EPCOT/ Germany Boat ride to "entrance"

[lawgirl]

Trying to plan out our day for Epcot. My sis is going, and she hasn't been in 12 years, so I want it to be special for her, but at the same time, we've got 2 toddlers in tow, and my parents. So 7 total. We have GG ressies at 4:45, and I'm wondering about making it through the world from Mexico (lunch ressies at 12:20) to Germany, then taking the boat back across the lake and heading towards The Land, around 4pm. How often do the boats run? And how long do you think it would take us to get from Germany to the "entrance" (for lack of a better descipt) via boat? I'm assuming we're all going to be pretty pooped by that point, and a boat ride vs. walking would be a nice break.

Its been so long since we've used those boats, I don't really remember the trip.

[Strmchsr]

They run every 15-20 min. I hardly ever do it because if I'm standing in line I could usually walk around quicker than waiting on the boat. From the boat dock to the Land it'll be another 10 min walk, depending on how quickly you walk.

[lawgirl]

They run every 15-20 min. I hardly ever do it because if I'm standing in line I could usually walk around quicker than waiting on the boat. From the boat dock to the Land it'll be another 10 min walk, depending on how quickly you walk.

Thanks for the info. I agree, back in the day, I could have definitely made it around faster. But I'm thinking with the kids and the gang, it may be easier to ride the boat. So if we leave the dock around 4:00 we should be good for 4:45 ressie?

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

It all depends on the line.

If you miss the boat, or the line is too long to take everyone at once, you'll be waiting about 15 minutes for the next one. I'd still think that 4pm is enough time ...

It is a fun little ride, especially for kids. If the line is long (or the boat isn't running, such as in bad weather), you'll still have enough time to walk if you leave Germany at 4pm.

If you're worried though ... you could eat lunch, and then take the boat over to Germany, and work your way back towards The Land through the afternoon.

[Main Street Jim]

Keep this in mind, too:

Sometimes there are only three docks in use, and it's a one-way (counter-clock-wise) trip.

Last time we were at EPCOT (Dec 2011), there were only two boats running - from Mexico, over to Canada, then across to Germany, in one direction. It was about a thirty-minute round-trip.