Help with epcot when coming in from International Gateway

[Andipandi]

This will be our first time coming into Epcot from the International Gateway. I would love some ideas of how to tackle the park. I know the WS isn't open till 11am but where would you start? Should we walk to the front and do Spaceship Earth and then proceed or start somewhere else? Any help would be great!

 

[sharadoc]

Are you staying all day? What time do you plan to arrive?

My recommendation is to get there right before 11. Turn right and go around World Showcase, France, Morocco, etc. Have late lunch, early dinner at Biergarten. Or snack around the world, no major meal.

The best time in Future World is after 3. Most everything is a walk on. Once you're done with Future World, head back into World Showcase for Canada and UK. Either watch Illuminations or head out back home.

 

[preemiemama]

You will actually be closer to the Land pavilion- it might be worth trying to ride Soarin if you are there when it opens? Then you could save your tier 1 FP for Test Track? The line will build at both rides pretty quickly, but if you walk at a good pace it will not be the 90 min+ waits that will be seen later in the day...

If you are not a big ride person, you could wander into France and grab some pastries for breakfast in the bakery.

 

[stormer]

When we go in that way we arrive around 11 and go to France and have a light lunch at the bakery. I usually get some pictures of the kids by the Eiffel Tower with no one else in them, too. We head around World Showcase first, then head to Future World.

 

[ErinInCT]

Depends what you are looking for (rides or countries), how many days you plan to go to EPCOT and when you are going (are you there for F&W, holidays, etc). If you wanna go b4 WS is open, head for The Land and do Soarin' and then maybe make your way around to the Mexico side of WS and work your way back.

 

[Andipandi]

Sorry, I should have given more info. We are planning on going to Epcot twice during our week stay. We love the rides and the countries. There is so much to see at every park that I'm trying to optimize every park in the best way. We plan on arriving at the park in the morning at 9:30am or 10am. Hope this helps with suggestions. Thanks for all the suggestions so far. I am totally writing all this down.

 

[preemiemama]

To do Soarin' with a smaller wait, you would want to be there earlier. Getting there around 10 is not going to much of an advantage there.

Most people stay in the front of the park for the first part of the day. Doing activities in WS when it opens at 11 is smart- it will be less crowded and allow you to also head to FW once the crowds move back to WS. That being said, the 2 rides that will not decrease in wait much in the afternoon/evening are TT and Soarin'. You will need a FP to do them if you don't arrive at rope drop. In my experience, most everything else has a minimal wait later in the afternoon.

 

[Disnsyncey]

I was at the "rope drop" for WS on Monday, and we had a similar idea......it would be great to do Epcot on a day after a LATEEEEE EMH and wake up and go straight there at 11, do the France, Morocco, and such, have lunch at one of those places, get to Future World late afternoon, hit your FPs (or as somebody else said, you may not even need them....or do TT as a single rider and then use you FP for Soarin with the other rides there.....or you could do what the other person said and do future world first and be ready for Mexico right at 11....

 

[Bullseye]

This will be our first time coming into Epcot from the International Gateway. I would love some ideas of how to tackle the park. I know the WS isn't open till 11am but where would you start? Should we walk to the front and do Spaceship Earth and then proceed or start somewhere else? Any help would be great!

If you're arriving around park opening head to the front and do some rides until mid day and then head back to the countries, eat, drink, tour. I love going through that Itnl Gtwy. There's very little traffic, you breeze right through.

 

[Enjoying Life]

Arrive at IG at 8:45 for rope drop. Walk directly to Soarin and ride. Have early fast passes for Test Track and Mission Space at the other side of the park. Enter the countries at Mexico. Drink Tequila at La Cava. Walk around the other countries, eat and drink until you arrive back at the IG.

 

[Belle & Ariel]

I would not do Spaceship Earth early. It never gets more than a 10-15 minute wait. If we get FPs at Epcot (We often park hop and get our day's FP at park other than Epcot because of so few choices) we get Soarin and do single rider at Test Track. We love the performers in most countries and the movies in America, France, and Canada. I read on here about the great display in Morocco and we went through and it was interesting. There is a great variety to do there. We never spend a whole day but rather parts of several days. Illuminations is our favorite of all the Disney fireworks. We saw it 4 times last trip. You notice different things depending where you are around the lagoon.

 

[PeasandCarrots]

This will be our first time coming into Epcot from the International Gateway. I would love some ideas of how to tackle the park. I know the WS isn't open till 11am but where would you start? Should we walk to the front and do Spaceship Earth and then proceed or start somewhere else? Any help would be great!

Yes, unless you want to eat breakfast in France at the bakery head to the front to ride any ride of your choice. I was really disappointed - I had read they let you get a head start over the front gate but for us that never happened. They opened at 9am on the dot and by the time we got to TT or Soarin the lines were huge.

 

[DemoBri1]

Yes, unless you want to eat breakfast in France at the bakery head to the front to ride any ride of your choice. I was really disappointed - I had read they let you get a head start over the front gate but for us that never happened. They opened at 9am on the dot and by the time we got to TT or Soarin the lines were huge.

That has never been the case regarding IG guests getting a head start on rope drop. If anything we've had it where IG was delayed a few minutes with opening.