EPCOT Tips
Entertainment for all Ages. While not as many rides as the other parks, it can be quite a tiring day as you walk “around the world” and wait in line for the 2 most popular rides Ratatouille (currently by virtual queue only but still over a half an hour walk and wait when you arrive) and Frozen while hanging on until the end of day to see the most beautiful night time show of all the parks. Recommended for the weekend as there are less rides or on days where there is the most rain in your trip as it has mostly indoor rides.
Ride Descriptions
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
Below you will find descriptions of what we rode on our recent trip and our opinion. We didn’t ride all of the rides and you can find most descriptions (albeit short) in the Disney Parks app. They will have better descriptions of height requirements. When we say “all ages” this assumes there are no height requirements and good for entire family.
Ride Name | Description | Age & Thrill Level | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|
Journey Into Imagination | Slow paced moving cart ride similar to other classic Disney rides like Spaceship Earth, or Winnie the Pooh. | Good for young kids, older kids would get board. | Winding down type of ride. Good if less than 10 minutes to escape the heat and craziness. There is a fun exploration area at the end for younger kids. |
Living with the Land | Slow moving boat ride around Disney’s Greenhouse where you get to see exotic plants and cool aquaponics system. | Slow moving, educational, appropriate for all ages. | Relaxing ride with nice scenery. Very manicured greenhouse and learn interesting farming techniques. Short wait time. |
Spaceship Earth | Imagine going to a museum of human history in a moving cart. This ride is in the big icon ball that is Epcot. | All ages can probably ride. No fast movements or sudden drop but very dark. | Relaxing ride which you can probably take a quick snooze if you’re tired enough. Wouldn’t go if more than 30 minutes, unless just to experience being in the globe. |
Mission Space | Experience a space take off and some hands on spaceship controls. Choose from Mars (face pace) or Earth (for those who don’t like too much Motion) | Unique experience, not scary but definitely not for those with motion sickness. | While no one in our family gets motion sickness, we all felt ill after Mars. You have this weird antigravity feeling when you lift off that kinda lingers after a bit. Even earth has a similar effect but we tried it after Mars. |
The Seas with Nemo | Similar ride to Little Mermaid at Magic Kingdom but with digital effects as you see Nemo on screen. | Good for families with young kids. Slow moving clamshell ride, no sudden movements or drops. | Relaxing ride and you end up in an aquarium area kids can enjoy. You can also charge your phone as you wait. |
Gran Fiesta Tour | Similar to it’s A Small World with less songs and more for the Latin culture. Inside the big Mexico ruins where the restaurant and shopping is located. | Slow moving boat ride, good for the family. | To be honest one of the rides we regret waiting for. It set us back over half an hour and felt nothing unique or special about it, just another Disney boat ride. |
Soarin Around the World | Similar to Avatar except you are seated in a straight line and carried off with other “travelers”. A virtual reality experience | Interesting 4D experience. Not too scary and you are lifted slightly off the ground but pretty much stationary as the screen does most of the work. | Pretty cool experience the first time we went when it was the new ride. For a second time around we probably wouldn’t wait more than 30 minutes for it. |
Turtle Talk with Crush | Not a ride but a sit down entertainment session with Crush where kids can ask him questions. | Good for young kids and any older kids or adult that needs to rest. | Entertaining and great if you need some rest time. Probably wouldn’t wait more than 10 minutes for it. |
Test Track | Interactive ride where you can build your own car and test it’s performance. test track experience at the end. | It is a cross between a roller coaster (minus the loops) and a speedway experience. | Definitely a unique experience in terms of rides, you can design your car and test it among your group. The beginning of the ride is okay, it gets fun when they release you outdoors. |
Frozen Ever After | Probably the most popular ride if you can’t get into Ratatouille. Average wait time 90 minutes. Boat ride with small dip in the waterfall. Great for Frozen fans | Good for all ages that are fans of Frozen. Not too scary and there are some fast movements. | They built this right with the perfect “Let it Go” moment as well as the snowman blowing you off course. Very magical for the young kids. |
Remy’s Ratatouille | Similar to the Rise of the Resistance or Mickie & Minnie Runaway Track Ride at Hollywood Studios. It’s a moving Mouse car plus 4D experience with some Screen movements. | Fun for the family. It’s a unique combination of all things Disney: Cart ride through different scenes, 4D and virtual experience, live the movie. | Definitely sign up for Virtual Queue for your spot. If you didn’t get to ride Rise of the Resistance, this is comparable but without Star Wars theme. The wait is less but still about a half an hour with the queue. |
Recommended Food
Some of these are only applicable if you attend during their Food and Wine Festival. While for other parks we added our recommendations, for this we added things we don’t recommend in case you need to narrow down your choices as there are so many!
Yorkshire County Fish Shop
Probably the best fish and chips we had. We had a huge piece of fish, light and crispy and fries were perfect. It was over $10 which is expensive compared to other small plates at the Food & Wine Festival but it fed 3 kids well so it was worth it!
Swanky Swine
If you want to try something interesting, go for the crispy pig ear salad. If it sounds scary, it’s not, just imagine a perfectly dressed salad with fried wontons with a slightly chewier bite.
New: Dole Whip
Yes we’re obsessed. Excited they just introduced this at Epcot at the African Outpost. It’s so refreshing on a hot day and they have a watermelon swirl to try. Comes in waffle cone but you can ask for a cup.
Brew-Wing
We recommend this place for an air conditioned eating area where you can bring other food inside. The wings are not that good but the beer is a must try if you like exotic flavors.
Not Recommended for the Food and Wine Festival: Filet Mignon in Canada during Food and Wine Festival. Perhaps the steak is amazing at the sit down restaurant but at the kiosk it is overcooked and flavorless. Wings at the Brew-Wing, especially the parmesan is pretty bad. If you are going to try food from around the world it’s probably worth skipping the wings and pizza, unless you’re not adventurous. The braised beef poutine in Canada is interesting but a bit overpriced. The roasted porchetta at the swanky swine is okay as well if you want a fulfilling meal but doesn’t receive our rave reviews. If you want to try the impossible burger they have a mini slider version near the front. It’s a good chance to try it, but overpriced as well.
Entertainment
The best night time show at Disney World, they take you around the world with music from different Disney Movies and pair with awesome lights and pyrotechnics and fireworks. If you only have enough energy to stay until at night at one park this one would be it. Only complaint was the Mulan music was in Chinese…would have been more enjoyable in English and consistent.
There is an aquarium area in Nemo where kids can see fish and shark. It’s a nice escape from the heat and or rain and you can rest in there as well as charge your phone as well.
A unique way for kids to interact with Crush. I was trying to figure out how the person can control crush mouth movements to match what he’s saying as it’s in real time, perhaps there are certain buttons to push where he can imitate the actor. More for winding down then actually learning anything, the actor is pretty entertaining.
Other Tips
Parking
Epcot might be one of the shortest walk from parking as we arrived late but still closer to entrance than others. You can also get to Epcot via monorail at the Disney Transportation and Ticketing Center. All parks are $25 for parking and $50 for preferred. It’s good for in an out and to use other parks on the same day. However given a there’s a lot of walking and there are no trams running, it might be a good idea to find an uber/lyft service.
Winding Down Rides
The day can be exhausting for any age with the heat, walking and waiting. Find rides and shows with a short wait time at every park where you can rest your eyes and feet and not be over stimulated. At Epcot there’s: Turtle Talk with Crush, Finding Nemo, Journey Into the Imagination with Figment, and Spaceship Earth.
Charging Stations
There is plenty of charging areas around the park including the nemo aquarium area which you can get to via the ride exit gift shop (you don’t have to get in line to get in) and at the exit areas of Test Track and Mission Mars/Earth exit area.
Wait Times
Check the wait times in the apps a day or two before each park and take mental notes for the rides you want to take. For 2021 Remy’s Ratatoiuille Adventure is only available by Virtual Queue so check your Virtual Queue App exactly at 7 am the Day of your Epcot Trip. Longest ride wait time is usually Test Track, Frozen and sometimes Soarin. Remy’s is also about a half an hour walking wait once you get into the queue.
Souvenirs
We generally don’t buy souvenirs unless they are something unique to the park that can remind us of the trip. In this instance we tried to find the nicest clothes that say 50th Anniversary or “Walt Disney World”, but it was limited stock. Sometimes others parks would have something in stock when one doesn’t. Ask employees if you need a different size. Know that you can return items easily at other stores throughout the park so you can buy something and return elsewhere if you find something you like more.
Weather
The weather is unpredictable and usually raining at some point in Orlando. Check weather when there is the highest chance of thunderstorms to plan your rides for the day. You don’t want to be stuck waiting in the rain or in line for a long time to learn they will have to shut it down. Luckily pretty much all of Epcot’s rides are indoors except for Test Track that has a small section at the end in the outdoors, plan to go on that ride before any bad weather hits.
