We are returning to Disney - we took our first trip last year in November (2016) The kids are 7.10.13. Last year we had 4 days and did 4 parks. This year we are doing 5 days and 3 parks, skipping HS and only one day in EP. So here is where I am looking for suggestions. We don’t feel like we “finished” any of the parks last year, so I want to do better at EP since there is only one day. We will be spending a longer day there. Our FP for Soarin is at 10:30. DH does not like “walking in circles” - I guess he’d rather the lines then backtracking all over. I did 3 touring plans. Last year we missed TT (it was down), Circle of Life, Journey and short film, and most of WS. We have a res for La Hacienda at 8:15 We saw Illuminations from the gateway last year and got a lot of smoke and trees so we are hoping timing is right to see it from Mexico this time.
Not sure what kind of advice you’re looking for…?
I personally did Test Track once and it is nothing I need to do. Pretty yawn-inducing IMHO. Never bothered with Circle of Life. I haven’t been since they started doing the Short Film festival, but I’m pretty sure it’s all things I’ve seen before animated features, so it’s not high on my priority list. If by “Journey” you mean the Imagination ride, it’s cute, but it’s a shadow of its former self the first time we had Figment.
As far as Illuminations, only a few tables have good views of it in La Hacienda - and they will all be occupied well before an 8:15 ADR. I’ve not heard good things about viewing it from inside. The only WS restaurant I have heard consistently good things about viewing is Rose & Crown - because they have an outdoor area where diners who were seated inside can go to watch it. But the smoke can happen anywhere on any given night - it all depends on the wind direction.
I guess I’m asking the best tour. I’m not sure why the 3 plans differ so much. I think my 13 yr old will enjoy TT the most - I looked at it on Youtube and it didn’t excite me either! The kids keep reminding me not to miss Club Cool, lol. So that, and Soarin, was their takeaway of the day last year. So you think with at 9:00 show, I should try to move my reservation earlier to get windows? I’ve read a lot about it and some sources say that they let you move to the windows if you don’t have a seat there.
You could always keep looking for earlier, but there’s still no guarantee you’ll be seated at the windows - and I’ve never heard of them letting you encroach on others’ space to stand. I wouldn’t want to be sitting there trying to eat and have people come standing over me. If seeing it from a restaurant is your priority, I’d try to get a R&C ADR about 7:30/7:45 and request outside seating or any time after 7:45 and just go to their viewing area. Otherwise, I’ve never had an issue gauging where the wind is coming from and standing with it at my back and viewing from around World Showcase Lagoon.
As far as plans, I’m basically on here for the room fax service and chatting. I’m not even bothering making a plan for my days in the parks in Feb - I am fine with my FP+ and winging it as opposed to planning every moment of the day. But it seems to work for a lot of people.
First off what is the CL for they day? If it is lower then a 5 you should not have problems with waits. I would try for an earlier res around 7 and ask for a window view. You might have to wait for one. You could also try to get a fast pass for Illuminations and watch it from the viewing area.
First off I would disagree when it comes to TT. It starts off kind of slow but kids love to build their own car. Of coarse you really don’t ride in the car you build but the stats are suppose to show how your car would handle in any given situation. Once you go through those doors onto the speed track it is nothing but exciting. I believe you get up to 60 mph but the wind blowing your hair all over the place is the bomb. Now Illuminations. This is a big presentation and easy to see from most any place around the showcase lagoon. If you find your spot about an hour ahead of time you should have no problem getting a great view of the lasers and fireworks. I have gotten far better spots on my own than getting a FP to be corralled in a small area packed with people pushing for a better view. Just my opinion.
It’s a 4. Will they let you sit at a table for that long? That’s why I didn’t make it earlier to begin.
We had a FP for it last November, but it was down, and never worked back into the schedule. We even park hopped over to EP on our last day to try to get on because my son was so bummed, and we waited in line a while and saw some of the queue, but the line just wasn’t moving, so we got out. So this time, it’s first on the list at opening. Fingers crossed!
The waits should be minimal. I would not worry. I’m going on a 8 and I planed it where we go in a big circle our wait time is not long for most thing and the others I fast passed. But TT and MS we are doing on the way out of the park using EMH.
Set up a custom touring plan on this site and slide the waiting vs. walking bar to “minimize walking”. That should give you a plan your DH will accept and be able to see everything you want.
I love to watch Illuminations just left of the outdoor Mexican QS spot. It really is a fabulous spot.
My hubby and I rope dropped Soarin and were able to ride it 2X. We loved it so much. I switched my FPPs based on advice here and had a FPP for TT not Soarin it worked great for us.
I don’t think you will have any problems getting to everything either.
We always ride TT with our kiddos when in Epcot. Their ages are 16, 11, 8, 6. They all love it. Did your kids do Agent P’s World Showcase last time? Ours love to do that several times when visiting Epcot, and its a fun way to explore World Showcase with them. We typically rope drop TT then head to the Land Pavilion for Soarin’ and Living with the land, and then fill in our favorites based on touring plans recommendations for that side of the park. I’ve been trying to use my tier 1 FP for Frozen in the afternoon, but that can sometimes be tough to get. We also always do Journey when in Epcot. The kids enjoy it (as do I), and we wind up singing the song all day 
Enjoy your trip! You guys will have a blast!
They did not do Agent P, It was our first vacation day there ever, we were there at rope drop, I had a plan, then we decided to do FEA first off. That was great, we walked right on! Then we took a ton of time in line for Anna and Elsa for the girls. They won’t need to do that again. By then the plan was toast, we went back to the beginning and cris- crossed around. We had a Coral Reef reservation that cut into the middle of it all too. We didn’t get to World Showcase until late, and only did France, listened to a band (I think UK) and watched Illuminations.
But we would like to try Agent P this time - which one would you recommend? I’d like to try to get around Future World by 11 and eat Lunch in the Land pavilion, then circle the world and end in Mexico at dinner, and then do FEA during extra magic after Illuminations.
I’m with your kids - Soarin and Club Cool were my takeaway from FW too! But TT is pretty good especially the interactive part afterwards. The same with SE - there are lots of interactive things afterwards. And my son liked the colour painting in innoventions -one of the few things he liked in Epcot.
It was low crowd level when we were there and it seemed pretty easy to see Illuminations from the waters edge. We dined in Japan and watched from the balcony after - it was pretty good and you could move around to avoid obstacles. I would suggest just move outside and find a spot if you can’t get a window view.
I’m not sure if we have done all the countries Agent P’s is available in. I asked them their favorites and was told: Mexico, Germany, and Japan.