Epcot at 4pm

[Bellhop97]

Ok.. having trouble deciding what to do.. Our plane gets in at 1pm.. and then we need to check into the hotel.. thinking we should be able to visit Epcot at 4ish.. Question is do you think that is a waste of a day?

 

[mom2rtk]

I wouldn't pay for a full single day's admission for it. But on a multiple day ticket? Why not?

 

[Baptist]

I don't think it's a waste. I attended a conference last week and entered Epcot at 4:30 and was able to see a lot. Get your 3 fast passes lined up. Be sure to see the Pixar short film festival (does not need a FP). Have a great trip!

 

[Bellhop97]

We got a 4 day park hopper.. and I want to make the most out of my visit.. and I already made reservations at one of the restaurants, but I'm having second thoughts.. ugh.. decisions decisions..lol

 

[Bellhop97]

I wouldn't pay for a full single day's admission for it. But on a multiple day ticket? Why not?

Thanks for the imput

 

[Bellhop97]

I don't think it's a waste. I attended a conference last week and entered Epcot at 4:30 and was able to see a lot. Get your 3 fast passes lined up. Be sure to see the Pixar short film festival (does not need a FP). Have a great trip!

Thanks..

 

[mshanson3121]

Definitely not. It's a great plan.

 

[Parker Clan]

Agreed, since you have the Hopper!
Epcot is so great, it takes quite a few visits to see everything!
Have a magical trip

 

[bbjunkie]

Sure thing!! Since you have hoppers, you can always head to MK on the monorail when it closes.

 

[Bellhop97]

Thanks everyone... you guys have convinced me to stay with my plans and go to Epcot!

 

[GillianP1301]

Not a waste at all and we do it every trip. We always take a flight that gets in at 1pm and we are always checked in before 3. I have my park bag packed in my suitcase (we do car rental so we have our bags with us) , so I just drop our suitcases in the room, grab our park bag and head to a park. Last year our plane landed late (1:30) and I was still on Spaceship earth just before 4:00. Even with leaving the park by 8:00 to not have a late night on arrival day, I still find the 4 hours totally worth it. Personally, I would find it so anti-climatic to arrive at WDW and not go to a park right away. Financially speaking, it's a no brainer (we get 9 day tickets) so the extra $ for that few hours on arrival day is very minor.

 

[sharonabe]

I'm going to be a dissenter here IF you have four other full days to use your tickets. With only a 4-day hopper, I would want four FULL days if I had them. So, will you be there for four more days?

 

[nilla]

Epcot is NEVER a "waste of a day"!

 

[Bellhop97]

I'm going to be a dissenter here IF you have four other full days to use your tickets. With only a 4-day hopper, I would want four FULL days if I had them. So, will you be there for four more days?

We are actually going to be staying there for a whole week, but decided to only get the 4 day hopper ...as I'm not a big fan of Animal Kingdom, and we are planning on going to Universal a day or two.. so we will bounce around.

 

[MolonLabe]

You should be able to add on a day for 5 days for only a few bucks. On a multi day ticket I wouldn't think twice, I'd do it. The only caveat would be if you were planing on doing DTD/ disney springs then that might be a better call for that day.

Epcot is a great place to be at night. Go for it and if you have to add a day, you're out $15. $15 for 5 hours in Epcot? Well worth it IMO.

Am I correct that you can still go from 4 day to 5 day by just paying the difference (provided you still have days left on your ticket)? I know pre purchase that's the cost (direct from WDW) going from 4 to 5 day tickets.

 

[kiramay]

We went to Epcot on our arrival day. I think we got to the park around 4. Did our 3 FP, got my Epcot Starbucks mug, had dinner in Sunshine Seasons, and went to bed early. Totally worth the $10 or so.

 

[Thing 1]

Add that 5th day on and then go for it. We love that first evening at Epcot. Most of the time we just do the WS and have dinner at a TS that we book once we arrive at WDW and most always somewhere we have never eaten before. It a favorite way to stat our trip. We always have like 6 day hopper and add that one more day for almost nothing. Never a late night as we always do MK early our first full day.

 

[vicb]

Thanks everyone... you guys have convinced me to stay with my plans and go to Epcot!

What restaurant did you pick? I love Epcot, fun first night. You can see Illuminations, don't worry about getting the perfect spot, last trip we walked out of our dinner at Les Chefs ten minutes before the show, stood on the bridge between France and International Gateway, was about three deep, saw everything just fine.

 

[ktlm]

I would add a 5th day on to the hopper and go for it. We love going to a park on arrival day - we consider it a bonus day. Although, I am not a FP+ fan at all, that is the one time it actually comes in handy because we can book FP in advance for that evening. We currently prefer EPCOT or DHS for arrival evening- whichever has later hours- because of the tiering in those parks. It helps to get in another of those tiered rides. I don't know if Soarin is back open yet when you go, but it sure is nice to have that "bonus" day to get a FP+ for either Soarin or TT, when you are limited to one of them on your other EPCOT days. So, I think your EPCOT idea is a good one. The only thing about making an ADR for that night, is that you have to be willing to pay the $10 per person for a no show if you have flight delays/flight issues. I think your estimate of 4:00 p.m. is about right- we usually find ourselves in a park about 3 hours after the plane lands.

 

[sharonabe]

We are actually going to be staying there for a whole week, but decided to only get the 4 day hopper ...as I'm not a big fan of Animal Kingdom, and we are planning on going to Universal a day or two.. so we will bounce around.

I don't know. My preference would be to add that 5th day. 1/2 day anywhere is worth that extra few dollars. But using a full day ticket for 1/2 day when I have a full day with which to use it seems like a bit of a waste of money.