By Among the four Walt Disney World theme parks, EPCOT proves the most difficult to gauge. It has nothing to do with the park, though. Instead, the randomness happens due to the guests.
Everyone approaches an EPCOT visit differently, with some prioritizing attractions, which is what David does. Others prefer to shop, eat, and drink, which is more Kim’s speed.
So, we’ll try to build a guide that features the best of both worlds. Here’s a one-day EPCOT itinerary that should satisfy all kinds of Disney vacationers.
Starting Early
You don’t have to start your day early at EPCOT, especially when you purchase a Lightning Lane Multi Pass or a Lightning Lane Single Pass for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.
What you’d probably do at Rope Drop is stand in line at Cosmic Rewind anyway. So, you can buy yourself some sleep (literally) by purchasing a Lightning Lane Single Pass instead.
A lot depends on what you plan to do throughout your visit, as EPCOT’s more of a hangout park anyway. Most of the attractions here don’t require long waits, either.
So, we’ll highlight a few and provide you with options about the best ways to proceed, starting at Rope Drop. Here’s an instance where Early Theme Park Entry matters greatly.
Guests staying at official Disney hotels can and do show up first thing in the morning at EPCOT, which wreaks chaos at Cosmic Rewind.
Anyone who Rope Drops but isn’t at the front of the line will realize they’ve gotten up at the crack of dawn for nothing, as the line’s already an hour or longer.
This happens more than you’d expect, even after the return of Test Track, which at least does a bit of load-balancing. The problem was even more severe before then.
Long story short, we’ll recommend that you avoid that mess altogether. No matter when you arrive at EPCOT, we suggest that you head to the right.
We want to get you a few easy wins in the form of high-quality Disney attractions. So, your first destination is The Seas with Nemo & Friends, a charming, family-friendly attraction.
Once you’ve finished this ride, feel free to explore the aquatic pavilion a bit. There’s really no rush, as we’re suggesting a low-key morning.
Your next stop will be in the same area. You’re going to The Land pavilion, home of Soarin’ Around the World. The wait here will probably be 35-45 minutes by the time you get here.
That’s perfectly okay, as you really don’t need to rush. At EPCOT, the best thing you can do is savor the experience. Spiritually, it’s closest to Disney’s Animal Kingdom in style. You should focus more on the journey than the destination at both. So, if you notice a festival booth at EPCOT that attracts your attention, go there! Don’t feel beholden to an itinerary!
Keeping that in mind, you can do a couple of other things at The Land pavilion. Living with the Land resides right beside Soarin’, and we love it. However, we mainly recommend it as a break.
At this point, you probably don’t need one unless the Soarin’ line got to you. Similarly, the top floor offers an enjoyable show-based attraction called Awesome Planet. If you’re in the mood, do that!
Once you’ve finished, you’re heading to the Imagination! Pavilion, which is near The Land. There are two attractions here, one of which is a must-do.
You simply cannot have an EPCOT visit without riding Journey into Imagination with Figment. After all, Figment stands as the de facto mascot of EPCOT!
While you’re here, you can watch some animated shorts at the Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival, a permanent attraction here. As with Awesome Planet, it’s not a must-do, but you’ll like it.
Then, you’re ready to explore CommuniCore Hall & Plaza, which requires just a bit of backtracking. However, you can Meet Mickey & Friends here if you’re trying to add some awesome photos to your collection and gather autographs.
During festivals, CommuniCore Hall functions as the festival’s hosting area, which makes it a kinetic place to be. Kids in particular have “WHOA!” face a lot here.
Once that’s completed, you’re ready for the World Showcase! And yes, we know we have skipped some stuff. Remember that you’ll come back on your way out. We’re trying to reduce your walking as much as possible.
At the World Showcase, you should explore as much as possible. We’ve got a detailed guide to each pavilion in a different section, but we recommend them all…except maybe Morocco. It’s in a slump.
Your first destination should be the Mexico pavilion, even though Canada is a bit closer. We want you to try your first ride here, Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros. It’s like “it’s a small world” with Donald Duck!
We’ve got a secret plan in pulling you to this side of the World Showcase. We’re getting you Mexican food for lunch! Pick one of the many dining options here, preferably using Mobile Ordering or visiting a festival booth. You can do this before or after Gran Fiesta Tour. It’s entirely your call, as the wait’s the same either way. Then, you’ll roam to the Norway pavilion.
Once you’re there, it’s time for Frozen Ever After, one of the rides that will take an hour. That’s okay, though! You’ve got a full belly now. Plus, you can grab a snack on your way to the ride. Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe is right there, and its baked goods are decadent.
After you’ve exited Frozen Ever After, we recommend that you head to the Stave Church Gallery to study the Gods of the Vikings exhibit. Even kids will enjoy it…for a minute or two.
This brings us to a larger point about the World Showcase. There’s a little something for everyone, but it’s one size fits one, not one size fits all. Our favorites, like Mitsukoshi and The Toy Soldier, aren’t necessarily what yours will be. So, glance at the guide for each pavilion and decide which experiences appeal to you.
We’ll let you know that Germany, the United Kingdom, and Canada are the places to go for beer, while you’ll find the best wine at Italy and France. As for tequila and margaritas, well, this one’s not rocket science. Go to Mexico!
On the shopping front, fans of eclectic merch will love China, Mexico, and Morocco. People who want Disney-specific merch should target France and Norway.
The one regrettable piece of intel we must share is that Disney no longer ships purchases to the resorts. So, you’ll need to lug around anything you buy, which should mitigate your impulse shopping.
The other experiences we recommend at the World Showcase largely involve admiration. As an example, you should enter the Temple of Heaven at the China pavilion. The Mexico pavilion’s pyramid and the Eiffel Tower are other great examples of this, although you cannot get close to the latter.
Also, when you just want to hang out somewhere, some of the best options are Germany, where it’s always Oktoberfest, The American Experience, and Japan.
Japan and China also host our favorite shows, not counting the British Invasion concerts at the United Kingdom pavilion. You should be getting the point about how vibrant the World Showcase is.
While you’re here, there’s one other ride you may want to do. It’s Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, which is pitch-perfect for fans of the movie.
However, if the wait is long, you may prefer to skip and savor the World Showcase more. Kim didn’t grow up with Disney the way that David did. One of her worst Disney regrets was that she needed several visits to explore the World Showcase fully. Please avoid this mistake.
Once you’re done with Ratatouille, it’s probably time to think about dinner. During a festival, just grab whatever appeals to you. If not, the United Kingdom pavilion offers Fish and Chips that Kim swears by.
Alternatively, you can head to Connections Café & Eatery. We’re going back to the front part of the park, so it’s not out of the way to dine here. Plus, it sells a little bit of everything.
Once you’ve finished, we encourage you to ride Spaceship Earth now. The lines should be minuscule compared to the first thing in the morning, which is why we suggest that you wait.
Afterward, you should head to Test Track and enter the Single Rider line. That’ll save you plenty of aggravation, as the wait should still be pretty long.
Then, you can ride Mission: SPACE’s Green mission if you like. Its line should be, well, the opposite of Test Track’s. The Orange mission may require a long wait, though. So, we don’t recommend it in that scenario.
Now, you have a choice of a few ways to proceed. World Celebration Gardens fundamentally changes after dark and provides a magical setting. The lights in the area sync with Spaceship Earth’s effects. It’s visually stunning.
So, you can do that, or if you want something equally beautiful, you can visit Journey of Water | Inspired by Moana across the way.
We’re saving Cosmic Rewind until after the fireworks for a reason. This one should be the final ride you do before you leave EPCOT. So, save it for last.
In a best-case scenario, you’ll enter the line at Cosmic Rewind just a few minutes before the park closes. Disney will let you ride it as long as you’re standing in the line at closing time.
By adopting this approach, you can save yourself as much as 70 percent of the time you would have otherwise spent standing in line. That’s more time for eating, drinking, and shopping!
Finally, we’ll add that while we don’t recommend Lightning Lane Multi Pass at this park, there is an advantage to the approach. In simplest terms, you’re paying to have more free time.
You won’t stand in line for more than a few minutes at most Lightning Lanes. So, those hours saved become free time to spend on the aforementioned eating, drinking, and shopping.
Alternatively, you can blow off rides almost entirely and just enjoy the vibes at EPCOT. You’ll find so much to do. It’ll be like a more traditional vacation day rather than one at a theme park.
You’ll still get all the Disney goodness of character interactions, beautiful scenery, and wonderful shopping, though.
Feature Image: Disney