Plan to visit Epcot. Any suggestions?

Thanks everyone for all the tips and suggestions. We had to do Epcot as we had heard about it for so many years. We did enjoy the day there but would not do it again. Not sure if I would recommend it to others.

We did get exhausted walking around for about 10 hours but enjoyed a lot of the entertainment, videos and exhibits. Decided not to stay for fireworks - too late for us and exhausted.

Made it home safe and sound back to our campground.

Thanks again , John s

EPCOT--Every Person Comes Out Tired. Yes, it's a lot of walking, it's big but there's SO much to do. We've been there many times as well as the other parks and, I have to say, each trip we have a different "favorite" park. It's just that there is so much to them, it may take awhile for it all to sink in.
Last time we were at Epcot, we ate at the Mexican restaurant by the water; no wait and EXCELLENT food. That being said, one of our favorite restaurants in Epcot is Garden Grill, in the Living with the Land Pavillion.

dewey02 wrote:

Epcot is great for dining - there are many different "countries" you can visit, learn about their culture, and eat their foods. However, if you plan to dine you MUST MAKE RESERVATIONS ahead of time - like months ahead of time.

This is correct!

The Dining Plan has made Disney too much work.... We don't like planning our days months in advance, we'd rather do what we want, when we want. That means we are usually doing counter service (which many are still pretty good).

If there is someplace you want to go, I'd suggest to keep checking. Many people will double or even triple book restaurants several months in advance and cancel them as they get close, so spots can open up at any time. Never hurts to check.

We just got back from a week at Disney. We went to all four parks. Honestly, I wouldn't waste my time at Epcot. But we were traveling with six kids so we had a different perspective than what you're expecting. My experience was that the dome itself was interesting but the walk around the world was very boring. The only thing to do was eat and look at buildings.
I missed the fireworks, but the rest of my party said they were fantastic.
It was clean and pretty, but a big let down.

We usually bring water bottles and snacks such as granola bars. There is a food court in the Land Pavillion where you can drop in anytime for a bite.
Epcot is great if you are into restaurants and cultures. If I only had one day to spend at Disney World I would head for the Magic Kingdom. In any case get the app for wait times and fast passes. Disney has fantastic people that can help with any questions you have. Don't forget to grab a map on your way into the park.

Do they let you bring water and sandwiches into the park? If so, we could plunge on a nice dinner.

John, the only reason I can think of, for ahead of time buying of tickets is if you plan to use Fast Passes or to make reservations. Hours tend to be about the same daily for individual parks. However if a person(s) is staying on property, then they have what are called "magic hours" which will allow you to enter or stay later at the park designated for the magic hours. Not anything I tend to use but family members will from time to time.

Buying tickets ahead of time can't hurt anything if you know the date(s) your group will be there. We tend to book reservations at the Fort campground over a year out. Currently my Disney app shows I have 3 reservations booked, middle of March and then for Halloween and Christmas of 2016 all for a week to ten days, each time. Halloween and Christmas party tickets I will buy hen they are available, probably April of this year. Dining and Fast Passes, my wife and daughters will do the month ahead of our arrival dates. For those reservations I just get to carry the credit cards for them. LOL

EPCOT hours today, Feb 1, are from 9 AM to 9 PM
The MK is open till 11PM
Animal Kingdom closes at 5PM
Hollywood closes at 8 PM, if I remember correctly what I just read.
All open at 9 AM today but do check as they can/do vary on different days.

Have you been to Disney World before? If not, I would do Hollywood Studios over Epcot. We are seniors and thought Epcot quite dull. It had lots of walking and very expensive restaurants that book way out. World of Color is nice, but you can view it for free around the lake. No need for fancy dining package. We enjoy Fantasmic at Hollywood Studios. A dining package there is worth it. Best value package is Mama Melrose restaurant. Wait for a booth. You will need reservations. If you don't choose to do that, you might get a fast pass. If you choose to do 2 parks in a day, you need a park hopper pass. Enjoy. Go early if you need to buy tickets.

John S wrote:
Should we purchase tickets online before going there or that morning when we arrive. Thinking of going Tuesday morning. Any idea of when parking is open? We are camping west of Orlando. We do not have a printer available but have an iPhone.

Buy them ahead of time so you don't waste precious park time in line for tickets. You can also book a fast pass for that day ahead of time. Do check it out. It is not a complicated thing.

If you want to travel between parks you can go to the main parking at the Transportation center and take a bus or monorail to all of the places.

I highly recommend a scooter rental for anyone that cannot go miles on foot. You can take turns using one and the scooter can haul your stuff instead of carrying it.

For those with kids, a double stroller is really helpful to carry all your treasures, and your kids too when they poop out. Keep them fed and watered.

John S wrote:
We will be camping near Orlando and are thinking of visiting Epcot - the DW and I.

We travel in our class C.

Any recommendations on how best to visit, parking, things to see and do?

Figure it is an all day thing.

TIA for any and all suggestions

Epcot is great for dining - there are many different "countries" you can visit, learn about their culture, and eat their foods. However, if you plan to dine you MUST MAKE RESERVATIONS ahead of time - like months ahead of time. On our first trip there, we did not know this and ended up eating at the least popular places, like China and the dinner was just like eating at a typical Chinese food restaurant in our home town. But the popular places, like France, Norway, etc were all booked up. Our second visit, we reserved dining dates and times ahead, and got to eat at all the places we desired. But be advised, eating at EPCOT is quite expensive, especially France.

We enjoyed EPCOT for the learning experience it is, far more than the rides (although the rides were great too!). Learning about how the future of growing things (also a ride), the trip through the big golf ball (also a ride). Also, as others have said, the nightime fireworks show is FAR more than just fireworks and not to be missed.