Epcot, the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, has come a long way from the original vision Walt Disney had. The more I go to Epcot, the more I appreciate all there is to offer. Frequently thought of a more adult friendly park, some families skip over this park in favor of the other 3 parks, but I assure you that a day at Epcot is going to be fun, interesting and delicious! Epcot does not have as many rides as the other parks, but there is plenty to do to fill up your day. Here are my top 5 tips on how to really get the most from your day at Epcot!
1. EAT
In other parks, I would suggest that getting the most out of your day would not include sitting down for a meal, but Epcot is different! Not only are there signature restaurants offering fine dining (no dress codes in the parks), but there are plenty of choices that will have you trying new and different foods from different cultural backgrounds. Make sure you reserve your table up to 180 days out for Monsieur Paul and Le Cellier, while most others can be reserved much closer to your time of stay. Enjoy a show at Germany’s Biergarten, an Oktoberfest celebration, or watch Hibachi chefs at Japans Teppan Edo. Do not forget about the Land’s Garden Grill and the Sea’s Coral Reef, which are not in the World Showcase. Another choice if you would rather have more time in the park is to “Eat Around the World.” Grab a signature item, drink or dessert in each of the Pavilions of the World Showcase to really taste all that Epcot has to offer.
2. Fast Pass+
We highly recommend arriving at Epcot for park opening. The three most popular attractions with the longest wait time are Frozen Ever After, Soarin’, and Test Track. Epcot is on a Tier System, meaning you can only select one of these to FastPass when picking your initial three FastPass options. If you arrive at the park right when it opens, you should have no problem hitting both Soarin’ and Test Track without extremely long lines. Our recommendation is to FastPass Frozen Ever After early afternoon, head straight to Soarin’ at park open, then head to Test Track. If the standby line for Test Track is too long, you can always check out the Single Rider line. Fill in the remaining FastPass+ selections with the remaining attractions!
3. Go Ahead! Go In!
The World Showcase is really impressive, but many families just do a walk by and admire from the walkway in front. To really enjoy all the Epcot has to offer, walk into the pavilions and see what each country has going on. Find some trolls in Norway and awesome collectables in Canada! There are really excellent shows in France and China. You cannot miss China, France, Mexico, Great Britain or Japan’s stores. Do not skip the American Adventure! You might never even know about the ice cream shop in France unless you walk up the path into the pavilion, and you’ll thank me for that tip. Of course, a fun way to really get to know the World Showcase is by playing Agent P’s World Showcase Adventure that has you scavenging through the pavilions. Lots of fun!
4. Enjoy the Live Entertainment!
Epcot has some seriously fun shows and interactive entertainment. I highly suggest that you take some time to make sure you look at the times that you can catch some of these acts! British Revolution, covering the best of British rock, always draws a large crowd. The Jeweled Dragon Acrobats in China will have you ooh-ing and ahh-ing in delight. The Voices of Liberty should not be missed; I promise this is a beautiful experience! Other fun acts include Server Amusant in France, and Sergio in Italy!
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5. Enjoy IllumiNations!
Something that you night owls will love is that Epcot is not necessarily an early morning park. The World Showcase usually does not even open until 11 am, so closing the park down should be something you definitely aim to do. This is one of my absolute favorite spectacles in all of Disney World and an absolute must do! You can get a Fast Pass+ for better viewing, but I have found that there are plenty of great views from anywhere around the World Showcase. Celebrating the different cultures of the world, IllumiNations will inspire you and have you in awe! Complete with balls of fire being launched 60 feet into the air, a 350, 000 pound Earth that is the world’s first spherical video display system and fireworks galore, no visit to Epcot is complete without making sure you stay for IllumiNations!