Is this a doable touring plan? - Epcot w/ Candlelight Dinner Package

[Disneymoon2013]

I'm going to Disney World for the first time this December (first week) on honeymoon. Since my dfi has been several times before, he has left all the planning up to me.

I'm using TouringPlans personalized plans feature but listening moreso to Josh's advice at easywdw.com. I've been able to set up our days at the other parks no problem, but Epcot has been difficult (surprisingly).

Is this actually doable in one day? Is TP's 10 minutes per pavilion realistic? TP also seems to add on quite a bit of walking between pavilions (for some 10 mins each!). Is that realistic?

Dfi's top priority are the rides in FW. Mine is the Candlelight Processional, but as a first-timer of course I want to see the "world". I'm assuming we wouldn't have the time to do any character meetings I had wanted to see Belle & Marie.

Test Track
FP booth - Soarin
The Seas w/ Nemo
Turtle Talk
Living with the Land (I wanted to pass on this but dfi insists; he's a geek.)
Soarin
Spaceship Earth
Ellen's Energy Adventure (dfi's fav ride in all of WDW...)
Sunshine Seasons for lunch (vegetarian options, TP says it's now 1:09)
Gran Fiesta Tour
Mexico Pavilion (TP allocates only 10 mins for each pavilion... isn't that kind of short?)
Maelstrom
Norway
Vikings Gallery (TP allocates 5 mins)
China
Germany
Italy
American Adventure
National Treasures (TP allocates 10 mins)
Japan Pavilion (TP says it's now 4:10 pm)
Miyuki (4:30 show)
France
UK
Canada
Rose & Crown Dining Room (dinner pkg, est 45 mins) (TP says it's 5:50 pm)
back to Japan Pavilion
and line up for Candlelight Processional 50-60 mins early (7:15 pm)
See 8:15 show
Head to illuminations viewing area
Illuminations

 

[cleophus12]

Wow! That's a full day. The Future World part looks fairly doable, but you may need to forego one of your Soarin rides depending on lines. You didn't say what part of December you are going. (Oh, wait, yes you did!) If it is early December, which it apparently is, you may be able to get it all in without tremendous lines. The further into the month you go, the 10 minute pavilion hop may be more unlikely. That is really only possible if you don't do anything in those countries (like shop). And yes, if crowds are big it may take you 10 minutes to walk between some countries. Hope you have a wonderful trip. And if you don't get everything done, it's just a good excuse to return.

 

[Disneymoon2013]

Wow! That's a full day. The Future World part looks fairly doable, but you may need to forego one of your Soarin rides depending on lines. You didn't say what part of December you are going. (Oh, wait, yes you did!) If it is early December, which it apparently is, you may be able to get it all in without tremendous lines. The further into the month you go, the 10 minute pavilion hop may be more unlikely. That is really only possible if you don't do anything in those countries (like shop). And yes, if crowds are big it may take you 10 minutes to walk between some countries. Hope you have a wonderful trip. And if you don't get everything done, it's just a good excuse to return.

We're only doing Soarin' once -- grabbing a fast pass before riding Nemo, etc. I edited the post to make it more clear.

I should have also mentioned that we plan on going mid-week (Tues, Wed or Thurs) on a non-emh day. I'm hoping that it won't be so crowded.

I was hoping to look/glance in some of the shops in the countries, so 10 mins really would be cutting it close...

We're doing a 5 day + one evening trip in WDW, so we have:
1 MK evening
1 MK day
1 MVMCP
1 DHS
1 EP
1 AK

I haven't decided on the last open day. I thought about going to Epcot again since I've crammed so much into one day... but dfi isn't really keen on EP & WS especially. He says, and I quote, "All you can do is eat or drink" -- and he's not a big drinker. (Neither am I.) I've thought about keeping it "open" for whatever strikes our fancy. We already have our tickets, and we had decided on one-day only (no park hopping), although I understand we could upgrade them if we wanted to. I'm really trying to avoid parkhopping.

 

[RMulieri]

Epcot is so large..We find it too exhausting to do it all in one day.We usually split it into 2

 

[Disneymoon2013]

Epcot is so large..We find it too exhausting to do it all in one day.We usually split it into 2

How so? FW one day and WS the next? Or rides in WS one day, and leisurely stroll the next?

 

[RMulieri]

How so? FW one day and WS the next? Or rides in WS one day, and leisurely stroll the next?

We usually do all of FW one day and start some of WS.The next day the rest of WS and anything we missed.Especially in December when WS has the Holiday storytellers from around the world in each pavilion

 

[siskaren]

Especially in December when WS has the Holiday storytellers from around the world in each pavilion

Yeah, I was going to comment on the fact that your touring plan doesn't take into account the Holiday storytellers, which are definitely worth seeing, but unfortunately with the way they're typically scheduled, it's unlikely that you can just make your way around World Showcase and catch them in order without long waits.

 

[prplgiraffe89]

I agree with RMulieri...we went in October for our honeymoon and spent two days in Epcot! I never liked it as a kid but now I really love FW and the WS. We did FW the first day along with about half of WS and then the second day we rode any rides we wanted to a second time and finished WS. We were there during the food and wine festival but I'm assuming with the extra holiday stuff to see and do that timing would be similar. The WS is really cool because you can just spend some time strolling through the lands and enjoying the way disney really makes you feel like you are in that country.

Don't forget to relax a little while at disney and take in all it has to offer for couples! You are going to have such a great time on your honeymoon (we did and we are going back around the same time as you this year!)! Congratulations!

 

[golf4miami]

You're going to have to walk very briskly to the Illuminations viewing area in order to get to it before Illuminations starts. Last time I did the Candlelight Processional we had the 8:15 show and just barely made it to the viewing area before the show started. Also, be prepared that most of the good spots in the viewing area are going to be taken by those who saw the earlier showing of the Processional.

Due to this I would be on the lookout for any good spots you could possibly snag before you go the whole way around the lagoon and cannot find a spot.

 

[parkhopping]

A few things to take note of:

-Marie no longer meets at Epcot; she's at Magic Kingdom now, by the flagpole. So that's one less character to be disappointed about potentially not meeting

-The American Adventure is a long show, about 30 minutes. You also don't want to miss the Voices of Liberty, who perform 15 minutes prior to the show. This means you'll need 45 minutes for this pavilion. Keep that in mind.

-I actually think it's very doable for you to spend 10 minutes or less in most of the pavilions. Most of them have just one or two shops, and if you're not really planning to buy much of anything, it won't take you long to browse. The ones you'll want more time for are:

-The American Adventure, as previously mentioned
-Japan - has a very large shop that will take a bit to see
-France - has a film
-China - has a film
-Canada - has a film

All the films are 12-18 minutes long.

-Depending on how long the wait is when you get there, you may want to pull a FP for Maelstrom. Since it looks like you won't be arriving to the pavilion till mid-afternoon, waits could be up to 30 minutes or more.

-Finally, don't rule out getting to meet Belle! Her times are 11:00-11:35, 12:00-12:40, 1:00-1:40, 2:50-3:20, 3:50-4:30, and 4:50-5:30. Since you are wanting to see Miyuki at 4:30, I suggest walking past the Morocco pavilion afterwards and going straight to meet Belle. Then, go back and see Morocco.

 

[jtjohn1]

We have been to Disneyworld quite a few times around the first week of December and this is very doable (With the crowds that are usually on hand) as long as your willing to walk (And get there early)

Here is the thing though.

Prepare to walk A LOT. I had a pedometer last time we went and we walked about 10.5 miles at Epcot on the day we went (The weather is usually very good around this time so it wasn't really that big of a deal)

If you can, plan your Epcot day during EMH/Morning days (Most folks say to stay away from the EMH parks because the crowds are huge but, for this time of year, we haven't ever really noticed it being that bad)

On your way into the park grab a park schedule (This will have the Character meet times on it) and then head over to Test Track and look at the ride time (If it's not to busy go ahead and get a fast past for Test Track then ride it. Come out and ride it again almost right away) NOTE: If the standby line is longer than ~20 minutes then just fast pass it and go do Mission Space(If you EVER get queasy riding ANYTHING then don't do the Orange ride because it will RUIN your day do the Green ride) If all you have managed to do is Test Track then, on your way out of this area, check the standby times for the rides and if they are ~10 minutes go ahead and grab a quick ride (Mission Space and Sum of all Thrills)

Head over to Soarin (Stop by Club Cool on the way and grab you something free to drink from around the world) and get a fast pass for Soarin (Again if the wait time is less than 20 minutes then go ahead and ride it and then ride it again with your fast pass. If not then Fast Pass it and ride Living with the land and go over to Nemo until your Fast Pass return time comes) If you just have done Sorin now is the time to hit Living with the Land and Nemo. Then your in the right area for Lunch.

You have now hit all the major rides in the park (The ones that will have long lines later on in the day anyway) and can start heading around future world and hitting the smaller rides as you go thru. At different times of the day these smaller rides are almost all less than 10 minute wait to get on so just wander around and head over to the World Showcase (There aren't any rides over on the Japanese side so if you start at Mexico you can also get the World Showcase rides under your belt as you move along) Watch your time and adjust your pace accordingly and you should be good to go. If you start on the Japanese side (The side closest to the Soarin pavilion) then when your done walking around the world showcase you can hit Ellen and Spaceship Earth before heading over to your dinner reservation. (NOTE: this are GOOD rides at the end of the day since you can sit and rest on them)

We went around this time last year and were able to do the above (Ride wise) twice during the trip before Lunch time. World showcase/candlelight processional was the end of one day at Epcot and the other we caught the boat over to DHS for the rest of the day.

An early dinner reservation worked out quite well for us this trip (With the first showing of the Processional) since it left us time to do a couple more rides before getting to our spot for Illuminations. The reserved spot isn't all THAT great (Don't get me wrong it's nice and everything) but I have had the same views from non reserved spots around the Lagoon so if your running short of time and find a good spot go ahead and take it.

Be flexible. If you have a smart phone get the App that shows what wait times are but most of all HAVE FUN and if you don't hit everything you want that leaves you an excuse to go again

Here is what my wife said (We have been married for ~17 years. Can you tell

He's been before, and this trip would be mostly for her; so to be blunt don't bother riding those rides more than once. She should get to EXPLORE World Showcase. Unless she wants to power walk and say that she's "hit every country",leave time for strolling and don't worry about hitting EVERYTHING.

Make sure to tell her to book her dining and showing for the processional at 7 am EST exactly 180 days out to get the restaurant, dining time and showing she wants as they book up that first DAY they are available star it as important. And recommend she leave some "wiggle" time to adjust her day to meet Belle and Marie (as the guide phamplets at the entrance have character greeting times in them; so pick that up too; though her resort should have them too).

 

[Disneymoon2013]

Yeah, I was going to comment on the fact that your touring plan doesn't take into account the Holiday storytellers, which are definitely worth seeing, but unfortunately with the way they're typically scheduled, it's unlikely that you can just make your way around World Showcase and catch them in order without long waits.

Is it weird that neither of us care about the storytellers? LOL Hermm... Thank you for reminding us of this though.

I agree with RMulieri...we went in October for our honeymoon and spent two days in Epcot! I never liked it as a kid but now I really love FW and the WS. We did FW the first day along with about half of WS and then the second day we rode any rides we wanted to a second time and finished WS. We were there during the food and wine festival but I'm assuming with the extra holiday stuff to see and do that timing would be similar. The WS is really cool because you can just spend some time strolling through the lands and enjoying the way disney really makes you feel like you are in that country.

Don't forget to relax a little while at disney and take in all it has to offer for couples! You are going to have such a great time on your honeymoon (we did and we are going back around the same time as you this year!)! Congratulations!

Thank you

You're going to have to walk very briskly to the Illuminations viewing area in order to get to it before Illuminations starts. Last time I did the Candlelight Processional we had the 8:15 show and just barely made it to the viewing area before the show started. Also, be prepared that most of the good spots in the viewing area are going to be taken by those who saw the earlier showing of the Processional.

Due to this I would be on the lookout for any good spots you could possibly snag before you go the whole way around the lagoon and cannot find a spot.

Josh mentioned this on easywdw, too. I had originally planned for the middle show because I wanted to see it all in the dark and didn't want to do the lunch ADR for the package. However, I adjusted to the late show because I thought it would be easier for us to get through the WS that way... However, it looks like I should revert & just plan on 2 days in Epcot! I'm still divided.

A few things to take note of:

-Marie no longer meets at Epcot; she's at Magic Kingdom now, by the flagpole. So that's one less character to be disappointed about potentially not meeting

-The American Adventure is a long show, about 30 minutes. You also don't want to miss the Voices of Liberty, who perform 15 minutes prior to the show. This means you'll need 45 minutes for this pavilion. Keep that in mind.

-I actually think it's very doable for you to spend 10 minutes or less in most of the pavilions. Most of them have just one or two shops, and if you're not really planning to buy much of anything, it won't take you long to browse. The ones you'll want more time for are:

-The American Adventure, as previously mentioned
-Japan - has a very large shop that will take a bit to see
-France - has a film
-China - has a film
-Canada - has a film

All the films are 12-18 minutes long.

-Depending on how long the wait is when you get there, you may want to pull a FP for Maelstrom. Since it looks like you won't be arriving to the pavilion till mid-afternoon, waits could be up to 30 minutes or more.

-Finally, don't rule out getting to meet Belle! Her times are 11:00-11:35, 12:00-12:40, 1:00-1:40, 2:50-3:20, 3:50-4:30, and 4:50-5:30. Since you are wanting to see Miyuki at 4:30, I suggest walking past the Morocco pavilion afterwards and going straight to meet Belle. Then, go back and see Morocco.

That's good news about Marie! We planned on skipping the American Adventure; neither of us are very patriotic, and we suspect Disney will show a candy-coated history of the U.S. We also planned on skipping the stand-up films. We wanted to catch the Impressions of France showing. With those details in mind, maybe this touring plan is doable?

We have been to Disneyworld quite a few times around the first week of December and this is very doable (With the crowds that are usually on hand) as long as your willing to walk (And get there early)

Here is the thing though.

Prepare to walk A LOT. I had a pedometer last time we went and we walked about 10.5 miles at Epcot on the day we went (The weather is usually very good around this time so it wasn't really that big of a deal)


Here is what my wife said (We have been married for ~17 years. Can you tell

He's been before, and this trip would be mostly for her; so to be blunt don't bother riding those rides more than once. She should get to EXPLORE World Showcase. Unless she wants to power walk and say that she's "hit every country",leave time for strolling and don't worry about hitting EVERYTHING.

Make sure to tell her to book her dining and showing for the processional at 7 am EST exactly 180 days out to get the restaurant, dining time and showing she wants as they book up that first DAY they are available star it as important. And recommend she leave some "wiggle" time to adjust her day to meet Belle and Marie (as the guide phamplets at the entrance have character greeting times in them; so pick that up too; though her resort should have them too).

Your post is most swaying me to two days at Epcot. That is A LOT of mileage in one day! I didn't realize Epcot was quite so large. It's hard to know from the park maps. I goggled after you posted and found out it's second largest (after AK). And.. WOW 300 acres total?! I've been trying to get into shape and be more healthy overall, so I've been doing the treadmill daily, but I'm still notorious in my family for being physically weak. It sounds like it would be more relaxing for us to split up Epcot into 2 days... I liked your wife's comments

 

[parkhopping]

That's good news about Marie! We planned on skipping the American Adventure; neither of us are very patriotic, and we suspect Disney will show a candy-coated history of the U.S. We also planned on skipping the stand-up films. We wanted to catch the Impressions of France showing. With those details in mind, maybe this touring plan is doable?

Given your touring preferences, yes, I think your touring plan becomes more doable. However, you won't go wrong planning 2 days for the park. Considering that it's your first time there, this will help you feel less stressed about taking time to look at the map, spending longer in a pavilion than you expect to, etc.

And even though you're not very patriotic, if you can appreciate good singing then I still recommend catching the Voices of Liberty. They are just fantastic. During the holidays they sing Christmas and Hanukkah songs anyway. Take a seat on the floor in the rotunda with your back to the side of the room with the museum display. The acoustics are amazing!

 

[cruisingkat]

I'm going to Disney World for the first time this December (first week) on honeymoon. Since my dfi has been several times before, he has left all the planning up to me.

I'm using TouringPlans personalized plans feature but listening moreso to Josh's advice at easywdw.com. I've been able to set up our days at the other parks no problem, but Epcot has been difficult (surprisingly).

Is this actually doable in one day? Is TP's 10 minutes per pavilion realistic? TP also seems to add on quite a bit of walking between pavilions (for some 10 mins each!). Is that realistic?

Dfi's top priority are the rides in FW. Mine is the Candlelight Processional, but as a first-timer of course I want to see the "world". I'm assuming we wouldn't have the time to do any character meetings I had wanted to see Belle & Marie.

Test Track
FP booth - Soarin
The Seas w/ Nemo
Turtle Talk
Living with the Land (I wanted to pass on this but dfi insists; he's a geek.)
Soarin
Spaceship Earth
Ellen's Energy Adventure (dfi's fav ride in all of WDW...)
Sunshine Seasons for lunch (vegetarian options, TP says it's now 1:09)
Gran Fiesta Tour
Mexico Pavilion (TP allocates only 10 mins for each pavilion... isn't that kind of short?)
Maelstrom
Norway
Vikings Gallery (TP allocates 5 mins)
China
Germany
Italy
American Adventure
National Treasures (TP allocates 10 mins)
Japan Pavilion (TP says it's now 4:10 pm)
Miyuki (4:30 show)
France
UK
Canada
Rose & Crown Dining Room (dinner pkg, est 45 mins) (TP says it's 5:50 pm)
back to Japan Pavilion
and line up for Candlelight Processional 50-60 mins early (7:15 pm)
See 8:15 show
Head to illuminations viewing area
Illuminations

For the 8:15 show, the dining for the package is a time between 4:20 and 5:45. Depending on what is available when you book the dinner package, you might start eating as early 4:20 and as late as 5:45. Some dinners do take longer than 45 minutes depending on how fast you eat and if you watch any entertainment (for example at Restaurant Marrakesh) - you do get an appetizer, entree, and dessert with the package.
Also, if you want to hear the storytellers (tell tales about their holidays) at the countries, you can spend more than 10 minutes at a Pavillion.
If one of your priorities is the Candlelight Processional, I would wait until you book the package to make any touring plans to be able to work around that since that will have a specific time for dinner.

 

[Disneymoon2013]

Given your touring preferences, yes, I think your touring plan becomes more doable. However, you won't go wrong planning 2 days for the park. Considering that it's your first time there, this will help you feel less stressed about taking time to look at the map, spending longer in a pavilion than you expect to, etc.

And even though you're not very patriotic, if you can appreciate good singing then I still recommend catching the Voices of Liberty. They are just fantastic. During the holidays they sing Christmas and Hanukkah songs anyway. Take a seat on the floor in the rotunda with your back to the side of the room with the museum display. The acoustics are amazing!

Aren't they the same group that sings as part of the Candlelight Processional, or did I get that mixed up? (I know they do the Christmas story and not any American classics during the processional.)