A few more EPCOT Q's, please...

[Disney Mama 2 Two]

I've had to change some park days and dinner plans due to a too crowded schedule so now I'm wondering what you all think if we had a "late" morning at the hotel,maybe a swim then headed to Epcot? Would that be crazy?

Also, where do you see the Epcot characters "on holiday" (think that is what it is called) where they are in the bus then stop to sign auto. & pictures?

Maelstrom & El Rio Del Tiempo?? Opinions about these rides for ds4 & dd2.5

Where do you watch Illuminations from?

And lastly, how about the Garden Grill character dinner? Love to hear from those who have done this one.

THANK YOU!!! for all advice, this is our first WDW trip and I can't wait!!
Dawn

 

[GOOFYFREEK]

I've had to change some park days and dinner plans due to a too crowded schedule so now I'm wondering what you all think if we had a "late" morning at the hotel,maybe a swim then headed to Epcot? Would that be crazy?

Also, where do you see the Epcot characters "on holiday" (think that is what it is called) where they are in the bus then stop to sign auto. & pictures?

Maelstrom & El Rio Del Tiempo?? Opinions about these rides for ds4 & dd2.5

Where do you watch Illuminations from?

And lastly, how about the Garden Grill character dinner? Love to hear from those who have done this one.

THANK YOU!!! for all advice, this is our first WDW trip and I can't wait!!
Dawn

Ok Dawn Ill see if I can help you out.

Late Morning swin then to Epcot. Well depends on when you are going. I take it, its going to be Nov-Dec time. And that is not a bad idea. These are the slower times of the year except for Thanksgiving and Christmas weeks.

Epcot has several locations for the characters. They are usually at the front gate in front of the ball at park opening. And then at different times of the day they can be found at the stage area in front of the lake and at the back area usually around Japan. You would have to check the daily schedule or check Steve Soares website closer to the time.

Maelstrom can be a little bit scary cause of the trolls but you are quickly through that area and not a big deal. El Rio De Tempo is a casual ride through a water way and not scary at all. And rather enjoying to sit down and relax.

Where to watch Illuminations. I think I choose a different location every time we go. But I would have to say I like watching on the bridge in Mexico or the Bridge back in Italy.

Garden Grill Character dinner. Its been a couple of years since we did this, but rather enjoyed it. Chip and Dale and Country Mickey came around to are table and took photo's. And the entire restraunt rotates so its pretty neat.

I hope this helps and if you have any more questions ask away.

 

[Disney Mama 2 Two]

Thanks GOOFYFREEK, we are actually going in two weeks...what do you think about the later morning now? The reasoning is that our first day in the parks will be at MGM (last SWW) and will be an all day trip, with ds4 & dd2.5 I didn't want to "rush" them again for another FULL day. And I thought Epcot would be the least amount of "rides" (for our family anyway) to have to worry about lines for.

So can Illuminations be seen anywhere around the water area at Epcot?

Thanks again!

 

[Trinity721]

Yes, you can seee Illuminations anywhere around the World Showcase Lagoon. We got really good seats last minute, in the International Gateway area (the strip between Futureworld and World Showcase). There was an area roped off just for people to sit, so we parked our stroller and sat down. It was a great view!

Morocco is a good place to catch Jasmine, Aladdin, Genie or Jafar. I have seen them standing just outside of Morocco, and also if you go through to the very back you could find Aladdin there.

 

[SammieG]

A later morning for Epcot is fine.. its open until 9 for illuminations.. if you are staying for the fireworks.. you will NEED a later start. If we stay for illuminations we usually get there 2 or 3pm (but then we have been about 50x to Epcot, so dont need to see stuff!)

illuminations can be seen from anywhere around the lagoon.. no need to worry about that. If you would like a place to sit, you will probably need to stake that out about 2 hours in advance..
if you are happy to stand then just get in place with 20 mins to spare.. perhaps less depending on crowds.

There is SO much to see at Epcot... its at least a 2 day park to get everything seen.. to do it properly you need about 6 months!!!

 

[MelodyMack]

El Tiempo is a NO SCARE ride....I can't imagine anyone getting scared on this one.

Maelstrom is a dark ride, and a troll (I think it was a troll) at one point is in the water and your boat is whisked away. My DD thought it was "fun scary", but some kids may be disturbed by it.

I know you and your family are going to have a blast!

 

[GOOFYFREEK]

One thing about later starts though. Is most of the rides up front will be packed out by 11-12 am. So make sure you keep that in mind to get your fast passes. As for the photo and autograph signing check out steve soares site. http://pages.prodigy.net/stevesoares/ then click on epcot and 3/4 way down is Characters on Holiday.

Epcot has the least amount of rides per-say. But to me there is much more to see and do for adults. And you also have the kidcot stuff at all the countries too.

You also didn't say how long you where going to be at the World that would play into your schedule too. Dress to keep cool, temperatures are already in the 90's here. And I recommend getting a mister from Sports Authority or one of those type stores there allot cheaper and allot better than the ones they offer at Disney. Drink lots and lots of water.

Hope you enjoy your inagural trip to the World and hope we can help you in any way.