With all the changes in Walt Disney World when it comes to Disney Genie, Genie+ and Individual Attraction Selections, we weren’t sure before we headed down to Walt Disney World this spring break what our touring plans would look like.
Although I did my research to see what rides I should prioritize when it came to Genie+ and Individual Attraction Selections (see HERE), there was a lot that was up in the air when we arrived at EPCOT, as well as the other Disney Parks.
I hope by sharing EPCOT touring plans you can see what went well for us and what we had to adjust.
Goals:
Let’s start by sharing our goals for EPCOT. We hadn’t had the opportunity to ride Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure yet, so that was a must- do for us. As part of the Individual Attraction Selections, we knew we would choose to pay for this Lightning Lane.
When we looked at the other rides in EPCOT, our kids picked Test Track and Soarin over Frozen Ever After which therefore focused on Genie+ selections on Test Track for the morning.
After these rides, the rest of our EPCOT experience was to enjoy EPCOT’s International Flower and Garden Festival as well as some of the entertainment throughout the World Showcase.
When it came for food, we didn’t have any reservations as we knew we would hit a quick service or grab some of the festival food around the Disney Park.
We toured EPCOT on Sunday, March 13th where the Theme Park hours were 8:30 am to 9:00 pm with early entry for Resort Guests starting at 8:00 am. Here is how our day went at EPCOT.
Morning
Our alarm was wet for 6:35 and my daughter and I were ready to tag-team our Genie+ and Individual Attraction Selections that we could make at 7:00 am on the My Disney Experience app.
Our goal was to get a Test Track return time between 9:00 am and 10:00 am by purchasing Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure for around 11:30 am. At 7:00 am we were lucky enough to get both of these return times making our morning start off perfectly.
We were at the Coronado Springs Gran Destino bus stop at 7:10 that morning and we weren’t on a bus until 7:36 which was unusual for our trip. With EPCOT nearby, we were at the park and were being held in EPCOT by 7:50.
When the Park opened right at 8:00 am for Resort Guests, we headed right to Soarin’ where we waited only 10 minutes for our flight. We then walked on Living with the Land, Finding Nemo as well as Spaceship Earth all by 9:00 am.
Mission Space wasn’t on our original plan as I am not a fan of it, but since we moved through the rides so quickly my daughter and husband headed there where they too walked right on at 9:00 am.
My son and I enjoyed taking pictures with Goofy and Pluto as well as the amazing front of EPCOT that is gorgeous.
By this time our one hour Genie+ return time for Test Track was available and we headed there at 9:45. With only a slight wait where we created our cars, we were off by 10:10.
At this point we had experienced all the main rides except for Remy’s, so we had some bonus time. We headed into the Mexico Pavilion and rode Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros which was only a five minute wait.
From there we wanted to see the Pixar Shorts; however, they were having technical difficulties so we were able to stop and take pictures with Mickey Mouse.
Outside of the Imagination Pavilion we enjoyed watching the water feature and listening to the Jammin’ Gardners which was such a fun experience with high energy and lots of laughs.
Afternoon
At this point it was getting close to our Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure window, so we headed back to the France Pavilion. When we arrived, the ride was down; however, as we were standing there discussing our next steps, it came back up.
Because it had been down, we were able to walk right onto the ride and experience this new, outstanding experience for the first time.
Earlier in the day, I had a mobile order lunch at Disney’s Riviera’s quick service location Primo Piatto. After Remy’s, we jumped on the Disney skyliner and headed on over for lunch. This Resort is beautiful and just a great option if you want to get out of the Park for a little while.
We enjoyed a relaxing lunch before getting back on the skyliner and heading back into EPCOT.
When we arrived, we headed to American Adventures to hear the extremely talented Voices of Liberty. This short, but moving show, was so wonderful and I am glad we took time to listen.
From America, we headed to Germany to get snacks at Karamell-Kuche and to see the trains.. With a quick stop at the China booth for a drink, we then enjoyed listening to Mariachi Cobre in Mexico.
After listening to the performers, it was around 2:15 and we headed to the monorail to jump on over to Magic Kingdom for the rest of the day.
Reflection
If you noticed, the only rides we used Genie+ and Individual Attraction Selection for was Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and Test Track. Because we rope dropped during early entry, we were able to use that time to hit all the other rides we wanted and then book Genie+ options at Magic Kingdom for the afternoon.
This was a good method as we were able to experience both Parks in low wait times in one day.
We really enjoyed slowing down in EPCOT and enjoying the entertainment that was offered throughout the Park. These Cast Members are so talented and truly add to the magic of EPCOT.
I hope that breaking down our day in EPCOT will help you think about how you want to tour this Disney Park during your Walt Disney World vacation.
