On an environment friendly morning at EPCOT, you may journey a number of E-Ticket sights in World Showcase or the entrance of the park, paving the best way for a laid again day with out Lightning Lanes. This Early Entry report enters by way of Worldwide Gateway and mainly addresses whether or not Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is price doing when coming from the again entrance.
This covers a busy day at EPCOT, when the park had a 9/10 crowd degree and the height wait time for Cosmic Rewind was 135 minutes. The park opened at 9 am to most of the people and Early Entry started at 8:30 am. That’s about par for the course proper now, even on dates with increased attendance forecasts. This has been true for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring Break, and so forth. Even when Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios transfer ahead their opening occasions (as occurred on this date), EPCOT doesn’t budge.
As famous above, this Early Entry report begins from Worldwide Gateway, as I used to be staying at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn. Skyliner and Crescent Lake Resorts arrive by way of this again entrance, which is superior to the entrance entrance for Remy’s Ratatouille Journey and Frozen Ever After, the headliners in World Showcase. Nonetheless, Cosmic Rewind is far nearer to the entrance entrance, so we puzzled if the identical could be true in reverse–that Worldwide Gateway friends could be at a significant drawback for doing Cosmic Rewind throughout Early Entry.
My morning started when my flight from California landed in Orlando. I’m a giant fan of redeye flights for his or her effectivity and comfort, as they permit me to hit the bottom operating, scale back my variety of resort nights, and drive my physique to regulate to the time change. Sarah thinks that I’m, in a phrase, “loopy” for this.
Anyway, simply wished to throw in my endorsement for redeye flights (and Sarah’s repudiation of them, for steadiness) since many Walt Disney World followers now discover themselves contemplating new approaches to air journey within the aftermath of Southwest’s controversial adjustments. When you like saving cash and are a loopy commando vacationer, redeye flights are for you! If you’re a so-called “sane particular person,” maybe not a lot.
After a surprisingly environment friendly Mears Join journey, dropping my bag off at BoardWalk, and one gigantic cup of espresso, I walked over to EPCOT. I arrived at Worldwide Gateway at roughly 7:35 am. That’s virtually a full hour earlier than Early Entry formally began, which you’ll or could not wish to issue into the entire wait time for Cosmic Rewind.
My impression was that the Worldwide Gateway turnstiles had simply opened throughout the final 5 minutes (in all probability proper at 7:30 am), as a result of there weren’t that many individuals in entrance of me.
From there, I proceeded up the hill in direction of the bridge and was greeted by two traces. That is the place Forged Members confirm Early Entry eligibility by scanning MagicBands, resort room keys, or no matter acceptable identification you might need if staying at one of many taking part third occasion accommodations. You get held again by the present store and might’t entry the remainder of the park with out scanning right here.
In a new-to-me transfer, there have been now two traces holding friends right here. It was the case that this checkpoint opened instantly together with the turnstiles, or maybe shortly thereafter, and eligible friends might proceed to the subsequent checkpoint. Now, this can be a holding level, with Forged Members pre-verifying Early Entry standing (that means they go up and down the road to scan MagicBands, room keys, and so forth.), however holding friends right here.
From what I might collect, how lengthy friends are held right here in all probability is dependent upon how far the road backs up. Which means that it can not get all the best way to the turnstiles, or else extra friends couldn’t enter the park. I might see Forged Members radioing backwards and forwards, and we had been lastly launched at 7:56 am. That’s a random time, which additional reinforces the idea that that is topic to vary based mostly on congestion.
Upon being launched from this holding level, friends can both head in direction of Canada or France.
The one attraction within the route of France is Remy’s Ratatouille Journey. When you’re doing Frozen Ever After first, you’ll must go in direction of Canada, as there’s one other maintain level earlier than the Morocco pavilion. That additionally opens at random, however the backside line is that in case you’re doing Frozen Ever After first, you shouldn’t even trouble with it–head in direction of Canada.
Additionally, you shouldn’t trouble with doing Frozen Ever After first except you wish to loop it. Getting there this early for one journey on Frozen Ever After is a waste. The one worthwhile beginning factors throughout Early Entry at EPCOT are Remy’s Ratatouille Journey or Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. When you’re prioritizing anything, you don’t should be within the park this early–you may present up round 8:45 am and be advantageous!
The larger new-to-me change, which additionally explains why friends had been being held earlier than the France bridge, is that there’s not a secondary checkpoint between the UK and Canada. That is big.
It implies that when you’re previous the preliminary holding space by the entrance of Worldwide Gateway, you may proceed all the best way to the entrance of the park. This didn’t was the case, which was why friends who wished to do Check Observe throughout Early Entry had been at a definite drawback if arriving by way of Worldwide Gateway.
I hadn’t examined Early Entry in a number of months previous to this, however I’m going to imagine the change coincided with Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind switching to standby and becoming a member of the Early Entry lineup.
The shortage of secondary holding factors inside World Showcase additionally means there’s an extended and vast path permitting friends to jockey for place with out “chopping” anybody round them. That is very clearly not a line, neither is it led by a Forged Member setting the tempo. It’s a free for all.
When you’re a quick walker, you may acquire some floor–to the purpose that it in all probability doesn’t matter that a lot whether or not you begin out on the entrance or again of this pack. Nonetheless, it’s additionally price declaring that over 75% of friends heading in direction of the previous Future World are going to be energy walkers. The underside line is that in case you’re gradual, it is best to follow Remy’s Ratatouille Journey. There’s nonetheless no “race” to that–it’s an orderly line.
Usually, once I take a look at Early Entry or rope drop technique, I throttle my tempo and cease for pictures with a purpose to simulate what a median visitor may expertise. I did no such factor on this explicit morning as a result of, once more, everybody else was energy strolling and since I don’t advocate this method to slower events. Since I’m excellent at strolling, I had made it to almost the entrance of the pack (even with a number of photograph stops) by the tip of this stretch.
At 8:03 am, I arrived on the Innoventions Breezeway.
It had been easy crusing up till this level, however right here’s the place issues get dicey. There was not a big crowd right here, however there have been in all probability ~100 folks. What was instantly clear is that even the primary friends coming from Worldwide Gateway are behind these from the entrance entrance. Not an enormous shock, as that’s a ton of floor to make up.
Equally vital was that, despite the fact that Forged Members had been doing their greatest to maintain this orderly, it was nonetheless a big and amorphous crowd they usually had been encouraging friends to fill in all obtainable house. Which means that Forged Members set outer boundaries for the sides of this holding pen, however inspired folks to pack the middle.
In observe, this meant that about half the individuals who arrived within the 5-10 minutes after me really ended up in entrance of me. I had strategically (or so I assumed) chosen a spot alongside the perimeter, however it didn’t make a lot of a distinction.
Visitors nonetheless continued to fill in all obtainable house, with many events clearly having despatched “runners” to avoid wasting spots and have the remainder of their occasion be part of them. There may’ve been ~100 folks in entrance of me when this began, however there have been simply 200+ earlier than all was stated and carried out. Maybe I must observe sharpening my elbows a bit higher.
Admittedly, this made for a little bit of a disturbing expertise. A part of that’s on me for being intense and missing chill. However a part of it’s inherent to the Early Entry mentality. Nobody is getting up on the first light and being on the park lengthy earlier than opening to see their aggressive benefit slip by their fingers.
It additionally didn’t assist that the gang was held on this breezeway till 8:27 am.
A lot of this might’ve been mitigated by merely preloading the overflow queue for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. By placing friends in an precise queue as a substitute of a blob-like holding pen, there could be much less chaos and extra order. And possibly that’ll occur over time–Cosmic Rewind’s standby line continues to be pretty new.
In any case, we began shifting at 8:27 am, with Forged Members slowly guiding the blob in direction of the road, taking a winding route in direction of Mission Area and into the bodily line. There was a bit extra jockeying for place by this, and I used to be at a slight benefit in being on the far proper aspect.
Listed below are a number of extra pictures of this course of:
Ultimately, I made it into the road for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind by 8:32 am.
The road was continuously shifting open air and for a lot of the indoor queue. It solely slowed in direction of the tip, which I’m going to imagine is a byproduct of the pre-shows filling up with the friends in entrance of me.
Nonetheless, I made it into the primary pre-show holding space (so not the precise first pre-show, however the clean room earlier than that) by 8:42 am. The a number of pre-shows are one of many the explanation why preloading the queue–and even beginning the pre-shows prior to eight:30 am may make sense.
In contrast to Rock ‘n’ Curler Coaster, there isn’t a bypassing any of those, which suggests each that the minimal time requirement for Cosmic Rewind is increased and that the curler coaster is working inefficiently very first thing within the morning. To the latter level, I noticed it dispatching empty journey automobiles on this explicit morning because of the gaps between the pre-shows.
All the aforementioned ‘jockeying’ for place usually wouldn’t matter.
Nonetheless, it does with Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. That’s partially because of the aforementioned pre-shows, as simply making or lacking a cut-off can save or value you an additional a number of minutes. It’s additionally due to the entire expertise period. Then there’s the fact that Cosmic Rewind is presently far and away the best precedence attraction on the entrance of the park, and that 95% of rope drop friends arriving by way of the entrance entrance are heading in direction of Cosmic Rewind.
Because of this far and away one of the best technique for Early Entry is solely doing Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind twice. However that is solely doable in case you’re close to the entrance of the pack and don’t get unfortunate with timing the pre-shows.
On this explicit morning, I used to be unfortunate.
Although I used to be off Cosmic Rewind with minutes to spare earlier than official rope drop, I however missed with the ability to loop the journey and re-enter the standby line earlier than the rope drop crowd by lower than one minute. Within the photograph above, you may see the entrance of the rope drop crowd simply beating me into the standby line as I exited Cosmic Rewind.
I in all probability might’ve looped into this crowd, however I’m unsure how well-received that will’ve been with rope drop friends. Whether or not that’s chopping or just merging is a gray space, one in all Walt Disney World’s nice moral dilemmas–a query for smarter folks than me. Regardless, I didn’t have the temerity to check it.
One other different, which is what I ended up doing as soon as Cosmic Rewind was taken off the desk, was heading to World Showcase for Frozen Ever After.
On morning, I’d’ve been ready to do that attraction with little or no wait (<quarter-hour). This wasn’t morning. Not solely was it a 9/10 crowd degree day, however Remy’s Ratatouille Journey had damaged down throughout Early Entry, so everybody who in any other case would’ve prioritized the Rat Trip was heading in direction of Norway.
After I arrived at Frozen Ever After, the prolonged queue was already in use and the posted wait time was 40 minutes. Extremely skeptical that the wait was solely 40 minutes–particularly with extra friends arriving and beginning to use Lightning Lanes–I balked at this. That was my first bit of excellent luck, as Frozen Ever After went down throughout the subsequent 10 minutes.
As a substitute, I raced over to the Land and did Soarin’ Across the World as a close to walk-on.
By the point I used to be carried out with that, it had a 60 minute posted wait time. Even with this being a busy day, I strongly suspect that was an outlier. Each Remy’s Ratatouille Journey and Frozen Ever After had damaged down, whereas Cosmic Rewind was already posting a triple-digit wait. After all the crowds could be diverted to Soarin’ at that time.
Within the coming months, this technique will change once more as soon as Check Observe 3.0 debuts. My hope is that this results in a state of affairs the place positioning for Cosmic Rewind issues much less (it’ll nonetheless be the clear #1 precedence) as a result of one of the best play will turn out to be Cosmic Rewind -> Check Observe -> Frozen Ever After. That might be an excellent run. For now, although, that isn’t doable.
The underside line is that I waited both ~10 minutes or ~60 minutes for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, relying upon whether or not you begin the clock once I entered EPCOT or from the time Early Entry began. Both of these occasions could be effectively below-average for a 9/10 crowd degree day, when Cosmic Rewind seldom dropped beneath triple-digit wait occasions. So if the query is solely whether or not it’s doable to beat the gang and save time at Cosmic Rewind from Worldwide Gateway, the reply is a particular sure.
Nonetheless, it’s equally worthwhile to contemplate the chance value and the time that I might’ve saved with another method. One which didn’t require power-walking from the again of the park to the entrance, sharp elbows, or the opposite stresses of beginning at Cosmic Rewind from Worldwide Gateway.
On condition that it’s extremely inconceivable that friends arriving from Worldwide Gateway will be capable of constantly double-up on Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind (it will likely be doable now and again, particularly in low to average crowds), I query whether or not that is one of the best use of Early Entry. Or quite, I did query that on this explicit day. This was the primary of 4 straight days of Early Entry testing at EPCOT, so I already know the reply: it’s not.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Have you ever carried out Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind by way of Early Entry or all through the day now that it’s switched to standby? Ideas on Early Entry at EPCOT? Have you ever skilled this on-site resort perk? What’s your most well-liked method to mornings at EPCOT–beginning in World Showcase or the entrance of the park? How would you’ve carried out issues otherwise? Another suggestions on arriving early to the Walt Disney World theme parks? Agree or disagree with our recommendation or method? Any questions we may also help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even whenever you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas beneath within the feedback!
