We are visiting WDW for the first time with our four kids and have one day at Epcot. We are staying off site, have a car and don’t plan on purchasing Lightning Lane Passes.
This gets us to the park earliest at 9AM.
Are we better off leaving our car at our hotel and using a Ride Share service so that we can enter via the International Gateway entrance to give us our best shot at shorter lines for Remy’s/Frozen?
We do prefer the convenience of having our car to leave for a short break but at the same time really want to maximize what we can see/do.
Any advice is welcome!!
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Entering by IG is the best way to rope drop Remy. But it’s tricky to use a rideshare to get there - you either need to have and ADR at one of Disney resorts nearby; go to Pop and ride the Skyliner; or drop off at Swan / Dolphin (or HS) and walk or take the ferry.
Since you are staying offsite thought, you won’t really be able to rope drop and lines will already be kinda long at Remy and FEA. Might be better off getting BG1 for GotG and going there first, then hitting Remy and Frozen just before close or during a lull in the line.
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This. So if it were me, I would drive (because of the convenience factor you mentioned) and enter through the front entrance.
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I agree with @Jeff_AZ . If you aren’t doing early entry rope drop, there’s no real advantage to enter through IG. I would just drive if I was off site and had a car.
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I am going to have to go against the current here and recommend doing the ride share and being dropped off at the Swan and then walking to IG. We were staying off site few years ago, during spring break crowds, and did this. We got to the holding point about 10-15 minutes before official opening and there was only one small group ahead of us. The wait for Remy was about 30 minutes.
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Good data point! I have been when the line is already 30-50 min, even for people who were arriving during EE. I’m not sure what is typical and which is the anomaly.
Such helpful advice! I’m coming in early April and was trying to strategize my Epcot day. I’m staying at POFQ and am either taking the bus or rideshare to get to Epcot. My last visit was back in 2020 right before COVID and I used LYFT every morning and got to the entrance super early, while it was still dark out! Am I right in thinking this isn’t really allowed anymore? Sounds like my best option is to rideshare to Swan or Dolphin, like mentioned above and just walk. Right? I’m most likely not getting Lightning Lane, but nothing has been decided yet.
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One thing you could do is to reserve an early breakfast at Tratorria del Forno, Ale and Compass, or the new Cake Shop Bakery at the Boadwalk. If you have a reservation for a sit-down restaurant, they will allow you in on a ride-share.
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Great suggestions. We’re only doing Quick Service this trip. It’s a very short trip, so trying to maximize park time as much as possible.
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You mean IG I assume? Just in case you didn’t know, you can do rideshare to the main entrance of Epcot with no issue.
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I did the main entrance back in 2020. Was hoping to do IG this trip to ride Remy and Frozen earlier in the day.
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So getting to the main entrance super early is still ok? I thought I read somewhere that they held cars until a certain time. But this could have been back in earlier COVID days. It’s been a long while since I last did research for a trip.
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They do, but it’s about the same time they are letting in buses, etc. I haven’t done research on which way is the very fastest to get to the front gate, but I imagine it is bus.
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I would (not rope drop for me but rope drop for you, lol 
) Lyft or drive to the front of Epcot. Hit the tops rides in the front of the park and then work through World Showcase. There so many countries between France and Norway. Yes the wait will be a little longer than the morning BUT you’ve done some stuff in the front half with minimal waits. If TT is open, hit that first then MS Orange, GotG VW, SE, Soarin then head to WS through Canada. Once you exit at MX you can hit up the any time rides in Wold of Nature (is that what’s it’s called on the Land Pavilion side). Catch the night time show from around Disney Traders.
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Great advice and tips everyone, thank you!
If you really want to start at IG, you can indeed rideshare to Swan and Dolphin. But since you’re staying on property, another option (besides the breakfast ADR already mentioned by others) to get a bit closer to IG (Boardwalk or Beach Club) is to take a Minnie Van. Unlike rideshares, they are allowed to drop off at resorts (and you won’t need to show any ADR).
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Thank you for all the helpful tips and suggestions!! We splurged and got park hoppers for this trip so we’ll be able to hop back to Epcot if necessary.
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