Hi Rebecca,
Welcome back to the Disney Parks Moms Panel! It sounds like you have a fun trip planned and it's coming up so soon! Just a few weeks until you're in the middle of the magic! I think you and your party are going to love
Mickey's Backyard BBQ at
The Campsites at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort.
You have two routes to get from Epcot to Mickey's Backyard BBQ. First, you can take a bus from Epcot to Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort. The bus will bring you to the Outpost Depot where you will transfer to an internal bus to the Settlement Depot. Mickey's Backyard BBQ is a short walk from the Settlement Depot. I would give yourselves at least an hour and preferably an hour and a half. Your second option is to take a Monorail from Epcot to the
Transportation and Ticket Center. From there you can take a Monorail or Ferry to the Magic Kingdom Park then transfer to a boat to Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort. The dock at Fort Wilderness is close to the Settlement Depot and Mickey's Backyard BBQ. I believe you would need at least an hour and a half for this option. It might not take you that long with either option, but traffic and wait times are difficult to predict.
For your last question, they do ask that your whole party be present when you check-in for a dining reservation. Hopefully, it won't be too difficult to get your party there at the same time!
Rebecca, thank you for visiting us with another great question. I hope you'll let us know if we can help you with any other planning questions.
Wishing you a magical vacation,
Amy H.