Experiences with Soarin shortly after RD

kniquy

DIS Veteran
Joined
Dec 15, 2014
For our next trip at the end of November we are having a tough time with only having 2 days at Epcot so thus only 2 Tier 1 FP. We love Soarin, but the must do's will be TT and FEA.

In my ideal world I will be able to do the FEA dessert party and can save that FP for Soarin, but if that doesn't happen -- how long of a wait would you see shortly after RD for Soarin? We are not going to be part of the mad rush to get there but might hit the ride (if park opening is 9am) by 9:30 or am i better off waiting until later in the afternoon? Touring plans is giving me a 17 minute wait on a saturday at 9:30 (which is a reasonable wait)

Unfortunately, the only afternoon we will be there will be on a Saturday (our departure day leaving the park by 4pm)
 
In my experience, the ride gets pretty quickly up to a 60 minute wait after rope drop. If park opening is at 9am, I would think the wait would be at least 45 minutes at 9:30, if not an hour, especially on a weekend.
 
Another idea is to see if you can get a prepark opening for Garden Grill early enough that you can be done and out right at 9 putting you ahead of the gate crowd.
 
Another idea is to see if you can get a prepark opening for Garden Grill early enough that you can be done and out right at 9 putting you ahead of the gate crowd.



This is what we do. I will never RD Epcot ever again.
 


We did Soarin at RD twice. Both times it was having technical difficulties and we had very long waits. Sometimes ideal plans don't turn out so perfect.
 
We went to Epcot on a rainy Tuesday in May. We got there shortly after rope drop (maybe 9:05-9:15, can't remember). I went right to Soarin and waited about 5-10 minutes. When I exited the ride the wait was up to 30 minutes. I think if you get there right at rope drop or shortly after you will be fine.
 
We RDed Soarin in May. When we got to it at about 9:20 is was half an hour. It did get to about 60 minutes by about 9:30 but then suddenly dropped to 10 right as we were getting off the ride (we got back on) and stayed 10-15 minutes until 10. I'm pretty sure they were running 1 or 2 theaters and were able to bring all three online around 9:45. I would recommend getting there at RD if you want to be sure of a low wait time. Or ride at the end of the night (it was down to 15 minutes right before Illuminations) or get it as a 4th FP. It's easier than you might think because of the Tiering.
 


Another idea is to see if you can get a prepark opening for Garden Grill early enough that you can be done and out right at 9 putting you ahead of the gate crowd.
Great idea!! but now I am past my ADR and of course there is nothing. I think i'll try the ADR finder on touring plans and see if i get lucky. I have a couple mornings to work with so maybe something will turn up.
 
We did Soarin' first off, about 9:10. The wait was 10 minutes. Once we were off the ride, the time was 20 minutes. 90 minutes later, it was still only 30 minutes so my son rode it again with my MIL, and they only waited about 20. This was May 23rd.
 
My suggestion would be to make an early Garden Grill breakfast reservation and go on Soarin' right before your reservation.
 
Your experience with Soarin' at RD is dependent on how many theaters are open at 9am. I've experienced it with one theatre and waiting longer getting there earlier, than when I've gotten there closer to 9:45am when the 2nd/3rd theater opens. It is one of the reasons you see Test Track being the recommended RD attraction.
 
Your experience with Soarin' at RD is dependent on how many theaters are open at 9am. I've experienced it with one theatre and waiting longer getting there earlier, than when I've gotten there closer to 9:45am when the 2nd/3rd theater opens. It is one of the reasons you see Test Track being the recommended RD attraction.

How often do they only open one theater at RD? Is it standard or just occasional? Any way to predict?

We're planning to go for morning EMH and I'm trying to decide whether to RD Soarin' or TT first. If they only have one theater open for Soarin' until later in the morning, that makes it an easier decision in favor of TT.
 
We always do the garden grill breakfast and walk on before the rope droppers. Keep checking! We were able to get a PPO rez for our upcoming trip at around 60 days days out (I'm assuming because people were changing dining plans for which park on which day once the FP window opens). That said, when we get out of the ride at around 9:05, there is typically a 45 minute-ish wait. It gets backed up fast.
 
If you are going in late November you might be able to get a Candlelight Processional package for breakfast at Garden Grill. I think these become available sometime next month. I don't know how early these are available but it might be an option.
 
We always rope drop soarin ( use FP for Test track or FEA) and are coming from the International Gateway entrance. Our trips are always in May or October and we have never waited more than 10 minutes to get on the attraction. In fact we usually ride it back to back before embarking on the rest of our day at Epcot.
 
When we did Epcot in April, we went in with the RD crew. By the time we were off it was up to 30 minutes, and climbed a bit up until around 10/10:30, but after that it went down to 30 minutes and stayed there for the rest of the day.
We also had no issue gettings 4th/5th/6th FP for Soarin and TT. Soarin seemed a bit easier to get but we had no problem getting either and rode both 2-3 times on both of our Epcot days (and every time was with a FP except for once, when we RD).
 
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We Went to Epcot Sat, Dec. 9, 2017. Got there 15 min before RD. Went straight to Soarin. Brisk walk, not running. Maybe a 10-15 min wait, max. Think only 2 theaters were open. After we got off, posted time was 20 min. We decided to go again as standby. Real wait was only 10 min, tops. This was just our experience. Our perception of crowd level when we were there was that the parks, incl. that day at Epcot, were more crowded (maybe 7 or 8 out of 10) than we had experienced before at this time of year; higher than 6 predicted by TP.

I find the hourly ride wait forecast from Touring Plans is instructive as a general guide. Often E-ticket rides like Soarin will build up lines quickly at opening, peaking maybe 1-2 hrs after RD and then dropping down. You can also look to this for general timing if you can’t get there around RD.
 
It fluctuates. Within 20 min of park opening I'd plan for it to be about a 45 min wait.

I was there about a month ago and we walked by Soarin around noon and it had a wait of 25 min. So it's not always high now with the 3rd theater, but I'd expect 45+min and just feel lucky if it's below that
 
Another idea is to see if you can get a prepark opening for Garden Grill early enough that you can be done and out right at 9 putting you ahead of the gate crowd.
How do you get in the park for a reservation before it opens do you just show them your reservation number? August is the first time I will be doing this. Thanks
 

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