Epcot reopened last week and we couldn’t be happier! Even though we are the Magic Kingdom Morins, Epcot has always been our favorite park. I feel like it has something for all ages and inspires creativity, innovation, and a sense of a global community. With amazing food options, fantastic attractions, and the kid stations, Epcot has always been kind of a no brainer for us, so of course we were beyond excited when it opened back up.
Epcot currently opens at 11am and is open until 9pm. Although I prefer earlier mornings, these hours make sense for Epcot because so many people come in simply to eat and drink in the evening, especially if there is a festival going on, which currently there is. We got to the park right at opening and decided we wanted to conquer Future World first. The wait times were crazy. For Spaceship Earth, Journey Into Your Imagination with Figment, Nemo, and Living with the Land (which claimed a 40 minute wait), we only waited 5 minutes. Soarin’ did claim to have a 45 minute wait, but since I had tiny ones with me we weren’t headed to that one anyways.
Test Track was closed for the day (not sure why) and Mission Space is one I always skip (I am super claustrophobic), so we decided to head to Garden Grill to get lunch. One amazing thing right now is that we did not have a reservation for Garden Grill. We were able to walk up and be seated within 10 minutes. Garden Grill is family style and features Mickey, Pluto, Chip and Dale. I was so over the moon with the character interactions. I honestly almost like the new way better. Instead of the pressure to scarf your food and get that “perfect” photo, the characters are elevated in the upper seating area. They came and played with my kids from the platform and those moments were worth so much more than a photo.
My kids getting to see Mickey again after such a long time was pure magic. I would be lying if I said I didn’t get super emotional about it. Since we were dining my kids masks were able to be down and I was able to see the pure joy radiating from their faces, something I will cherish forever. Character dining is currently only available at Garden Grill and Topolino’s. I would say they are definitely still worth the money, especially Garden Grill since the food is family style.
After lunch we decided to head back to World Showcase. On the way we saw Pooh over by figment in the grass area. He was waving to guests and being his usual silly old bear self. While there are several cavalcades that go around World Showcase, like Mickey and Minnie and the princesses, the one I really wanted Amelia to see was Elsa and Anna. We had the best luck and as soon as we got into World Showcase we were greeted by the Elsa and Anna cavalcade. It was so amazing to see them again and Amelia was over the moon! The cavalcades are not on a schedule in order to avoid crowding, but I will say if you are in world showcase you will know when the cavalcades are coming. They play loud music kind of as a warning that they are coming and it gave us plenty of time to get in a good spot.
The line for Frozen looked intimidating. It said it was 40 minutes, but due to the social distancing measures, the line wrapped clear around the pavilion. It does get warm out in that sun, even with the umbrellas, but to our pleasant surprise it did move very fast and we were in that AC quick. We ended up only waiting about 30 minutes, which I am more than happy to wait for Frozen. The other ride in World Showcase is in the Mexico pavilion. While that line also looked long it was only about a 10 minute wait. That line was hard to social distance, so they had to put plexiglass in the line, which I will say feels very tight, but it goes quick.
As for the taste of Epcot, we didn’t try much while there. I look forward to trying all the booths when we go back. Not all of them are currently open and I know we are eager for the ones that say “coming this fall” to be open soon. It doesn’t necessarily feel like a real festival, but I am grateful for the effort made by Disney. The international cast members are deeply missed and that was the biggest thing I noticed about World Showcase. It just doesn’t feel the same without them. I will say though the lack of crowds have been fantastic and for the first time ever I have felt safe allowing my kids to be out of their stroller in world showcase. Before I was honestly always scared they would get trampled. I look forward to updating everyone as we document more of Epcot!
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Marvelous Mrs. Morin 