By Disney recently reinvented the front half of EPCOT, splitting the former Future World into three distinct themed lands.
This split makes sense and the change was necessary, since nobody would have described Future World as “futuristic.”
Overall, EPCOT hosts four themed lands now, sometimes referred to as “Neighborhoods.”
They are World Celebration, World Discovery, World Nature, and the World Showcase.
We’ll detail all the pavilions in the World Showcase in a different section, but let’s quickly start with a quick discussion of its three rides.
Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros differentiated Donald Duck from Mickey Mouse for many years. Until the 2020s, Donald had a ride, but Mickey didn’t.
Of course, critics would suggest that Donald’s ride seems eerily similar to “it’s a small world.”
Guests enter the Mexico pavilion and then head straight back and then to the left. Gran Fiesta Tour features stages with meticulously crafted set pieces akin to “it’s a small world,” but it adds video displays of Donald Duck cartoons.
Some of them were created exclusively for this attraction. Classic Disney animation fans shouldn’t miss this one.
You’ll find the next ride at the Norway pavilion, and it’s a top three EPCOT experience.
In 2015, Disney closed the unique Maelstrom attraction, a combo boat/dark ride, and gave it a Frozen theme.
Since the day Frozen Ever After debuted in 2016, it has maintained a top position at EPCOT.
Everyone loves this ride, as they should. It celebrates some of the best moments from the franchise to date.
You’ll encounter adorable trolls, the snowgies, and all your favorite characters. Poor Sven, the reindeer, has even gotten his tongue stuck on something icy.
We love this ride oh so much, and it ends with a drop spot that probably will get you wet.
Once you’ve finished in Arendelle, which globes inexplicably call Norway for some reason, you’ll head over to the France pavilion, where you’ll discover the World Showcase’s newest attraction, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure.
This trackless dark ride can carry you anywhere within a room, which opens up the storytelling compared to a typically dark ride on tracks.
Basically, you never know exactly where you’re going on a trackless ride, which heightens the suspense.
This ride hits the highlights of Pixar’s Ratatouille, reducing you to the size of a rat and dropping you into a restaurant kitchen.
You’ll suddenly realize how dangerous a hot stove is when you’re scurrying beneath it.
The ride will entertain you no matter how old you are, and Disney recently improved it by removing the 3D elements that could cause some people (like Kim) to experience severe motion sickness.
The France pavilion sits close to the International Gateway, so when you enter the park at that spot, Ratatouille will be your closest ride.
The World Showcase hosts other attractions, such as Reflections of China, but those are its only three rides.
Disney presumes you’re visiting the World Showcase to eat, drink, and shop more than you are to experience rides.
If you’re obsessive about rides like David is, you’ll have better luck at the front of the park, starting with World Celebration.
You’ll know you’re in the right place when you see the giant silver golf ball in the sky.
Welcome to Spaceship Earth, David’s favorite ride in the world.
Admittedly, that’s not a popular opinion, but he loves the architecture of the 18-story-tall geodesic sphere, and the ride itself hits his sweet spot.
Spaceship Earth tells the history of recorded civilization, starting with the first time humans worked together and concluding with the invention of the internet.
That’s just the first half of the ride. On the back half, you’ll participate in a kind of “Choose Your Own Adventure,” where you choose various elements of your future life.
A monitor on your ride cart will reveal a charming potential future that changes during every visit.
Independent of how you feel about Spaceship Earth, no EPCOT visit could ever be complete without riding it. This attraction is to EPCOT what Kilimanjaro Safaris is to Animal Kingdom.
You’ll find the other World Celebration ride at the Imagination! pavilion. It’s the family-friendly Journey Into Imagination with Figment, starring Monty Python’s Eric Idle, if you’re old enough to remember who that is.
Of course, to EPCOT fans, the real star of this attraction is Figment, the imaginary purple dragon who loves to pull off adorable shenanigans.
This ride is another one that children adore, although there’s another one nearby that we’d argue is a bit better.
Before we discuss that, we’ll mention Magic Eye Theater. This location hosts the Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival.
It consists of three animated shorts, a couple of which you should know.
One is “Feast,” David’s all-time favorite Pixar short. It focuses on the relationship between a man, his dog, and a woman they meet along the way. This short has the happiest ending imaginable.
“Piper” tells the story of a baby bird trying to learn how to forage on a beach. Finally, “Get a Horse” is a Mickey Mouse short that starts in black-and-white, but doesn’t stay that way.
This show provides an entertaining and VERY Disney escape when you need a break.
World Nature is in this same area, as The Land pavilion sits right beside the Imagination! pavilion.
Believe us when we say that you’ll want to visit The Land pavilion. This building hosts one of EPCOT’s best rides, and also one of its most necessary rides.
We consider Soarin’ Around the World to be an ideal example of Imagineering excellence. Some Disney genius took a children’s toy, an erector set, and turned it into a giant ride cart that lifts dozens of passengers into the air at once.
Guests watch an OMNIMAX screen that shows stunning landmarks from around the world, as well as glorious moments in nature. This may be the only attraction in the world that features scenes of the Eiffel Tower and a breaching whale.
Fittingly, Soarin’ takes you around the world, but then ends at EPCOT’s front gate. The only way it could possibly be better would be if you got frequent flyer mileage.
The other ride here will save you when you’re tired and just want to get off your feet for a while. Living with the Land divides into two sections, an infotainment dark ride and then a trip through The Land’s remarkable agricultural facility.
We quite enjoy this ride, as the greenhouse portion shows where at the park you can eat some of the foods on display.
Should you find it boring, you’ll still enjoy it because it’s one of the best napping spots at EPCOT.
The Land pavilion hosts one other attraction, a 4D film called Awesome Planet. Ty Burrell of Modern Family narrates this charming look at Earth and our place in nature.
Right down the path from The Land pavilion, you’ll find The Seas with Nemo & Friends.
Disney previously named this pavilion The Living Seas. When it opened, it was the largest saltwater tank in the world. Now, it’s home to thousands of fish.
The star attraction here shares the same name as the pavilion, so you should guess the story.
The Seas with Nemo & Friends covers most of the same territory as Finding Nemo. It’s one of Disney’s kindliest rides, and highly recommended for parents of small children.
We’re a middle-aged couple and we ride it constantly.
When you exit this ride, you’ll be close to the theater for Turtle Talk with Crush. This charming interactive show stars Crush, the sea turtle from Finding Nemo.
Crush appears on a giant movie screen and talks to guests. You read that right. He will ask questions of the audience and respond based on the replies.
The turtle is quite the cut up, with a caustic wit and more than a century of surfer wisdom.
David always lists this show as one of the hidden gems of Disney World, and we feel strongly that you should make time for it during an EPCOT visit.
World Nature recently added a different kind of attraction. Journey of Water | Inspired by Moana.
This walkthrough experience celebrates… water.
We know that sounds lame, but you can do everything from making water jump several feet in the air to creating music based on hand movements.
Simply put, there’s no other attraction like this in the world, which is reason enough to try it for at least a few minutes. Plus, it will cool you down on a hot day, and it’s absolutely gorgeous at night.
Finally, we have World Discovery, the thrill ride section of EPCOT.
Seriously, you’ll find the three attractions we consider to be thrill rides at EPCOT in this one section of the park.
The best of them is probably Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, which Disney calls a storytelling roller coaster.
You meet the Guardians of the Galaxy and then learn that a planet-sized Celestial is terrorizing Earth.
As you attempt to escape its wrath, you’ll listen to someone’s 1980s mix tape, presumably Peter Quill’s.
One of six different songs will serenade you throughout your space flight, and you’ll encounter the wall-sized Celestial at several points.
Even people who don’t consider Cosmic Rewind Disney’s best coaster agree that it’s the most novel one.
Cosmic Rewind is also THE hot attraction at EPCOT right now. You’ll probably build your entire park itinerary around it.
Recently, the coaster has faced stiff competition in the thrill ride category, though.
Imagineers have introduced a new version of Test Track, nicknamed Test Track 3.0.
Somehow, this updated version of this high-speed slot car thrill ride seems more futuristic AND retro.
Disney has dramatically improved the visuals, but the ride also celebrates the legacy of its predecessor, World of Motion.
As far as ride re-themes go, this one’s a grand slam and is something else you must do during your visit.
Finally, we have the NASA-approved ride, Mission: SPACE. This motion simulation attraction mimics outer space travel.
Specifically, you learn why NASA behaves so rigorously in choosing its astronauts.
Escaping the Earth’s gravity isn’t for everyone. It’s a violent, body-stressing sensation, which explains why Disney hosts two versions of this attraction.
The Green version, the milder one, takes guests on a lap around Earth.
People who prefer to test their limits should try the Orange version, an aggressive mission to Mars.
In this version, Disney activates a centrifuge to recreate the feeling that astronauts get during flights.
Please believe us when we say that this feeling isn’t for everyone. Anyone susceptible to motion sickness should probably choose the Green version.
The final thing you should know about EPCOT involves crowd behavior. On most dates, only a handful of attractions require extensive waits in line.
The list of five includes Cosmic Rewind, Frozen Ever After, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, Soarin’, and Test Track. Everything else should take less than 30 minutes to ride on all but the most crowded days.
So, EPCOT is a park where you can do anything ride-related. That may miss the point of the park, though, as you’ll probably prefer hanging out, relaxing, and enjoying yourself.