Akershus and the International Gateway

[MamaPoppins1987]

I am currently trying to get our itinerary together for our trip the week after Thanksgiving, and I need some help with timing our ADR for Akershus.

I plan on parking at Boardwalk (my MIL wants to see the pavilion where DH proposed and this is probably our best shot at seeing it on this trip), taking the ferry to Epcot's International Gateway at the earliest time possible, having breakfast at Akershus, then walking right out to do a scheduled FPP at Frozen Ever After. In theory it sounds great...but sometimes the best laid plans blah blah....

Akershus starts breakfast at 8:00am. What time do I have to schedule for in order to be able to get to the Int'l Gateway from the Boardwalk? Does the ferry even run that early? If not, should I just scrap the Boardwalk idea altogether and park in the main lot at Epcot? I really don't want to screw over the whole day before it actually starts lol!

I know it's pretty far out, but I'm trying to nail down our itinerary now while I have a little time to do so. We'll be staying on property, so I'll be making our ADR's 180+10 days out. Any advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[lorileahb]

If park opening is at 9 a.m. that day and you get an 8 a.m. Akershus reservation, you may not need a scheduled FPP at Frozen Ever After (you may be able to save it and use it for Soarin' since Soarin' and Frozen Ever After are in the same fast pass tier at Epcot). If you tell your server you are trying to get to Frozen Ever After before rope drop, they will usually be able to help you get done and out to be one of the first in line at Frozen Ever After. However, if you don't want to be rushed with all of the princesses, that may be a little harder and fast pass may make sense (especially if Soarin' isn't also a priority for that day). For your actual question - sorry I don't know too much about the parking.

 

[MamaPoppins1987]

If park opening is at 9 a.m. that day and you get an 8 a.m. Akershus reservation, you may not need a scheduled FPP at Frozen Ever After (you may be able to save it and use it for Soarin' since Soarin' and Frozen Ever After are in the same fast pass tier at Epcot). If you tell your server you are trying to get to Frozen Ever After before rope drop, they will usually be able to help you get done and out to be one of the first in line at Frozen Ever After. However, if you don't want to be rushed with all of the princesses, that may be a little harder and fast pass may make sense (especially if Soarin' isn't also a priority for that day). For your actual question - sorry I don't know too much about the parking.

Thank you so much for the help! That actually made my mind up completely- we'd MUCH rather get the FPP for Soarin' and make Frozen at rope drop. You're right- if we get there early enough we won't need it! This will be our first time doing Akershus. We've never really been into character dining, but I have a daughter who will be 4 and this is her first trip She's Frozen and princess obsessed, so this is like the #1 thing we don't want to miss. Plus this will be our first day of vacation, so I think we need to start it out on the right foot! I won't even worry about going to the Boardwalk this day, we'll just park in the main lot at Epcot and get into Akershus super early.

 

[lorileahb]

Thank you so much for the help! That actually made my mind up completely- we'd MUCH rather get the FPP for Soarin' and make Frozen at rope drop. You're right- if we get there early enough we won't need it! This will be our first time doing Akershus. We've never really been into character dining, but I have a daughter who will be 4 and this is her first trip She's Frozen and princess obsessed, so this is like the #1 thing we don't want to miss. Plus this will be our first day of vacation, so I think we need to start it out on the right foot! I won't even worry about going to the Boardwalk this day, we'll just park in the main lot at Epcot and get into Akershus super early.

We are doing the exact same thing - we lucked into an 8 a.m. Akershus reservation for our trip next week. My kids want to see the regular princesses but not really a big deal for them if they don't meet them all. Based on threads we have read, we plan to get to Epcot between 7:15-7:30 a.m. for our 8 a.m. reservation (taking the bus from Port Orleans Riverside and I think buses start at 7 a.m.). We will head straight to Frozen afterwards - though, there is also an Anna / Elsa meet and greet you can get in line for in Norway (which does not currently have a fast pass). Not sure if it's worth getting a Fast Pass for Frozen so you could do the Anna / Elsa meet and greet if your daughter is super excited about that. Maybe others on here that did Akershus, the meet and greet and Frozen would know better. My daughter loved meeting Anna and Elsa when she was 4... now she is more excited about the rides... bittersweet.

 

[Marthasor]

Is there a reason you are driving and not taking the bus? If you really want to drive, yes, park in the main parking lot. Unless you pay to valet park your car, you can't park at a resort to go into a park. If you really want to visit the Boardwalk, you could exit out of IG after your EP visit. You can walk to the Boardwalk from there or take the boat and then go back into EP.

 

[MamaPoppins1987]

We are doing the exact same thing - we lucked into an 8 a.m. Akershus reservation for our trip next week. My kids want to see the regular princesses but not really a big deal for them if they don't meet them all. Based on threads we have read, we plan to get to Epcot between 7:15-7:30 a.m. for our 8 a.m. reservation (taking the bus from Port Orleans Riverside and I think buses start at 7 a.m.). We will head straight to Frozen afterwards - though, there is also an Anna / Elsa meet and greet you can get in line for in Norway (which does not currently have a fast pass). Not sure if it's worth getting a Fast Pass for Frozen so you could do the Anna / Elsa meet and greet if your daughter is super excited about that. Maybe others on here that did Akershus, the meet and greet and Frozen would know better. My daughter loved meeting Anna and Elsa when she was 4... now she is more excited about the rides... bittersweet.

Yes, that must be very bittersweet! It sucks that they grow up, doesn't it? Sigh... Anyway, we are also staying at Port Orleans Riverside! This time we opted for one of the Royal Guest Rooms, and I can't wait to see it I'm a former cast member, so I've been to all of the resorts and parks, but planning this trip with my daughter in mind rather than just DH and I has made things MUCH more complicated! I've been trying to leave a few hours open in the middle of each day just in case she gets worn out and needs a nap, but it makes scheduling FPP and dining all the more difficult. That's why I'm attempting to nail down a good itinerary now.

We will try for the meet and greet, but I'm not going to make it priority #1 for now. The week we are going is supposed to be the best week of the year, so I'm really hoping that between low attendance and great planning we can do everything we want to without killing DH haha! We are also bringing my in-laws with us. This will be their first ever time in Disney, which means I am now planning the trip for 5 people instead of 3- 2 of whom have no clue what's going on. Should be interesting!

 

[MamaPoppins1987]

Is there a reason you are driving and not taking the bus? If you really want to drive, yes, park in the main parking lot. Unless you pay to valet park your car, you can't park at a resort to go into a park. If you really want to visit the Boardwalk, you could exit out of IG after your EP visit. You can walk to the Boardwalk from there or take the boat and then go back into EP.

Personally I like taking the bus, but we will be with my in-laws and idk if they're going to want to do that. It's their first visit, and they can be a little weird sometimes. We are staying on property, so we'll have free parking regardless. That also allows us to park at Boardwalk for free if we choose. And thanks, that's a good idea! We can always go after EP. Might be nice to head over to Beaches and Cream at Beach Club for a kitchen sink after a day in the park!

 

[rwdavis2]

As was mentioned you can't park at Boardwalk and go to a park unless you pay to valet park. Last November they weren't allowing people to park in the self parking lot unless you were staying there.

 

[IrishNYC]

Personally I like taking the bus, but we will be with my in-laws and idk if they're going to want to do that. It's their first visit, and they can be a little weird sometimes. We are staying on property, so we'll have free parking regardless. That also allows us to park at Boardwalk for free if we choose. And thanks, that's a good idea! We can always go after EP. Might be nice to head over to Beaches and Cream at Beach Club for a kitchen sink after a day in the park!

Unless you're staying at Boardwalk, you cannot park there to go to Epcot.

 

[MamaPoppins1987]

As was mentioned you can't park at Boardwalk and go to a park unless you pay to valet park. Last November they weren't allowing people to park in the self parking lot unless you were staying there.

Now that I really think about it I've only ever taken the bus to Boardwalk on vacation. My mistake! And the other times I've gone to Boardwalk it was as a cast member.

 

[lorileahb]

Yes, that must be very bittersweet! It sucks that they grow up, doesn't it? Sigh... Anyway, we are also staying at Port Orleans Riverside! This time we opted for one of the Royal Guest Rooms, and I can't wait to see it I'm a former cast member, so I've been to all of the resorts and parks, but planning this trip with my daughter in mind rather than just DH and I has made things MUCH more complicated! I've been trying to leave a few hours open in the middle of each day just in case she gets worn out and needs a nap, but it makes scheduling FPP and dining all the more difficult. That's why I'm attempting to nail down a good itinerary now.

We will try for the meet and greet, but I'm not going to make it priority #1 for now. The week we are going is supposed to be the best week of the year, so I'm really hoping that between low attendance and great planning we can do everything we want to without killing DH haha! We are also bringing my in-laws with us. This will be their first ever time in Disney, which means I am now planning the trip for 5 people instead of 3- 2 of whom have no clue what's going on. Should be interesting!

If you are staying at Port Orleans, I'd vote for the bus (if it works for everyone)... especially if some people wanted to go back in the afternoon to rest and others wanted to stay at the park for awhile (we did this when my parents came with us once, also when my littlest still needed naps). I LOVE it during the off season - we like to go in January when crowds are low on non-event weekdays. Ended up with this April trip because my company gave me a gift card - awesome, but am interested to see how crazy it is with all of the crowds. We are definitely leaving afternoon hours to go back and rest or swim to avoid the craziest hours and then go back in the evening.

They didn't have the Frozen ride when my DD was 4, but they had just started the Elsa and Anna meet and greet - no lines anywhere EXCEPT for our 1 hour wait to meet the princesses. Luckily, she loved to color and made friends in line. It was well done back then, too - they took a good amount of time with her (probably why the line was so long).

You all are going to have such a great trip. Enjoy!!

Oooo - one more thing about Port Orleans Riverside (unless it has changed - I haven't been in a couple of years, but I can confirm next week) - the bus pick up, West Depot is where they pick up first - so if it is a crowded time or day, that is the best pick up spot... bus won't be too full to get on. But that's in Alligator Ally, which I THINK is away from Royal Guest Rooms. If you are going in a downtime, I'm guessing it won't matter.

 

[Hopefully]

We are staying on property, so we'll have free parking regardless. That also allows us to park at Boardwalk for free if we choose

You can only park at the Boardwalk and go into Epcot if you pay $25 + tip to Valet Park there, if it is still available. The resort parking lots are neither designed, nor big enough, for theme park parking. And there are signs in the MK area and the Epcot area resorts to this effect
Have a Good Trip

 

[Cinderella94]

Just going to echo what everyone else said about parking - can't park at Boardwalk and go into a park. Resort parking lots aren't nearly big enough for that.