EPCOT is arguably the least family-friendly park at Walt Disney World, so you may not need more than a few hours to do everything of interest if you have small children. With that said, a full day at EPCOT is highly recommended for first-timers.
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EPCOT is arguably the least family-friendly park at Walt Disney World, so you may not need more than a few hours to do everything of interest if you have small children. With that said, a full day at EPCOT is highly recommended for first-timers.
In general, you should think of Epcot as a two-day park. There's so much to see and do that you really need a couple of days to enjoy everything without feeling like you're rushing through the park. But we recognize that most people can't or won't give two of their precious days at Disney to Epcot.
If you are driving to Epcot, aim to be to the parking lot plaza about 1 hour before the parks open. If you are taking the Skyliner, be to your station around 90 minutes before the parks open. If the monorail is running, you'll want to be to the station about 60 minutes before park opening.
We recommend arriving at Epcot 30 minutes before you're allowed in the park. That's an hour before the scheduled open if you have Early Entry or 30 minutes before scheduled entry if you don't have Early Entry.
We've noticed a slight uptick in crowds on Thursdays, and a more significant one on Fridays. Still, not nearly as bad as Saturday or Sunday. Even though the impact on wait times isn't terrible, Epcot is the one park we try to avoid on Saturday and Sunday if at all possible.
Basic Outline of an Epcot DayOur basic approach to Epcot is to start with rides, take a lap around the World Showcase, ride a few more rides, take a second lap around the World Showcase, finish the rides, and finish our day.
If you're wondering what rides does EPCOT have, you'd be shocked to find out that there are more rides at EPCOT than at Hollywood Studios or Animal Kingdom! There are 11 rides at EPCOT in 2023, and only 9 rides at Hollywood Studios or Animal Kingdom.
Well, our readers were overwhelmingly in favor of spending half a day at Disney's Animal Kingdom. In fact, 55% of you voted for this park. There aren't too many attractions here, and wait times are usually low (with the exception of Flight of Passage!), so we totally get why this may be your pick.
As a general matter, Animal Kingdom is the park that requires the least strategy and is the easiest place to beat the crowds in all of Walt Disney World. It doesn't require Genie+ or Individual Lightning Lanes, and is pretty easy to knock out everything–and then some–if you stay for a full day.
The Disney After Hours at EPCOT event takes place from 10.00pm to 1.00am. You can get a head start on the fun by entering EPCOT at 7.00pm. You do not need a Disney park reservation or additional ticket to enter EPCOT after 7.00pm.
If you are able to walk past all of the tempting pavilions, (what willpower!) your trip around World Showcase is about 1.3 miles. Sooo, considering the fact that you may have strollers and other obstacles in your way, I would allow 30 minutes just to be safe.
While you might not be able to get absolutely everything in the park done in a day (with the near-constant stream of Epcot festivals, there's often just too much to see, do, and eat), you will certainly be able to accomplish most or all of the rides, plus make a dent in whatever else strikes your fancy around World ...
The Extended Evening Theme Park Hours program allows guests of Deluxe and Deluxe Villa Disney Resort Hotels and select others to enjoy a theme park on specified nights for up to two hours after it closes to the general public.
The parks tend to reach their highest capacity in mid-afternoon. The crowds will start going down around dinnertime. That means the best time to get through the lines is early in the morning, so come on, get out of bed and let's have some Fun.
However, a NEW ride has taken the spot of highest average wait time — it's Test Track at 69 minutes. Next up is Soarin' at 34 minutes, Mission: SPACE at 20 minutes, Turtle Talk with Crush at 15 minutes, and Spaceship Earth at 16 minutes.
EPCOT Forever has been running as the nighttime fireworks spectacular and we're excited to say that the brand-new show – Luminous – The Symphony of Us – will begin on December 5, 2023!
September is typically a slower time at Disney World, but since the International Food and Wine Festival kicks off this month, Epcot is quite crowded this time of year. If you genuinely want to avoid a packed park, January and February are the best times to visit.
The EPCOT fireworks showtime is usually 9:00pm, every night. Epcot Forever is a temporary show, they run it while they are doing lagoon work so it's short and to the point.