Kevin Baxter's 'Inside Scoop' on Epcot
Kevin Baxter says the perfect day at Walt Disney World's Epcot really takes two days.
In my ongoing series on itineraries for the Universal and Disney parks, I have come to the park which is probably the HARDEST to figure out. Most people go to Epcot on two days, so my suggestions cover what I think people should do on each day:
Day 1
1st - Test Track... get on this first. It breaks down too much to trust it.
2nd - Journey into Your Imagination... it's new so getting there early might be smart.
3rd - Living with the Land... worst line in the park.
4th - Food Rocks... small theater
5th - Circle of Life... big theater but this finishes everything in The Land
At this point you need to look at your watch. If it is about the time that World Showcase opens, then you need to head over to the waiting area for that. At WS opening, head straight to El Rio del Tiempo. Then over to Maelstrom. If there is still time, head into the Living Seas pavilion until then.
Day 2
1st - Spaceship Earth
2nd - Body Wars
3rd - The Making of Me... not popular but still a small theater
4th - Cranium Command
5th - Ellen's Energy Adventure
EEA might actually take you beyond the time in which World Showcase opens, but since you already did the two problem lines there, it won't matter.
Things to save for the afternoon or when lines get long: Live entertainment, Honey I Shrunk the Audience, Living Seas, Innoventions, American Adventure (huge theater), Wonders of Life pavilion (not the attractions unless there is no wait), World Showcase films and pavilions (you can usually find an empty pavilion even when the park is crowded.)
FastPasses - the only four here are Test Track, Honey, Living with the Land and Maelstrom. If you did Living and Maelstrom when I told you to, that leaves two. Honey can sometimes be problematic, so I would use that for my first FP. After that, I would just grab a Test Track FP every time I walked by it.
Things to skip if necessary - Innoventions, the commercial area after the Spaceship Earth ride, the Fitness Fairgrounds area of Wonders of Life, the always busy Image Works area of Imagination, the GM commercial area after Test Track.
Now you may not get all the attractions done in Future World by the time WS opens on the second day. Don't worry! The later it gets, the emptier Future World gets. So when World Showcase gets a little too crowded, head back to Future World for a breather and finish up what you didn't do.
You should also plan out what live entertainment you want to see before you even leave. Fortunately, Steve Soares has a wonderful site that lists all the live entertainment in WDW: WDW Live Entertainment Graphing out each show allowed us to figure out a schedule which helped us see every live act in Epcot. It was worth the preparation.
Any other suggestions (like where to stand for IllumiNations)???
If you don't have long in Orlnando, I reccomend oly going to Epcot for about 1/2 a day after doing a water park in the morning. If you head over there for about 2pm go straight on Test Track, Honey I shrunk the audience, and if time Innovations. Then if you have any time left before about 7pm have a quick look around world showcase. The best plan for the illumination is to either:
1) Book a Priority Seating for the Rose & Crown in England for about 10 mins before the illuminations and ask if they could possibly reserve you an outside table.
or
2) The bridge between France and ? has another bridge linking off of it and this is a superb place to stand and is little known. It's right over the lake and has lots of benches and a great view.
If you did only spend 1/2 a day at Epcot and didn't get a chance to have some food at one of the superb restaurants you could always go back after one day at the park to relax with a nice meal. The International Gateway provides easy access.
A water park in the AM, followed by Epcot in the PM? Only if you're a masochist.
At a minimum we spend a day here, and know we aren't going to see everything. We usually skip innoventions, doubt we will be back to Living with the Sea now that the seacabs are gone. The last couple of trips we have skipped the imagination pavillion but will definitly check out the new JII.
I think World showcase needs at least 1/2 day more if you want to check out the entertainment in each country.
The bridge between France and the UK makes a great illuminations viewing spot esp. if you enter through the international gateway. Grab a glass of wine and a pastry from France and you're all set.
First I would fast pass the Test Track. Then go to the Honey I shrunk the Audience.
Then go to Wonder of Life and ride Body Wars. Then go to test Track and ride. And then go to Ellen's Energy Adventure. If you want to go to Living with the land. And last in Future WOrld is Spaceship Eath. Then head to W. Showcase for the evening.
And see Mexico, Italy, Norway,China, and America, then England. Then what ever else. At night watch the Tapesry of Dreams Parade and watch the firworks.
The only thing worth riding there is Test Track. If you want to ride it, get there early.
You should consider going to EPCOT during the Food and Wine Festival. It makes the World Showcase worth visiting. There are booths set up all around the lagoon selling small tastes of food from around the world from $1-$7. There is also a large selection of wine a beer on sale from around the world. There are also other dinners and pairings that require reservations. I haven't been to one yet, but have heard they are very good. The reservations fill up quick, they were full for this year's festival before September. There are also cooking, wine making, and beer brewing demonstrations. It definetely makes EPCOT worth visiting in October and November.
From Ben Mills
Posted November 2, 2002 at 8:11 AM
I laugh at anyone who goes on El Rio del Tiempo. I laugh very hard.
I used to work with people who would always ride El Rio de Tiempo at the conclusion of "drinking around the world." (That is, if they made it that far.)
The condition they would be in at that point, I was told, was the only one appropriate for appreciating that ride.
From Ben Mills
Posted November 3, 2002 at 6:55 AM
I would have thought that it would take more than alcohol to enjoy it.
Probably. But a complete "drink around the world" does involve a LOT of alcohol.
Add a sugar high and that could do it!
Mmmm.... Churros....
Epcot has funnel cakes!
From Mr. D. T.
Posted November 4, 2002 at 9:34 PM
But where are the funnel cake toppings and trimmings as shown in the Six Flags parks?
(BTW, you can get your own funnel-cake maker.)
But then they wouldn't be so fun at theme parks!
I know! Why is SF food so crappy, yet they offer a ton of delicious things for their funnel cakes! That's all I ate last time I went. HEY! I covered three of the four food groups (and I sure wasn't putting any meat on it!)
Epcot is a large park, and most consider it to be a 2 day attraction. But our family, with a pre-planned guide (that we received when we bought the best Disney guide book, THE UNOFFICIAL GUIDE TO WALT DISNEYWORLD [by Frommers]), was able to finish the majority of the park in our first day (when we had lots on energy). Here's what we did ... (oh, and it was the "off-season", so the parks closed early, but the attractions had minimal waits) ...
1) Arrived early (before park opening) with a plan of what to do, where to eat, etc ...). Also, we had a pre-packed lunch, to save time and money (but you HAVE to eat dinner in World Showcase)
2) Test Track
3) Honey, I Shrunk the Audience
4) Circle of Life (we skipped Living with the Land and Food Rocks)
5) The Living Seas
6) Ellen's Energy Adventure
7) Cranium Command (we skipped Body Wars)
World Showcase
8) Toured all pavilions (but some more quickly than others)
9) Watched "Impressions de France"
10) Watched "American Adventure"
11) Rode "Maelstrom"
12) Ate at Teppanyaki Dining Room (VERY GOOD --5 stars)
13) Watched Illuminations
SOMEONE ASKED ABOUT VIEWING SPOTS FOR ILLUMINATIONS. WELL HERE ARE SOME OF THE BEST (THESE WERE TESTED BY FROMMERS CRITICS) --
- IN SHELTERED AREA IN FRONT OF UNITED KINGDOM
- SMALL VIEWING AREA BETWEEN UNITED KINGDOM AND FRANCE
- BALCONY OF JAPAN PAVILION
- 2 GROOVES IN FRONT OF ITALY PAVILION
- AREA IN FRONT OF GERMANY
- VIEWING AREA IN FRONT OF MEXICO
* all spots should be staked out at least 45 minutes before showtime
You could definitely do most of it in a day, but then you are missing out on the live entertainment, which is part of the fun of Epcot.
From Anonymous
Posted June 23, 2003 at 4:39 PM
I went with my boyfriend in April 2002, we went straight to Test Tracks (without having a wait) then toured World show case. As most of the guests were still in Future World, it was fairly quiet here. Went back to Future World and did a few of the bigger rides and then headed over to Magic Kingdom. As it was late afternoon by then, we got on Splash and Thunder Mountain with fast passes easily, as most families were heading out of the park.
We went back to EPCOT for dinner - had to eat in Morrocco as everywhere else was full, and I personally didnt like the food in Morrocco - and watched the Illuminations.
Went back to Magic Kingdom then MGM the next day and got to do all the best rides.
That worked for us as we are both 20 and have no kids, and were free to move quickly but its probably not the best plan for a lot of people.
We had hopper passes from 1998 which were still valid, apart from at the water parks.
Now you have to be very commited to doing this correctly!!! YOU MUST GO TO EPCOT RIGHT WHEN IT OPENS OR AT LEAST AN HALF HOUR LATER Now, I don't know what kind of lines Space can get, but I will forgo that for now! Well anyway, give one of your responible children of friends all of your tickets and tell them to run all the way to Test Track to get fastpass for them (take left side of ball!) Believe it or not, your fastpass will most likely be something closer to one,while it is only 9am! Then, have the person come back and go onto Spaceship Earth. Its not a thrilling experence, but its a nice thing and a classic to go on. Good ride to take little kids on because it is in now way scary. If you can time it right, there should be no line. Next, after seeing your fastpass time, go to guest relations and plan a meal in a country based on you fredom of time (note: from the middle of world showcase, it will take about 30 minutes to come back to Future World so plan accordingly!)Next, go into Innoventions, one is full of future stuff and other is all video games, do both, but one may intrest you more to stay in longer. Depending on which Innoventions you are in, take the back enterence to the sides. I would go to the other side than Test Track because you could come back later. In that area you have the Living SEAS, The Land, and Jorney to Your Imagination. Go to the land first, you can get the Fastpass for the Garden Tour (Living With the Land) first (Fastpasses can be recieved after the first one has explired and hour, no matter when the other fastpass is) Go to food rocks while you wait (absolutly no lines!) and eat there if you have dinner reservations. Then go on the Living of the Land. Next go to the Living Seas, spend some time there and go to the two attratcions of Imagination. Then make your way into World Showcase, Starting at Canida, and leasurly go around the countries, stop at the place you eat. FInally go around the rest of the contries and then go to Test Track with the rest of the attractions (Space, Universe of Energy, and Wonders of Life). Ithis may take you two days, but you would get everything done. ALso don't forget to send a email postcard to all your friends!!
From Anonymous
Posted June 26, 2003 at 3:25 PM
IllumiNations is the BEST SHOW ON EARTH so DONT MISS that one!
From Ben Mills
Posted June 27, 2003 at 9:25 AM
I beg to disagree. FiestAventura at Port Aventura was crowned The World's Best Live Show by the TEA, and I believe rightly so. But, I guess you probably haven't seen that.
From Anonymous
Posted July 2, 2003 at 10:45 PM
first time at wdw have 4 day hopper pass will be there 4 days any tips will be welcome T.Y.
NEVER go to Spaceship Earth first! Mid Afternoon or early evening is the best time - never a line. Even before it opens, Mission Space is worth checking on as they are doing Pre-opening rides on it (we did one in June!). Once it opens, it will definitely be the longest line and best ride in Epcot - go there or fast pass it first. The Living with the Land boat ride is not bad first thing because people stop at Innoventions, Test Track and Earth first. We always just get a fast pass for Test Track which works well. Living with the Seas is just not much since they got rid of the Space Cabs. When we were there in June (for 3 weeks), Figment (Imagination ride) was never very busy - never more than a 5 minute (if that) wait. Honey I Shrunk the Audience was not bad either - do it right after or before Figment. Do the Innoventions Pavilions when you do Earth in the afternoon or early evening. Body Wars does not seem to have much of a line anymore either.
From Anonymous
Posted July 10, 2003 at 7:30 PM
Hello everyone. This is some great advice you have here. My family is very traditional, we ALWAYS have to walk through Cinderella's Castle in MK.(Not this year though, hehe) I would like to ask if anyone can give me some information. My family (Mom, Dad, 15yr boy, 4yr girl) is probably going to be ready to go into a park around 1:00 pm on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, and we will be staying with our six day park hopper until Thanksgiving Day. I need info on a few points:
1. What are crowds like during Thanksgiving week? Disney SAYS it's value season.
2. On what days is early admission on the monorail possible?
3. Which rides should be ridden during this early period? (We have no knowledge of Fast-Pass) (Dad and 15yr son like the coasters, Mom and 4yr daughter don't)
Thank you for reading what is probably a long post! I will probably have more questions later.
- Rod
From K Kirchner
Posted December 4, 2003 at 8:32 AM
My mother is healthy, active, and 84 years old. She's in great shape and would like to go to EPCOT, but can't do a whole lot of walking. Is it possible for her to enjoy EPCOT, or is a lot of walking necessary?
Thanks in advance for any input.
Unless you get a motorized chair...Walking is pretty essential for EPCOT, especially for the World Showcase. It's designed as a circle, and in order to go from country to country you have to walk around. I think it's over a mile around.
For what it is worth, Epcot's the only park I know of where folks have been able to get in from time to time with Segways.
Of course you may have to walk awhile as the Segway's have recently been recalled.
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