Does this look okay for Epcot? Better suggestions?

[mshanson3121]

Background: MIL/FIL will not be arriving at our rental home until probably 12:00 or 1:00 am, so they're going to need some time to sleep/get some rest. We also are going to need to get groceries.

We want to spend the first day at Epcot. Our plan was to be in the park by 4:00.

- Meet Pluto
- Get a DAS card return time for Test Track
- Take the Friendship Boats to Italy or Morocco (whatever puts us closest to Japan)
- Tour Japan, do Pick a Pearl, try and catch Matsuriza
- Quickly stroll through Italy and Germany
- Tour China, watch Reflections of China, Jeweled Acrobats if possible (show at 6:15 and 7:30)
- Quickly stroll through Mexico, do Gran Fiesta Tour
- Test Track (we'll have our DAS card so it'll be the same wait as having a FP+)
- Epcot Character spot Meet & Greet

So... is that doable time-wise? The lowest crowd level for Epcot while we're there is 8, so a different day won't make that big of a difference. My thinking is that starting later in the afternoon is hopefully as the sun starts setting it'll get cooler?

But on the flip side, I know the biggest crowds are typically in the evening for WS, and I'm assuming the risk of rain from 4-6 will be pretty good? So based on that, would we be better off, trying to start at 11:00 when the WS opens? But will the heat be worse from 11-4 than say 4-9?

Thoughts?

Quite honestly, I would just as soon skip Epcot altogether and spend the evening at Typhoon Lagoon, but my son has his heart set on seeing China and Test Track at Epcot.

 

[SeilerBird]

I think that schedule is way too much. Kick out about half of it and it might work. Epcot is a big place. You will be doing a lot of running.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Background: MIL/FIL will not be arriving at our rental home until probably 12:00 or 1:00 am, so they're going to need some time to sleep/get some rest. We also are going to need to get groceries.

We want to spend the first day at Epcot. Our plan was to be in the park by 4:00.

- Meet Pluto
- Get a DAS card return time for Test Track
- Take the Friendship Boats to Italy or Morocco (whatever puts us closest to Japan)
- Tour Japan, do Pick a Pearl, try and catch Matsuriza
- Quickly stroll through Italy and Germany
- Tour China, watch Reflections of China, Jeweled Acrobats if possible (show at 6:15 and 7:30)
- Quickly stroll through Mexico, do Gran Fiesta Tour
- Test Track (we'll have our DAS card so it'll be the same wait as having a FP+)
- Epcot Character spot Meet & Greet

So... is that doable time-wise? The lowest crowd level for Epcot while we're there is 8, so a different day won't make that big of a difference. My thinking is that starting later in the afternoon is hopefully as the sun starts setting it'll get cooler?

But on the flip side, I know the biggest crowds are typically in the evening for WS, and I'm assuming the risk of rain from 4-6 will be pretty good? So based on that, would we be better off, trying to start at 11:00 when the WS opens? But will the heat be worse from 11-4 than say 4-9?

Thoughts?

Quite honestly, I would just as soon skip Epcot altogether and spend the evening at Typhoon Lagoon, but my son has his heart set on seeing China and Test Track at Epcot.

I think this is totally doable. In fact, this is pretty much what we do on our arrival days as we always arrive in the afternoon, stay in an EP resort and do EP first thing! TT and Japan are always on the list of things to do!

I'm wondering - does everyone need to meet Pluto? If not, why not send someone over to TT to get the DAS return time while the rest of the party meets Pluto? Then you could all meet at the friendship boat and take it to Morocco and go from there.

Or, why not just make FP+ for TT and the M&G (and then a 3rd throwaway one)? Then you don't even have to walk over to TT to get the DAS return time. If you did that, you could even do Pluto, M&G FP+, boat to Morocco, tour WS as planned, then TT FP+ last? Would save a lot of walking and criss-crossing the park!

 

[MataHari22]

I don't think you will get all that done.

The Friendship boats will let you relax, but they don't save you time, it always takes me a shorter time walking. Morocco will put you next to Japan.

Every time I have been to Pick A Pearl in Epcot, (which is in the fall, at a slower time than summer) it has been crowded. I couldn't even get near the counter last year.

The shows in Japan and China, are each about 15-20 minutes long. The movie in China is about 15 minutes, maybe a little less.

Meeting the characters, I would think would be at least 20 minutes each, but I am not sure, maybe longer, since it's a busier time than when I go.

Then add in all the walking, and crowds.... Also, you don't mention any food or eating while you're there. Are you going to go from 4pm until at least 9 without eating? I think it is a lot to try and do. Course, my plans are usually ambitious. Lol

 

[Skatergirl98]

the schedule seems way too busy. I can easily spend a half hour to a n hour at each country. picking a pearl takes time because you have to wait and Japan is always busy no matter what the crowd level is high, plus you have to take the travel time into consideration. to me, your doing a lot of back and forth. maybe try and just go country by country and do the attractions that they have there insted of having a set schedule of what you are doing and when you are doing it.

 

[mshanson3121]

See that's the thing... the only two countries we really care about seeing (don't get me wrong, I'd love to have two full days for Epcot, but these are the two MUST dos) are China and Japan, and we don't necessarily plan on staying for the whole show, even just 5-10 minutes of it (DD, 5 with ASD has a short attention span). So, supposing we just take the boat to Morocco, do Japan and China, walk by the other countries and do and Test Track and Character Spot, would 5-9 be enough time?

Great idea, too, about splitting up - 1 getting the DAS return time and the other doing the Pluto meet and greet.

As for one of the comments on eating, we would be eating an early supper before we left the house and we're just packing snacks for the parks, so no, we wouldn't be stopping to eat.