic although it’s showing age.  The lines are typically between 20-40 minutes so this is a pretty good use of a FastPass.

1. Mission: SPACE – Lines seem to really vary here but this is one of the most popular attractions at Epcot.

Do you have any questions about FastPass+ at Epcot?  Would you change the order of my rankings?  Let us know in the comments, along with any questions you might have.  Planning a trip to Walt Disney World? Check out our planning guide.  If you enjoy the blog, please subscribe via WordPress or email and like our social media pages.  You can find links to all of those on the right side of this page.  Thank you for reading!