Pros and Cons of Epcot Tier B FastPasses
Previously, we evaluated the pros and cons of Tier A FastPasses at Epcot. Today, we’ll have a more relaxed discussion. Whereas selecting your lone Tier A Epcot FastPass can feel like deciding who your favorite person in the world is, Tier B is like a game of Duck Duck Goose. You’ll have plenty of options before you tap one on the head and yell, “GOOSE!” So, relax and have fun as you plan your Epcot Tier B FastPasses, using this guide to understand each one’s pros and cons.
Tier B
The FastPass discussion for Tier B at Epcot is probably the easiest of any park. That’s because Tier B includes seven attractions, several of which have little to no wait at times. You also get to pick two Tier B FastPasses, doubling your options. Also, once you’re at Epcot, you can use MyDisneyExperience to pick up many more FastPasses, almost all of which will fall into the Tier B category. In other words, you’ll get to do all of these attractions if you want. It’s not hard at all.
Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival
This attraction theater formerly housed the Captain EO show. Today, Disney cycles through some of the most beloved pre-movie animated shorts from recent Disney titles. They currently show Get a Horse, Feast, and Piper. I’m of the opinion that Feast is the best short to have the Disney/Pixar name on it.
Even so, I wouldn’t waste a FastPass on this. The con of doing so is that you spend one of your two Tier B FastPasses on an attraction that is almost always walk-up seating. It’s arguably the worst use of a FastPass at Epcot. Why the only other attraction in the conversation is…
Journey into Imagination
The con here is the attraction itself. If you’ve never ridden Journey into Imagination with Figment before, please have the lowest possible expectations for the attraction. Maybe, just maybe, it’ll meet or exceed your hopes. The original version of this ride was glorious, but Disney unintentionally ruined it with a millennial update. The current version is only marginally better, which explains why its wait-time is generally 15 minutes or less. You’re burning a FastPass for no reason when you pick Figment.
Living with the Land
The other five attractions in Tier B are all strong considerations for a FastPass. You should be able to get a FastPass for any of them during all but the busiest days on the Epcot calendar, however. For this reason, you don’t need to stress over your decision. There are no wrong answers here.
The pros of Living with the Land are equal parts strange and straightforward. The simple part is that the line for this attraction is right by Soarin’ in The Land Pavilion. By setting up your FastPasses nearby, you could knock out both rides in a short period of time.
The strange explanation is that a day at the park sometimes wears on you. Living with the Land is a slow boat ride that takes roughly 20 minutes to complete. It’s a terrific way to rejuvenate when you’re tired. It also has a lot of dark set pieces, which means that when you’re really bushed, you can take a quick nap. Lots of people do this, and I’m guilty of it on a few occasions, too. The awesome part of Living with the Land is that it’s a fascinating attraction. I generally ride it at least once during an Epcot park visit and recommend it as a Tier B FastPass.
Mission: Space
Many people go a different way. They grab a FastPass for Mission: SPACE, which sounds cooler and has garnered more headlines over the years. Disney recently plussed the attraction to improve the original version while making the “calm” ride distinctive.
Historically, the only difference between the two was whether the ride centrifuge was in operation. Mission: SPACE is better than it used to be, and the ride has one of the longer wait-times for Tier B, generally in the 15-25 minute range. The only con against getting a FastPass for it is that a lot of people, including me, aren’t enthusiastic about the attraction. It can lead to feelings of nausea that stay with you for hours afterward. Approach this one with a healthy dose of respect, and you’ll be fine.
The Sea with Nemo & Friends
The discussion gets easier from here. You’ll want to ride the next two attractions at least once during your visit. If you’re anything like me, you’ll take multiple spins through the Finding Nemo universe. This ride is gloriously chilly, perfection on a hot Florida day, and the story told is impossibly engaging.
On this ride, Nemo goes on another grand adventure. You follow his travails as his dutiful father tries to retrieve him. It’s a family-friendly ride that is pure Disney magic. Believe it or not, I won’t make a full-throated justification for a Nemo FastPass, though. This attraction rarely has a wait-time over 15 minutes, and it’s frequently a walk-on, meaning that you head straight to the clamshell ride cart. As such, a FastPass isn’t necessary. I frequently get one anyway because I NEVER get tired of riding it.
Spaceship Earth
A fascinating pattern highlights Epcot’s crowd behavior. Since Spaceship Earth is right at the front of the park, it’s the first ride for the majority of guests. As such, its FastPass value has a specific ebb and flow.
Most people have entered the park by 1 p.m., meaning that Spaceship Earth is most crowded up to lunchtime. After that, the wait is generally manageable. According to TouringPlans, the line for Spaceship Earth is frequently 15 minutes or less from 2 p.m. until park closing.
This knowledge gives you two approaches to the attraction. You can grab a FastPass and board Spaceship Earth the moment that you enter the park. Within 20 minutes, you’ll have ridden one of the greatest Disney attractions ever, setting the perfect tone for your park day.
Alternately, you can book your FastPasses for other attractions. Once you’ve ridden all of the other majors, you can grab some lunch and then head back to the front of the park. Spaceship Earth should have an insignificant wait time by this point, giving you virtual walk-on access.
So, the pro here is that you can skip the lines when the attraction is crowded early in the day. The con is that patient people have no need for a FastPass. The lines eventually shrink down to nothing anyway.
Turtle Talk with Crush
This attraction is one of the most difficult to explain at Walt Disney World. You basically enter a movie theater and talk to the screen. Yes, that sounds like something you’d see/hear during a horror movie, but it’s not.
Imagineers invented a delightful technology that allows Crush the turtle to engage with the audience. He can and will call on people and ask them purposeful questions about themselves and their Disney plans. It’s kind of a spiritual sibling to Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor, only the humor here is gentler.
I highly recommend Turtle Talk with Crush to everyone, but it’s particularly pleasing for parents with small children. Should Crush call on them, your kids will delight in the attention shown by an animated turtle.
Since you’ll want to experience Turtle Talk with Crush, your instinct is likely to get a FastPass. There’s no need! The wait-times for this attraction are generally so low that you’ll get in the room within 15 minutes. Turtle Talk with Crush is mostly a pointless FastPass.
Reviewing the Tier B FastPasses, you don’t need to book one in advance for Turtle Talk with Crush, Journey into Imagination with Figment or Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival. Spaceship Earth and The Seas with Nemo & Friends are rides you can board without a FastPass, usually without waiting in a long line. You just have to monitor the wait times on My Disney Experience.
Based on this information, your best bets in Tier B are Living with the Land and Mission: SPACE, although each one has issues that may cause you to reconsider. Personally, I tend to pick the rides that I like the best at Epcot, which means I filter through a mix of The Seas with Nemo & Friends, Spaceship Earth, and Living with the Land. Using the information here, you can decide what works best for your family.