Tips for being in the park all day

[ckmiles]

We are not staying on site- and right now will be there for only one day. Im choosing Epcot. I'll preface this question by saying I've never done one park all day. I've always been a hopper and basically go, go go, all day. So Im curious if anyone has any tips on how to slow down and not blow thru the park in 2 hours, hitting the important rides (and then want to move on)

Also Im working to see if we can add an additional park day- what would your second park choice be? Again having to be at said park all day?

Any and all tips/tricks/suggestions appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

Who is in your travel party? Kids? Adults? For me personally, Epcot would not be my first choice if I had only one day. But it really depends on your preferences. My top 2 parks would be MK and DHS as I feel like they have the most to do.

 

[StageTek]

We can easily spend one day in Epcot.

I'm not sure on any tricks other than the obvious; slowing down is as simple as... well... slowing down. Rather than hitting the important rides right away, plan on hitting rides as you go. Do the entire circle. Is there a food festival happening when you're there? Slow down and grab something at each stand - stop and enjoy while people watching.

Have you ever taken the boat across the lagoon? Have you ever wandered through the Canada area? Or United Kingdom? Ever checked out the shops in Morocco? Ever seen the China movie? What about rides that aren't important. This trip might the perfect time to hit those.

You aren't used to it, but have you ever just grabbed a beer or soft drink and sat for 15/20 minutes? When you're in a hurry to go, go, go you miss an opportunity to just hang out.

A second would be Magic Kingdom for us.

 

[ars0525]

I think Epcot is easy to go slow at especially in the WS. Start in a different direction than you have in the past (growing up we used to always start with Mexico so I alternate now for different views depending on the time of day). Really go into each country & explore the nooks & crannies. Watch the show/video or whatever they have. Look at the buildings & architecture. Have a seat & watch the people go by. Try a new snack.

I make it a game to learn 1 new thing & then you can all share that as you walk to the next country?

And maybe this is just me , but I have noticed the pace in general of people in the parks has slowed down since re-opening. With no FP (and before no PH) the crowds moved slower cause what's the hurry. People were spacing out. Sure there's still the push for some rides to get there faster, but overall I feel it's just a more leisure pace. As a former go go go person it's taken adjusting, but I enjoy it much more now.

 

[Evita_W]

Enjoy the entertainment offerings that are there, while there aren't as many as normal, there is still some like the Dapper Dans, etc.

Slow down and pay attention to the details, there are so many tiny things no one really pays attention to, but if they weren't there, it would be noticeable.

I know you aren't doing Animal Kingdom, but for others that might come across this, take the time to explore all of the trails.

EPCOT is easy to do from park opening to park closing because there is so much in World Showcase, explore whatever is open when you go and check out all the little nooks and crannies in each country, there really are a lot.

 

[auntlynne]

 

[tsme]

Slow down, see every show, sit & people watch while having an adult beverage. If you go to another park for all day, I’d say MK.

 

[2minny]

We are not staying on site- and right now will be there for only one day. Im choosing Epcot. I'll preface this question by saying I've never done one park all day. I've always been a hopper and basically go, go go, all day. So Im curious if anyone has any tips on how to slow down and not blow thru the park in 2 hours, hitting the important rides (and then want to move on)

Also Im working to see if we can add an additional park day- what would your second park choice be? Again having to be at said park all day?

Any and all tips/tricks/suggestions appreciated.

Thanks!

We spend an entire day at Epcot every trip. We slow the pace down, enjoy the rides, but also the countries. Take some breaks in the different countries and have a drink and people watch. I love the slower pace of one park each day. If you get a 2nd day, I'd do Magic Kingdom! I can easily spend an entire day there too!

 

[kniquy]

So Im curious if anyone has any tips on how to slow down and not blow thru the park in 2 hours, hitting the important rides (and then want to move on)

There is much more to Epcot than just the rides. Ride alone would probably take you 5 solid hours. If there is a festival going on there are tons of food booths. Why not just take it slower? actually sit and check out stuff. Get yourself a hidden mickey book and search them out. If you are at Epcot you can easily venture out the IG and visit beach club and the boardwalk. If you are feeling that you will run out of things to do then you can get the park hopper ticket and after 2pm you can go to another park.

If you are going to add on another day - it might depend on your traveling party - if you have kids i would hit MK, if you have Star Wars fans I would hit HS. Personally MK would be a must do on any trip as there is so much to see there.

 

[Evita_W]

I can't imagine doing a trip that is less than a week or so and even that is pushing it, we tend to like 10+ days when we go. We easily spend two days in every park and sometimes more.

 

[subtchr]

If you want a break from the park midday and haven't been there before, it's an easy stroll out the International Gateway to explore the Boardwalk area. Get a drink/snack or even a meal, and just sit by the water before heading back into the park.

 

[scrappinginontario]

Another great way to spend some time if you'd like a mid-day break is to exit Epcot at International Gateway and go for a ride on the Skyliner.

 

[ckmiles]

Thanks everyone! These suggestions are great! It will just be me and my BFF so I’m having a drink and people watching and exploring the countries soun d really fun. It’s also the flower and garden festival and that’s why I chose Epcot. I figure the topiaries and food booths will help slow me down.
im resisting the urge to buy a hopper pass and really just take in all of Epcot.

 

[Disneyguy1]

I can't imagine doing a trip that is less than a week or so and even that is pushing it, we tend to like 10+ days when we go. We easily spend two days in every park and sometimes more.

Us, too! We like having at least two days per park in order to not feel rushed.

 

[kathy884]

You have some great tips on how to enjoy Epcot and how I'll be doing it next March.

I'm doing two days at Disney with my 84 year old dad next March during Flower and Garden (super excited for that) and we are doing Epcot both days. Another very enjoyable park (We often do two days there, but are only doing one this trip that we are going to is SeaWorld.). Although we are down for six full days, we are just doing three theme parks and will spend the other days visiting wonderful relatives who live in the area.

My mentioning SeaWorld is just saying that with just doing one or two days at Disney you aren't getting any great discounts and could go to another theme park family. We really like SeaWorld and hit it on every Orlando trip -- beautiful park -- great shows -- fun ride experience stuff and some thrill rides if you are into that. IMHO SeaWorld is the best park in Orlando for a multigenerational group and we often in Orlando have a that.

 

[Twitterpaited]

AllEars has a video on YouTube of Best Day at Epcot. It is a very good plan for the day that could easily be tweaked for your preferences.

 

[glocon]

Thanks everyone! These suggestions are great! It will just be me and my BFF so I’m having a drink and people watching and exploring the countries soun d really fun. It’s also the flower and garden festival and that’s why I chose Epcot. I figure the topiaries and food booths will help slow me down.
im resisting the urge to buy a hopper pass and really just take in all of Epcot.

I think you’ll have a great time! You can sleep in since EP opens a bit later than other parks. There are still enough shows around the WS to see (and next time you go back you can skip these if you want and hopefully can focus on new entertainment). Just eating the food from the different venues will take up time, and exploring all the small details will be magical. It will be fun to not feel rushed! Resist that urge to get a hopper!!! Go for a second day instead if you can!!! Two days is better than one