Epcot -- How to burn 3rd fast pass to open up Tier 1 4th FP possibility

I’m trying to plan our Epcot day, and this year we are going to try to focus on World Showcase apart from the 4 rides we know we like: Soarin’, Frozen, Test Track, and Mission Space. Right know, I’m planning on getting fast passes for Test Track at 9:15 and Mission Space at 10:15. I have a Spaceship Earth FP currently planned for 1:30, but don’t really think we’ll end up using it (will likely want to break earlier, and leave from International Gateway to get an Uber back to our hotel). (None of us really love this ride, so we’re fine missing it, and would rather do Soarin or Test Track a second time.)

–Option 1: Do we need to tap into that 3rd fast pass ride in order to open up Tier 1 4th fast pass possibilities? (In other words, if we just miss our window, will we then be able to book a Tier 1 at the end of the window?)
–Option 2: If not, how would you recommend we burn our 3rd fast pass? Here is our current plan:

Garden Grill PPO Breakfast
Soarin’
Frozen
Test Track with 9:15 am FP (Touring plans has us getting to this at 10:04 am)
Mission: Space Orange with 10:15 am FP
Mariachi Cobre - Coco (11 am show)
Gran Fiesta
American Adventure (12 pm show)
Agent P in nearby pavilion
Voice of Liberty (1 pm show)
Tangierine Cafe
Impressions De France (maybe)
Afternoon break at hotel

My thinking is I can try to modify once we tap into Mission Space and get anything that is available before 11 and have one of us grab all 4 fast passes to run and tap in while everyone else heads to Mexico for the Coco show. (I’d like to avoid too much walking in the heat of August).

Obviously, Option 1 is preferred, but if that is not possible will my option 2 plan work? What ride would you target to minimize walking (Epcot’s layout confuses me, especially how to get from East to West side and vice versa)?

Will it change your mind about SSE if I remind you it’s going to be closed probably for 2 years or so for a major refurb come the end of the year?

In any case, move SSE up as soon as you’ve tapped in for Mission Space.

I always recommend tapping in to an FP, rather than letting it expire. Thee can sometimes be issues where an expired ne doesn’t drop off, and then you’ll have to go to GS to be able to look for. a 4th FP.

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Technically it can expire though. Move it up regardless. You can tap and not ride though.

I remember hearing (many times) that a tier 2 won’t expire if it’s after your tier 1. You’d have to reschedule it and use it/tap in for it.

I think a pretty common strategy is to book some throwaway 3rd FP like Figment and move Mission Space to 10:30. Once you tap in for TT at 9:10 (grace period) try to move the Figment in to the 9:15-10:15 slot. Then you can ignore it and let it expire and once you tap in for MS at 10:30, you’ll be ready to book tier 1’s.

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Yeah… not sure if there’s good way, with your plan, to tap your 3rd without having to crisscross the park. The Pixar Film Fest and Figment both seem to be the only good ways to get a same day FPP that you can tap out a third FPP. I’ve never had a problem with letting a FPP expire, but if others say they have I’d believe them.

It caused us all kinds of problems when DH didn’t feel well and didn’t want to ride some stuff. Even at MK when there were no tiers to consider.

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What if you got a LWtL FP for 9 to tap but not ride after Soarin’, moved TT to 10 to move up after tapping LWtL, and get a MS for 11 to move up after tapping in to TT? Also, if your TT converts to anytime remember to get your new “3rd” FP right away-and it can be tier 1.

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I would tap & burn the 3rd to be on safe side, in order to get the 4th etc.

You could switch your present 3rd to fpps for MS green, which is a really easy fpp to get. So once you’ve finished MS orange, head right over to green to tap & burn.

By that time it will be around 10:30, easy for your stroll over to Mexican pavilion by way of the Odyssey walkway.

If you have free time, can stop for a snack or a little break b4 the Coco show that you want.

Oh sorry, just realized that MS green fpp would have to begin 11:15 or later, since that’s when the orange fpp is set up.

Still, even later the green MS will work since it’s a shortish walk back to the ride from the Mexican pavilion. I’d try to get the 3rd fpp as close to 11:15 as possible and after use the 2nd fpp, probably can move it up to much earlier.

I have never seen Mission Space FP+ divided by color - just Mission Space.

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There are really are all kinds of weirdness with letting FPP expire in Epcot. We know:

  • if you let 2 Tier 2 expire before you tap into your Tier 1 and you are in the park when they expire, that should work.
  • If you use a Tier 2, then use a Tier 1, you can let a 3rd Tier 2 expire and then make a 4th that is a Tier 1. You may get a warning message but it should let you proceed (I have done this personnaly)
  • There was a thread that tested different scenarios and is what I based bullet 2 on (I can never find that thread!) It found you could expire, use, expire. Note: common liner wisdom says both Tier 2 have to expire before the Tier 1, but I see this as Urban myth.

So your scenario isn’t covered by any of “what I know”. As a twist on your plan of one person tapping in for everyone on the 3rd FPP, you could just try to expire the Tier 2 you bump. I am 50/50 as to whether this would work. Then someone will really have to do some running when you schedule another you have to burn

Alternatively, if possible, you could do as suggested above and schedule a LWTL at 9:00, a TT at 10 and MS at 11:00. Tap and run the TWTL and then as soon as you tap into TT see if you can move MS up. In August crowds may be low enough to do this with some refreshing.

I dealt with this for July by planning a visit to Pixar shorts, then Club Cool before heading to the WS. Will either tap and run, or enjoy the AC. But my family nixed the run from Soarin to FEA so the 4th will be important. And we have some extra walking in us. And there is pin trading for DD near Club Cool.

Good luck!

Yes the FP isn’t divided, you choose the colour at the ride.

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I was going to express my sadness for this, since we’re going in May. But then I remember that on our last trip, we got stuck at the VERY VERY VERY top of SSE for over an hour. Lights on, lights off, lights on again. We got a very long look at the starry sky. We thought there was a chance they were going to have to escort us off. But they eventually got it working. And while SSE is decently cool, if not at least iconic, I am interested to see what it morphs into.

Lots of good info here!

–If I follow heathernoel’s rules, then I might reverse our Mission Space and test track FPs, so that we do Mission Space in 9:15 window and test Track next in 10:15 window. But even so, given the mixed experience I probably shouldn’t count on just letting the 3rd FP expire. So my other options are:
–After tapping in to Misson Space, try to modify my Spaceship Earth FP to another Mission Space for immediate use, then tap in again (likely without riding) as soon as we’re done with our first Mission Space
–Try to Modify SE FP for anything that’s available between 10:30-11:30. Touring Plans has us finishing Mission Space at 10:37 and arriving at Mexico Pavilion by 10:45, with Coco show starting at 11 am. So if the additional walk plus FP ride will result in us missing more than 5-10 minutes of the Coco show, then rather than all 4 of us riding, I can send everyone else ahead and take everyone’s magic bands and try to tap all four bands in for the fast pass, then head back to see the remaining Coco show.
–Depending on how we are feeling by mid-morning, I may just decide to keep our SE FP and plan to leave after that ride from the main entrance.
–OR, just don’t worry about getting a 4th Tier 1 fast pass. I think we’ve planned a pretty good day even if we just get 1 ride on each of the main Tier 1 attractions. Our evening plan consists of more world showcase, maybe a Future World ride with little wait (there should be some since crowd level is estimated to be a 3), plus 7:30 pm dinner at La Hacienda.

You can’t make another FP for the same ride until you’ve used up your initial three.

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Thanks. I was confused by @stazastarfish saying to get if for Mission Space Green.

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An FP for Mission Space is just one FP. You can use it at either Green or Orange.

So you would need to use all 3 initial Fos before getting another for Mission Space.

You’ve probably thought of this, but for new to WDW folks: as far as riding TT a second time, don’t forget single rider line. My sons and I rode TT using single rider when the standby was 80 min on a CL 8 day recently, and we waited 20 minutes in single rider. (Not as ideal as a FPP, but if you want to use a 4th FPP on Soarin, it could help you squeeze in another ride on a favorite.)

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Sorry for the tangent, but is there a single-rider line for Avatar FOP and other really hard-to-get FP’s?

No. TT, RnRC, and EE are the only single rider lines.

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