Hi Touring Plans Family! Looking for advice on how to map out our Epcot day on 12/22. My main goal is to minimize walking, as we are traveling with a family member who has some breathing issues and is determined to do Disney without a motorized scooter. Given this, I want to make sure that I have a touring plan that limits as much as possible zigzaging or backtracking across Epcot.
We are staying on property and entering through the International Gateway. Due to the fabulousness that is BG1, we never had an issue grabbing a Remy LL either in the morning or during a drop on our last trip. Lcoation wise, rope droping Remy seems to make the most sense, but I think we could end up waiting longer in the morning than we would with a LL. I would love some advice on how to navigate Epcot and which ride you would head to first…keeping in mind that we will be moving at a very slow pace.
I haven’t been able to use LLs in Epcot yet. If starting at RD, my plan would be to head left to future world. A lot of world showcase isnt open yet. Then work your way around, getting LLs as needed. It will be crowded. Have you seen the new modify feature? This could help with the criss crossing. Grab the LL needed next and modify to the earliest time you can, doing stand by until then.
Does your family member want to do everything y’all are doing?
My sister and niece are much faster walkers than I am as well as liking rides I don’t tolerate well. They’re busy busy while I’m more mosey along smelling the flowers. So we set meet up places. Get together for a snack or do a store or watch a show.
Great question…I think he would be fine to miss some things, but we feel bad about that. He definitely doesn’t want us to wait on him, which is his primary concern. My primary concern is that we go at a pace that allows him to participate as much as possible.
From someone who has issues with walking, keep in mind that Epcot is HUGE and hilly. WS is also very spread out. The hills between France, UK, and Canada are the worst. I suggest that if you want to circle WS, go down to Canada rather than looping the other way where you must climb from Canada to UK to France. I absolutely loathe that hill. However, there are friendship boats that can kind of help out.
My sister is like this the first day or so. But I’m happy not to be holding them back. And we make sure to do something together frequently. It’s especially easy at World Showcase.
I had never considered the change in elevation, but you are exactly correct about that hill leading up into UK and France. We are entering from the International Gateway, so he won’t have to face that hill first thing in the morning. I just can’t decide where we start our day…rope drop Remy during early entry without a LL or snag a Remy LL and then head to another ride first - thinking FEA or Test Track. Knowing we will be moving slower and that the folks coming in from the main entrance are closer to those two rides, I keep coming back to my original thought of rope dropping Remy.
I also have no idea of how early to get to the international gateway. Since they have way less security and gate staff, I have to think it takes longer to get into the park from that side, but maybe that is a bad assumption.
It’s been many moons, but when my parents came with us on one trip my Dad knew my smoker Mom would not only be unable to keep up, but be exhausted at the end of the day. He plopped her in one of the courtesy wheelchairs and it worked great. Only used for transport, not for any disability allowances.
I’m glad that worked for your mom. In 2019 a couple with us got a wheel chair and took turns.
I’ve been wheeled around MK. Didn’t care for it. I’m still debating a rollator. Every Disney trip I say that’s what I need. Outside of Disney it doesn’t seem that necessary.
It’s not like it’s eating anything outside of Disney.
Gets me every time! I don’t manage even slight inclines/declines very well since the accident.
Had a long conversation with my physical therapist, about it last month when she got back from her first trip…Her response was pretty much - surprised I hadn’t face planted. I now spend way more time on a balance ball than before her trip…
****edited cause auto correct has a mind of its own this morning
You have a lot of options but most of them will require waiting in at least one longer line or doing a lot of refreshing to find a better LL return time. Here’s what I would do:
Get first LL for TT + BG for GotG
RD Remy
Ride TT and get LL for FEA
Ride Soarin SB
Do everything else in FW
Ride GotG with BG
Eat lunch at Connections Eatery or wherever else is convenient when you’re hungry
Tour WS starting from the side that will get you to FEA in time for your LL
Spend the rest of the day leisurely making your way around WS
This is just one option. It’s really hard to do Epcot without backtracking!
I’m going to build a plan using this suggestion this evening. Right now, the plan I built has me RD Remy and then heading to GotG for our Boarding Group (feeling fairly confident in being able to get BG1-10 when actually using BG1). I was actually thinking about circling back through Spaceship Earth, over to the Seas, and then to the Land. Following that, hitting up Figment & Pixar Shorts, and then cutting back across to TT and starting to make our way into WS via Mexico. In theory it works and allows us to get necessary LLs at the right time. But that walk from Remy to GotG…YIKES! Predicted 35 minutes. That will be a long haul for my dad. I thought about a Friendship boat, but that don’t start running until later in the day. I don’t think there is any avoiding the long walk though.
That’s a good plan. Unfortunately you’re always going to have a decent amount of walking at the beginning of your day to get you set up in the right starting location. So even if you skipped Remy, walking all the way to GotG is pretty far. But at least Remy isn’t too far out of the way from the IG entrance. (I mean, you could go through the main Epcot entrance, but then you’ll just have to walk back from WS to the main entrance at the end of the night instead of exiting through IG, unless you come in a different entrance than you exit from.)
All scooters sure aren’t the same.