Heading to the EPCOT at Walt Disney World? You probably have already discovered the vast amount of planning information out there can be wildly overwhelming.
Spoiler alert: EPCOT is our favorite Disney World park for adults. Between the diverse attractions and then eating and drinking our way silly around the World Showcase, we could (and do) spend multiple days here.
EPCOT is not just vast in its offerings—it’s also a sprawling park, physically speaking. With its expansive layout and attractions spread so far out, it is vital to have a solid game plan to avoid unnecessary zig-zagging, especially when the Florida sun is beating down and shade is hard to come by. Minimizing backtracking is key!
From the thrill of Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind (i.e., the best ride in all of Disney – yep, we said it) to all of the unique experiences and offerings in the World Showcase, EPCOT is incredibly diverse in options and knowing your priorities is essential.
Rides aside, you’ll want to leave room in your schedule for more leisurely activities, like savoring global cuisines, enjoying a specialty drink (or three), and exploring the various festivals and cultural exhibits throughout the year. It’s impossible to do it all in one day!
And, of course, the whole point of our itineraries is to reduce wait times as much as possible so you can do as much as possible.
Our itineraries are not just a labor of love; they are also research-backed and tested – thanks to Thrill-Data and our decades’ worth of Disney World experience!
This itinerary focuses on adults visiting EPCOT for one day and using the Lightning Lane Multi Pass or skipping it. We almost always recommend the Multi Pass unless you are willing to skip some big rides, or get up early and hustle. There’s just a little extra strategy needed, and we’ll go over it all here.
This means we’ll cover park-visiting basics AND dive into the best headliners, thrill rides, and entertainment geared toward all ages (but mostly adults).
EPCOT Basics
For EPCOT, planning your visit requires a bit of a different strategy compared to other Disney parks. While it may not have as many attractions as, say, Magic Kingdom, EPCOT offers a unique blend of rides, shows, interactive exhibits, and cultural experiences, making it just as challenging to navigate in a single day.
We like to tell people to think of EPCOT as two main parts since you’re likely going to be spending hours in each section:
- The Front Half which has a number of attractions and rides, and
- The Back Half (a.k.a. the World Showcase) which features more shows, exhibits, festivals, food, and pop-up character greetings.
The next best thing is knowing what you want to get out of your visit ahead of time because while some experiences cannot be missed, others can be saved.
Rides
Though we’re counting Mission: SPACE and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind as big thrills, a majority of EPCOT’s rides are huge hits for all ages.
Ranging from the popular and family-friendly Frozen Ever After and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure to the EPCOT classics such as Living with the Land and Soarin’, there are plenty of fabulous attractions to make your visit a unique one.
Entertainment
From the permanent feature films in countries around the World Showcase to huge musical acts like Boyz II Men that play during the rotating seasonal festivals, entertainment options at EPCOT are endless.
Smaller acts – both daily ones like Mariachi in Mexico and seasonal acts like Canadian rock bands during Food & Wine – are also scattered around the World Showcase.
For an adults-only trip, first check to see if any Festivals are happening and which acts are playing during your visit. If it’s important to you, try to catch some day-of entertainment as well! All of the acts are a great way to fill extra time.
Food & Drink
Sampling the unique drink offerings, Festival foods, and even the regular line-up of snacks featured daily around EPCOT could last you for hours or even days. That is, for us, what makes for the perfect visit to EPCOT.
We can’t cover all of our favorites in this itinerary alone, but no worries! We’re going to tell you the absolute do-not-miss places that should be on your list.
Lightning Lanes
Lightning Lanes, Multi Passes, Single Passes … what the heck is going on?
There is a definite art to making the most of the Lightning Lane Multi Pass (LLMP) system, but for the sake of this itinerary (and if you’re using this itinerary, you’re purchasing and using LLMP!), let’s review the basics:
- Lightning Lane Multi Pass: As we mentioned before, the LLMP is a paid addition to your park ticket that allows you to bypass the regular standby line for participating attractions.
- Lightning Lane Single Pass: Single Passes are designated to certain rides (usually high-priority attractions) as a paid “à la carte” option for guests regardless of whether or not they’ve purchased LLMP, allowing you to bypass the regular standby line.
Lightning Lane Multi Pass Must-Knows
EPCOT is a trickier park as far as “needing” the Lightning Lane Multi Pass goes.
As we’ve mentioned here, you can usually go WITHOUT the Lightning Lane pass if:
- You’re using Early Entry.
You can hit a few rides (Guardians of the Galaxy, Test Track, Frozen, and Remy’s) in the morning, and then deal with a few longer standby waits at some point during the day, usually in the evening (when most people move on to the World Showcase, are having dinner, or seeing the nighttime show).
If you don’t have Early Entry, you can still knock out 1 or 2 of these attractions if you’re there at opening.
- You don’t mind skipping a few headliners.
The big rides are the biggest variables when it comes to standby strategy, and if you’re not riding them or don’t care, you’re good without the Lightning Lane Multi-Pass!
All said, the Lightning Lane Multi-Pass will make things much easier if you don’t want to do either of the above, you’re going during a busy season, or you just aren’t worried about budget and want to make your day easier.
If it’s a busy time of year or you just want to make your day easier, buy the Lightning Lane Multi Pass! We personally purchase it almost every EPCOT visit because we like to sleep in and not deal with lines for rides like Test Track and Frozen Ever After.
If You’re Touring EPCOT with the Lightning Lane Multi Pass
Ideally, you’re pre-booking your first three LL selections at 7 am EST when your pre-book window opens (3 or 7 days in advance).
You can initially hold one Tier 1 and two Tier 2 attractions. For adults only, we highly recommend these priorities:
- Tier 1: Test Track (OR Remy’s, or Frozen Ever After – all are popular, so you should choose what’s most important to you.)
- Tier 2: Soarin’ (book your first Tier 2 as early in the day as possible)
- Tier 2: Mission: SPACE or Spaceship Earth (early!)
Alternatives: The Seas with Nemo & Friends (Tier 2)
At the time of writing, these are the top priority attractions we recommend. Since Lightning Lane return times on the day of can be difficult to find for Test Track, Frozen and Remy’s, booking them in advance is critical.
Note: If Lightning Lane sounds like a lot, we feel you. The system can be confusing, especially at first glance. But learning it is half the battle and puts you ahead of the 90% of Disney World visitors who do no research! If you want to visit Disney like a pro and skip waiting in long lines, check out the Lightning Lane Masterclass.
Lightning Lane Single Pass Must-Knows
Currently, there is one Single Pass option at EPCOT and it’s Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.
This attraction also holds a traditional standby queue (more details below).
Your day is definitely easier if you can buy the Single Pass since you will get to bypass the longer standby queue (which is typically a 45-70 minute wait during moderate to busy season).
If you decide to purchase the LLSP, we recommend purchasing with a return window starting between 11 am – 12 pm. This way, we can get through other attractions in the morning and then ride this before we head to the World Showcase for lunch.
If You’re Touring EPCOT without the Lightning Lane Multi Pass
As we’ve mentioned here, you can usually go WITHOUT the Lightning Lane pass if:
- It’s not a super busy time of year
If it’s Christmas break or another major federal holiday where schools are out, it’s much harder to get away with just a standby plan and still see short waits all day.
So just keep that in mind if you’re heading to the parks when it’s packed: You WILL have to wait in line using this itinerary at some point. It’s impossible not to. - You’re using Early Entry.
You can hit a few rides (Guardians of the Galaxy, Test Track, Frozen, and Remy’s) in the morning, and then deal with a few longer standby waits at some point during the day, usually in the evening (when most people move on to the World Showcase, are having dinner, or seeing the nighttime show).
If you don’t have Early Entry, you can still do Remy’s or Frozen standby at opening, but it won’t be a super short wait.
- You don’t mind skipping OR waiting in a longer standby line for Test Track, Remy’s, or Frozen.
These three rides are the biggest variables when it comes to standby strategy, and if you’re not riding them or don’t care, you’re definitely good without the Lightning Lane Multi-Pass!
All said, the Lightning Lane Multi-Pass will make things much easier if you decide you don’t want to do either of the above, you’re going during a busy season, or you just aren’t worried about budget and want to make your day easier.
- You don’t mind skipping the nighttime show.
EPCOT’s nighttime show starts right as the park closes, and if you’re willing to skip it, you can often see a short wait for most attractions if you jump in line RIGHT before the park closes (we’re talking the last 5-10 minutes). This is our favorite strategy ever, because we’re night people. The posted wait for the attraction will likely be falsely elevated over 50%—so you’re going to see a short wait! As an example, we recently got in a line for Frozen Ever After that was posted 50 minutes, and our actual wait was about 21 minutes. Not bad!
Itinerary: Start Here
For the record, this is not a step-by-step itinerary. We will be breaking your day down into sections and you’re going to sketch out your plan from there.
Don’t worry; you’ll still know what to do and when, and this will put you ahead of other guests (who don’t do any research or follow proven itineraries!)
- Morning
- When to arrive
- Early Entry
- Rope Drop
- The Lightning Lane Situation
- Morning Must Knows
- Setting up the rest of your day
- Midday: Explore & More
- Lunch
- Touring the World Showcase
- Evening
- Dinner
- Nighttime Show
Morning Strategy
EPCOT can be pretty slow the first few hours of the morning, especially with so many attractions in such a big park pulling people in different ways.
If you’re using the LLMP, you really don’t need to use Early Entry/Rope Drop or even arrive super early. You’ll be able to skip the lines on almost every attraction with the LLMP.
If you’re not using the LLMP, and you’re staying at an eligible on-property resort and have Early Entry, you will want to use it. If you’re off-property, this makes things a bit tougher, but you’ll still want to be there earlier to knock out what you can.
This is so you can ride at least one of the following without super long waits: Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, Test Track, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure AND/OR Frozen Ever After. And know those waits will be long the rest of the day, as these are the most popular attractions in the park.
When to arrive
If you’re on Disney property, transportation (buses, monorail, Skyliner, and Ferryboats) will start about ~80-90 minutes before Early Entry. If you want to be first, be at your resort transportation stop then if you’re wanting to get on some rides with no waits.
This is only necessary if you want to be first for an attraction like Remy’s, Frozen, or Test Track. If you’re using Lightning Lanes, you have a little more flexibility.
Once you work through the itinerary, you can decide the best time to arrive.
However, we do recommend getting to the park within 90 minutes of opening to be able to follow this itinerary easily. It’d be impossible to create itineraries for all different times of arrival, so these best work with a start near park open.
Early Entry
Early Entry, a perk reserved for those staying on Disney resort property, grants visitors access to the parks 30 minutes before the official opening. It helps to know that the park opens a bit before that, and you can line up then.
Some attractions even start operating a few minutes before the official Early Entry starts! It’s never anything crazy early, but sometimes 5-10 minutes in advance. You might as well be there if you’re going to be up early.
Early Entry can be helpful at EPCOT because you can hit the Tier 1 rides that you didn’t get to pre-book Lightning Lanes for, or head to ride Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.
Important Note: There are two entrances to EPCOT, and if you’re staying at a specific Disney resort on property, you’ll enter through the World Showcase (The International Gateway). These resorts include Pop Century, Art of Animation, Caribbean Beach, Riviera, BoardWalk, Yacht Club, Beach Club, and the Swan & Dolphin Resorts.
Any other resorts or off-property guests will enter through the main entrance at the front of the park (near the “big golfball”).
If you’re coming through the International Gateway entrance, you’re closer to the two most popular rides to rope drop, Frozen Ever After and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure.
If you’re coming from the front entrance, know that you’ll have a long walk to get to either of these rides, especially Remy’s. You’re best set up to hit Guardians or Test Track first. You can hit Frozen typically, but if you don’t have a quick pace, the line may likely be well over 30+ minutes by the time you get back there, so keep that in mind when you’re creating your overall plan.
Rope Drop (A.K.A. Park Opening)
After Early Entry, you’ve got the regular park opening when all of EPCOT opens* and all guests will be let in. Whether you’re using EE or not, it’s important to know what you’re doing around this time!
*Excluding the main rides, a lot of the World Showcase (mostly food vendors, Festival booths, and some entertainment options) does not open until 11 am.
By the time the park officially opens, some of the attractions that were already open for Early Entry will have already grown in wait times (Guardians, Remy’s, Test Track, and sometimes Frozen Ever After).
If you’re arriving to the park after EE, some rides will be out of the question (if you don’t want to wait in mega-long lines).
If you’re arriving to the park after Early Entry has started, the best thing to do is check wait times for the attraction you want to ride. But you need to check right before you head to that attraction; waits can double even within 5 minutes in the morning, so don’t walk across the park just to have this happen.
If you want a more chill morning, hit Soarin’ and Spaceship Earth early. These are both great rides that can have longer lines later, but they will typically be walk-on or take less than 10 minutes to wait for the first hour or so of the park opening.
Heads up: Spaceship Earth is currently closed for refurbishment until further notice.
The Lightning Lane Situation
If you’re using the LLMP for EPCOT, it’s quite easy once you get through the puzzle of juggling Remy’s, Test Track, and Frozen Ever After.
The key to getting to do almost everything with the LLMP at EPCOT is to book and scan into your first Lightning Lane EARLY.
^^ Read that sentence in bold one more time because it’s that important.
We recommend making sure you have a LL to scan into right after Early Entry, or whenever you get to the park if it’s later than that.
Why? Because once you scan in, you have “unlocked” tiers and you can book another Tier 1 ride. If Remy’s and Frozen still have availability and you aren’t using Early Entry, you want to book whichever one you don’t have yet.
Super Strategy Tip: After scanning into your first Tier 2, you can also modify your other Tier 2 to a Tier 1!
Let’s play out this scenario. Say you’re planning to be at EPCOT at 9:30 am, and you’re not using Early Entry.
Here’s what you’ve pre-booked:
- Test Track (Tier 1) for 2-3 pm
- Spaceship Earth (Tier 2) for 9:15 am-10:15 am
- The Seas With Nemo & Friends for 10:15 am-11:15 am
You enter the park, immediately tap into your Spaceship Earth Lightning Lane, and ride it at 9:30 am.
You’re now just holding your Test Track and The Seas LLs, so you’re eligible to book another, and Tiers no longer apply.
There is still evening availability for Frozen Ever After (or you REFRESH and find one if it was previously sold out!), so you book that. Woot!
THEN you can actually go into your The Seas LL and modify it to Remy’s if there is also availability there.
Boom—now you’ve covered all of the Tier 1s. This is a tough scenario, but it can be done, especially if you understand Lightning Lane algorithms.
Even if you have two Lightning Lanes that you cannot scan in until later in the day, you can still be holding all the major rides. And if you have one Tier 2 you have open, then use that one rolling Lightning Lane to keep booking all the “easier” rides around the front of the park!
Morning Must-Knows
Once 11 am rolls around, standby lines for most rides will grow, and the park will begin to feel more crowded. Hopefully, by now, you’ve done a few big rides with short waits and/or you have used a few Lightning Lanes and aren’t having trouble continuing to book them.
Here is our recommended order of touring WITH Lightning Lanes during the first few hours after Early Entry to help minimize backtracking:
- Spaceship Earth (with LL)*
- The Seas With Nemo & Friends*
- Journey of Water (no LL needed, just a cute walk-through Moana exhibit)
- Soarin’ (with LL)
- Living with the Land*
- Journey Into Imagination*
- Mission: SPACE (with LL)
- Test Track
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind (with Single LL)
*Unless it’s a busy time of year, you typically won’t need a Lightning Lane for these attractions. We still like to use one if the availability is immediate (it doesn’t hurt to save a few minutes if you got it!), but otherwise, don’t worry about it. Most waits for these rides before 12 pm will be 5-15 minutes max.
Touring Without Lightning Lanes
Here is our recommended order of doing rides standby during the first few hours after Early Entry to help minimize waits.
You’re going to have a little bit of backtracking between the first two rides, otherwise it’s a good circle around the front of the park:
- Soarin’
- Mission: SPACE
- Spaceship Earth
- The Seas With Nemo & Friends
- Living with the Land
- Journey Into Imagination
- Journey of Water
- Test Track (Single Rider)
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind (ideally using a Lightning Lane)
*You could swap the first two attractions if you’re closer to one (ex: if you’re starting this list near Test Track, you can do Mission Space first and then head to Soarin’).
As the park gets busier and we get closer to noon, you’ll want to take the time to focus on refueling (with snacks or food!), checking out the entertainment options, or “anytime attractions” that are perfect for filling in downtime.
Outside of the rides listed above, here are other EPCOT favorites at the front of the park that fall into the “adult” category:
- Visit Club Cool and sample all of the free soda flavors (it’s a lot of fun!)
- Visit any Festival booths near the front of the park after they open at 11 am. The best booths often tend to be near the front of the park, actually!
- Grab a Starbucks and our favorite snack, the Cronut, at Connections Cafe. This is also just a great place to rest for a few minutes—there are fountains to refill ice water, big, clean bathrooms, and lots of food and drink options.
- Shop at EPCOT’s largest merch store, Creations Store.
Outside of Festival booths in the front of the park, most of the good food is in the World Showcase, so we recommend saving your appetites!
Setting up the rest of your day
Hopefully, everything has gone to plan and you’ve knocked out almost every attraction with Lightning Lanes (or Early Entry) and have Remy’s or Frozen Lightning Lanes booked for later in the World Showcase.
Didn’t ride Test Track or Remy’s? Consider Single Rider
Test Track and Remy’s BOTH have Single Rider Lines at EPCOT. This means if your party members are ages 7+ and willing to split up, you can hit these lines and ride the attraction with a short wait, usually anywhere from walk-on to 10-15 minutes max. It’s a great option to have in the back pocket.
Riding things you missed
If you didn’t get to tackle a big attraction during the early morning or Lightning Lanes are scarce, you’re going to want to be checking wait times and getting in line when it drops a bit.
Know that waits won’t drop that much during the rest of the day – if the ride has a posted 60-minute wait most of the day, the lowest you’re likely to see a 45-minute posted wait. These waits won’t suddenly drop to 20 minutes or anything.
Exception: If you’re not interested in seeing Luminous at 9 pm when the park closes, you CAN get in line for one of these attractions right before (like 8:50-8:59 pm), and you’ll see a much shorter wait than the posted wait. This is what we’ve dubbed the “End of the Night Strategy,” and it works at all the parks.
We’ve tested this a lot for Frozen Ever After over the years. If the posted wait is 45 minutes, we typically wait 15-20 minutes (sometimes even less!).
Just know that it won’t be even close to as high as the posted wait, as they hyperinflate it to deter people!
Midday: Explore & More
Lunch
If you’re like us, food is probably one of the most important parts of your vacation. And EPCOT is absolutely the best park if you’re a foodie.
To Festival or Not?
With the exception of just a few weeks out of the year, there is almost always a festival going on at EPCOT:
- International Festival of the Arts (typically runs January-February)
- International Flower & Garden Festival (typically runs February-May)
- International Food & Wine Festival (typically runs August-November)
- International Festival of the Holidays (typically runs after Thanksgiving to after Christmas)
All Festivals include “food booths” with multiple samples of small plates and beverages to purchase. There are typically hundreds of options at each festival.
Most people love snacking and drinking around the Festival, but only eating tons of pricey food samples isn’t for everyone.
Plus, there are plenty of regular, year-round EPCOT staples that shouldn’t be missed.
It’s a good idea to look up some Festival food menus before your trip to see if you want to focus on that food, eat more standard “meal” options, or even have a sit-down at one of EPCOT’s unique restaurants.
Our Favorite Lunch Options
For adults, here are our favorite (and tastiest) lunch recommendations:
- Focus solely on snacking at Festival booths and filling up as you lap the World Showcase. This is one of the most fun options if you’re really into food/drinks and trying many different things.
- La Cantina for quick-service stop in Mexico. We like this option because it’s at the front of the World Showcase, and we don’t have to wait long to eat. The Nachos and margs are our staples.
- Fish & Chips from Yorkshire County Fish Shop (quick-service) in the UK. They’re authentic and incredible. We have readers from the UK writing in to say they’re some of the best fish & chips they’ve ever had!
- Poutine from The Refreshment Port at the front of the World Showcase, adjacent to Canada. There is the classic version (our fave), and typically, a unique Festival version is offered as well.
- Crepes from the quick-service window (Crêpes À Emporter) in France. We love the Bechamel, Cheese, and Ham Galette for a savory option and the Hazelnut & Chocolate Spread for a sweet one.
Touring the World Showcase Midday
Since this itinerary knocked out a lot of attractions near the front of the park in the morning, that’s leaving you in the World Showcase in the afternoon (and even in the evening!). If you feel like you got a lot done, you could also opt to return to your resort for a mid-afternoon nap or pool break. Otherwise, read on!
Outside of Frozen and Remy’s, almost all World Showcase attractions and entertainment options are readily available and won’t have any real queues.
Here’s what should be on an adult-focused list that you shouldn’t miss:
- Hitting Mexico’s Pyramid to shop, ride Gran Fiesta Tour, and grab a margarita from Choza de Margarita (outside) or La Cava del Tequila.
- Walking around the China Pavilion and checking out the extensive gift shop in the back. “Reflections of China” is also a great film if you have time.
- Stop at Karamell-Küche in Germany (trust us!) and browse the shops. Grab an authentic German beer and the Pretzel Bread Pudding from Sommerfest.
- Catch any live music at the America Gardens Theater. And if your schedule lines up with Voices of Liberty (American Adventure Pavilion), WATCH THEM!
- See the live Matsuriza drummers in Japan and take a walk through the gardens.
- Simply walk around and explore Morocco, and grab drinks or pastries from the vendors.
- Do and eat all the things in France! The Grand Marnier Slushie is a favorite for good reason, so grab one if you like a sweet drink. Or, hit the champagne bar in Les Vins. Grab pastries from Les Halles, or freshly made crêpes closer to Remy’s.
- Grab pints at Rose & Crown (UK Pavilion) and explore the shops and beautiful gardens.
- Explore the Canada Pavilion, take photos with the waterfalls, and see Canada Far & Wide.
There’s so much to do, just know that we can’t list it all. But the above items are our classic “must-dos” for an adult EPCOT visit.
Live Entertainment
You’ll want to check out the app; most live entertainment will be happening around the World Showcase. We don’t consider any of the acts a major must-do to go out of your way to time it properly, but it is fun if it works out. The Voices of Liberty in The American Adventure Pavilion is probably the best act.
And, of course, make sure to check the evening concert schedule if you’re going to a Festival.
Evenings at EPCOT
Depending on the crowd level and how much you’ve got done, evenings are up to you! You should have finished most attractions by now, but we sometimes like to head back to the front “World” sections of the park and finish anything we may have missed (now would be the time to hit Guardians if you haven’t yet!).
Otherwise, an evening at EPCOT for us is typically taking our time eating, drinking, and enjoying the World Showcase.
Dinner
Again, there’s a lot of different options for dinner at EPCOT:
- Festival Food Booths
- Having a proper sit-down dinner at one of the many restaurants*
- Having a quick-service meal
This is more personal preference and what you’ll have time for—we like to do a mix of both.
If you’re looking to sit down at a restaurant, here are our favorite adult options:
- San Angel Inn (Mexico)
- Biergarten (Germany)
- Chefs de France (France)
- Rose & Crown (UK)
- Le Cellier (Canada)
We love San Angel Inn for the vibes, it’s one of the most unique restaurants in WDW. The food is solid, and the prices are good too.
For a more fun and culturally immersive meal, we love Biergarten. It’s themed to look like a German village celebrating Oktoberfest, complete with a buffet of authentic German foods. It’s a blast!
We also love the other three we listed for good food and chill vibes (FYI: Le Cellier is a signature steakhouse and a bit more on the expensive side).
*While you can sometimes get into the restaurants last minute, you almost always want a reservation in hand at Disney. You can try to find more last-minute reservations by “stalking the app” or refreshing and checking for times throughout the day, just like you would with Lightning Lanes (although not as incessantly or frequently!).
Nighttime Show
Luminous is the nighttime show at EPCOT that plays at 9 pm each evening, right at park close (Note: Occasionally, the park is open until 10 pm some nights in the fall, but this is rare).
While it’s not as good as the old Illuminations show, we still enjoy it, and it’s a great way to end an EPCOT day. Although, we often skip the nighttime show and go get in line last minute for Guardians 😉
There are dozens of places to view the show from around the World Showcase, but here are a few of our preferred spots to take in the action:
- If you plan on leaving via the Skyliner, you’ll want to be close to that International Gateway exit. Otherwise, you’ll be waiting in a big Skyliner line after the show. Try to hang out somewhere and view from the UK or France if possible.
- The countries towards the back of the World Showcase will have fewer people than the front areas and the UK area. Italy, Germany, and Norway will have some pretty open last-minute viewing spots.
Remember that the park closes when the show starts, so once the show is over, that’s it! Queues to attractions and almost all food vendors will close by then, but the park itself and some shops (Creations) will stay open an hour after close. You won’t start getting kicked out by Cast Members until then!
That means you can linger after the show, getting some great empty photos in the World Showcase or other areas if you’re back there.
It’s quite magical to be in the park well after it closes, so consider that timing when you’re thinking about your overall day.
In Conclusion, Class
If that felt like a lot, it’s because it is. There is a lot to know before you head into the parks, but don’t let that overwhelm you.
Most people book their trips and don’t research anything, which equates to long lines, short tempers, and what is potentially a total waste of a very expensive trip. You’re already way ahead of the curve!
And if we’ve got you sold on strategy being the key to a line-skippin’, snack-eatin,’ magical visit to Walt Disney World, be sure to check out the Complete Parks Strategy Playbook for a run-down on the best way to visit all four Disney parks.