EPCOT isn’t a regular theme park. It’s a cool theme park.
Home to a wide range of shows, exhibits, shopping, dining, and, yes, popular rides and attractions, EPCOT offers a very different park-going experience from its Disney World park counterparts.
With such a wide variety of things to do, knowing what’s essential and prioritizing what you want to see (and what you can comfortably skip if you don’t have multiple days) is crucial.
We’ll give you all the details below on which attractions are considered must-dos at EPCOT so you can choose what to prioritize and plan for the perfect visit.
But accounting for the park’s enormous size and knowing where to go and when will minimize the miles—literally—you’ll inevitably be putting into your day.
Let’s start with a quick run-down of the park for planning purposes.
Note: If you’re planning a visit to any other parks during your Disney trip, check out the best attractions at Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom.
EPCOT in a nutshell
Knowing the park means knowing which attractions are offered and where they are, which will ultimately help you prioritize your park picks and strategize your game plan for the perfect visit to EPCOT.
For starters, EPCOT is broken into two major components.
Front of Park: World Celebration, World Discovery, and World Nature
This side of the park, serving as the park’s main entrance and home to the iconic and photogenic Spaceship Earth (the big golf ball!), is divided into three separate, smaller “worlds” and was initially meant to be an area of innovation, education, and discovery.
You’ll also find major headlining attractions like Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, Test Track, and Soarin’.
World Showcase
Packed with all the dining, shopping, and sightseeing you could want, the World Showcase could take an additional day or more to explore to its fullest potential.
You’ll find other headlining attractions here, such as Frozen Ever After and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure.
Pro Tip: If you’re arriving via Skyliner or coming from an EPCOT area resort, this will be where you enter (through the International Gateway).
Headliners
We’ll give it to you straight: Some major headliners are much more “must-do” than others.
For example, we’d say you failed an EPCOT day if you missed Guardians of the Galaxy, but we’d probably say “no biggie” if you missed Remy’s.
We’ve listed them in order of priority!
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind (42”)
Highly anticipated and well worth the hype, this fully enclosed coaster is a technological feat complete with a reverse launch and cars that rotate 360 degrees, so you don’t miss an ounce of the intergalactic action!
Note: Some people do complain of motion sickness after riding, but we actually recommend riding a second time later if you can swing it! You’ll know what to expect and can enjoy the effects better as a result. We did much better our second time around when we first rode it.
Soarin’ Around the World (40”)
An innovative take on a 4D experience, Soarin’ is an immersive journey that takes riders on a hang-gliding “flight” with scenes from around the world.
Way less scary than it sounds, this ride involves riders being seatbelted into long rows and lifted vertically in front of an expansive projector screen. There are no sharp drops or turns, making it a ride we recommend to absolutely everyone.
Pro Tip: Ask a cast member (politely!) if you can ride in the first row. You might have to wait a little longer, but the view unobstructed by other people’s dangling feet is well worth the experience to us!
Frozen Ever After
Hop on and visit Anna, Elsa, and other Frozen friends in Arendelle on this slow-moving boat ride through various scenes from the first Frozen movie.
The songs, scenes, and animatronics are delightful, making this fun for the whole family. Some people hate on this ride, but we love it and definitely think it’s worth it.
Test Track (40”)
Now on the 3.0 version of this ride, hop in a vehicle that take them through different scenes that and environments that showcase the current and future possibilities of transportation. With a high speed race car-like lap for the finale, It definitely falls under “thrills” and it’s a favorite of young kids and teens.
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
A trackless 4D experience (featuring probably the cutest ride vehicles in any of the parks), riders shrink to Remy’s level and experience a culinary rat race firsthand through scenes of Paris and Gusteau’s famous restaurant.
With no height requirements, this ride is great for all ages.
EPCOT Classics
Next, let’s cover the attractions we consider “classically EPCOT” and thus shouldn’t be missed.
None of these attractions have height requirements, making them perfect for families with younger children.
Spaceship Earth
Set inside the enormous geodesic sphere (i.e., giant golf ball) at the front of the park, Spaceship Earth is an EPCOT staple and a Disney World classic.
Get your education on as you embark on a slow-moving journey through time. It’s a hard ride to explain, but we love it. Better yet, enjoy the pace and cool break from that Florida sun.
Journey Into Imagination with Figment
IYKYK, and Disney OGs know.
Join Dr. Nigel Channing and Figment, a mischievous purple dragon, on this EPCOT original: an easy ride that stimulates the five senses. Cute and entertaining for younger children!
The Seas with Nemo & Friends
Hop in a clamshell and journey with Nemo on this gentle, slow-moving dark ride, perfect for all ages.
Our favorite part is seeing the Finding Nemo characters inside the real-life aquarium at the end. It’s a really cool effect and worth the ride!
Pro Tip: Take some time and tour the aquarium immediately after disembarking the ride. Maybe you’ll catch dolphin playtime or the manatees’ feeding time.
EPCOT’s Niche Attractions
Some rides are popular, and some are underrated. We personally enjoy these attractions and consider them must-dos, but we agree that they aren’t everyone’s cup of tea.
Read on, and we’ll let you decide whether or not they should be on your list!
Mission: SPACE (44”, 40”)
Ever wonder what it would feel like to launch on a rocket and fly through space? Mission Space is a flight simulator that Disney actually worked with NASA to design, providing an incredibly immersive, incredibly cool space experience.
There are two versions of the ride: Orange, a full-on flight simulator complete with G-forces, and Green, a milder version with less jostling and no G-forces applied.
Note: It IS an intense ride, and people prone to claustrophobia or motion sickness should take that into consideration.
But we love it and think this should be on the must-do “EPCOT Classics” list—especially if you’re a first-time visitor!
Living with the Land
Living with the Land is, on the surface, a meandering and educational boat ride about horticulture and sustainability.
But really, it’s deeper than that.
Our favorite controversial ride at EPCOT typically elicits two reactions from riders: either “Land” diehards who re-ride it immediately to take a second look at the hydroponic lettuce, or the “Did we really just use Lightning Lane to take a boat ride through a greenhouse?” people.
Personally, we love this ride. It’s the perfect mixture of relaxing (away from the crowds) and old-school educational Disney—with super interesting horticulture facts!
Turtle Talk with Crush
Another attraction perfect for young children and adults who enjoy over-the-kids’-heads jokes, join Crush from Finding Nemo in this often hilarious, interactive show run by Cast Members talented enough to make it an entertaining experience for all ages.
Character Greetings
Don’t save the character greetings just for Magic Kingdom! If you want a hug or autograph from your favorite Disney characters, EPCOT’s character greetings should definitely be on your itinerary.
- Meet Mickey & Friends (bonus: Mickey’s wearing his classic attire)
- Meet Anna and Elsa at Royal Sommerhus
Pro Tip: EPCOT has tons of greetings not listed on the map or the official attractions list, especially around the World Showcase in the afternoon. You can even find this out ahead of your trip to help you plan better!
Open the My Disney Experience app, go to the map, and select the “Characters” option from the dropdown. Head to the EPCOT area of the map (or filter for this park) and look at the entire list.
You may have to “strategize” a bit at times, as the greeting times can be sporadic, so if a certain character greeting is a priority, make sure to work it into your day.
Honorable Mention
This honorable mention belongs more to a genre of attraction than a specific one, but we absolutely love the featured films in some of the country Pavilions around the World Showcase.
Our favorites are:
- Impressions de France
- Reflections of China
- Canada Far & Wide
That being said, we suggest fitting this in only if you have time to spare. We’ll also admit that the films are better suited to an audience of adults or older children; young kids will likely be bored.
If you’re going to see one, we are obsessed with Impressions de France! Just be sure to note available showtimes in the app, as it only shows the last few hours of the evening.
Reminder
Treat this as a loose guide to complement your ride ideas and priorities! The attractions we included are based on overall guest demand and satisfaction and some of our own personal experiences that we would just as soon share with our families and friends planning trips to EPCOT.
Oh, and make sure you’re following a data-driven itinerary to optimize your visit and get the lowest wait times possible.
If you have your heart set on a particular attraction that did not make it into this post, ride it anyway! We’re here to help you create your own magic on our website.