It was a steamy hot day, but we were happy to eat some good festival food and see what new things we could find while at EPCOT. Apparently we weren’t the only ones with this idea—it was a very busy day! Weekends are usually a little busier, but today was especially crowded. Let’s get started!
Guests looking to start their day out with a thrill may have been disappointed—Test Track was closed for technical issues this morning. Cast Members did not have an estimated opening time.
Whether as a result of Test Track being down, the higher crowds, or both, we saw higher wait times than we have been used to seeing for attractions. Soarin’ Around The World was a 60-minute wait around midday today.
Frozen Ever After was a 55-minute wait around midday, with the line stretching around the corner and dipping into the alcove in between the Norway Pavilion and the China Pavilion.
Another bit of evidence of higher crowd levels today was when we came upon the Mexico Pavilion at capacity around midday. Guests wishing to enter were being told to come back in 15-20 minutes. We were able to enter the Pavilion later on in the day with about a 5-minute wait.
We checked in at Karamell Kuche in the Germany Pavilion to see what today’s cold case offerings were, and found almost all of the pre-closure favorites present. At least we were able to get a Caramel Butter Bar!
We found these fun wine bottle stoppers in the Italy Pavilion featuring a basic Mickey Mouse head silhouette. This is a fun way to bring the magic home to your kitchen in a subtle way. They retail for a reasonable $5.95.
We found this fun flair backpack at Mouse Gear, giving you a chance to show off your favorite pins without the risk of losing them and without damaging your bag. We love the 3D bow on top!
We also found the very popular EPCOT Forever Limited Edition MagicBands not only at Mouse Gear, but also at Pin Traders.
While Turtle Talk With Crush is expected to return soon with shows now that performers will be returning to Walt Disney World, the exhibit was closed today. Cast Members have told us that staffing has been an issue, and until the show returns, the exhibit will be open when it can be.
We stopped for a minute to say a socially distant “hello” to Alice in the garden at the United Kingdom Pavilion. It’s wonderful to see the characters out and about!
This was the crowd level near the Canada Pavilion in the early afternoon. We were a bit surprised by how busy it was!
An early afternoon shower blew through, making guests seek shelter quickly. A line formed as Mouse Gear reached capacity, and these guests were stuck in the rain. Luckily the shower was brief, and the line was quickly let inside.
The brand new lucite pylons recently installed near the entrance of the park seem to have had an unfortunate incident occur recently. What appears to be a scratch running for several inches horizontally across one of the pillars appeared a few days ago. We saw it for the first time ourselves today. We hope it can be fixed!
On our way out of the park, we noticed that while the Joffrey’s kiosk near the Monorail station is still closed, the sign in the window has been replaced to show the current fall flavors available for sale. Whether that means that it will open soon or not we can’t tell, but we can dream, right?
We had a great day at EPCOT, and we hope you had a good time coming along with us. Have a magical day!
Thanks for the update Noelle. It actually feels good to know there are more people in the parks. The past photos of empty and near-empty Disney has seemed kind of tragic to me.