Epcot - Travel Advisor

Designed by Walt Disney, Epcot is an acronym that stands for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. The park is made up of four neighborhoods: World Nature, World Discovery and World Celebration which are located in the front of the park, where the iconic “golf ball” geodesic sphere is located. Set in the back of the park, World Showcase contains eleven countries for guests to explore all surrounding World Showcase Lagoon!

Jessica’s Tips:

The park offers numerous attractions and educational, hands-on experiences! Here are a few of my tips for making the most out of your day when you are visiting Epcot!

Create a wish list of all the attractions, characters, shows, etc. that everyone in your party would like to experience. Prioritize those items first and then anything else you can achieve is a bonus!

Consider purchasing Disney Genie + Service when you visit Epcot. With the number of awesome attractions to visit and the size of the park, I recommend investing in the service to maximize your time in the park!

I recommend getting to Epcot at park opening and visiting the neighborhoods in the front of the park first. This is where most of the rides at Epcot are located. World Showcase typically opens later in the morning then World Nature, World Discovery, and World Celebration. If you are able to complete the attractions in these neighborhoods first, you can then focus on the attractions and visiting the Countries in World Showcase later in the day and evening.

Keep in mind the current benefit if you are staying at a Disney Resort, you can enter the park 30 minutes before it opens. This is an excellent opportunity to accomplish some of the attractions on your list right away in the morning!

Consider a stay at a Deluxe Disney Resort due to the benefit of being able to stay in the parks for an additional two hours after closing on certain evenings! This benefit is an excellent opportunity to enjoy countless experiences when most other people have left the park!

When traveling with small children, keep in mind attractions that have height restrictions. Currently the attractions that have a restriction are as follows:

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind – Guests must be 42 inches (107 cm) or taller
Mission: SPACE – 40″ (102 cm) or taller
Soarin’ – 40″ (102 cm) or taller
Test Track – 40″ (102 cm) or taller

Epcot is twice the size of Magic Kingdom and spans 300 acres! With the parks massive size, it is important to prepare for a lot of walking! One of the best tips I can give is to utilize the Friendship Boats in World Showcase Lagoon. There are four landings around World Showcase Lagoon: one near Mexico and the other near Canada. The Mexico boat will let off at Germany and the Canada boat will drop off at Morocco. Using the boats is sure to help save you some steps during the day!

Take breaks, especially if you are vacationing with little ones! It is possible to still accomplish the items on your wish list even with taking a mid-day break to relax at your resort. Spend the time taking a nap or utilizing the pool! Then head back to the park in the early evening to complete your night at the park! Note: if you have Genie + remember you can continue to book lightning lane reservations every two hours!

Have fun! One of the reasons I love Disney is because it makes me feel like a kid again! Between the attractions and meeting the characters, you are sure to embrace your inner child as well!