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.
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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 next thing you need to know is that Park Hours at EPCOT are no longer as favorable for Early Entry as they were last year around this same time. Currently, EPCOT opens to the general public at 9 am, as compared to 8 am or 8:30 am for much of last year.
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.
Events run from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m., and you may enter as early as 7 p.m. with an event ticket. If you plan to arrive at 7 p.m. or later, you do not need to make a Disney Park Pass reservation. (Though if you wish to enter before 7 p.m., you'll need regular park admission and a theme park reservation.
Epcot. Parking for Epcot is located straight out in front of the park. Guests that are parking roughly 45-60 minutes before the park opens can expect to have an easy walk to the gates. In many instances, guests parking that early will not even need to use the tram.
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 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!
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.
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.
You don't want to miss it! Renee, all Guests must currently make park reservations when visiting a Disney theme park. The only exception to this is if you're an Annual Passholder. Guests with annual passes may enter any theme park after 2:00 PM without having to make a theme park reservation.
Currently, all Guests ages 3 and older must have a park reservation to enter the parks. Select the date you wish to visit. Select the park you want to visit. Select the time you will arrive.
When it comes to attractions, Epcot will have more to do in 2023 than it did in the last few years. Plus, Epcot has better atmosphere and food options than any other park at Walt Disney World, which is especially true and important as the phased reopening continues.
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.
Epcot is one of the quieter Walt Disney World theme parks because it is generally quite good at managing large crowds. Still, with around 35,000 people visiting each day, you'll want your visit to coincide with a below-average number of attendees.
Ideally these are two of Test Track, Remy's Ratatouille Adventure, and Frozen Ever After, by far the three most popular rides in the park. Soarin' is the next highest priority after these, so if you can do two of these and Soarin' to start your day, you're in fantastic shape.
Walking Distances at EPCOTEPCOT is more than two times the size of Magic Kingdom, coming in at 300 acres total. Just the walk around World Showcase alone is 1.2 miles. If you walk completely around Future World and World Showcase, you'll be at 3 miles easily.
Epcot can be a full day depending on what you want to do. There aren't a lot of rides, but September will have the Food and Wine festival so a lot of food options. It's pretty fun going to each booth and sharing small meals/snacks, then looking for the next food to try.
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.