Epcot Questions

[twitterpated31]

i leave in 34 days for my first ever Disney trip!

We are spending our first park day at Epcot. We expect to arrive around noon from the Bon Voyage breakfast.

I have alotted 5 hours for the world showcase (including rides in Mexico and Norway...we have a FEA FP).

We want to have a leisurely stroll. My daughter wants to meet all the princesses and my boys might do the Agent P game. We'd love to see some performers, eat some snacks and visit the topiaries. I doubt we'll watch any of the films.

For the Epcot Experts, does 5 hours sound sufficient? I'm not worried about making it through in less time. More concerned about it not being enough.

Any thoughts?

 

[fla4fun]

That is a good estimate. You will want to pick up an entertainment times guide when you enter the park, so you will know who is performing and when. That will give you an idea of whether it's better to turn left or right when you enter the park. Your FP will be almost directly opposite IG where you will be entering the park, so hopefully the times are kind of mid-way during that five hour period. If they are early in the time period, I would start by going left as you enter the park (slightly fewer countries that direction) and if they are late in the time period I would turn right as you enter the park. I often spend about the same amount of time in WS doing similar things.

 

[LVSWL]

Hi! I'm so glad you are taking your family to Epcot first! There is so much to see and do, especially over in the World Showcase. I believe you will have enough time since you have the FP, unless you choose to wait in standby for Soaring which might be long. Not sure how old your kids are, but they sound young. The World Showcase is a wonderful way for them to experience a taste of the countries represented. There are movies, shops & food kiosks in each country. It's a great place to explore and encourage their curiosity about other cultures. In 1999, we took our boys on their first Disney vacation. We also started with Epcot. In fact, MK was our 4th park to visit. We have always been glad that we toured this way. It gave our boys the opportunity to experience and appreciate each park before they went to MK. MK is so awesome, and is what everyone thinks of when they think Disney, and we felt that if they see that first then it might be harder to appreciate all the wonderful things that the other parks offer. I hope you have a wonderful trip!

 

[NYIrunDisney]

5 hours should do it since you’ve got FP. Definitely time the time to explore the nooks and crannies! You can learn so much about so many cultures. It’s our favorite park to walk through. Make sure you save plenty of room to eat! After FEA, go to the bakery and get the Schoolbread!!! $3 snack will change your life

 

[Alesia]

We spent 15 to 20 hours in Epcot and still miss stuff. On our first trip, i planned for 45 minutes per country. Imagine my surprise when my daughter spent 90 minutes playing with the toys and marionettes in the China Pavilion.

You can do some of it in 5 hours, but you're going to miss a lot

ETA: I should mention that the 15 to 20 hours doesn't include character meets, which don't interest us. That could easily add another few hours

 

[10CJ]

What do you mean when you say meet all the princesses? Do you just want to meet the ones you happen to come across or are there specific ones she wants to see?

They only meet at set times and the line can take a little while. I would try to figure out which way you are going to go around World Showcase and write down the princess times. Just going for the afternoon I am not sure you can get everyone in.

I would consider checking out Kenny the Pirate's Character Locator if you are interested in meeting characters throughout your trip. I would also consider using Touringplans to map out your stops and see if it is realistic timewise.

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

I think the M&Gs are going to be your long poles and the ones that can interfere with the leisurely stroll since they require you to be somewhere at a certain time. Be aware that lines get cut off so it’s better to get to each princess near the start of the set you want (a few minutes before ideally). Mulan and Belle are popular. My assumptions for our WS plan this year assumes approximately half an hour for each meet. We were toward the front of the Belle line last year because we lined up before she came out but it still pretty much ended up being a half hour of total wait time.

Edit: posted at pretty much the same time as pp

 

[Mome Rath]

Yes, my first thought was about meeting all the princess when I read your post. That can take up some time, esp. if you "just miss" one that was meeting but left. Everything else is at your own pace, so 5 hours would be plenty as long as you are making sure to keep an eye on your time and prioritizing which princesses are a "must do."

 

[Robo]

Epcot has lots of details many can miss.
Don't hurry.
Have a great trip!

 

[WEDWDW]

Also take some time to talk to the International Cast Members in each Country-they come to work in their Country's Pavilion for one year.

They are one of the best parts of World Showcase-so interesting to talk with.

5 hours in the Showcase will FLY by.

 

[twitterpated31]

Thanks for all the replies!
None of the families I'm travelling with (brothers and their crews) have any real interest in Epcot for some reason...think it will be boring. Meanwhile I'm dying to go. So my family will go before our cruise and then hit the other parks post cruise.

Kids are 5 (girl). 7 and 10 (boys).

Priority princesses are Aurora and Mulan. We have two MK days post cruise. Between the princess meets on the Wonder and our time in MK I hope to catch everyone else. I'd like to see Snow White and Belle in Epcot but it depends on timing. I've definately been checking KtP for meet times.

I'm trying to come to terms with not being able to see everything. We'll see how that goes!

 

[sharonabe]

My boys loved the Agent P adventure (yes, my BIG boys over there in the picture). Of course, what they loved most was going off on their own to do them, but even if we'd been with them, they would still have enjoyed it.

For your intentions, if you can't send the boys off on their own, I'd send one parent with them and the other parent to the meet and greets. You can then find each other in between.

That 5 hours will probably go by pretty quickly. Do you have something planned for the evening?

 

[WEDWDW]

I'd like to see Snow White and Belle in Epcot but it depends on timing.

Orlando Theme Park News does a good job of posting the Times Guides each week,so you can keep an eye on current Meet times there(They usually stay fairly consistent).