Feedback on Epcot touring plan with afternoon break, please

Walt Disney World Touring Plans
1

Group is 2 adults, 2 kids (3 and 7), 2 seniors. 1 child is not tall enough to ride any height-dependent rides. Last year smaller kiddo rode Frozen but was terrified; no idea if he will be willing to ride this year. Planning to use Rider Swap to make the most of Tier 1 FPs with the Rider Swap. If in the end smaller kiddo decides to ride Frozen, I will hand him my band (which will have the rider swap on it) and skip the ride.
Also-- 1 of the seniors walks very slowly. 1 of the adults has chronic fatigue syndrome, celiac, and knee problems. No idea if any adults or seniors might end up renting a scooter, which could change transportation plans. We will have a double stroller. We are staying in 2 rooms at Pop Century, 1 room with deluxe dining plan. Crowd is high this day, a 6, but I tried switching everything to the day before when crowds were a 3 and didn’t notice any significant difference. Plus changing ADRs is somewhat challenging at this point.
I really wanted to eat some interesting world showcase food, but it’s a little tricky with celiac and also with trying to leave the park for a break. Undecided about giving up on world showcase food, but think it’s probably better to do so and have a longer break.

https://touringplans.com/plans/print?id=3673470

  1. Garden Grill Restaurant 8:00am for 50 minutes. ADRs are for 8:30 and 8:35 (couldn’t get us all in 1 ADR) but counting on getting seated earlier.

  2. Soarin’ 9:04am Minimum Height: 40 in
    Notes: Child Swap - Includes Riding Twice Other group will do Livin’ with the Land while first group does Soarin’

  3. Rest 9:33am for 5 minutes
    **** Staying inside the park**
    Notes: This is just to leave time to do Rider swap and each group to do LWTL while other group is in Soarin’

  4. Meet Disney Pals at the Epcot Character Spot 9:39am (Hoping to get to this even earlier than listed, before lines get too long)

  5. The Seas with Nemo & Friends 10:21am

Uses FastPass+ for 9:40am‑10:40am
6. Turtle Talk with Crush 10:32am

  1. The Seas Main Tank and Exhibits 10:56am Spending 15 minutes.

  2. Spaceship Earth 11:30am
    Uses FastPass+ for 11:00am‑12:00pm

  3. Club Cool 12:01pm Opens: 9:00am | Closes: 9:00pm
    Spending 5 minutes.

  4. Test Track 12:18pm
    Minimum Height: 40 in
    Uses FastPass+ for 12:00pm‑1:00pm
    Notes: Child Swap - Includes Riding Twice FP for 3 people, RS for other 2 who are tall enough to ride

  5. Friendship Boats 1:02pm Opens: 11:00am | Closes: 7:30pm
    Notes: Alternate plan is to grab food at electric umbrella (blah, boring), leave park immediately after, skip friendship boats and Tangierine Cafe. Aim to be back in park a little earlier so can try to get silhouettes then, even if out of way??

  6. Tangierine Cafe 1:39pm for 30 minutes

  7. France Pavilion 2:15pm Opens: 11:00am | Closes: 11:00pm
    Spending 20 minutes.
    Notes: Get silhouettes done of kids.

  8. Rest 2:36pm
    **** Leaving the park**
    Notes: Leave from Int’l Gateway and get x-large Lyft (6 ppl) to save a lot of time. Must bring travel vest and booster for kids if doing this, also realize double stroller may be difficult to fit in vehicle.
    AFTER BREAK

  9. Frozen Ever After Arrive 5:37pm Uses FastPass+ for 5:15pm‑6:15pm
    Notes: Child Swap - Includes Riding Twice FP for 3 people, RS for other 2. But if preschooler decides in the end to ride, I will skip. Don’t forget at least 15 min walking from main entrance to here.

  10. Akershus Royal Banquet Hall arrive 6:04pm
    reservation 6:00pm for 75 minutes

  11. Meet Anna and Elsa at Royal Sommerhus 7:22pm
    Opens: 9:00am | Closes: 9:00pm

  12. Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros 7:54pm
    Opens: 11:00am | Closes: 11:00pm

  13. The Jeweled Dragon Acrobats Showtime 8:10pm, arrival 8:16pm

  14. China Pavilion 10 minutes

  15. IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth
    Showtime: 9:00pm

  16. Rest 9:30pm for 60 minutes **** Staying inside the park**
    Notes: walk around world showcase. Do whatever we want.

2

Your travel party looks similar to mine, as does your plan. My first thought is, what if you don’t get a better time for Garden Grill? Could you get an earlier time if you did Akershus for breakfast and try to get Garden Grill for dinner? Not easy, I know, I have been looking. I edit all of the countries to at least 20 minutes, will 10 minutes be enough in China?

3

I’m planning on showing up as if we have an 8AM ADR and hoping it works out. If it doesn’t, I think we stick with the original plan but cut out character spot. We can hope for character spot FPs later in the day or suck it up and wait. Line never gets much longer than 35 minutes even at high points, supposedly. We did breakfast at Akershus last year and it was good, but I am more interested in their dinner food, and I’m not at all interested in the Garden Grill dinner food.
Re 10 minutes in China–probably not? I have no idea if we will even want to look around in China, but I like acrobats and figured we could at least look around a little bit besides that. Since it’s at the end of our evening, how much we see in the world showcase is so dependent on the other members of my party. Last year we only did 1/2 day Epcot and saw none of the world showcase besides Norway, so I’d like to at least do a LITTLE better this year!

What are your thoughts about a break? We didn’t take any last year, and the kids just napped in the stroller. But the grandparents requested them. Our part of the family could always use it as world showcase touring time/kids nap in stroller time, but I’m not opposed to break time if I can still do the rest of the things I want to.

4

We have a 3 hour break built in to every day. We are traveling with a 3.5 year old and a 13 month old, first trip for both. No idea how they are going to do. We are having lunch about 11:00 most days, then leaving, returning to a park around 4:00. I am one of the grandparents on this trip and I need a break, too. The day that we aren’t taking a break is going to be a long day.
Right now I have an ADR for breakfast and another for dinner for Akershus. Trying to get Garden Grill.

5

Rereading your plan: can a Lyft pick up at the International Gateway?
Also, a Minnie Van has 2 car seats. We have too many people for one and i am too cheap to pay for one.

6

I think a regular Lyft can pick up at the international gateway, yes. I believe we may have to walk to the beach club or yacht club lobby to get one, which is pretty close.
I am definitely too cheap for a Minnie Van. The 7.5 year old has a Mifold booster for travel, which takes up almost no room. https://www.mifold.com. Legally she doesn’t have to have anything, but I feel better with her secured. The 3.5 year old uses a ride safer vest when we travel–it’s amazing. Takes up some room in a backpack, but it’s manageable in a way that a car seat just isn’t. https://ridesafertravelvest.com It’s an investment for sure, but we’ve now used ours for 2 kids every single time we travel—well worth it. If your family used one for the older kid, then you could get the regular Lyft with the car seat or at least an xl with a car seat if those exist (they must…).

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7

You could also get on the boat to take you over to BC or Swan wherever it stops first. If the boat is there it might be faster than walking. I am too tired to walk at that point.

8

True. I think we would all prefer a boat to walking, even with whatever extra time it might take.

9

For the PPO breakfast, get to Epcot for 7:45am and hope to be seated early. I don’t know how long it takes for all characters to get to you, but 50 minutes seems too short, IMO, for a character meal.

I don’t know if 5 minutes is enough time for the rider swap. The pre-load at Soarin takes 5-10 minutes, even if there is no wait in the FP line.

I assume for the other RS rides, that the plan accounts for it. Both seem very quick to me for two lots of people to ride, even with FP. Do you skip the design part of TT with an FP? And the queue at FEA can be quite long, even with an FP - DS and I were in the line for 15 minutes with an FP before boarding.

Be aware Club Cool May be closed by the time you come. Insiders are saying the walls will be going up any day now, possibly at the end of the Flower & Garden Festival next weekend.

Since your plan A includes the Friendship Boats, you’ll need to head over to the Canada side for them (the Mexico -Italy boats stopped a few years ago). Since you’re heading to Morocco, I assume you’d be doing that anyway, but just making sure you know.

Not sure if 20 minutes is enough for the silhouette pictures. It depends on the queue.

And yes, you would need to get to the Beach Club or Boardwalk to get the Lyft / Uber. I think the large ones are harder to get, so plan for an extra wait.

And after Illuminations, although you can walk around WS, most things there shut down. Also when you reach the “top” ie: Italy, US, Japan etc, be aware that CMs may turn you back the way you came, unless you’re heading for the IG.

10

You only have France and China down. No interest in seeing other countries?

11

The system is already accounting for the rider switch, but I wanted to add a few minutes extra in there because each group will be riding lwtl

12

Hmm! I don’t know! I have never ridden test track before, and have only ridden FEA after a PPO breakfast. I don’t think any of us cares about designing the car so if there is an option to skip that we would.

13

Oh bummer. I forgot that was happening. Thank you for the reminder.

14

And the last bunch all together—yes, re friendship boats. I don’t think my family needs to ride two sets of boats but I think they would enjoy one! Not sure how to get any boats in if we leave for a break right after test track.

Thanks for the advice re silhouettes. I will look up alternative locations for those—maybe Disney springs somewhere?

This is an EMH night at Epcot; I should have mentioned that! Epcot doesn’t close until 11pm.

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15

I want to see all of them! But I figured our slow walk about dinner could include some countries. I added above that it is evening EMH until 11pm.

I also would love to hear voices of Liberty. Maybe if we take our break after test track we can come back early enough to hear them before dinner.

16

I have a similar group to yours as well, minus seniors. This looks like a good plan that tackles everything. The only thing that stands out to me is maybe allowing more time for the main tanks? My kids like to spend so much time in that area and I feel like it serves as a nice break. Character spot could move later since it’s out of the way, just a thought. For me, that whole side of future world seem SO much larger in real life vs what it looks like on the map.

I think you are thinking correctly with a Lyft from IG. That break is going to be very short. It’s too bad you can’t sneak into other resort pools for a break. :grin:

17

Good point about the tanks at The Seas. My kids would want an hour here at that kind of age.

The character spot is actually an easy-ish 4th FP to get, since they made it Tier 1. But with FEA so late, that makes it hard. I would leave it where it is.

18

It took us almost an hour to rider switch Test Track with a Fastpass. I don’t think you can skip designing the cars? Also I know Minnie Vans are expensive but you might be able to get a promo code from Lyft. The drivers were amazing and they are super efficient with getting the car seats in and out. A regular Minnie Van easily accommodated our group of 2 adults, 2 seniors, 2 kids and a double stroller.

19

Thanks for the tip! Car seats are such a pain to fly with.

20

I couldn’t get my seniors or my juniors out of The Seas. So, for us,15 minutes was no way near enough, more like an hour. Also took ages in club club. In fact, we were longer in anywhere with air con now I think of it.