Walt Disney World Answers Archives - Page 4 of 5

Which Epcot Rides Should I Fastpass?

Disney Answer: See Below

Questions like this are very subjective, and there isn’t necessarily a correct answer. I may love Soarin’ but you may think Test Track is better. So, please take these answers with a grain of salt, and pick which rides you think your family will enjoy.

FastPasses allow you to basically bypass the line at Disney. You are allowed to book up to 3 fastpasses per day either online or via the WDW smart phone app. Reservations can be made up to 60 days in advance of your trip.

In Epcot, due to the reduced number or attractions, they have put the fastpass options in two tiers, Tier 1 and Tier 2. Here are the options in each tier:

Epcot Tier 1 Fastpass attractions

IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth
Soarin’
Test Track
Frozen Ever After

Epcot Tier 2 Fastpass attractions

Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival
Journey Into Imagination
Living with the Land
Meet Disney Pals at the Epcot Character Spot
Mission:Space
The Seas with Nemo & Friends
Spaceship Earth
Turtle Talk with Crush

You are currently allowed to select 1 option from tier 1 and 2 options from tier 2. Once you have used all three fastpasses that day, you are allowed to make an additional reservation from any tier, if there are any times left.

So, which Epcot rides should you fastpass?

From tier 1, I would avoid Illuminations. Now, DO NOT avoid the show itself, it is fantastic, but the fastpass allows you access to a reserved standing area, and the view from there is no better than anywhere else. 15 minutes before the show starts, find yourself a spot somewhere around the lagoon with a good view of the center.

If you have little girls, get Frozen Ever After. Beware, these go super quickly, and are usually gone within a few minutes of being made available.

Both Soarin’ and Test Track are great options for a thrill ride, pick one of the two, and then arrive at Epcot a few minutes before opening and go directly to the other one and get in line. Your wait should be pretty short, and much shorter than any other time during the day.

From tier 2, it really depends. Mission:Space is a no brainer, it is the other thrill ride in Epcot. The other options would be wisely used on something your family would like. Personally, I love Living with the Land, and Spaceship Earth is fantastic, but you can usually find both of these rides without lines late in the afternoon. If you have kids, the Disney Pals meet and greet is quite fun, and a great way to meet a lot of Disney characters in just a few minutes.

When I do Epcot Fastpasses here are my choices:

Soarin’
Mission:Space
Living with the Land or Spaceship Earth

I think Epcot is harder to figure out then any other Disney theme park. It is pretty easy to pick the best 3 or 4 rides in the Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios, but because of the tiers, the three most popular rides are limited to you, so you have to pick between rides that really do not need a fastpass most of the time. Pick what works best for your family.

Does Fantasyland reopen after Fireworks?

Disney Answer: Maybe

Each night in the Magic Kingdom and Disneyland, Fantasyland (or parts of it) is closed for the nightly fireworks show that happens on and around Cinderella’s and Sleeping Beauty’s Castles. While all of Fantasyland in Disneyland is closed during the fireworks, only the part between Prince Charming Regal Carrousel and Cinderella’s Castle is closed in the Magic Kingdom, while many of the rides behind the carousel will remain open during fireworks. This really is unfortunate for many as a large part of the park must shut down hours before the normal closing time. However, some nights, Disney will reopen Fantasyland after fireworks.

The answer to the Disney question really depends on park hours. If there is enough time after the fireworks end, then Fantasyland will open back up. If the nightly fireworks are towards closing time, then of course, Fantasyland will not reopen until the next morning. I have found that if the fireworks start 2 hours or more before park closing, then Fantasyland will reopen. Once you get inside that 2 hour window, it really doesn’t make sense for Disney to reopen a large part of the parks just for a few minutes.

The current Magic Kingdom fireworks show “Wishes” is a 12 minute show, while the current Disneyland show “Remember…Dreams Come True” is closer to 16 minutes long. It takes quite a while for Disney to clear Fantasyland after the fireworks, but you can expect Fantasyland to be open sometime around 15 – 30 minutes after the fireworks end, and it should remain open until park closing.

Tonight in the Magic Kingdom, Wishes is scheduled for 9:00 PM, and the park is open until 11:00 PM, so you should have access to Fantasyland for a bit over about 90 minutes after it reopens.

Please note: Currently, Disneyland DOES NOT offer fireworks during the week, they are only allowed to present their fireworks show on weekend nights (Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights), so Fantasyland will remain open all night on weekdays.

DisAnswers Hint: If you want to ride Peter Pan, head to the back side of Fantasyland in Disneyland right after the fireworks open. Disney will start a line for Peter Pan near Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, and will only allow about 50 people in the line. Once Fantasyland is ready to open, they will escort that line to Peter Pan and start loading the ride. Once that line is in place, they will drop the rope and allow everyone else into Fantasyland.

Does Fantasyland reopen after fireworks — Watching fireworks from the Prince Charming Regal Carrousel in Disney’s Magic Kingdom

Can you Drink at Disney’s Hollywood Studios?

Disney Answer: Yes

Historically, the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World has been a “dry county”, no alcohol was served anywhere in the park. That has actually changed a bit in recent years with some of the table service restaurants adding wine and beer as dinner drink options. Epcot has been much more open about selling alcohol in the parks, especially in the World Showcase and even more so during the Epcot Food and Wine Festival (and to a lesser extend, during the Flower and Garden Festival). That is great, but can you get a drink at Disney’s Hollywood Studios?

In Disney’s Hollywood Studios, most of the table service restaurants (50’s Prime Time Cafe, Mama Melrose’s and Hollywood Brown Derby) all feature extensive wine, beer and cocktail options during both lunch and dinner hours. Most of the counter service restaurants also feature limited beer and wine options for both lunch and dinner. One unique thing about Disney’s Hollywood Studios is the presence of two lounges, the Tune-In Lounge located at 50’s Prime Time Cafe and the Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge located at the Hollywood Brown Derby. Both lounges feature limited food items and extensive cocktail, wine and beer menus, and are open without reservation.

Please note that Disney does not like you to take your alcoholic drink on a tour of the park with you, drinks need to be consumed inside the restaurants.

can you drink at disney's hollywood studios — Sample partial drink menu from the Tune-In Lounge

Can you get to Disney’s Hollywood Studios by Monorail?

Disney Answer: NO

Walt Disney World has two monorail lines, and neither of them goes to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. One monorail line goes in a loop that serves the Magic Kingdom, Contemporary Resort, Walt Disney World Transportation and Ticket Center, the Polynesian Village Resort, the Grand Floridian Resort and back to the Magic Kingdom. Technically there is a second part of that line that does the exact same loop but only stops at the Magic Kingdom and the Transportation and Ticket Center, that is the “express” monorail. The second monorail line goes from the Transportation and Ticket Center to Epcot and back, only those two stops.

Neither of those lines extends beyond Epcot to the South, and there are no plans by Disney to add additional monorail lines. However, the new Disney Skyliner connects Disney’s Hollywood Studios with 5 resorts (Disney’s Riviera Resort, Disney’s Caribbean Beach, Disney’s Pop Century and Disney’s Art of Animation resort) as well as Epcot.

Can you see the Epcot fireworks from the Boardwalk?

Disney Answer – YES and NO

The first thing to understand is that most of the firework in Epcot (Illuminations) are close to the ground. If you are located somewhere around the World Showcase, the view is great. If you are outside of Epcot on Boardwalk or in that area, there are spots where you can see some of the fireworks, the ones that are not at ground level. So, while the fireworks in the Magic Kingdom can be seen pretty well from the Contemporary and Polynesian Village resorts, the Epcot fireworks are not as easily seen from outside the park.

If you want to catch the part of the Epcot fireworks you can see from outside the park, there are decent viewing areas on the Boardwalk near Atlantic Dance Hall or on the bridge that crosses over from the Boardwalk towards the Beach Club and the International Gateway. If you happen to be on the other side of the lake, you can view the fireworks from the Yacht Club boardwalk as well as from the Boat Launch at the Beach and Yacht Clubs.

None of these spots can replicate a view from inside of Epcot though.

Can you see the Epcot fireworks from the Boardwalk — Illuminations can be seen best from inside of Epcot, but on the Boardwalk, they can partially be seen in the areas marked with red.

What are Epcot Resorts?

Disney Answer: A collection of Disney Resorts close to Epcot

Located between Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios (but definitely closer to Epcot) sit several resorts that are referred to as Epcot Resorts. This area is my favorite place to stay at all of Walt Disney World, there is plenty to do, tons of restaurants and the resorts are walkable to both Epcot and Hollywood Studios. There is also a friendship boat for those tired legs after a day in the parks. In fact, there is even a back door entrance to Epcot, the International Gateway, located just to the East of Disney’s Beach Club Resort.

All in all, there are 8 total Epcot Resorts, though technically one is not even close to the others, it is still considered an Epcot resort.

Epcot Resorts

Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
Disney’s Beach Club Resort
Disney’s Boardwalk Inn
Disney’s Beach Club Villas
Disney’s Boardwalk Villas
Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
Walt Disney World Swan
Walt Disney World Dolphin

If you look at the two images below, you can see that the Caribbean Beach is technically close to the back side of Epcot, but not really an “Epcot Resort” in the same sense that the others are, with directly access to Epcot.