Give me a good Epcot strategy

[mapsd]

Epcot in late Jan. w/ wife and DD's (9 & 7 yo).
Want to hit the big rides at least twice (Fastpass strategy?)
What parts of World Showcase will my girls like best?
CS for lunch and Garden Grille for dinner (coming back to LeCellier later)
What's a good order to do things in?
Staying at Poly, so is a mid-day break doable?

 

[pacochran]

My one big suggestion is hit Soarin first to at least get the Fastpasses. For some reason Soarin always seems to have a long line and the Fastpasses are giving our early.

The only other suggestions for the world showcase is that my kids DD 12 and DS 10 like the boat ride in Mexico, Maelstrom in Norway. This year we took them to American Adventure and they found that boaring.

 

[Master Yoda]

Get to that park at least 1/2 hour before opening. Go to Soarin and get FP then ride Soarin. Got to TT and ride it, MS and UOE (time permitting as Soarin is hit or miss with a late FP) Get TT FP if you can. Ride Soarin and LWTL. The rest of Future world can be done pretty much at your leisure.

For WS it all depends on what your girls like. There is a plethora of fun shows and activities. Here is a link to tell you what is there. Have a look see what you think your girls might like. The one must see in WS is Miyuki in Japan. She will turn a small wad of candy into a work of art faster than you can blink. Her typical schedule is Monday-Friday at 1:40, 2:30, 3:40, 4:30, 5:15 & 6:15 pm. She is rarely there on the weekends.

 

[ssidiouss@mac.c]

Epcot in late Jan. w/ wife and DD's (9 & 7 yo).
Want to hit the big rides at least twice (Fastpass strategy?)
What parts of World Showcase will my girls like best?
CS for lunch and Garden Grille for dinner (coming back to LeCellier later)
What's a good order to do things in?
Staying at Poly, so is a mid-day break doable?

If your doing Epcot in 1 day I dont think you need a mid break.. theres just too much to see. What I would do is :

Get there before park opens.
Follow the mad rush to Soarin'.
While your in the first few people headn to soarin', take 2 seconds to break out of line when you near the fast pass machines, grab a fastpass for Soarin'.
Ride Soarin'. You only lost about 5 minutes of wait time for getting a fastpass because your bop right back into line. But now you have a fastass so you can ride it again in about an hour to two.
Head to Mission Space and jump in line for the real version (dont waste time with the wimpy version.)
Head to SpaceShip Earth ride that new abomination.
Grab snacks at club cool / sit at fountainview.
Go ride Soarin' again using your fast passes.
Fastpass Testrack and do the following while waiting:
Walk on Imagination
Walk on Nemo Sees
Do Club Cool again and check out innovations
Lunch at mexico outside.. If its too cold outside head to germany for relaxed inside lunch with awesome ambiance. Although, I would advise against any sit down lunch in Epcot because theres just too many fun snacks you can eat until dinner that you wont be able to fit if you get a big lunch. Egg Rolls in japan, funnel cake in america, hot dog in germany, rum balls in norway, pastries in france, etc.
After you do testrack.. get a fastpass so you can do it again later that day. Mission space usually you dont need a fastpass in january so you'll be able to walk on later.
Do some country shopping.. your girls will prolly love the store in Japan.. my wife digs all the sanrio stuff etc. Also check out american adventure attraction and boat ride in mexico. Also walk outside the countries to visit the boardwalk.. fudge mm.
Now if at any time your tired during all of this.. you can walk outside to the boardwalk area and walk right to the beach and grab one of those empty layout chairs and lay down... and nap.. ahh perfect place to nap. I do that all the time... favorite part of day lol
After nap on the beach at boardwalk.. head back into countries to finish up and get ready for dinner at canada. Then illuminations.. then take time leaving.. spend time in mousegear before leaving.

 

[krisrunsdisney]

The post above mine forget to add: When in Canada, stop to listen to Off-Kilter. Great music and a great time to get off your feet for a bit.

 

[mep517]

Don't forget British Invasion! Grab a beverage and get off your feet for a few minutes. Enjoy some great Beatles music and get energized for the rest of the day. A great little break!

 

[Passport]

Fastpass for Soarin first.
You can do Figment or Nemo while you wait.
Do Spaceship Earth later when there is no line. Afternoon there is never a line.
And go counter clockwise around World Showcase. Most people go to the right. On the left is a little Mexico ride and Norway ride.

 

[ThinkTink721]

Epcot in late Jan. w/ wife and DD's (9 & 7 yo).
Want to hit the big rides at least twice (Fastpass strategy?)
What parts of World Showcase will my girls like best?
CS for lunch and Garden Grille for dinner (coming back to LeCellier later)
What's a good order to do things in?
Staying at Poly, so is a mid-day break doable?

If you have 2 days for Epcot, allow 1 day for the WS.
We always tend to rush through it.
Next year, we plan to see more of it.
Always get a FP early for Soarin'.
The Garden Grill is great!
We are going to try LeCellier next year (heard it's great).
Yes, I would recommend a mid-day break.
We did not rest enough during our last trip.
:wave:

 

[IWorkWTeeth]

Epcot in late Jan. w/ wife and DD's (9 & 7 yo).
Want to hit the big rides at least twice (Fastpass strategy?)
What parts of World Showcase will my girls like best?
CS for lunch and Garden Grille for dinner (coming back to LeCellier later)
What's a good order to do things in?
Staying at Poly, so is a mid-day break doable?

This is what we do everytime we go to Epcot. First, you need to get there before opening. We first shoot over to SOARIN' and get our fast pass. Then we wait (10 min. max at opening) and when we are done riding, we eat breakfast in the Land. Then, when our first FPs say we can get another, I'll run over to Test Track and get a FP for that while everyone is finishing up their breakfast. We ride SOARIN' again and then head over to TT if the FP is ready.
When we get off Test Track, we get another FP for it and by this time, we usually have some time to kill so we will ride Imagination (which never has a wait), go on Spaceship Earth (which will hopefully be open then) and some other rides in this area.
We usually save the World Showcase for an evening...like 3pm on. We save it for a day we decide to sleep in so we can spend time in each country (we don't necessarily watch all the movies) but we eat and then get a spot for Illuninations. We usually don't do Futureworld and World Showcase all in one day.
We usually take mid-day breaks because we always go in the heat of the summer. When it is cooler out, if you have a nice sit-down lunch where you can relax for 45min. you will probably be re-fueled for a few more hours.
We are going to be there January 20-29th with my 13 yr. old son and 9 yr. old daughter and are really hoping to make it through the days without a mid-day break.
My kids LOVE the Mexico ride and looking around the shops inside. If you have girls, I bet they will love the shopping part..............
HAVE FUN!! ​

 

[IWorkWTeeth]

Fastpass for Soarin first.
You can do Figment or Nemo while you wait.
Do Spaceship Earth later when there is no line. Afternoon there is never a line.
And go counter clockwise around World Showcase. Most people go to the right. On the left is a little Mexico ride and Norway ride.

How could I forget about NEMO?? Definately gotta do that twice...(I think we did it 5x in August! Loved it!)​

 

[Tim G]

How could I forget about NEMO?? Definately gotta do that twice...(I think we did it 5x in August! Loved it!)​

Definately??? :lol:

 

[smk]

Go when it opens, stay till it closes, have fun, drink and eat a lot, at least a snack from every other Country, stay for Illuminations and eat a churro. :slurp:

 

[echoscot]

In the words of the Mad Hatter
"Start at the beginning and when you come to the end, why....STOP!"

 

[figment1988]

here's my two cents on epcot:

like everyone else says, either go and ride soarin' first or get a fastpass for it. after riding or getting the fastpass for soarin', go on Mission Space (ride wise, it's best to go on the original version since it's more exhilirating than the "Ned Flanderized" less intense version. then go on test track (hint: to make time go faster, use the single rider line.). when you're done with the thrill rides, take time to go to innoventions or some minor attractions like club cool. for world showcase, begin with mexico first and finish with canada. if you're planning on viewing Illuminations go between the US and the italian pavillion, or go to the front of the lagoon (between the small stores).

other things you should know.
*don't miss turtle talk with crush
*take it slowly and check out the shows like the holiday presentations in each pavillion
*check out the Japanese pavillion's exhibit on tin toys. afterwards check out the mitsukoshi store which has something for everyone (especially if your kids are into anime like Yu-Gi Oh, Hello Kitty and even Pokemon)
*at 6:00 PM there will be a show in front of world showcase. be sure to check it out since i think they only show it once per day.
*(if you're going by car) when illuminations is finished, stay at mousegear for at least 5 minutes. although the attractions and restaurants close at the same time that illuminations begins, mousegear has a certain amount of time after everything closes in order to allow guests to buy last minute gifts

 

[Pioneer Hall]

Go to Soarin first but don't get a fastpass. Just ride it and then you don't have to worry about going to the overcrowded land pavilion later.

 

[MichWolv]

I've had success with a slightly different strategy for the morning at Epcot than others have suggested.

Get there before opening and watch the opening ceremony (family drives off in a replica car towards test track). When the rope drops, the fastest member of the party takes the passes and heads towards Test Track while t he others head towards Soarin' and wait at the entrance to the line. After getting Test Track fastpasses (not riding obviously), the fast person crosses Future World and everybody rides Soarin'. If you got to Test Track right away (I got the first fastpass last time), you'll have TT fastpasses for around 9:45 am. Coincidentially, you'll finish riding Soarin' around that time. Kill a couple minutes if necessary so you can get Soarin' Fastpasses for later in the day (need to wait until your TT fastpass time). Do Nemo and Turtle Talk, cross to Mission Space and Test Track, getting fastpasses for one or the other for later in the day (although you may not need them depending on crowds).

Now it's lunch time and you've knocked off the rides that get long lines. My favorite counter-service restaurant in Epcot is actually the redone Land area, but since you'll be back there for dinner, you might try Cantina de San Angel if the weather is nice (outside). After lunch, I'd ride Spaceship Earth if it's open, then head to World Showcase. For me, O Canada, Impressions de France, and American Adventure are the not to be missed attractions. Other have recommended some of the World Showcase entertainment. Every one I've seen has been good. Your girls will probably enjoy the acrobats in China. I never miss the Voices of Liberty, and catch others as time permits.

As for the break -- it's doable if necessary. You won't be able to see everything even with no break, so taking a break will cause you to miss more, but if the girls will get tired and crabby without one, you may have no choice.

In the evening, catch the things you didn't hit in the mornig, and do your second rides on TT, Soarin' and/or Mission:Space. And of course, don't miss Illuminations.

 

[echoscot]

I've had success with a slightly different strategy for the morning at Epcot than others have suggested.

Get there before opening and watch the opening ceremony (family drives off in a replica car towards test track). When the rope drops, the fastest member of the party takes the passes and heads towards Test Track while t he others head towards Soarin' and wait at the entrance to the line. After getting Test Track fastpasses (not riding obviously), the fast person crosses Future World and everybody rides Soarin'. If you got to Test Track right away (I got the first fastpass last time), you'll have TT fastpasses for around 9:45 am. Coincidentially, you'll finish riding Soarin' around that time. Kill a couple minutes if necessary so you can get Soarin' Fastpasses for later in the day (need to wait until your TT fastpass time). Do Nemo and Turtle Talk, cross to Mission Space and Test Track, getting fastpasses for one or the other for later in the day (although you may not need them depending on crowds).

Now it's lunch time and you've knocked off the rides that get long lines. My favorite counter-service restaurant in Epcot is actually the redone Land area, but since you'll be back there for dinner, you might try Cantina de San Angel if the weather is nice (outside). After lunch, I'd ride Spaceship Earth if it's open, then head to World Showcase. For me, O Canada, Impressions de France, and American Adventure are the not to be missed attractions. Other have recommended some of the World Showcase entertainment. Every one I've seen has been good. Your girls will probably enjoy the acrobats in China. I never miss the Voices of Liberty, and catch others as time permits.

As for the break -- it's doable if necessary. You won't be able to see everything even with no break, so taking a break will cause you to miss more, but if the girls will get tired and crabby without one, you may have no choice.

In the evening, catch the things you didn't hit in the mornig, and do your second rides on TT, Soarin' and/or Mission:Space. And of course, don't miss Illuminations.

Holy cow, that was pretty intensely thought out...it kind of reads like the plot of a James Bond movie:lol:

 

[MichWolv]

Holy cow, that was pretty intensely thought out...it kind of reads like the plot of a James Bond movie:lol:

And yet no studio is willing to produce it!

 

[dvcnut39]

My strategy for all the parks is as follows-

on early entry days- get in the parks as soon as possible- ride all the main attractions

on extra hours nights- don't count on riding too much during the busier times of year, just take your time and enjoy the little things that you usually just rush past.