Epcot - 5.5hrs enough?

[matsterrocks]

Is 4pm to close (930pm) on Wed Dec 8th enough time to see most of Epcot or not even close?

 

[MrsJ Henry]

Are you planning on seeing world showcase also? If so then no I don't believe so.

 

[miste76]

I think you'll have a hard time seeing all of epcot in 5.5 hours. It takes us more than that just to do the world showcase. Of course, I don't think 5 days is enough... No matter how much time I have... I always leave feeling like I wanted more time! Hope you enjoy the the time that you do have.

 

[Aimeedyan]

Nope, but I could spend a week there and not get it all done. There is TONS to do there. Aquarium, Spaceship Earth, Mission Space, Figments new ride, Land Pavillion with cool things, and that doesn't include all the countries! Each country has some shopping, great restaurants, usually outdoor performers, Kids stations to stop at and make things, and some have rides and shows inside to visit. Epcot is pretty spread out, too, with lots of beautiful things to look at and walking... it's not all smashed together.

It takes me all day to do the World Showcase alone, if I want to really stop, learn about the country, sample some food, shop, ride the ride, see the show, and visit wtih some of the wonderful CMs that are from that country. Plus eat a few meals!

The nighttime show (Illuminations) is spectacular, as well, but people line up pretty early for that, and it cuts into park time.

But Epcot is my FAVE park, so I'm partial to it =)

I suppose if 5.5 is all you have, then that's all you have... do as much as you can.

 

[matsterrocks]

Here is my delema. We only have 2 1/2 days our flight gets in at 2pm so trying to figure out what to do that day as Epcot seems to be the only park open late on Dec 8th thought that maybe we could squeeze it in that day. Too bad MVMCP wasn't on the 8th problem would be solved Would like to do US?IOA one day.

Any suggestions?

 

[MrsJ Henry]

Ok, I will say that we have done that before since we were in the same situation. We also picked to have EPCOT be the one that we went to on that first day. Just really look into what you want to do and be prepared that you will not see everything.

 

[Ron G]

We spent a 1/2 day there last week & didn't do nearly enough . We did not get to see much of World Showcase. We will definitely spend more time at Epcot next summer.

Ron

 

[madelyn]

I went to Epcot on Jan 1 of 2001 for a few hours. I wanted to see some of the year 2000 attractions before they closed. This was our first trip with kids (first son age 2.5 yrs at the time) and he really just wanted to watch the fountains and boats. So in a way, it was a waste and we could have saved the ticket to be used on a day when we had more time to see more things. But do I regret it....no. We got to film some video footage of my son's first visit to a WDW park and that was priceless. On our last trip (June 2004) we took our 2 sons (almost 6 yrs and 2.5 yrs) and Epcot is at the bottom of their list of parks to see. So we squeezed in about 3 hours at Epcot at the end of our trip (on a day we also went to MGM Studios and Animal Kingdom) so we really just got to see the Nemo characters at the Living Seas, ride the rides in Mexico and Norway and watch the fireworks.

 

[mickeymousefan]

We did a half day at Epcot on our Dec 03 trip. Since it was our third trip in 5 years and our 1st with our DD's we focused on the pavillions instead of WS. (we used to think the WS was all Epcot had to offer.... we were wrong). We have eaten at most of the countries that interest us, so instead of spending precious time at a sit down, we grabbed dinner at Sunshine Season food fair while waiting for our The Land boat ride FP.
I think it can be done, but you really have to read what you can, decided your must dos and make a plan. We did and I was very pleased with what we got done.

 

[vicb]

Your post made me laugh not because I don't sympathize with you but it reminded me of my family's evolution in our Epcot strategy over the years. For us 5.5 hours wouldn't scratch the surface.

1st trip- spent 1/2 day there, kids young and bored, wanted to go to MK only... parents ill prepared to tackle Epcot, didn't plan well enough but knew we liked it.

2nd trip- spent more time in Epcot as we stayed at BWI but didn't have enough PS's at WS restaurants.

3rd trip (this year)- ate dinner 3 nights and 1 lunch there, spend several half days, saw Illuminations 3 times! Now it is the favorite park for all of us (with MGM a close second).

The trick was doing it in smaller chunks so it wasn't so overwhelming. We could do a half day at another park, swim and head in for the evening.

 

[Jadie1017]

It made me laugh too. Up until this last trip in May, I've always gone to Disney with my family. Epcot is my favorite park but none of them are really fans. We'd always save it for the end of the trip, usually getting there about an hour or two before the fireworks. We'd run to get a quick dinner in America so the picky eaters could get a burger, maybe ride the boat in Norway, and then try and find a last minute seat for Illuminations. This trip though, I went with my boyfriend who had never been to Disney before and he agreed to spend as much time in Epcot as I wanted (despite the whole family telling him he'd be completely bored!). We spent the whole first day there and went back 4 times...it was great!!

 

[contempgal]

I agree with many of the posts here....when my family made our initial WDW trip years ago, Epcot was the park we planned to spend the least time at and thought we'd like the least. WRONG. Over the years it has become the favorite park of many of us. During our last 8 day trip, I probably spent 4 days at Epcot. However, I will say many children (and some young adults) don't want to spend the time walking around the World Showcase. Since WS is my favorite part of WDW, I normally do it on my own and explore every part of each pavillion.

Back to the original question though, I think that you could probably do most of Epcot other than the World Showcase in a half a day. Of the four days I spent there on the last trip, I did the non-WS part in a little over a half day, however, I did arrive at park opening and was able to do the attractions that have the longest lines first to avoid major conjestion. Doing it in half a day will be tight and you will not be able to see everything Epcot has to offer but it is a start. You can always use the excuse of needing to see it all to make a WDW return visit later!

 

[jann1033]

i think it would be hard to see it all since fw closes earlier than ws ( around 7ish usually i think, at least in off peak times)...however you could pick a few attractions in each fw and ws, sample some of the ws counter foods ( sit down would waste kind of alot of time since you are on a tight shedule)and watch illuminations so it wouldn't be a total bust either. personally, there is so much to do and see at wdw i'd keep ioa for another trip and concentrate on just the disney aspect. other wise i think you'll miss lots more than you'll see or if you really are totally set on ioa, skip disney ( haven't been to that park of universal but wouldn't take the other part( name escapes me right now) over disney,imo just not as nice , more like a regular amusement park to me, although it has some die hard fans also)

 

[linda_pizzuro]

Other great things going on in Epcot while you are there in December is the Candlelight Processional (done in America at the America Gardens Theater), Christmas Tree Lighting (I think this takes place at 6:00) along with the Lights of Winter - display of synchronized lights in an archway near the tree) and all the Holiday Story Tellers in the different countires (Santa's from different countries tell the story of Christmas from their countires. There is also a very large Gingerbread House in the American Pavillion (I think near where you eat). It is so large I believe they have a store set up inside it.
Linda

 

[MICOL]

We find it takes two days, we do one at Future World and one at World Showcase

 

[mmccoy]

The best thing to do is to come up with a plan. If you haven't already, study the park's attractions thoroughly, and come up with a few things that are "must see" for you. If you want to ride Test Track or Mission:Space, get a fast pass upon first arrival, then go to another attraction so you don't spend your time waiting in line.

The hardest thing for you, I would think, would be to stay out of the "we've got to hurry if we're going to see everything" mindset. Just relegate yourself to the fact you wont be able to see everything, at least to the detail you probably want to see it.

Although I'm sure others would disagree, I was kinda disappointed with Living Seas. If you've been to an aquarium recently you probably have seen a lot of what LS has to offer - except for the restaurant, of course!

Just, remember, Epcot is big! If I remember correctly, three MK's could fit into Epcot. Know the layout before you get there so you won't waste time trying to figure out where everything is.

Good luck, and enjoy!