This nice thing about Epcot is that the World Showcase really offers you the opportunity to make whatever you'd like out of your day. Eating, drinking, shopping, entertainment—add in the unique festival offerings throughout most days of the year, and it's not hard to fill a full day at the park.
The best part is that you can eat lunch in a small village in Mexico and by evening you can dine near the Eiffel Tower. You can easily spend a full day (8+ hours) in World Showcase, but you can likely hit the highlights in about four hours.
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 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.
As you might expect, the weekend is the busiest day at Epcot. Saturday and Sunday tend to be the busiest days in all parts of Disney World, and Epcot is no different. The busiest time at Epcot is on a weekend day during a festival.
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.
Hollywood Studios, like Animal Kingdom, is often considered a “half day Park,” meaning that Guests can-in theory-do everything in the Park in about half a day. In reality, you'll probably spend about half your day waiting in lines as Hollywood Studios is mostly big ticket attractions.
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.
For starters, World Showcase is home to both of EPCOT's most popular attractions that offer standby lines. There's also the fact that most guests arrive through the front entrance and do EPCOT from front to back, meaning they do World Showcase in the afternoon.
As a general rule of thumb the best day of the week to visit EPCOT typically tends to be Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. We would recommend visiting on a Wednesday during the festivals mentioned above.
What time should I get to Epcot? 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.
There are eleven true rides at Epcot.There are more “attractions” that don't involve moving vehicles, but there are eleven actual rides with moving vehicles.
EPCOT. EPCOT is Disney World's theme park at which you will do the most walking! For example, it is roughly 0.85 miles from the front entrance of EPCOT to the rear of the park.
Epcot comes with a significant number of character meet and greets. There are several Epcot characters that are unique to the park, but there are still plenty that can be found in other parks. So, don't feel like you need to get your meet and greet groove on when you are here.
Suffice to say, EPCOT attendance increases throughout the day because more people arrive than leave, and wait times remain fairly steady for a lot of attractions. From a strategic perspective, the best time to do EPCOT is before noon, not in the afternoon or at night.
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.
Doing both Magic Kingdom and EPCOT in one day requires a Park Hopper add-on to your ticket. Park Hopper add-ons are $65 per 1-day ticket, $75 per 2 or 3-day ticket, and $85 per 4 to 10-day ticket.
Off-peak times fall around January, February, September, and early November. Discounts on vacation packages booked directly through Disney (which combine park tickets and hotel stays) can be found year-round, though they're most common at these less-crowded times.
Walt Disney World Epcot – Best for Ages 8 to 14It's a great theme park for intellectually curious kids (and adults) but not the best for little kids under the age of 8. Older kids will enjoy some of the major thrill rides (like Test Track and Mission: SPACE) and may really enjoy World Showcase.
Epcot may not reach capacity as often as Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom, but some days are still better than others. For the shortest waits at Epcot, aim to visit: Tuesdays and Wednesdays (top pick) Mondays and Thursdays (second best, however Thursday evenings can sometimes be a little rowdy)