Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros (A Resorts Gal Ride Guide)
Gran Fiesta Tour is a slow-moving boat cruise that offers a unique perspective of Epcot’s Mexico Pavilion. This attraction features three feathered amigos: Donald Duck, Panchito Pistoles, and José Carioca, better known as The Three Caballeros. Below, we’ll look at the details for experiencing this attraction on your next visit.
You’ll find the Gran Fiesta Tour inside the pyramid toward the back of the pavilion. This gentle boat ride cruises down a faux Rio Grande River. Along the way, you’ll see cartoon scenes featuring the Three Caballeros playing at various points.
Here are a few details for experiencing the Gran Fiesta Tour.
| Gran Fiesta Tour | Epcot Attraction |
|---|---|
Location: | Mexico Pavilion |
Height Requirement: | None |
Ride Type: | Slow-Moving Boat Ride |
Lightning Lane: | No |
Seats Per Vehicle: | Average 4 to a row |
Rider Switch: | No |
Early Theme Park Hours: | No |
Extended Evening Hours: | Yes |
Our Traffic Signal: | Green Light (Anytime) |
Good For: | Everyone |
Scare Factor: | None |
Must-Do List: | Low Priority |
Perfect For: | Donald Duck Fans |
Special Mention: | There is rarely a line for this attraction in the evening. |
Additional Info: Guests must transfer to a wheelchair. Audio description and handheld captioning are available.
Make sure to check our one-stop Lightning Lane Guide to plan your attractions.
Subscribe to the Resorts Gal newsletter and we’ll send you a copy of our complimentary planning spreadsheets.
Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros
Gran Fiesta Tour, formerly called El Rio Del Tiempo, opens daily with the rest of the park and remains open until the park closes. It remains open during extended evening hours when they are offered. It is also on the list of attractions during Epcot After Hours.
When you enter the pavilion’s Mayan Pyramid, you’ll run into what feels like an open-air market. Gran Fiesta Tour’s queue is toward the back left of the pyramid’s interior. The entrance to the queue is next to San Angel Inn Restaurant. It has a large sign overhead.
Here is a look at the queue. It’s not uncommon to find a long line that extends into the rest of the pyramid. However, while the line might appear to have a long wait, the Gran Fiesta Tour has a high capacity and tends to load quickly. So what looks like an hour-long wait might only be 10-15 minutes.
Once you get to the loading area, you’ll board a boat. Each boat has five rows and holds up to four guests per row. Therefore, if you are a large party, you should all fit on one boat. The boat for this attraction is similar to “it’s a small world” at Magic Kingdom. The ride features animatronic dolls, similar to the original Fantasyland attraction.
A cast member will assist guests in ECVs and wheelchairs at the ride’s entrance. They’ll offer the option to board a boat, which requires a step-down. Or, if needed, they will have you wait for a boat that can accommodate a regular wheelchair.
Gran Fiesta Tour’s storyline is that you’re on your way to Mexico City for a concert starring The Three Caballeros. However, Donald Duck has disappeared along the way. So it’s up to Jose Carioca, the Brazilian parrot, and Panchito, a Mexican Charro Rooster, to find him! On your journey, you’ll see some of the sights of Mexico, several dances, a scuba scene, and cartoon cliff diving.
At the beginning of the ride, you’ll pass the giant pyramid and San Angel Inn. Guests from the restaurant can look down and see the boats as they pass. This set-up is similar to the Blue Bayou Restaurant that sails past the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland.
After you pass the pyramid, you’ll float through a series of footage featuring hand-drawn animation overlayed on live-action scenes from Mexico. The music from the scenes comes from the original 1944 Disney film The Three Caballeros.
You’ll continue from room to room as the scenes change to various destinations in Mexico.
Here are some of the animatronics similar to “it’s a small world.”
Here are a few more photos.
Eventually, you’ll travel through a tunnel before reaching the great Mexico City.
Make sure to look up. Faux fireworks explode on the ceiling overhead.
A banner welcomes guests of the Gran Fiesta Tour.
Before long, we see that Donald has made it to the concert with his fellow Caballeros.
They are performing on stage.
As you reach the end of the Gran Fiesta Tour, a mural map displays some of Mexico’s major destinations.
On the far end of the mural, The Three Caballeros say, “Adios.”
Regarding the best times to ride this attraction, we usually find fewer crowds in the late afternoon to evening hours. As mentioned above, if the line looks long, it still usually moves swiftly. However, if you stand in line for several minutes and the line doesn’t move, the ride could be experiencing technical difficulties. If that appears to be the case, you might try to return later. Of course, sometimes, the attraction will pause to load and unload guests with mobility issues.
The Resorts Gal Spin on the Gran Fiesta Tour
This ride gets the green light. Gran Fiesta Tour is a simple ride with a vintage feel. We love it, but we don’t think it’s a dealbreaker if you miss it. However, if it’s a hot day and you need to cool off, it’s always nighttime inside the Mexico Pavilion! Take a break and ride this charming boat cruise while you’re there. I doubt you’ll feel like you’re wasting time.
Resorts Gal Traffic Signals
Green Light
We give an attraction the green light if we consider it a must-do, regardless of the posted wait. We also give the green light for attractions we deem suitable to experience anytime. For example, some attractions have high capacities. Therefore, the lines continuously move and you shouldn’t have a long wait unless the attraction experiences downtime.
Red Light
We recommend checking the posted wait times for red light attractions. Then, make a quick judgment call on whether to wait, skip it, or return later. We also red light some attractions that we feel might not be suitable based on our experience.
For more attractions, we have an entire list of the rides at Epcot. Or you might enjoy these individual articles:
- Soarin’ Around the World
- Living with the Land
- The Seas with Nemo and Friends
- Journey Into Imagination with Figment
Additionally, we specialize in providing information about the resorts and hotels at Walt Disney World. If you are planning a trip, you might enjoy browsing our list of Disney Hotel Reviews. Here are a few of our favorites:
- Disney’s Beach Club Resort Review
- Disney’s Boardwalk Inn Review
- Disney’s Yacht Club Review
- Disney’s Swan and Dolphin Review
- Walt Disney World Swan Reserve Review
In the Comments
Do you plan to ride the Gran Fiesta Tour on your next vacation? Did you find this ride review helpful? Do you have any other questions? We’d be happy to answer them based on our experience.
