Epcot FastPass Guide & Tips

FastPass at Disney World has been retired and has been replaced by Disney Genie+. Click here to get my guide to Genie+ and your free printable cheat sheet!

Do you want to know the best way to use FastPass at Epcot? You’ve come to the right place!

This Epcot FastPass 2020 guide will help you see and do everything you want without wasting those magical minutes waiting in line.

Read on for everything you need to know to master FastPass at Disney World’s Epcot. 

FastPass Basics

Fastpass (aka Fast Pass or FastPass+) is Disney World’s ride reservation system that allows you to reserve access to certain rides, shows, and character meet-and-greets in advance. With a FastPass you’ll usually wait less than 10 minutes in line. 

Fastpass is available during regular park hours at Epcot. Just like at the other Disney World parks, you can select up to three Epcot Fastpasses per day in advance. 

You can make your Fast Pass reservations 60 days before your trip if you’re staying at a Disney World Resort hotel (and select other resorts on Disney property), or 30 days in advance if you’re staying elsewhere. 

For more basic information on how the Fastpass system works and a FastPass planning cheat sheet, check out the Budget Mouse’s ultimate guide to Disney FastPass 2020 here! 

Epcot FastPass Attractions

Whether your family is prioritizing thrills, shows, or all things Frozen, this guide will give you the know-how you need to see the best of Epcot with minimal wait time. 

First, there are 11 attractions (rides and shows) that offer FastPass at Epcot. They are:

Tier One:

• Epcot Forever
• Frozen Ever After
• Soarin’ Around the World
• Test Track

Tier Two:

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

I’ll explain how the “tiers” work later in this post. There are also many attractions at Epcot that don’t offer FastPass+.

Epcot Attractions That Don’t Offer FastPass:

• The American Adventure
• Meet Anna & Elsa at the Royal Summerhaus
• Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along (opening January 17th, 2020)
• Impressions de France
• Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros
• Reflections of China
• All character meet and greets
• All live entertainment throughout the World Showcase

Coming soon

Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure is a ride in Epcot’s France pavilion that is set to open in April 2020. It is unclear if this attraction will offer FastPass but I will update the post accordingly. 

Epcot FastPass Tiers

The Tier One attractions are the most in-demand attractions at Epcot. Disney attempts to distribute FastPasses more evenly by allowing guests only one pick from the most popular attractions. 

Epcot Tier One Attractions

There are four attractions in Tier One at Epcot. This means you can only select one advance FastPass from these four attractions: 

• Frozen Ever After
• Soarin’ Around the World
• Test Track
• Epcot Forever

After you select your Tier One Fast Pass you’ll see this message in My Disney Experience:

Epcot Tier Two Attractions

After you select your Tier One FastPass you can select up to two more FastPasses from these Tier Two attractions:

• Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival
• Journey into Imagination with Figment
• Living with the Land
• Mission: SPACE
• The Seas with Nemo & Friends
• Spaceship Earth (closing for refurbishment in 2020)
• Turtle Talk with Crush

How many FastPasses can I use per day at Epcot?

You can initially select up to three FastPasses per day at Epcot per person in your party. 

Note that not everyone has to have the same three FastPass selections. Your party can split up and some can get FastPasses for one attractions while others experience a different attraction. 

After you’ve used your initial three FastPasses, you can select additional FastPasses (if they are available) one by one.

Using this approach I’ve gotten seven FastPasses in one day at Epcot! Learn more about selecting additional FastPasses in this post.

What are the best rides to FastPass at Epcot?

The best use of a FastPass is for attractions that typically get long “standby” waits during the day. 

The standby queue (pronounced “Q”) is Disney-talk for the line you wait in if you DON’T have a FastPass. 

Crowd patterns at Epcot are pretty predictable and we know which attractions will have the longest wait times on any day.

You’ll definitely want to use a Tier One FastPass for one of the following very popular rides:

Frozen Ever After

Arguably the most popular attraction in Epcot, many people use their Tier One FastPass on Frozen Ever After. It’s a slow-moving boatride (with the exception of one short drop down a hill) with no height requirement. 

It’s a must-see for Anna and Elsa fans and just a genuinely fun and stunning ride for those who appreciate detail. Fastpasses are sometimes dwindling at the 30-day mark so be sure to grab this one quickly if it’s your top priority. 

Soarin’ Around The World

Soarin’ is another ultra-popular attraction and for good reason – it simulates the incredible experience of hang gliding past some of the world’s most iconic locations. It’s my favorite attraction at Epcot and is not-to-be-missed!

I wouldn’t consider Soarin’ a “thrill” ride, but since it does simulate flying and therefore can be sensitive for those with a fear of heights consider whether everyone your party would appreciate this ride. The height requirement is 40″.

Whichever of these top two attractions you chose a Fastpass for, I suggest heading straight for the other as soon as the park opens. Arrive at Epcot about 30 minutes before opening and line up on the right side of Spaceship Earth if you are heading for Soarin’ and the left side if you are heading for Frozen Ever After. 

Test Track

Another popular choice for Epcot FastPass is Test Track, which also has a height requirement of 40″. 

Test Track simulates the experience of test driving a new vehicle and is notable for being the fastest ride in Disney World. You’ll get to design your own vehicle and test it out – my daughter particularly loves the design piece of this ride!

This attraction has a single-rider line option, which means you can ride with a much shorter wait if you are willing to be separated from your party. You may be in the same ride vehicle but just not seated next to another member of your party.

Single rider is only available to guests 7 and older but it is great way to ride this with a short wait without needing a FastPass. For this reason it’s a lower priority for FastPass. 

What Tier Two Attractions Should I FastPass?

The only other attractions that get long waits during the day typically are: 

• Mission SPACE
• Living With The Land
• The Seas With Nemo & Friends
• Spaceship Earth.

These attractions are good choices for your Tier Two FastPasses. Which you choose will depend on the interests of your party and how long the stand-by wait is for these attractions on the day you visit. 

Is Spaceship Earth worth a FastPass?

Spaceship Earth is a slow moving ride through the interior of the giant “golf ball” that is the icon of the park. It will close for a lengthy refurbishment in 2020. 

Spaceship Earth is the most classic Epcot attraction you’ll find so you’d be surprised at how long the waits can get during the day. It is a good use of one of your Tier Two FastPasses. 

Keep in the mind there are parts that are dark and may be scary for little ones. 

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Should I use a FastPass for the Epcot fireworks?

The nightly fireworks show is able to be seen anywhere around World Showcase lagoon. Therefore you don’t need a FastPass to view the fireworks and it certainly shouldn’t be our Tier One pick. 

However, the Fastpass viewing area does give you an excellent spot to watch the show that is unobstructed by any trees or light posts.

I suggest only grabbing a FastPass for the nighttime show later in the day after you have no need for a FastPass for another attraction. 

Since there aren’t many Tier Two attractions that usually require FastPass and it’s possible to experience all of the other Tier One attractions in a morning, I sometimes do grab a FastPass for the fireworks. If you find yourself in this situation, go for it! You won’t find a better place to see the show around the lagoon. 

Is there a way to check Epcot Fast Pass availability?

The good people over at Touring Plans have a great tour for seeing all available FastPasses in one place. 

Check out the current FastPass+ availability for Epcot here. You can check up to 70 days in advance and see all of your options in one place!

This is especially helpful if you are staying off-property and want to know what attractions have FastPasses left before your booking window opens. 

I hope this post helped with your Epcot FastPass planning!

Any other questions? Please leave a comment below or join us in my free private Facebook group for The Budget Mouse here.

Check out these related posts: 

• Tips for Epcot Flower and Garden Festival With Kids
• Best Epcot Quick Service Dining & The Worst
• Epcot Festivals Guide; What To Expect
• Hollywood Studios Fast Pass Tiers 2020

The following guest author contributed to this post (you can find Katie at Souvenearwdw.com):