Shortened day - Epcot or HS

Seeking insight. Our flight arrives in the afternoon and so we’ll have a shorter day in the parks. That day HS is an 8/10 and Epcot is 9/10. HS closes at 8 and Epcot closes at 11 due to MH.
I was originally planning on doing HS on thr shorter day so that we could have a full day of walking around at Epcot for Arts Festival especially in the light of day.
Is HS plan too ambitious? Should I swap? If I keep as is, any tips on how to maximize HS experience in a shorter day?

Thanks in advance!

Welcome!

What are you priorities at HS? While it is possible to get everything done in a day at HS, it is increasingly difficult. So it kind of matters what your goals are for HS.

I have trouble making Epcot a single day when there is a full day, let alone half a day. On the other hand, if you are arriving in the afternoon you are getting like only 4 hours, give or take, in HS? But you’ll be getting more like 7 hours at Epcot.

Thanks for appreciating my struggle! Lol
I have a first timers with me so Tower of Terror, Tock & Roller Coaster, Toy Story Mania (have FP), couldn’t get SDD FP so may have to be a miss, would love to get into Rise of the Resistance but boarding passes may be gone by then but I’m sure they’ll appreciate meandering in the land, definitely want them to experience a few shows (classics - B&B, Muppets 3D and maybe Indiana Jones) and finally Fantasmic (got a FP, may be a waste but only one left…lol)

Well, you might pull off some of that, but probably not all of that. Presuming ROTR BGs continue as they are, you can just write that one off entirely if you go in late. You have to be there pretty much at park opening to get a BG. As a consolation, you can do Star Tours! :wink:

I suggest making a Touring Plan to see what you can get done. Shows make it tricky, because of the limited times, so you might prioritize which are most important.

But, I guess based on that list, it might be better to do Epcot on your shortened day instead and do the same…prioritize what you want to do.

Currently with DHS being a mess in terms of wait times (likely to get worse when MMRR opens in March), I think a full day at DHS makes more sense than a full day at Epcot if you want to ride RnR, ToT and TSM plus see a few shows.

At Epcot you could FP TT and a couple short Tier 2s (Nemo?, Imagination?) and then try for a same day FP for Soarin’ or ride Soarin’ at the end of the day. If you want to ride Frozen Ever After, that may involve a long line, but I still think that this makes sense over a half day at DHS.