I was really disappointed to hear the news about Soarin’ closin’ in 2016 for refurbs. My family and I will be at WDW 2/27 - 3/5. However, a stronger feelin’ I have is anxiety - how will any tourin’ plan I create account for Epcot’s most popular attraction bein’ down? It seems like the crowd behavior will just be wackadoo, and that the wait times on my plan will be way off. Len, you guys seem to do great work here; do you guys have a magic rabbit to pull out of a hat for this problem?
We will be in Epcot, January 6th, the 3rd day after it closes. I can give a report of what we experience. Our plan now is
RD Test Track
Mission Space
FP Test Track
Sum of All Thrills
FP Spaceship
Nemo and Aquarium
Lunch
FP Mission Space
World Showcase
My kids don’t want to do The Land, but I want to at least see what it is like in there with Soarin’ being down.
I know - lots of questions! I’m not just concerned about The Land, but about the park as a whole. It seems like everything would just skyrocket. My wife, however, was saying there might be less people because Soarin’s down.
I could see there being fewer people because Soarin is down, because maybe there’s no reason to visit Epcot without it. For us, with a young child, it’s hard to get him interested in touring World Showcase. There are so few rides at Epcot, taking one down without another option may make it a half-day park for some families, or a skip altogether.
I hear that. I’m thinking about being of those people. Our original plan was to tour Epcot two full days (2/28 & 2/29). Day 1 was gonna be Future World West morning, World Showcase West afternoon, Future World West repeats in the evening. Then, Day 2 would have been similar, but on the east side. Now, with Soarin’ closed, Day 1 will probably feel weak on its own. Maybe cloften’s TP above will be a more satisfying experience.
Soarin will have more of an impact because it is. Very popular ride in a park that doesn’t have many. SB lines at TT will undoubtedly be longer, and FPPs for it will be harder to get. There will probably be some effect on other FW attractions, but not as much as TT.
Hearing about Soarin’ is such a bummer!!! Our first trip to WDW is February 2016. Our plan for Epcot now is:
The Seas with Nemo & Friends
Turtle Talk with Crush
The Seas main tank and exhibits
Living with the Land
Sunshine Seasons
Journey into Imagination with Figment
Imagination Pavilion
Riding the monorail
Spaceship Earth
Test Track
I hope we can get a fastpass for Test Track later in the day because I don’t want to RD Test Track then have it down, it would just waste the morning away. I have been thinking of adding brunch at Chef Mickey’s but I’m not sure! What to do, what to do… LOL
@cloften, it would be awesome to hear back on your experience - too bad folks like you and I will have to reserve FP+ before we start hearing crowd reports back (I’ll be making my FP+ on 12/27).
I’m thinking this too. I’m also thinking that I’ve many people recently talk about how crowded DHS is because of the ride closures. So perhaps, closures like Soarin’ don’t equal attendance drops, just longer lines.
Why or why they didn’t wait 3 months until Frozen stuff opened I have no idea. That would take the sting out at least. Not looking forward to this in our spring break trip. TT is going to be crazy.
That would be fabulous if the Frozen attraction is open by March - we plan to be at Epcot on 3/2 (first day of Flower/Garden Fest). Epcot has always been my fave park since I was a teen. My kids (5 and 2) have fun at the grocery store so I’m not too bummed by the Soarin’ closure - but it would be nice for them to experience the new Frozen ride!
Remember, that LA Times article was from last October, when it was first announced. Disney has yet to announce an opening date. “Rumblings” on the “insider” boards are indicating that it’s behind schedule, and that a mid-to-late June opening is more likely. But this falls into the “rumor” category (although the sources are typically credible).
