Walt Disney World has revealed details about Lightning Lane lineup at EPCOT once Test Track 3.0 debuts on July 22, 2025 and how the lines will work for the reimagined ride. Wondering whether the new-look thrill ride will be Multi-Pass or Single Pass? Virtual Queue or standby line? Trickle down effects for Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, Frozen Ever After, or Soarin? We’ve got you covered!
Let’s start with the basics, which is that Walt Disney World announced that Test Track will officially open on July 22, 2025. So regular ticket holders have to wait another full month (almost) before taking a spin on the reimagined ride. In between now and then, there will be a range of previews and (hopefully) a few days of soft openings.
Imagineers along with teams from corporate alliance partner Chevrolet have reached back into history for inspiration from the original World of Motion, and have brought that spirit of optimism to the next iteration of Test Track. They’re pushing innovation forward and celebrating humanity’s enduring drive on the thrilling road to a brighter tomorrow.
One big question in the lead-up to Test Track 3.0 is whether it would use a virtual queue or standby line. With Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind finally dropping its virtual queue after over one-thousand days and Test Track not needing a VQ previously, the answer to this probably seemed obvious.
On the other hand, Splash Mountain never needed a virtual queue, and yet Tiana’s Bayou Adventure ended up with one–and long after the initial surge in demand had ended. Not only that, but Test Track is using a virtual queue during CM and AP previews. That coupled with heightened demand for the initial reopening period plus weather-induced downtime during storm season might make Walt Disney World give consideration to using a virtual queue for Test Track.
Fortunately, that is not the case. Test Track 3.0 will use a standby line once it reopens on July 22, 2025.
There will NOT be a virtual queue for Test Track–it’ll either be waiting in the regular ole queue like every other attraction (right now) at Walt Disney World, or line-skipping via the pay-to-play Lightning Lane system.
Phew. Walt Disney World eliminated virtual queues in large part to reduce confusion and friction, and thankfully, Test Track is not going to be the attraction that causes that to change. I’m relieved. I’d rather wait in a ~300 minute line on opening day if it comes to that than have to write another treatise on virtual queues.
The other big development is that Test Track will be part of Lightning Lane Multi-Pass when it reopens on July 22, 2025. It will NOT be part of Lightning Lane Single Pass, meaning it cannot be purchased on an a la carte basis. It’ll be part of the ‘bundle’ option that features two tiers at EPCOT.
With Test Track returning, another ride is being ‘downgraded’ from the top tier. Here’s what the lineup for Lightning Lane Multi-Pass at EPCOT looks like as of July 22, 2025:
Group A: Choose up to one experience from this tier:
- Frozen Ever After
- Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
- Test Track
Soarin’ Around the World
Group B: Choose your other 2 experiences—or all 3—from this tier:
- Soarin’ Around the World
- Disney and 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
While we were pretty confident about Test Track 3.0 having a standby line as opposed to a virtual queue and Multi-Pass as opposed to Single Pass, we were far less certain about Soarin’ Around the World being downgraded. That was the biggest wildcard, which we viewed as 50/50. If anything, this is the big news here–not the ‘queue status’ of Test Track 3.0.
Tes Track being top tier isn’t too much of a surprise. Under the prior FastPass+ system, both Test Track and Frozen Ever After were top tier selections, as was Soarin’ Around the World. Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure didn’t exist then, but the nighttime spectaculars (at the time) were top-tier selections. Meaning that there’s actually one fewer top-tier Lightning Lane (3 vs. 4), even though three new rides have opened at EPCOT since FastPass+ was retired!
As a general matter, EPCOT is great at absorbing crowds…it’s just light on headliner attractions that are part of LLMP. That’s the problem with Lightning Lane Multi-Pass on a day with low to moderate crowd levels–you won’t save enough time at the vast majority of eligible attractions to make the purchase worth the money unless you’re Park Hopping. On days with higher crowds, you may not be able to get a good 4th pick because the top tier options will all be gone.
Lightning Lane Multi Pass is also arguably not worth the time at EPCOT, as there’s a high probability that the line-skipping service will force you to criss-cross the park rather than doing things as you naturally arrive to them while navigating normally. Hopefully the pre-booking obviates this to some extent, but it cannot possibly be perfect since you can’t simultaneously select the three rides where it’s needed most.
As for how this change impacts the Lightning Lane Multi-Pass Ride Rankings at EPCOT, it’s going to give a near-term boost to Test Track 3.0. That much is undeniable, as the new ride smell will take at least a few months to wear off.
This will continue beyond summer, especially as the holiday season and now winter are popular times for non-local fans to take trips. We’d expect Test Track 3.0 to be the #1 Lightning Lane Multi-Pass pick at EPCOT through at least March 2026 as a result.
Longer term, it actually wouldn’t surprise me if it maintains that spot. This is less about Test Track 3.0 itself and whether the reimagined ride reviews well or is viewed as better than its predecessor. Honestly, that doesn’t matter that much in the long term. The general public perception of this attraction is largely predicated on the speed loop, which is unchanged.
Instead, this is more about Test Track 3.0 being the only top tier adult ride in Lightning Lane Multi-Pass lineup versus two family-friendly attractions. If only Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure or Frozen Ever After were top-tier, either one would be the #1 pick–and fairly easily!
But instead, they’re both there, forcing families to choose between the two. This effectively dilutes demand between the two, and allows Test Track to speed into the pole position by virtue of no in-class competition. This is doubly true now that Soarin’ has been downgraded.
Accordingly, here are updated Lightning Lane Multi-Pass Tier 1 rankings for EPCOT through 2026:
- Test Track
- Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
- Frozen Ever After
Speaking of which, Soarin’ Around the World instantly becomes the obvious #1 pick for second tier selections. It is so clearly the runaway favorite that I wouldn’t be surprised if it becomes the most difficult Lightning Lane to book at EPCOT.
The underlying rationale for this is similar to the above–there is no other in-class competition for the #1 second-tier Lightning Lane Multi-Pass attraction, so there’s nothing to dilute demand. Maybe Living with the Land during the holiday season? Otherwise, the vast majority of LLMP purchasers are going to be trying for Soarin’ Around the World.
It’ll be interesting to see how this shakes out in practice, and whether Soarin’ Around the World becomes so competitive that, even with Test Track back in the LLMP lineup, it still becomes tough to justify the paid line-skipping option if you’re staying off-site. For on-site guests, Lightning Lane Multi-Pass definitely is more attractive at EPCOT. This makes us more inclined to purchase it (buying on July 22 is a no brainer, but we’ll probably also get it this holiday season for our family trip–something we didn’t do last year).
If you want to skip line-skipping entirely, consult our 1-Day EPCOT Itinerary, which covers how you can accomplish everything even if you’re staying off-site and don’t want to spend anything extra. That also offers great “zig when they zag” advice to flip the script on tackling World Showcase and the front half of the park.
For those staying on-site, the one thing we highly recommend is Early Entry and Extended Evening Hours. Test Track was previously part of both these ‘extra hours’ at EPCOT lineups. There is every reason to believe it’ll be part of both again in due time.
However, it’s possible it won’t be part of one or both lineups immediately. It seems unlikely that Test Track will be part of Early Entry on July 22, and I’d probably bet against it being part of Extended Evening Hours on July 28, 2025. Neither are outside the realm of possibility, I’d just put them at under 50/50 odds. We’re still awaiting official confirmation on both.
The ride rosters for these offerings are dictated by staffing and budgetary constraints, which is one of the reasons why TRON Lightcycle Run is inexplicably still not part of the Early Entry lineup at Magic Kingdom. (Although that excuse is wearing thin.) That’s another extreme case, though, and I wouldn’t bet on Test Track taking that long to be added to the ‘extra hours’ lineups. My guess is that it happens in August 2025.
Test Track’s reopening is still almost a month away, so we could see all of this being squared away by then, but it wouldn’t surprise us if it’s not. Test Track is really needed for both sets of ‘extra hours,’ as the ride rosters for both are quite thin, and if even one attraction has downtime (as is often the case), it exacerbates wait times elsewhere.
This is especially true during Extended Evening Hours at EPCOT during the summer months. That perk can be awesome or awful depending upon downtime and weather, and we’ve had some rough nights in August and September when ExEH is actually worse than a regular day at EPCOT. With Extended Evening Hours moving from Magic Kingdom to Animal Kingdom starting in July, it would be a nice little win to have Test Track back for the perk.
Ultimately, we (once again) recommend checking out Best Time-Saving Strategies for Walt Disney World, which is the result of extensive ‘testing’ to determine the best and worst ways to beat the crowds. One big thing to note is that all of the headliners at EPCOT are very spread out. When using Lightning Lane Multi-Pass, you might need to do a lot of backtracking, which means the time saved not waiting in line can be more than offset about the extra time spent walking around the parks. We’ll be revisiting this guide, along with Early Entry and Extended Evening Hours strategy, shortly after Test Track reopens (and is eligible for those extra hours).
If you are not familiar with the Lightning Lane Multi-Pass service or are already feeling lost, start by seeing our Guide to Lightning Lane Multi Pass & Single Pass at Walt Disney World for all of the foundational need-to-know info about this replacement for free FastPass+. This whole system is confusing and convoluted, so you might have a question or two-dozen. That answers all of the most common ones we’ve been receiving from readers.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
YOUR THOUGHTS
Are you excited for the grand opening of Test Track? Glad that it’ll have standby line, or would you prefer a virtual queue? What about Test Track getting Lightning Lane Multi-Pass status as opposed to Single Pass? Thoughts on Soarin’ being downgraded to Tier B? Do you agree or disagree with our advice? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!