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.
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What time should I get to Epcot? We recommend arriving at Epcot 30 minutes before you're allowed in the park.
So when should you visit for the lowest crowds, generally? Go on a Wednesday! Fewer guests head to EPCOT mid-week and you can hopefully then walk up to the festival booths without having to wait in long lines. As a bonus tip — make sure to visit the festival booths early in the day.
What Is Early Entry at Epcot? Guests of Disney hotels and select partner hotels have access to each of the four Disney theme parks—including Epcot—every day, 30 minutes before the scheduled opening.
The two sections of the park are very different in atmosphere and offerings, so it is like you're visiting two parks in one. Even with so much to see, Epcot can easily be visited during a single day.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Epcot attracts Disney Resort hotel guests on Mondays. As such, we're left with Tuesday and Wednesday, the quietest days throughout the year, and during festivals such as the Epcot International Festival Of the Arts and Epcot International Food and Wine Festival.
EPCOT most commonly closes at 9:00 pm each night, but will sometimes stay open later on particularly busy days, weekends, or holidays. We saw hours extended quite a bit last year in EPCOT, allowing guests to stay in the park anywhere from 9:30 pm, 10:00 pm, or even 11:00 pm.
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.
Actual vs Posted – Park AveragesOn average over the last 3 months, actual wait times have only been 60% of posted wait times. That means if you're walking around EPCOT and see a 60 minute posted wait time, chances are that if you hop into line you'll only wait about 36 minutes.
A ticket is required to enter any of the Parks, even if you are just visiting a restaurant. If you have a Park Hopper ticket, it is easy to spend the day in one Park, then switch to Epcot for dinner. However, if you purchase Base Tickets, then you'll need to plan your Advanced Dining Reservations accordingly.
Here's a look at the rides, attractions, fireworks, and food we were able to squeeze in just one night at Epcot. We love to have a magical night at Epcot! Some of our favorite things to do at night in Epcot are exploring the World Showcase at night for food and ride experiences.
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.
Yep, you can purchase and wander with alcohol in Animal Kingdom, Epcot, and Disney's Hollywood Studios, but you can't leave the park with it. Many guests are intimately familiar with that “chug at the gate” policy.
Lightweight ClothingWhen visiting Epcot, it is crucial to dress lightweight. You may want to wear light-colored clothing. They are soft, light, and a good reflector of heat thereby keeping you cool. You don't want to wear winter outfits in this serenity.
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.
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!