Quickest Way to Get From Epcot to Polynesian

[Just Love Disney]

We have dinner plans at O'Hana at 6:45 p.m. but wanted to stay at Epcot to watch the 5:30 concert in late October. What would be the fastest way to get to the Polynesian after the concert in order to make our dinner reservation?

Thanks for your help

 

[Lisann]

I would think that a taxi would be the quickest way. Walk through the World Showcase entrance to the Beach Club Resort front entrance. And then hail a cab. I think going all the way out to the front of Epcot, getting on the monorail, etc., might take too long.

 

[lsyorke]

Monorail to ticket and transportation and then transfer to resort monorail, but it would be tight. Cab is always the quickest way to go.

 

[Just Love Disney]

Thanks to you both A cab sounds like the way to go to ensure we make our ressie. I love the idea of not having to walk all the way back to the main entrance! We power walked (on the verge of a run) from the main entrance to Italy last year and our feet were fried for days! My family will be very happy with this plan

 

[KonaKaiTom]

The walk from the TTC to the Poly is like 40 seconds -- it is an 8 minute ride on the monorail from Epcot to Poly.

Tom

 

[Just Love Disney]

The walk from the TTC to the Poly is like 40 seconds -- it is an 8 minute ride on the monorail from Epcot to Poly.

Tom

Sounds like another doable option but with more walking involved. I will let the family decide so that I'm not the one to blame for aching feet

 

[Fizban]

A taxi is your quickest route anywhere in the world.

 

[philharmagic fan]

Sounds like another doable option but with more walking involved. I will let the family decide so that I'm not the one to blame for aching feet

8 seconds walking from TTC to Poly might be an exaggeration, but it's definitely under 5 minutes, and the walk from International Gateway to the Beach Club lobby is nearly as long as from International Gateway to EPCOT monorail station. Personally, I'd save the money and do monorail/walk.

 

[Just Love Disney]

A taxi is your quickest route anywhere in the world.

8 seconds walking from TTC to Poly might be an exaggeration, but it's definitely under 5 minutes, and the walk from International Gateway to the Beach Club lobby is nearly as long as from International Gateway to EPCOT monorail station. Personally, I'd save the money and do monorail/walk.

Gosh, now I'm torn. Sounds like it's half a dozen of one, six of another. The only thing I know for sure is I don't want to miss our dinner ressie. It's my birthday that day and I'd be big time bummed if we had to go somewhere else for dinner because we were too late for O'Hana! Ugh, just one of the details that seemed so small but now, not so much - LOL.

 

[mmmears]

Where will you be at Epcot? If you are close to France or the UK, then I think that a taxi from the BC is the way to go (we did this once after watching Illuminations at Epcot -- we were in a hurry to get to the Poly and get out on our balcony to watch Wishes and it was clearly the way to go). If you are on the other side of WS or closer to the main entrance, I'd just go to the monorail and get off at the TTC and then walk to Ohana.

 

[Just Love Disney]

We will be between Japan and Italy watching the 5:30 concert at the America Gardens Theatre. If I recall correctly, the concerts typically last 25-30 minutes. At least that's how long the others we went to were. By viewing the map of Epcot, it seems that the World Showcase entrance is fairly close to where we will be. Will still leave it up to the family though. I get to make enough decisions without their input

Thanks again to everyone

 

[ktlm]

That is going to be extremely tight. I think the concerts are scheduled to last 35 minutes. So that puts the end at 6:05, and you trying to get out with the crowd. Those concerts are held on the stage across from the American Pavillion, so you are right in the middle of WS, which means any way you try it- it is going to take a while to get transportation. You really have 2 options:

1. Walk to the International Gateway and out to Beach Club and get a cab--HOWEVER, realize that it is a 5 mile drive which typically takes about 15 minutes and that does not count the time it is going to take you to walk to the Beach Club, walk through the building, and get a cab (there might be a line for cabs with people going to dinner at resorts about that time- or there may not be a cab waiting and they might have to call for one). Realize that if you started at one point and made a circle and got back to where you started in WS, it would be approximately a mile. I could be wrong, but I think the walk from American Pavillion to the door of the Beach Club lobby is approximately .6 of a mile (not counting walking through and getting to the cabs). We've stayed there and made that walk more than once.

2. Walk to the front of the EPCOT, catch the monorail to TTC and walk to the Poly from the TTC. I think your walk to the Monorail station is going to be about .7 of a mile- close to the same distance as taking the turn to walk down to the International Gateway and out through the Beach Club lobby. Assuming there are no technical issues, your Monorails are consistently running, and hopefully your wait for the next one is not too long. That time of day, there typically isn't much of a line to leave EPCOT by monorail, so you should be able to grab the first one that arrives. The monorail bypasses all traffic, and it is about an 8 minute ride (as opposed to the 15 minute cab ride in traffic). The TTC is right next to the Poly and has a cut through to the Poly interior paths (which I assume survived construction) and the walk to the Poly is just a few minutes. Before all the changes we used to stay at the building at the Poly closest to the TTC and it was about 2 minutes from the time we got off the monorail until we got to our room (fantastic after a long EPCOT day)- the walk to the main building is farther but still just a few minutes away.

I'm not sure time wise, either option is necessarily better. It would depend on the availability of a cab and traffic- or whether you just missed a monorail leaving and have to wait for the next one or if the Monorail line is having any issues. Either option, it will be tight to make the ADR If you are lucky you might make it to your ADR in time, but there is also a good chance you are going to be late.

 

[Lisann]

IF..you are right at the boat launch at Italy (isn't it at Italy??), and the boat pulls up, you can take the boat across the lagoon, walk to the Epcot entrance, hop on the monorail to TTC, and you are right there at the Poly, just a few steps away.

 

[Babsy]

I would walk to the BC and take the taxi. The monorail potential wait is likely longer than the wait for a cab. We have waited up to 20 mins for a monorail. usually, the cab is just a minute or two. You may get lucky and hit the monorail at the station, or you may have a 10 - 15 min wait.
Public transportation can be unreliable and slow showing up.

Yes, the monorail is quicker ( 8 min vs 15) but the cab will drop you at the GCH. From the monorail you have to walk to the Poly and then to the GCH. Even though it is a short walk, it is at least the extra 7 minutes that the cab would take.

It is really tight timewise. I would go with the cab option because I believe that the cab is less likely to cause a delay getting on the road. Also, it might be close in distance, but there is a slightly shorter distance to the BC than to the monorail station from the American Gardens theatre. Every little bit helps.

 

[Just Love Disney]

I sure appreciate everyone's input. We have decided to watch just the first 15 minutes or so of the concert and then head out to dinner. Doing this should allow us to use either option detailed above.

Quick question though - what is the GCH? Can't figure that one out

 

[WiscMomof2]

.

 

[WiscMomof2]

I sure appreciate everyone's input. We have decided to watch just the first 15 minutes or so of the concert and then head out to dinner. Doing this should allow us to use either option detailed above.

Quick question though - what is the GCH? Can't figure that one out

GCH=Great Ceremonial House. It's the main building at the Poly and where Ohana is located.

 

[KonaKaiTom]

8 seconds walking from TTC to Poly might be an exaggeration, but it's definitely under 5 minutes, and the walk from International Gateway to the Beach Club lobby is nearly as long as from International Gateway to EPCOT monorail station. Personally, I'd save the money and do monorail/walk.

I think you misread my post -- I said 8 minutes for the monorail and 40 seconds from the TTC to the Poly -- if it takes 5 minutes from the TTC to the Poly, you are definitely stopping to enjoy the lovely views as they are right next to each other.

Tom

 

[AngiTN]

I think you misread my post -- I said 8 minutes for the monorail and 40 seconds from the TTC to the Poly -- if it takes 5 minutes from the TTC to the Poly, you are definitely stopping to enjoy the lovely views as they are right next to each other.

Tom

I can't walk down the ramp from the Monorail in 40 seconds. Maybe power walkers can but I don't think that's a valid walking time for a majority. 5 min is more likely. And that's straight walking, not looking at anything. Unless you are counting to the edge of the Poly property. That is less than 5 min. But to the GCH, I think 5 min is realistic.

I will toss in my opinion that I think relying on the monorail when you have a time tight schedule is always an issue. We lost out on a Behind the Seeds Tour because the monorail decided to stop with us on it for 20 min on our return from Poly to Epcot. Later in the week we had a meal at Epcot and we took a taxi from Poly to Boardwalk and walked over. It was the more reliable method. Mid day seems to me to have the worse luck with monorail stoppages/delays.

 

[danceintherain]

I can't walk down the ramp from the Monorail in 40 seconds. Maybe power walkers can but I don't think that's a valid walking time for a majority. 5 min is more likely. And that's straight walking, not looking at anything. Unless you are counting to the edge of the Poly property. That is less than 5 min. But to the GCH, I think 5 min is realistic.

I will toss in my opinion that I think relying on the monorail when you have a time tight schedule is always an issue. We lost out on a Behind the Seeds Tour because the monorail decided to stop with us on it for 20 min on our return from Poly to Epcot. Later in the week we had a meal at Epcot and we took a taxi from Poly to Boardwalk and walked over. It was the more reliable method. Mid day seems to me to have the worse luck with monorail stoppages/delays.

I agree.
When we were trying to get from the MK to the Poly for an Ohana ADR, I think it stopped 6 times. Luckily, I had given us an extra 30 minutes or something. If we didn't have small children, who I prefer to put in car seats, I would take a cab. Since I do have small children, I would decide which was more important to me, the dinner or the concert, and plan accordingly.