Epcot Holidays Around The World- which day?

[pinkgirlmommy]

We are going Thanksgiving and doing 2 days at Epcot. I am trying to decide which day to do our second day where we do the World Showcase and Holidays Around the World- Black Friday, November 24, or Saturday the 25th. I know Black Friday will be packed because of the Holiday and start of Holidays Around the World, but will there be much difference between Friday and Saturday? This is at the end of our trip and we are heading home on Sunday, so I am thinking i would be nice to use our last day as a rest day and swim and shop since we always go home exhausted after doing a park our last day. If not, we can do the rest day on Black Friday and go to Epcot on Saturday?

I wanted to do the World Showcase including Norway on our second day but have to plan around outfits, too, and we are doing an Anna/Elsa theme one day and Aurora the next, so we will do Norway the first day. The first day our itinerary is this:
9:00 Soarin'
9:30 Living w/ The Land
10:00 Garden Grill 10:20
10:30
11:00
11:30 Meet A&E
12:00 Frozen Ever After FP 11:15-12:15
12:30 Figment FP 12:15 / Imagination Pavilion
1:00 Mission Space-Green
1:30 Spaceship Earth- FP 1:15
2:00 Project Tomorrow
2:30 Nemo/ The Seas (Get FP)
3:00 Coral Reef 2:45

Our second day we will try for Rope Drop. If not, I am okay with missing the morning characters and we will pick up at Test Track for our first FP.
9:00 Baymax
9:30 Epcot Character Spot FP 9
10:00 Test Track FP 10
10:30 Akershus 10:35 CP Package
11:30 Holidays Around The World
3:30 Via Napoli 3
5:00 Candlelight Processional 5:00
6:00 Holidays Around The World
8:30 Chef's de France 8
9:00
9:30 Illuminations 9:30

 

[sharonabe]

Both Fri and Sat will be crowded, so I'd flip a coin. However, if Disney Springs is on your agenda for your "rest" day, I would NOT want to go there on Black Friday.

Note for your second day: that's a LOT of food!

 

[pinkgirlmommy]

Both Fri and Sat will be crowded, so I'd flip a coin. However, if Disney Springs is on your agenda for your "rest" day, I would NOT want to go there on Black Friday.

Note for your second day: that's a LOT of food!

Good point! Yeah, I am still trying to decide about the food that day. I think we may drop Via Napoli and snack instead? Good point about Black Friday!

 

[Bete]

Actually, I don't think 3 hours is enough to see all of the Holidays Around the World. You will see some of it, but not all of it. Pick out your favorite countries. There will be a time schedule eventually posted. There could be a lot of back and forth walking involved, too.

Not sure from your post if you have the Candlelight Processional Package with Napoli's. If you don't have the package, I doubt you will get seating for the 5 pm performance. Stand by is a very long wait.

 

[sharonabe]

Actually, I don't think 3 hours is enough to see all of the Holidays Around the World. You will see some of it, but not all of it. Pick out your favorite countries. There will be a time schedule eventually posted. There could be a lot of back and forth walking involved, too.

Not sure from your post if you have the Candlelight Processional Package with Napoli's. If you don't have the package, I doubt you will get seating for the 5 pm performance. Stand by is a very long wait.

Their CP pkg is with Akershus at 10:30.

 

[Bete]

Their CP pkg is with Akershus at 10:30.

I see it now. I still think it's too close after Napoli's to get a good seat for the 5 pm show even with reserved seating.

 

[CynBeth]

We have been to Epcot on several Black Fridays and the crowds did not bother us. We had a first day there earlier in the week to do FW so spent that second day at WS mostly for Holidays Around the World and did the dining package for the CP with dinner at 4:30 pm for the 8:15 pm show. I agree with the others about getting rid of VN.

 

[pinkgirlmommy]

Okay thanks! We want to try it sometime, but just can't seem to get away from Akershus! We love it! My daughter is very obsessed with wanting to go to Paris right now, so I want to spend a bit of time there and was thinking we would go back for dinner there because of that. Any opinions on Chef's de France and Monsier Paul? We have the schedule on Touring Plans for Holidays Around The World and I have already mapped it all out. I don't like backtracking but that is the only way I can figure out how to eat dinner there as we will be going through France around 6 so I am afraid we won't be ready for dinner yet! Although if we skip lunch that might be okay with finishing breakfast around 11:45. Maybe we should move our dinner to earlier though so we don't have to back track?

Here is what I had:
11:30 Mexico
Mexican Donald
Gran Fiesta Tour
Mariachi Cobre 12:15
12:30 China
Chinese Lion Dancers 12:30 or 1:30
China- Mulan
Germany
1:40 or 2:35 Helga in Germany
Snow White 1:30-2:10
Italy
2:35 or 3:00 Le Befana in Italy
3:00 Via Napoli (may cancel)
America
3:45 or 4:30 Holidays Around the World- Kwanzaa
5:00 Candlelight Processional
France
Pere Noel in France 5:40
Aurora 5:20- 6 or 6:20-7
Morocco
Jasmine 5:35- 6:20
Holidays Around The World Morocco 6:10 or 7:25
6:30 or 7:30 Father Christmas/ UK Pavilion
8:00 Chef's de France
9:00
9:30 Illuminations 9:30