Epcot resorts have major disadvantages getting to Epcot

[GazerBeam]

We had the opposite experience during the first week of december, though we tend to hit test track first, followed by mission space, and then get fastpasses for soarin while we do the other attractions in the land and the seas.

On our first epcot day, we drove the rental car from the swan to the epcot parking lot, were through security and the turnstiles, and right at the rope when it came down at 9. We hit a line at test track because it wasn't open yet, but we didn't wait more than a couple of minutes. Then we did mission space, and went to the land to get soarin' fast passes.

At the end of the day, the car was in the epcot lot and we were having a late lunch in the UK, we really didn't feel like walking all the way through FW to get the car, the boat to the swan seemed much more appealing.

So, on our second day in epcot, we walked to the IG from the swan. We were running a little late, and made the gateway at 9:05. We went straight to test track, no lines, no waiting, and actually got to ride twice in a row. But the best thing was being able to take the boat or walk back instead of clomping through FW to get the car.

I'm sure if we were hitting soarin' first, we'd have seen longer waits on the second day, but for our touring plan it doesn't seem to make much difference on days with lower attendance.

Though it seems to me that they should set up a second rope drop for the folks entering through the IG, maybe on the bridge between FW and WS.

GB

 

[tjmw2727]

We usually stay at the Dolphin or at the Boardwalk and always use the IG to enter Epcot. It seems to vary - sometimes the IG is first other times the front entrance is first and other times its pretty even. Probably just depends on the day, CM and maybe even a minute or two difference on the watch / or a delay in the person giving the instructions on the walkie talkie.

I do agree that its dissapointing to arrive early and find that long of a line but I disagree that Epcot resorts have a disadvantage each and every day. Then again just being able to walk or boat to Epcot vs the bus is an advantage to me even if it means using a FP for soaring.

Staying at an Epcot resort isnt' a guarantee that you will be first in the park but it is a very convenient and beautiful location. I also think, based on past experiences that the CM may have been asking you if you had FP's because if you didn't he may have been authorized to give you some.

TJ

 

[RSoxFan]

If it's so important to you and your family that you be the first people in line for Soarin in the morning, then it would probably be best for you to rent a car so you can make sure you're at the front entrance as early as possible.

We love the BC because it has the back entrance that allows us to be away from the crowds of people running to be first in line. We love walking through World Showcase before it's technically open in the morning and taking in all the little things that are more difficult to see later in the day.

 

[Booyakasha]

Maybe you should change the title of your post to

Epcot resorts have a major disadvantage when you absolutely have to be the first in line at Soarin or your whole trip will be ruined.

Piling on

B.

 

[eliza61]

I recommend you complain to the Beach Club, and tell ask them why their guests are put at a disadvantage at rope drop, repeat that you are not asking for anything special (Apparantly many people automatically assume you want that, as apparant from this thread).

George

George,
I'm not understanding this. What is the Beach club supposed to do? Move the building. She is on equal footing, she has the option to go to the front entrance. She knew the distance from International gateway to Soarin', it hasn't changed.
Because of the layout of Epcot (which has not changed since it opened) different entrances have different advantages. If Soarin was located next to France, the folks from the front entrance would be complaining.
The Epcot resorts advertised you can walk to Epcot, nothing else. Disney tries its best but come on, guest have to do a little work.

 

[BubblPopElectrc]

I'm not sure if I understand what you are saying. This is all over one ride?

I think there are lots of pros and cons about each resort and it would be hard to make everything exactly equally fair for everyone.

And international gateway isn't a private entrance for deluxe guests. Besides, being deluxe doesn't get anyone in early.

Agreed.

All of this over ONE ride? If you got a fast pass and you were planning on being at the park when your fast pass was valid, what's the big deal?

You probably spent more time writing this topic than you would have waited for Soarin.

 

[MaryKatesMom]

Maybe you should change the title of your post to

Epcot resorts have a major disadvantage when you absolutely have to be the first in line at Soarin or your whole trip will be ruined.

Piling on

B.

Did you read my post? Go back and read the first line.

Not silly at all, there should be equal ability to reach any ride, or they need to walk people to the main entrance before rope drop. Simple as that.

George

My point.

 

[MaryKatesMom]

Agreed.

All of this over ONE ride? If you got a fast pass and you were planning on being at the park when your fast pass was valid, what's the big deal?

You probably spent more time writing this topic than you would have waited for Soarin.

Go back and read the OP. It was a 45 minute wait.

And I posted my post because I thought WDW had taken care of the problem as was my previous experience. They changed it again and I wanted people to know.

 

[dcgrumpy]

Not silly at all, there should be equal ability to reach any ride, or they need to walk people to the main entrance before rope drop. Simple as that.

That would be physically impossible. How could both entrance be the same distance from every ride?

 

[clkelley]

George,
She is on equal footing, she has the option to go to the front entrance.

That's the point, they DO NOT have the option of going to the front entrance on Disney transportation and have a chance on being first in line. The only way to get to the front entrance is a personal car or taxi.

 

[Booyakasha]

Did you read my post? Go back and read the first line.
/QUOTE]

Exactly! It sounds like you had a beatiful trip but this "little" problem seems to have left a large black spot on an otherwise great trip.
B.

 

[NHTikiBeckie]

I can't believe this is actually a complaint. I can't imagine this actually bothering me or anyone really. Sorry, but what exactly did you expect the CM to do? Poor CM's, they get people complaining about the silliest things.

 

[fla4fun]

Before there Soarin' most people went to TT first.Are they going to move the rope drop every time a new ride opens? That's just silly

No, but it wouldn't take that much effort on Disney's part to select a spot for IG guests to wait that would be an equal distance from the center of FW as the front gate. For example, let's say just for simplicity's sake that the center of FW is the exit from Spaceship Earth. Let's say that the distance between the SE exit and the front gate is 500 yards. Let's say that 500 yards the other direction from the SE exit is right about where the Epcot Christmas tree is. If that were the case, and they held the IG guests here, they would have the same opportunity to reach any attraction that the front gate guests do - no advantage, no disadvantage, just a level playing field. And it wouldn't have to be changed if a new attraction opened, because it wasn't based on the location of any particular attraction, just a geographical location.

 

[tloft]

I am actually at WDW and staying at the BCV right now. It is my impression that a great deal of the problem stems from Epcot apparently evolving into The Land plus some other attractions no one cares about. I was in Epcot yesterday and absolutely everything was walk on all day long except for Soarin'. The Land pavilion was a nightmare all day. At park opening I went for fastpasses while the group headed to Nemo. We maybe passed 20 - 30 people total walking from international gateway. Inside the Land there was barely room to move, wait time for Soarin was already 50 minutes and fastpass return times were already four hours away. When we came back for a 12:00 adr at Garden Grill we had to wait over 45 minutes. The only waiting area for Garden Grill is by the restrooms and was extraordinarily crowded and unpleasant. This is our third weeklong disney trip in two years and I haven't waited that long for a table with an adr ever. No way I would have done it either if my daughter hadn't picked it as her must do of the trip. Anyway, as pertains to the original post - I'm not sure how much of the problem is the international gateway is really a disadvantage or that absolutely everyone is heading to this one attraction. Unless your going to be one of the rope drop runners you might have had the same problem from the front. Until something else can draw a crowd at Epcot I think everyone but the sprinters need to be resolved to grabbing a FP for this one and moving on with their touring.

BTW - none of this has put a damper on an excellent trip. Slightly more crowded than this time last year but still an excellent time to tour. We did extra magic hours at Magic Kingdom last night and my son and I were able to do every open show or ride there was between 10:00 and 12:30 am. Even did Buzz, Splash Mountain, and Magic Carpets twice.

 

[eliza61]

That's the point, they DO NOT have the option of going to the front entrance on Disney transportation and have a chance on being first in line. The only way to get to the front entrance is a personal car or taxi.

Bus to the TTC. monorail to Epcot. Very easy

 

[LilGMom]

George,
I'm not understanding this. What is the Beach club supposed to do? Move the building. She is on equal footing, she has the option to go to the front entrance. She knew the distance from International gateway to Soarin', it hasn't changed.
Because of the layout of Epcot (which has not changed since it opened) different entrances have different advantages. If Soarin was located next to France, the folks from the front entrance would be complaining.
The Epcot resorts advertised you can walk to Epcot, nothing else. Disney tries its best but come on, guest have to do a little work.

Exactly!

There shouldn't be different rope drops for different entrances just because of an attraction. The Land pavilion used to be relatively empty all of the time but all of that changed when Soarin' opened. To have someone get so upset that they argued with a CM over it just because they couldn't be first on Soarin' is a little silly imho. And just because you stay at a deluxe resort doesn't mean you get any preferrential treatment over anyone else at rope drop which is kind of the tone part of the original post had.

You might have experienced a different rope drop location at the IG before but that doesn't mean that WDW is going to keep it. There are a lot of things that WDW has taken away from guests (i.e. complimentary picture at hard tickets, appetizers and desserts with you DDP meal, etc.) and the closer rope drop for IG guests might be one of those things.

 

[clkelley]

Bus to the TTC. monorail to Epcot. Very easy

There is NOT a bus to the TTC from any resort. I guess they could bus to MK at 6:30 am, then take two monorails to get there, but geez!

 

[pwrflpills]

I think anyone that puts supreme importance on always being the first person on the best, most popular rides, or anything parallel to that in life is setting themselves up for disappointment.

I'm sure they stagger the openings on purpose. I would. As another poster mentioned from their experience at BC, sometimes they are first, sometimes not. Of course you're going to have complainers like the OP and George, but that way you avoid hordes of people entering the park from different ends colliding at the single most popular spot with fights ensuing, people getting trampled, etc.

Bravo Disney!

 

[WDW4ever]

I am actually at WDW and staying at the BCV right now. It is my impression that a great deal of the problem stems from Epcot apparently evolving into The Land plus some other attractions no one cares about. I was in Epcot yesterday and absolutely everything was walk on all day long except for Soarin'. The Land pavilion was a nightmare all day. At park opening I went for fastpasses while the group headed to Nemo. We maybe passed 20 - 30 people total walking from international gateway. Inside the Land there was barely room to move, wait time for Soarin was already 50 minutes and fastpass return times were already four hours away. When we came back for a 12:00 adr at Garden Grill we had to wait over 45 minutes. The only waiting area for Garden Grill is by the restrooms and was extraordinarily crowded and unpleasant. This is our third weeklong disney trip in two years and I haven't waited that long for a table with an adr ever. No way I would have done it either if my daughter hadn't picked it as her must do of the trip. Anyway, as pertains to the original post - I'm not sure how much of the problem is the international gateway is really a disadvantage or that absolutely everyone is heading to this one attraction. Unless your going to be one of the rope drop runners you might have had the same problem from the front. Until something else can draw a crowd at Epcot I think everyone but the sprinters need to be resolved to grabbing a FP for this one and moving on with their touring.

BTW - none of this has put a damper on an excellent trip. Slightly more crowded than this time last year but still an excellent time to tour. We did extra magic hours at Magic Kingdom last night and my son and I were able to do every open show or ride there was between 10:00 and 12:30 am. Even did Buzz, Splash Mountain, and Magic Carpets twice.

I was thinking the same thing about Epcot (my favorite park too!),

If it makes you feel any better MaryKatesMom, we went to Epcot three times that first week of Dec and all three times Soarin was up to a 45min wait in a heartbeat. We came through the front gates, and while we didn't sprint we didn't dawdle either. We had the same experiences at the parks that week too, walk on most rides or at most 20min wait that was usually well under 20min.

I'm editing: One morning we got there about an hour or so after the park opened. Soarin was at 70min and fast passes were into the night. My husband just reminded me! I'm thinking that was Friday after Thanksgiving and not the next week.

 

[clkelley]

Just another comment.

No matter what the wait time says, I have NEVER waited in line for Soarin' as long as the sign says.

My longest time from entering the line to exiting the ride has been 40 minutes. At the time I entered the line, the sign said 90.