Epcot 1 Day Touring Plan without Soarin

[NYHeel]

My family of 5 (kids ages 13, 9, 7 and 2 parents) plan to be in epcot to start our Orlando trip on 1/20. As my FP window is opening soon I'm preparing touring plans to see what best fits. Epcot has become tricky with the closure of Soarin and apparently Mission Space is now a tier 1 fast pass. I'm looking to see if you guys think this touring plan makes sense for Epcot. Keep in mind that I don't think we'll spend too much time in WS. I hated it as a kid (haven't been back to WS since I was about 15) and think my kids will hate it as well. But I'm willing to at least walk around there and watch some of the movies.

Fast passes for Nemo at 11 (had nothing else for a third FP), Spaceship Earth at 12:45 and Test Track at 2:15.

9:15 Test Track (using FP later to ride again)
9:45 Sum of all Thrills
10:25 Mission Space
11:00 The Seas with Nemo (FP, have nothing else to use my 3rd FP on)
11:10 Turtle Talk followed by time with the exhibits
12:00 Living with the Land
12:25 Break for 20-25 minutes to eat snacks/lunch/hot pretzels
1:00 Spaceship Earth (FP)
1:30 Ellen's Energy
2:25 Test Track (FP)
2:45 Journey into Imagination
3:00 Head to World Showcase for Agent P's Adventure game
3:40 - 5:45 More snacks and Canada, UK, and France Pavilions with movies if interested
5:45 Dinner at Liberty Inn
6:45 American Adventure
7:15 Leave park.

Will do Illuminations a different night. Don't want a late night for my kids as we plan to do MK the next day. The other option may be to skip dinner and eat back at the apartment. Then we'd just spend 3:00 through 6:30 exploring WS while making sure to do Agent P's (I think my kids will love that) and the American Adventure.

Thoughts? Should I be tackling WS differently? Last time we went to Epcot 4 years ago we skipped WS completely. Also, keep in mind that we can't actually eat any of the food in WS as we only eat Kosher.

 

[mshanson3121]

My family of 5 (kids ages 13, 9, 7 and 2 parents) plan to be in epcot to start our Orlando trip on 1/20. As my FP window is opening soon I'm preparing touring plans to see what best fits. Epcot has become tricky with the closure of Soarin and apparently Mission Space is now a tier 1 fast pass. I'm looking to see if you guys think this touring plan makes sense for Epcot. Keep in mind that I don't think we'll spend too much time in WS. I hated it as a kid (haven't been back to WS since I was about 15) and think my kids will hate it as well. But I'm willing to at least walk around there and watch some of the movies.

Fast passes for Nemo at 11 (had nothing else for a third FP), Spaceship Earth at 12:45 and Test Track at 2:15.

9:15 Test Track (using FP later to ride again)
9:45 Sum of all Thrills
10:25 Mission Space
11:00 The Seas with Nemo (FP, have nothing else to use my 3rd FP on)
11:10 Turtle Talk followed by time with the exhibits
12:00 Living with the Land
12:25 Break for 20-25 minutes to eat snacks/lunch/hot pretzels
1:00 Spaceship Earth (FP)
1:30 Ellen's Energy
2:25 Test Track (FP)
2:45 Journey into Imagination
3:00 Head to World Showcase for Agent P's Adventure game
3:40 - 5:45 More snacks and Canada, UK, and France Pavilions with movies if interested
5:45 Dinner at Liberty Inn
6:45 American Adventure
7:15 Leave park.

Will do Illuminations a different night. Don't want a late night for my kids as we plan to do MK the next day. The other option may be to skip dinner and eat back at the apartment. Then we'd just spend 3:00 through 6:30 exploring WS while making sure to do Agent P's (I think my kids will love that) and the American Adventure.

Thoughts? Should I be tackling WS differently? Last time we went to Epcot 4 years ago we skipped WS completely. Also, keep in mind that we can't actually eat any of the food in WS as we only eat Kosher.

Well one - what the heck happened to Soarin? When/why did that close?!

Your timeline for Test Track is impossible, quite frankly. You'll never be through it and be able to get to Sum of all Thrills by 9:45. From the time you enter TT to the creation zone, then get into your car, do the ride, and then out again, assuming you don't do any post-ride stuff, you'll be at least 30 minutes. Likewise, your afternoon plan of TT at 2:25 and then 2:45 for Journey will also not work.

 

[siskaren]

Well one - what the heck happened to Soarin? When/why did that close?!

It's closing January 4th to add a third theater, upgrade the projection system in the existing theaters and put in a new movie called "Soarin' Around the World".

 

[NYHeel]

ok, thanks. I'll add 15 minutes to each time. Should that do it? Though for the ride at rope drop I assumed that the park would probably open aroud 8:50 or so based on what I've read.

Last time I rode test track we did the single riders line. So we skipped all of the creation stuff.

 

[NYHeel]

By the way, Josh at EasyWDW.com has in his one day touring plan Test Track from 8:55 - 9:20 and Sum of all Thrills from 9:25-9:45.

Of course he assumes that you're there at RD which I hope to be though I may not be at the front. But he seems to think you can get through test track in 25 minutes if you have only a minimal wait.

 

[mshanson3121]

By the way, Josh at EasyWDW.com has in his one day touring plan Test Track from 8:55 - 9:20 and Sum of all Thrills from 9:25-9:45.

Of course he assumes that you're there at RD which I hope to be though I may not be at the front. But he seems to think you can get through test track in 25 minutes if you have only a minimal wait.

Oh definitely. It's doable for Josh. But doable for Josh and probable for a family of 5 are two very different things . I'm assuming you want to ride as a family - that means no single rider line, which means longer wait time. I'm also guessing that your kids would probably enjoy the post-ride stuff, so do you really want to make them skip it? My kids loved that post-ride area. So, you need to be prepared for "But Mom/Dad..... I WANT to!"

IME, touring plans are great in theory. They very rarely ever work out however. Do TT at Rope Drop, and then just see how it goes. If you're only doing Nemo for sake of using a FP+, then, that frees up an hour right there. Do your "plan" in the order you have, and if you get to Nemo, great, if not, then skip it and move on with the rest of your plan, or spend less time there.

You have three kids - you've allowed nothing for toilet breaks, extra snack breaks, the chance that they may see something of interest that they want to check out, character meet and greets (trust me, 7 year olds can spy out a character a mile away), stopping to take family pictures etc... Josh has his touring plans set on exact, perfect conditions, assuming no distractions or detours. But, at Disney, everything takes longer than you think it will. One of the biggest lessons I learned from our trip this summer was - touring plans really aren't all that important. Yes, I think it's important to figure out what rides are most important to you. It's also good to look over the park maps and get an idea of where things are, so you're not running all over the place, and keep that in mind when you're booking your FP+. But stressing over minute to minute touring plans for a family of 5... is IMO, a waste of time, because chances are it's not going to work out, and not only that but if you really stress out about sticking to it - you're going to miss so many things that make better family memories than just running to the next scheduled ride. Some of our favorite Disney memories are the things that weren't on our touring plan.

 

[NYHeel]

Thanks for the help. I completely agree with your comments. There are always going to be extra breaks. For us there's bathroom and snack breaks. We're not planning on eating a fixed lunch so we gain some of that time back though.

The main purpose of this schedule is to have a general approach to the day and more importantly the times help estimate desired fast pass times to aid in making FP reservations. Clearly stuff is going to come up and that's fine. You either end the day later or skip stuff. For us we just spend less time in WS.

Also, doing Test Track twice lets us allow the kids to spend more time with the after ride activities during the afternoon ride so as not waste the more valuable morning time. I've discussed with my kids that in the morning we do what I say but then at around 11:00 we could change things up and mess around more.

Regarding characters, that's a good point. I've spoken to my daughter about them. She says she wants to do Anna and Elsa and doesn't care about anyone else. As she said, that's baby stuff. Now I'm sure she'll change her mind a little so we'll try and fit in a little character time, but not too much.

Thanks for all the help and feedback. This is exactly what I was looking for.

 

[smiths02]

Thanks for the help. I completely agree with your comments. There are always going to be extra breaks. For us there's bathroom and snack breaks. We're not planning on eating a fixed lunch so we gain some of that time back though.

The main purpose of this schedule is to have a general approach to the day and more importantly the times help estimate desired fast pass times to aid in making FP reservations. Clearly stuff is going to come up and that's fine. You either end the day later or skip stuff. For us we just spend less time in WS.

Also, doing Test Track twice lets us allow the kids to spend more time with the after ride activities during the afternoon ride so as not waste the more valuable morning time. I've discussed with my kids that in the morning we do what I say but then at around 11:00 we could change things up and mess around more.

Regarding characters, that's a good point. I've spoken to my daughter about them. She says she wants to do Anna and Elsa and doesn't care about anyone else. As she said, that's baby stuff. Now I'm sure she'll change her mind a little so we'll try and fit in a little character time, but not too much.

Thanks for all the help and feedback. This is exactly what I was looking for.

If you have a Disney Visa, I would go for the free pic. Even if not, have you considered using your Nemo FP for the character spot? I haven't hit the age yet where I've given up the need to take a pic with Mickey Mouse on every Disney trip. This gets several of them out of the way quickly. Just a thought

 

[NYHeel]

If you have a Disney Visa, I would go for the free pic. Even if not, have you considered using your Nemo FP for the character spot? I haven't hit the age yet where I've given up the need to take a pic with Mickey Mouse on every Disney trip. This gets several of them out of the way quickly. Just a thought

I don't currently have the Disney Visa (I did a few years back but closed it) but I think I will switch the Nemo FP to the character spot one. We really don't need a Nemo FP (especially on a relatively low crowd day) and it couldn't hurt to knock out a family picture with Mickey on the first day of our trip.

Thanks for the great advice.

 

[DaisyLou2]

With no Soarin' the rope drop for Test Track is going to be crazy(er).

 

[SFMommy]

Epcot has become tricky with the closure of Soarin and apparently Mission Space is now a tier 1 fast pass.

Is Mission Space going to be a Tier 1 the entire time that Soarin' is down? This is the first that I heard of that...thanks for the heads-up!

 

[NYHeel]

Is Mission Space going to be a Tier 1 the entire time that Soarin' is down? This is the first that I heard of that...thanks for the heads-up!

I don't know but would assume it will be at least until the Frozen ride/meet and great opens and can become a tier 1 attraction.

I saw the info in the FP+ thread. See this post: http://disboards.com/threads/fastpa...tegies-part-ii.3326057/page-197#post-54685393

 

[DavidNYC]

Been there many times in mid-January and I would think you don't need to worry too much. Other than Test Track, waits are going to be pretty minimal. If your little ones like the characters, I'd try to jump into Character Spot early in the day when it shouldn't be more than 10-20 minute wait. I also personally don't think Energy Adventure is worth the time it takes to get through it - if you wanted more time in WS (which I recommend for the entertainment even if you don't eat) that's a good one to give up.

 

[clambert1273]

I will tell you that on our last trip, my 8yo fraidy cat love test track but her FAVORITE was sum of all thrills... she made us do that 3 times lol We had a touring plan but certainly left enough leeway to wing it in case of things like her love of that ...

 

[NYHeel]

Been there many times in mid-January and I would think you don't need to worry too much. Other than Test Track, waits are going to be pretty minimal. If your little ones like the characters, I'd try to jump into Character Spot early in the day when it shouldn't be more than 10-20 minute wait. I also personally don't think Energy Adventure is worth the time it takes to get through it - if you wanted more time in WS (which I recommend for the entertainment even if you don't eat) that's a good one to give up.

Thanks for the advice. I think I may drop Energy Adventure from the day unless we fly through stuff. I would like to spend a little time with WS just to see if we'll at least like it a little. I think doing the Agent P adventure will help my kids get through WS without complaining.

 

[courtneybeth]

I think I may drop Energy Adventure from the day unless we fly through stuff

It's over 40 minutes long -- I would definitely drop it and use it for the World Showcase or as a buffer with wait times.

 

[samsteele]

You had mentioned the movies/shows in the World Showcase. There are 4 of them . . . all are worthwhile. The O Canada Circle Vision is definitely a highlight but note that there are no seats - you lean against wood rests. Impressions of France is an older film but beautiful and it is more civilized with actual seats. Some young children may grow restless during the film. The American Experience is also very good and has actual seats. Reflections of China Circle Vision is also good but is a leaner only with no seats. Do see the replica terracotta army in the mini museum next door.

I would also recommend spending time in the Living Seas Aquarium where the Nemo ride lets out. If only to see the manatees gobbling lettuce.

 

[shaynar]

My family of 5 (kids ages 13, 9, 7 and 2 parents) plan to be in epcot to start our Orlando trip on 1/20. As my FP window is opening soon I'm preparing touring plans to see what best fits. Epcot has become tricky with the closure of Soarin and apparently Mission Space is now a tier 1 fast pass. I'm looking to see if you guys think this touring plan makes sense for Epcot. Keep in mind that I don't think we'll spend too much time in WS. I hated it as a kid (haven't been back to WS since I was about 15) and think my kids will hate it as well. But I'm willing to at least walk around there and watch some of the movies.

Fast passes for Nemo at 11 (had nothing else for a third FP), Spaceship Earth at 12:45 and Test Track at 2:15.

9:15 Test Track (using FP later to ride again)
9:45 Sum of all Thrills
10:25 Mission Space
11:00 The Seas with Nemo (FP, have nothing else to use my 3rd FP on)
11:10 Turtle Talk followed by time with the exhibits
12:00 Living with the Land
12:25 Break for 20-25 minutes to eat snacks/lunch/hot pretzels
1:00 Spaceship Earth (FP)
1:30 Ellen's Energy
2:25 Test Track (FP)
2:45 Journey into Imagination
3:00 Head to World Showcase for Agent P's Adventure game
3:40 - 5:45 More snacks and Canada, UK, and France Pavilions with movies if interested
5:45 Dinner at Liberty Inn
6:45 American Adventure
7:15 Leave park.

Will do Illuminations a different night. Don't want a late night for my kids as we plan to do MK the next day. The other option may be to skip dinner and eat back at the apartment. Then we'd just spend 3:00 through 6:30 exploring WS while making sure to do Agent P's (I think my kids will love that) and the American Adventure.

Thoughts? Should I be tackling WS differently? Last time we went to Epcot 4 years ago we skipped WS completely. Also, keep in mind that we can't actually eat any of the food in WS as we only eat Kosher.

So not commenting on your schedule - but where do you find hot pretzels that are kosher?

 

[NYHeel]

My understanding is that the Mickey hot pretzels (and all "regular" hot pretzels) in WDW are Kosher. Can't remember the outside sources I used from my last trip (it was 4 years ago) but I'm pretty sure the boxes where the pretzels come from have an OU on them. However, I haven't looked into or researched some of the flavored pretzels like the cream cheese ones. I've stayed away from those.

This isn't authoritative, of course, but here's further evidence: http://kosherfood.about.com/od/koshertravel/f/disneyworld_kosher.htm

You can probably call Disney and ask where they get the pretzels from. Probably also a good idea to call the Chabad of Orlando. They probably won't tell you it's 100% ok but that the pretzels themselves are kosher.

My understanding was that it's fairly common knowledge that the regular hot pretzels in Disney are kosher.

 

[Muskegon78]

Oh definitely. It's doable for Josh. But doable for Josh and probable for a family of 5 are two very different things . I'm assuming you want to ride as a family - that means no single rider line, which means longer wait time. I'm also guessing that your kids would probably enjoy the post-ride stuff, so do you really want to make them skip it? My kids loved that post-ride area. So, you need to be prepared for "But Mom/Dad..... I WANT to!"

IME, touring plans are great in theory. They very rarely ever work out however. Do TT at Rope Drop, and then just see how it goes. If you're only doing Nemo for sake of using a FP+, then, that frees up an hour right there. Do your "plan" in the order you have, and if you get to Nemo, great, if not, then skip it and move on with the rest of your plan, or spend less time there.

You have three kids - you've allowed nothing for toilet breaks, extra snack breaks, the chance that they may see something of interest that they want to check out, character meet and greets (trust me, 7 year olds can spy out a character a mile away), stopping to take family pictures etc... Josh has his touring plans set on exact, perfect conditions, assuming no distractions or detours. But, at Disney, everything takes longer than you think it will. One of the biggest lessons I learned from our trip this summer was - touring plans really aren't all that important. Yes, I think it's important to figure out what rides are most important to you. It's also good to look over the park maps and get an idea of where things are, so you're not running all over the place, and keep that in mind when you're booking your FP+. But stressing over minute to minute touring plans for a family of 5... is IMO, a waste of time, because chances are it's not going to work out, and not only that but if you really stress out about sticking to it - you're going to miss so many things that make better family memories than just running to the next scheduled ride. Some of our favorite Disney memories are the things that weren't on our touring plan.

I find it quite easy to follow and stick to his plans, with 2 kids. I don't think those are created with single rider in mind at all