Evening Touring in Epcot

[TikiGoddess]

We will be staying at the Beach Club for 5 nights in July. I'm thinking that we'll visit other parks in the mornings, take a mid-day break, then head over to Epcot in the evening (5pm-9pm).

Do you think we'll be able to see everything in two evenings? The only ride I see as a problem would be Soarin'. FPs will be gone by then, and I refuse to wait more than 20 min for ANY ride. We may have to skip Soarin', or hit it on our last morning if my girls decide they can't live without it!

First evening: World Showcase
Dinner at Katsura Grill (CS Japan)
Mitsukoshi (DD is a Pokemon collector)
Agent P's Adventure (1-2x)
Maelstrom
Gran Fiesta Tour
Margaritas for Mom and Dad :marg:
Illuminations

Second Evening: Future World
Imagination (closes at 7pm)
Living with the Land (closes at 7pm)
Dinner at Sunshine Seasons
Seas with Nemo
Turtle Talk
Spaceship Earth
Mission Space

What do the wait times look like right at 9pm for Soarin'? And will we need to get a FP for Maelstrom?

Thanks for any advice!
Kathy

[BrerGnat]

When we stay at BC, we spend a LOT of time in Epcot.

Rather than try to cram it all into just two evenings, make Epcot a "stop" on your way back to the resort for your midday break.

For example, bus to MK. Tour MK for a few hours, but then take the monorail to Epcot. "Cut" through Epcot on your way back to the Beach Club via the International Gateway. Stop along the way to ride some stuff in Future World (Spaceship Earth, The Seas, and Imagination/Land pavilion are easy to do "on the way" to the Beach Club and rarely have lines midday).

Or, start in Animal Kingdom and then bus back to Epcot and do the same type of thing.

Another thing to consider is doing Epcot first thing in the morning (for Soarin' at rope drop, for instance) and then after you do that one ride, exit Epcot and find a bus to whatever park you want to visit that morning.

There are direct park-to-park buses between all the 4 major parks, by the way.

I would recommend saving World Showcase for the evenings, though, since the atmosphere is more fun and it's an easy walk back to the resort through the IG.

During our past two 7 day trips staying at BC, not a day went by that we didn't step foot in Epcot.

[Fastpasssteve]

I looked at your schedule and it seems rather strict, rushed. You left time for everything but fun and flexibility. When I go down with friends, we find ourselves in EPCOT at least once a day for seven days.

Your schedule seems like a hunting trip for attractions, rather than soaking up the atmosphere of the various nations in the World Showcase.

I guess I would take a step back and ask myself what I wanted to get out of the trip. If the answer is: "Creating fun and warm family memories that will last a lifetime," perhaps the rushing around checking off items on a list isn't the best way to do that.

Consider.

[Janmac]

Your schedule is probably doable, altho with lots of walking. And as was suggested, not much time for soaking up the special little things that come along.

If we were at Beach Club for 5 nights, we'd probably be in Epcot 4 of those evenings. We typically spend all evenings but one at Epcot. We visit one or maybe two Future World pavilions each late afternoon, and then head to a World Showcase country for supper, followed by touring one or two other countries before heading out the back door.

Favorite countries for supper are Germany, Japan, and Morroco. We usually do table service, but you can get some good counter service around World Showcase as well. Sunshine Seasons is a favorite Future World place to eat.

As for Soarin', the standby line might be doable near 9 pm. We have found it that way during slow times (Sept and January). During July - maybe not.

Jan

[henrylarry6]

Hey Kathy, your planning is just fantastic and I’m pretty sure you could be able to do everything on time.

[AmandaChan]

While we spend a lot of evenings in Epcot we try to make one morning specifically for Future World. We usually do a couple small evenings in WS (my favorite time to visit, nothing beats walking around WS in the evening) and we save one first half of a day for FW. Sometimes you need a FP for Maelstorm, sometimes you don't.

[faline]

Just recently got back from a stay at the Beach Club. I think you can hit the highlights you describe with two evenings. Keep in mind that Future World is a good walk away from the Beach Club. Just keep things be flexible and be willing to change things a bit - rather than keeping to a strict schedule and I think you'll be able to hit most (or all) of the things on your list.