We are starting the day off with breakfast with the princesses in epcot at 9:20. I figured when we were done we would tour the world before going back to future world, but I’m finding it difficult to use a touring plan for WS. How do I allot time for each country and how do I configure that into my TP? TIA!
How much time you’ll spend in each “country” depends on a lot of things. You could take a quick peak around each pavilion and zip around the lagoon in an hour or you could spend the whole day looking around.
Do you or anyone in your traveling party like to peruse shops? If so, then you’ll have to leave extra time for that. How about snacks? There are many to choose from in the different pavilions, so if that is important, then leave time for selecting, purchasing, and consuming those. The rides in Mexico and Norway generally have short waits, though the Mexico ride is a little longer, but if you want to see those, then maybe add 15-20 minutes for each ride. How about the movies? Would you want to watch these films about some of the countries (knowing that you stand for the films in Canada and China)? What about the exhibits like the terracotta warriors in China or what used to be the Vikings (now probably Frozen) display in the Norway pavilion?
One other thing to keep in mind, is that the pavilions don’t officially open until 11:00 AM, so enjoy a leisurely breakfast with the princesses unless you’re planning to do something in Future World before you start your World Showcase tour.
I rarely, if ever, have a step-by-step touring plan for WS. I have a “block” of time I plan on spending there and fit in what I can. I typically have an ADR, so that becomes the “anchor point”. Occasionally there is a specific live show that I want to see (e.g. Off Kilter, Chinese Acrobats, Mariachi, etc) that serves as a secondary anchor point. I usually tour WS “in order”, spending more or less time in each country deprnding on how I feel that day. So how long for each country if you’ve never been before? Not counting rides/shows/movies, and assuming that you don’t have any “power shoppers”, and you don’t stop for anything to eat or drink (a crime if you don’t) 10-15 min, on average, will give you a basic walk-through of the grounds and shops of each country. Given 11 countries, and the fact that it’s a mile circuit, IMHO you cannot even scratch the surface of WS in less than about 3 hours. If you want to do all of the attractions, add another 2-3 hours (kind of depends on lines and timing). Add another hour or so for food/drink and you can easily see how a “full” WS experience will take a solid of 6 hours - and that does not include time spent shopping… Personally, I can start at 11:00 when it opens, stay through Illuminations, and never run out of things to see and do. Not sure if this directly answered your question, but it is my strategy for touring my favorite place in WDW.
A “mid-point” between a “full TP” and “winging it” would be to look at the “attractions” These are:
Mexico - Grand Fiesta (boat ride)
Norway - Maelstrom (boat ride and film)
China - Reflection of China (circlevision film)
America - The American Adventure (show with film and AAs)
France - Impressions of France (film)
Canada - O Canada (circlevision film)
Add some/all of these to your TP, and then “fill in the holes” with “unplanned” stops at other countries along the way. This is actually the approach I’m taking with my DW on our Nov trip; our time in EP is limited to 1 day (when going solo, I typically spend 1 1/2 to 2 days in EP) and I want to make sure she gets to see all of the attractions.
This is so helpful! Thank you! How do you find out if there is a specific show such as the Chinese acrobats or mariachi band? If I was going to bring 8 and 10 year old boys with me, which movie do you think they would like the best? Probably sitting would be helpful since we are going in late August and we will be hot and tired. Thanks!
Given my two posts above, I recommend that you make your FW FPPs for late afternoon or early evening; finding yourself on the back side of WS and having to come back to FW for an FPP is tiring on a cool day; in the summer it can be a day-ender…
Given that you have 8 & 10 year old boys, I would suggest sprinting to Test Track and doing that before your ADR. That ride is pretty much the best thing ever for boys that age. If they could ride in 10 times in a row they would.
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