Spaceship Earth Refurbishment! Arg!!!

[anorman]

Arg! I just had to change my Epcot day from August 19th with a crowd level of 5.6 to August 15th with a crowd level of 8! EEK!! The reason.......they have Spaceship Earth closed for refurbishments the week of the 18th to the 24th and my DDs would never forgive me if they missed this attraction. Why couldn't they wait just a couple of more weeks when the summer crowds all but disappear in Sept or Oct? This is selfish of me, I know.

How bad will the crowds be at a level of 8???? I don't think I 've ever been to a Disney Park on this busy of a day. Comments? Advice?

 

[lovedonald]

Due to our jobs we are always stuck going to disney at the most crowded times. We have found that in the middle of the day the line for spaceship earth isn't so bad. If you get there early and fast pass the larger things like soarin it shouldn't be so bad. You can never go wrong being at disney! It is always fun!

 

[Mac4life30]

I hope Jeremy Irons is being brought back

 

[Tomh]

SpaceShip Earth is one of my favorite rides. Our first day in the parks will be Aug 19th, and our last, the 30th. Seems we have two Epcot days planned during the refurb, and two that should be after it, just hope they don't run into big delays. The 28th and 30th are our last two Epcot days, I should be able to get my SpaceShip Earth fix in

 

[disnut8]

Arg! I just had to change my Epcot day from August 19th with a crowd level of 5.6 to August 15th with a crowd level of 8! EEK!! The reason.......they have Spaceship Earth closed for refurbishments the week of the 18th to the 24th and my DDs would never forgive me if they missed this attraction. Why couldn't they wait just a couple of more weeks when the summer crowds all but disappear in Sept or Oct? This is selfish of me, I know.

How bad will the crowds be at a level of 8???? I don't think I 've ever been to a Disney Park on this busy of a day. Comments? Advice?

Have you asked your daughters about this yet? Mention the crowd levels will be higher but they would be able to see Spaceship Earth. For the other attractions, they will have to wait maybe longer.

Frankly though, I wouldn't worry about it. The line for that one attraction moves almost constantly and if it's crowded, just come back. There's plenty of other things to see and do. We find just walking around World Showcase once and then doing Future World is enough for crowds to leave.

I think you are really overthinking this.

 

[Dizneefamily+4]

Don't sweat it (well, you WILL be sweating it since it's August! ) Really, dh is a teacher, so we always go in early August - when crowds are usually a 9 or 10. We truly don't mind it - we use FP to the max and really only stand-by if lines are less than 30 min (and surprisingly, there are a lot of sb lines that meet that.) We always get to do everything we want - including the headliners) several times/day. And as far as SP Earth goes, just don't try riding it first thing. The line is usually REALLY long, but by mid-afternoon is usually only a 5 or 10 min. wait. I think you'll be fine!

 

[Zooshoveller]

Arg! I just had to change my Epcot day from August 19th with a crowd level of 5.6 to August 15th with a crowd level of 8! EEK!! The reason.......they have Spaceship Earth closed for refurbishments the week of the 18th to the 24th and my DDs would never forgive me if they missed this attraction. Why couldn't they wait just a couple of more weeks when the summer crowds all but disappear in Sept or Oct? This is selfish of me, I know.

How bad will the crowds be at a level of 8???? I don't think I 've ever been to a Disney Park on this busy of a day. Comments? Advice?

Do you have park hoppers? Maybe you could keep the 19th, and just run over on the 15th (or another day), ride SE and then go back to your regular schedule.

 

[dwheaton]

Like others have said, I doubt SE will be super crowded after the morning rush. Once people spread out into World Showcase, the wait shouldn't be longer than 15-20 minutes at the max (probably less). I wouldn't try to make any dramatic adjustments for an extra few minutes in line.

I'm happy to see them taking time to keep the attractions looking good, though I know it can be tough on trips when things are closed. We usually go in January since our kids are young, and there's always one headliner down every time.

 

[anorman]

Do you have park hoppers? Maybe you could keep the 19th, and just run over on the 15th (or another day), ride SE and then go back to your regular schedule.

No we don't have park hoppers....we've been once a year for the last 5 yrs and have never really seen the need for the extra $$$. So this won't be an option sadly.

Don't sweat it (well, you WILL be sweating it since it's August! ) Really, dh is a teacher, so we always go in early August - when crowds are usually a 9 or 10. We truly don't mind it - we use FP to the max and really only stand-by if lines are less than 30 min (and surprisingly, there are a lot of sb lines that meet that.) We always get to do everything we want - including the headliners) several times/day. And as far as SP Earth goes, just don't try riding it first thing. The line is usually REALLY long, but by mid-afternoon is usually only a 5 or 10 min. wait. I think you'll be fine!

My DH is a teacher too which is why we always go in late Aug......usually the southern schools are back in session and he is not due back until after Labour Day. It's good to hear though that the crowds at Epcot will be managable with a good plan. We are usually rope drop people so it should be okay.

Have you asked your daughters about this yet? Mention the crowd levels will be higher but they would be able to see Spaceship Earth. For the other attractions, they will have to wait maybe longer.

I think you are really overthinking this.

Of course I am overthinking this! I wouldn't be ME if I didn't! And yes I did ask DDs and Spaceship Earth is a must do!

 

[lugnut33]

As others have said, with a little planning the crowd level of 8 will not effect you at all. Besides, it's not like there's a huge difference between a 5 and an 8.

 

[Sweettears]

As others have said, with a little planning the crowd level of 8 will not effect you at all. Besides, it's not like there's a huge difference between a 5 and an 8.

Only a 60% difference.

 

[mm1971]

Arg! I just had to change my Epcot day from August 19th with a crowd level of 5.6 to August 15th with a crowd level of 8! EEK!! The reason.......they have Spaceship Earth closed for refurbishments the week of the 18th to the 24th and my DDs would never forgive me if they missed this attraction. Why couldn't they wait just a couple of more weeks when the summer crowds all but disappear in Sept or Oct? This is selfish of me, I know.

How bad will the crowds be at a level of 8???? I don't think I 've ever been to a Disney Park on this busy of a day. Comments? Advice?

We arrive the 21st and have the 22nd as an Epcot day so we'll miss it on that day unless they have a soft opening. We have PH tix so we'll hop over just to make sure we don't miss it after it re-opens.

 

[MYD714]

I hope Jeremy Irons is being brought back

Oh, if only this would happen! I'd be so happy!

 

[hookedonears]

I hope Jeremy Irons is being brought back

Meeeeeeeeeee Toooooooooooooo.

 

[dwfanatic]

I hope Jeremy Irons is being brought back

One can dream- I loved it so much more when Jeremy Irons was the narrator!!!!!!

 

[ls3015]

I would like to see the original space ship earth the AT&T one come back, loved the older one, really not a fan of the return, coming back down backwards, I do like going up. it's kind of the same.
Another ride I would love to see come back is horizons, that ride was Cool.

 

[Sweettears]

Unfortunately a one week closing isn't likely to be enough time to make a major change such as changing the soundtrack. More likely regular maintenance. How about restoring the chariot?

 

[~Tonga Wingo~]

I think Epcot is a better park for an 8 anyway. It's more spreadout and has never seemed really busy to me even going in June. You may just have to plan a bit more and utilize fast passes, but I think you will be fine. Hit rides early and fastpass them. Then visit the world showcase or other attractions while you wait for your fastpass times.

 

[DizzDoll]

We always go in August and we'll be there the same time you guys are. Don't sweat the "8" in Epcot. As has been mentioned use the FPs as much as possible. If you're RDers don't ride SSE the minute you get there as that's pretty much where the thundering herds migrate to. Zip down and get your FP for Soarin', do your other must-do's, and use SSE (and Ellen) for your mid-afternoon breaks. The lines are so short as to be nonexistent by then. And even if the SSE line is a little longer than you would like, it's a continuous boarding ride so the line moves along fairly quickly. Enjoy!

 

[ls3015]

I think Epcot is a better park for an 8 anyway. It's more spreadout and has never seemed really busy to me even going in June. You may just have to plan a bit more and utilize fast passes, but I think you will be fine. Hit rides early and fastpass them. Then visit the world showcase or other attractions while you wait for your fastpass times.

I really don't think they give out enough fast pass, there sold out way too quickly.