Check out this complete guide to Disney’s Epcot Center in Orlando and know exactly what to expect from this amazing park.
What is Epcot Center park like in Orlando?
To start this complete guide to Disney’s Epcot Center in Orlando, know that this is one of Walt Disney World’s four parks, along with the Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. At first glance, it is the perfect place for those who like technology and geography, since it has futurism as its main theme, with lots of fun attractions.
It was the second Disney park to be built, second only to the Magic Kingdom. Opened in 1982, Epcot Center is remembered by many for the huge white ball at the entrance to the park.
The acronym Epcot stands for Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow. In this way, the park conveys precisely this simulation of a futuristic society, surrounded by technology. Plus, Epcot is considered by many to be the best Disney park for adults, as there are many rides more geared towards them. It’s also the best choice if you have very young children.
What are the areas of Epcot Center in Orlando?
The park is divided into 4 parts: Future World East and Future World West, where the more futuristic attractions are; World Showcase and Showcase Plaza, with attractions themed around different countries.
Moreover, you’ll find several themed pavilions throughout the park, each following the culture of a country, such as France, Italy, Morocco, China, Germany, the United States and others. There are various attractions as well as restaurants and stores selling typical products. The sensation of crossing them is as if you were going around the world.
IMPORTANT: The city of Orlando has many theme parks and attractions spread across various regions of the city. To get to visit everything, the ideal is to use a rental car. If you want, see our article here with all the tips on how to rent a good car at the lowest price.
Main attractions at Epcot Center in Orlando
1. Mission Space: one of Epcot’s most popular attractions is Mission Space. It’s a simulator in which you experience life as an astronaut on a very realistic space flight to Mars. The rocket holds 4 people and depending on where you sit, you’ll be assigned a different role, such as pilot. You then carry out your tasks as you press various buttons, making the toy very interactive.
At the entrance, you can choose between the weakest and strongest options. It’s best to go for the weak one to see if you like the atmosphere of the toy. And, if you do, go for the strong one. It is also recommended that anyone with a heart condition or who likes enclosed spaces go for the weak option.
2. Test Track: it has existed since ancient times but was closed for refurbishment. After a while, the attraction received sponsorship from Chevrolet, was modernized and reopened to the public. The Test Track is a state-of-the-art toy. There, you have the opportunity to create your own car and customize everything you want.
Then the fun begins when you get into the vehicle itself, with 6 passengers. You’ll be tested on braking, inclines, suspensions, temperatures and a high-speed test on an open-air track where you can see the whole park. The car reaches speeds of 110 km/h, but seems to go over 200 km/h. It’s undeniably the perfect attraction for those who like adrenaline and speed.
3. Spaceship Earth: is the huge white ball at the beginning of Epcot. In it, you board a trolley in which the whole evolution of humanity is shown, from the very beginning.
It’s one of the most beautiful attractions in Orlando and, without a doubt, perfect for history buffs. It only lasts 15 minutes and is well worth a visit.
4. Soarin Around the World: following on from our complete guide to Disney’s Epcot Center in Orlando, there’s Soarin Around the World. This is an incredible 4D hang-gliding simulator that features a number of iconic landscapes, such as the Great Wall of China. You can experience what a free flight would be like in complete safety.
If you’re afraid of heights, know that the simulator goes up a few meters. And to make the experience even more realistic, your feet are free.
5. The Seas With Nemo and Friends: one of the children’s favorites is The Seas With Nemo and Friends. There, you get into a cart shaped like shells and travel through a space simulating the bottom of the sea. As you go along, you’ll see the main characters from the Nemo films. A very relaxing and lovely attraction.
6. Living with the Land: living with the Land is a relaxing boat ride through a tropical forest, desert, prairies and greenhouses. As it is one of the most serious rides at Epcot, it ends up being one of the least popular with visitors.
But even so, it’s a tour worth taking. Firstly, because there are no queues, you can take a break and rest up for the next attraction. And the view is extremely beautiful. The aim is to demonstrate how food could be grown in the future, using various techniques shown on the tour.
7. Mexico: still in this complete guide to Disney’s Epcot Center in Orlando, continuing through the other half of the park, there are pavilions dedicated to the culture of various countries. Starting your tour of Mexico pavilion, you’ll see a Mayan temple outside, but inside you’ll see a display of Mexican art.
The decoration makes it look like it’s outdoors, with various stalls selling handicrafts, toys, accessories and more. Inside the pavilion, you can take a great boat ride with Donald Duck, José Carioca, a Brazilian character, and Panchito, a Mexican. They go on great adventures on this 6-minute ride. There are also some great restaurants serving traditional Mexican food and a Tequila Bar.
8. Norway: the Norway pavilion is one of the most popular in the park due to its special Frozen attraction, ‘Frozen Ever After’. It is a toy that takes you on a boat trip through various scenes from the movie, with the main songs and characters and it is much loved by the little ones.
9. China: the China area perfectly simulates some of the country’s traditional architecture. There’s a replica of the Temple of Beijin, where you can take photos and pretend you’ve actually traveled to China.
There you can also enjoy a 360º movie showing the beauties of the country, as well as store at the Young Feng Shangdian, a Chinese variety store.
10. Morocco: the Morocco area at Epcot simulates a city called Marrakesh, with other replicas of the country’s monuments. Many artists native to the country took part in making the space. There, you can also meet Aladdin and Jasmine, with whom you can take photos and ask for autographs.
There are several food and craft stalls, with lots of rugs, clothes and leather goods. If you’ve always wanted to know more about Morocco, this is the perfect tour for you.
11. France: the France pavilion simulates the charming streets of Paris, with beautiful gardens and a replica of the Eiffel Tower, which you can take beautiful photos of. The space also recreates much of France’s commercial center, with many perfume, cosmetics, gift and wine stores.
There is also a sub-region dedicated to Ratatouille. There are restaurants, a French market called Allé des Merchands, a river simulating the River Seine, and an Art Nouveau arch recreating a French metro station.
One of the pavilion’s most popular attractions is Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, a trolley that travels through immersive scenery that you can even smell. All this is done with 3D glasses, with the aim of simulating what it would be like if visitors were the size of the mice in Ratatouille and had to recreate a culinary masterpiece.
Finally, the attraction changes according to the choices you make, allowing you to experience the attraction several times.
12. IlumiNations – Reflections of Earth show: a fireworks display takes place in the large lake in the center every night. The fireworks show at Epcot follows a similar theme to the park in general, mixing fireworks, lasers and drawings.
It’s well worth waiting to see this show, which takes 13 minutes and shows evolution on planet Earth. Anywhere around the lake that doesn’t have something blocking your view, such as a large tree, is a good place to enjoy Illuminations.
13. Meet the Disney princesses: you can find many of the Disney princesses scattered around the park, such as Jasmine and Aladin in Morocco, Aurora in France, Mulan in China and Elsa and Anna from Frozen in Norway.
Best restaurants at Epcot Center in Orlando
Following on this complete guide to Disney’s Epcot Center in Orlando, know that Epcot is the best place to enjoy food from different cultures, due to its pavilions about various countries. So, one of our recommendations is to visit the Akershus Royal Banquet Hall restaurant, located in the Norway pavilion.
There you can eat next to a Disney princess, experiencing a real fairytale dinner. The cost is around 40 dollars and you need to book in advance.
Another recommendation is The Garden Grill, a great self-service American restaurant. The whole restaurant revolves, so you start your meal at one point and finish at another. But the movement is very slow, so don’t worry about getting seasick. Just enjoy getting to know every detail of the restaurant.
Finally, you must visit Les Chefs de France, located under the Eiffel Tower in the French pavilion. There, you’ll taste fine French cuisine, which changes seasonally. The restaurant is very elegant and highly regarded. It’s worth the experience to dine there and feel like you’re in the middle of Paris.
Avoid queues and use the Single Riders at Epcot Center in Orlando
Continuing with this complete guide to Disney’s Epcot Center in Orlando, there’s a great way to skip the queues at Disney parks using Genie. This is a paid service in which you book times on the rides without queuing, optimizing your time in the park.
In the My Disney Experience app, you can track how long you have to wait in line for each attraction. This way, you can personalize your visit, saving time that would otherwise be wasted in huge queues.
In addition, you can save a lot of waiting time by using Single Riders, which are queues for those who are going to an attraction alone. They usually move much faster than normal queues. This way, if you’re going on a roller coaster and don’t mind going with a stranger next to you, you can get there much faster.
How to save money at parks and attractions?
First of all, the first tip is to look for tickets in advance, not to buy them on the spot. That way, you can calmly research the best prices that are within your budget. In addition, there are many ticket combos that are much better value.
At the Disney complex, the ideal is to buy a ticket for all 4 parks, which is cheaper than excluding any of them. Plus, you can have the full experience of seeing the whole place. Another way to save money is to buy tickets to visit the parks for more days. In the end, the cost of the ticket per day is cheaper if you buy more days to go.
At Universal parks, you can experience a 2-week visit with the 3 Park Explore Ticket, which also allows access to the Volcano Bay water park. However, the best-selling ticket is the 2-day Park to Park ticket, which allows you to visit both Universal parks (Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure).
And to enjoy the famous Busch Gardens rollercoaster park or SeaWorld Park, the best way is to buy the combo. It includes the 2 parks along with Aquatica. The price of the combo is only 30 dollars more expensive than a single ticket for just one of the parks.
Where can I buy the tickets for the lowest price?
We always use this website that sells all the tickets and tours. There is everything there and the price is always the cheapest. The only ticket that isn’t sold there is the Disney ticket, which for the time being is the cheapest place to buy it. But for all the other parks like Legoland, Busch Gardens, Sea World and Universal Orlando, this is the best site.
They also have a really cool free tour of all the cities. And it’s where we book the transfer to take us from the airport to the hotel. It’s cheaper and safer than taxis and Uber.
Saving money on NBA and NFL games
For sports lovers, you can’t miss a trip to the NBA and NFL games. It’s a unique experience to be able to enjoy the best of basketball and American soccer in the USA. As I said before, it’s a great idea to check out the ticket offers with our coupon and enjoy the best of American culture.
Ticket prices vary depending on the location you choose to watch the match. We always use this website, which offers great prices for all sports matches. We always use it and have had great experiences, as well as saving a lot.
Extra tips on this complete guide to Disney’s Epcot Center in Orlando
- All the Walt Disney World parks have many attractions, so arrive early and go straight to the most popular rides, as the parks only start to fill up after 10 a.m.;
- Wear sneakers and comfortable clothes so you can walk around the park;
- Remember to drink plenty of fluids so you’ll be ready to go on lots of rides.
Save money on your trip to Orlando:
Saving money: do you want to plan your trip while making the most of your budget? Be sure to read our article on how to travel to Orlando cheap, with all the tips to save the most, while still enjoying it!
Tickets: find out where to buy your Orlando tickets in the cheapest and safest way – for theme parks, museums and ticket combos. You can save up to 40%!
Car: if you are thinking about renting one this is the best website. It compares the price at all rental companies and finds unbeatable prices. You can save up to 30%!
Mobile chip: We always use this chip. It’s electronic (eSIM), you install it instantly and you can use your cell phone’s internet anywhere in the world.
Hotels: our article on where to stay in Orlando. You will find out the best area, the hotels that we have stayed there and how to save a lot on the hotel.
Travel insurance: medical care in another country is very expensive and it is extremely important to take out travel insurance for any trip abroad. This is the website we always take out our insurance on. Reliable and at a good price.
Transfer: do you need one, from the airport to the hotel? Find out here how to book and for the lowest price!
