EPCOT-Grand Floridian

[Mozart]

Okay, spending a day at EPCOT, but we have to get over to the GF for tea at 2 in the afternoon. I'm thinking, if we're at the EPCOT monorail station by 1:40, we should be fine. Only problem is that we'll probably be somewhere around France or Italy about the time we need to start heading over to the GF. To make a long question short...how much time would you allot to get over there once we get to the monorails? Will 20 minutes be enough to transfer at TTC and get to GF? Or would we be pushing it a little too much? We will have a car, so we might just be better off driving over, but how do we get in that morning? Isn't there a back place we can park over by the entrance to the United Kingdom? Will that gate even be open at 9 AM?

Thanks for any help you've got.

 

[Bob P]

I would allow 45 minutes. You might make it in less time, but 45 minutes should have you covered.

Of course, you need to add on the time from the WS to the monorail station.

 

[goofy4tink]

There is no 'back place' to park. Only those using the services of those resorts are allowed to park in their lots. I would imagine that you should start leaving Epcot's WS about 1:15, get to the monorail platform at 1:30 and then you should be right on time for your tea at the GF. I usually leave an hour or so in order to get from one are to another one in WDW. Better early than late.
My issue would be that you might just arrive at the monorail platform just as the monorail is leaving for TTC. Then you have a 10 minute, or so, wait until the next one comes. Same for when you get to the TTC..you have to get off the one you're on, walk all the way around to the Resort Line platform and then wait for the next monorail to arrive. If you get there as it is leaving, it could be another 20 mins before the next one comes...you would be better off walking to the GF (well, almost) at that point...walk to the Polynesian, go through that resort and follow the path to the GF. It's not a quick walk.

 

[CarolA]

Personally if you have a car, I would drive to Epcot that morning and drive to the GF, BUT I am not a monorail fan. (As noted it can take up to 45 minutes to do this)

The downside of this is that you will have to pay to valet at the GF. (You can self park, but it's pretty far away so all your "time savings" of driving are taken up by hiking from the self parking...)

 

[dis-happy]

Where are you staying?
How are you getting to Epcot that day?
What are your plans after tea at the GF?


I agree with the previous poster, I would plan to be exiting the front gates of Epcot at least 45 minutes prior to 2 pm to take the monorail. Depending on what you're doing afterwards (heading back to Epcot or not) I would consider just driving straight to the GF. You'll have to park in the main Epcot lot, parking in the International Gateway area is limited to hotel guests, not for park touring.

Have fun! I really want to try tea the GF too!

 

[rockydek]

I had ressies for Tea at 2:30. We left MK at 2:15 and were 5 minutes late. We didn't get in as it was, that busy. I was told I would have to wait an hour. They had just given my time to a walk up, who was waiting.
Oh well ,next time.

 

[Mozart]

Where are you staying?
How are you getting to Epcot that day?
What are your plans after tea at the GF?

a) My brother's house - downtown Orlando.
b) 2006 Hyundai Tucson
c) Back to EPCOT

Looks like we're going to have to take the monorail. I just figured that would take awhile, and am looking for a quicker way to get over there. I guess we'll just spend any early time roaming the lobby.

 

[helenk]

You would have to be at the Epcot monorail station well before 1:40 to make it to the GF for a 2:00 tea. You have to take the Epcot Monorail to the TTC and then exit that monorail and go over to the resort monorail which stops at the Poly and then the GF. If you take the monorail be at the station no later than 1:15 even that might be pushing it. You might have to wait for a monorail or even worse there could be a delay. It never fails when we need to get somewhere in a short amount of time the monorail we are on has to wait for another monorail to leave a resort station and there you are sitting on the rail way.
If you think you will be in the WS, I would exit at the International Gateway, walk over to the Beach Club and take the bus to MK. From the MK take the boat over to the GF. It will save you alot of walking. You will still need to give yourself about an hour from Epcot to the GF.

 

[goofy4tink]

helenk is absolutely right. I had completely forgotten about the time we got stuck on the monorail...leaving Epcot, going to TTC. We had to first wait for a different monorail train to be brought out, then we crept along the railway because there was an issue up ahead of us. So, I would leave WS at 1:00. Or, as someone else suggested, walk over to BC and take their MK bus and then take the small ferry to GF (or the resort monorail if it's coming in as you arrive.) It takes about 8 minutes to walk over to the bus stop at the BC.