Epcot Attractions

[Frozen2014]

I'm starting to look at attractions for our short trip next August (post cruise). Most likely we'll do Epcot on our first day, which will be more like a half day by the time we depart our cruise, transfer to Disney World, check in, etc.

Am I missing something? I don't see a ton of attractions at Epcot. We'd definitely want to to on Soarin, Test Track (which I know you can only get FP for one or the other), Spaceship Earth and Figment, but what else is good? As a reference, our kids will be a 15 (male) and 11 (female).

 

[Calee]

We enjoy going around the world showcase. There are fun entertainers, character meets, snacks, cool things to see...
I enjoyed the Pixar shorts in july way more than I expected.
Mission space is fun. Frozen evee after is a cute ride even if you arent a frozen die hard. We enjoy looking around the seas and riding the nemo ride.
It is not a park full of thrill rides, for sure. But there is still a lot that we enjoy doing and seeing.

 

[Frozen2014]

Thanks. We've been to WDW once (and Disneyland once). Never been to Animal Kingdom so would that be better? Only thing is we love Test Track and Soarin....so not sure we would want to miss those (and we are only staying 2.5 days so can't do both). Plus, it's August so not sure if AK is best when it's super hot?

 

[Skallywag Steph]

By next august, ratatouille may be open as well.

 

[Mich1218]

After MK, we spent the most time in Epcot on our last trip. It's doable in a short time if you're only doing Future World. World Showcase takes a while.

 

[Frozen2014]

By next august, ratatouille may be open as well.

Great to hear there's a new attraction coming.

 

[cgattis]

By next august, ratatouille may be open as well.

OP there’s also Guardians of the Galaxy ride coming. Do you know when that one’s due?

 

[Frozen2014]

OP there’s also Guardians of the Galaxy ride coming. Do you know when that one’s due?

Thanks. Just did a search and says 2020, so looks like it won't be ready yet.

 

[Klayfish]

AK does get very hot in the summer. However, if you've never been there I'd suggest maybe giving it a shot. There is a lot to like there. Not sure if your kids like thrill rides or not, but Expedition Everest is a really fun coaster. Both Pandora rides are really fun. The safari is always worth the time, you never know what you'll see. Dinosaur is a great ride, and the kids may like Primeval Whirl. Also, The Festival of the Lion King is probably the best show in any park, IMO. If it is a really hot day, go on Kali and you'll get soaked.

Don't get me wrong, I love Epcot. TT and Soarin' are two of my favorite attractions. And yes, if you can get FP+ for both. Get one as your initial 3 and then pick the other up as a 4th after you use the first 3. Spaceship Earth is a favorite of mine. Pixar is a nice break from the heat, as is Living With the Land. FEA is definitely worth your time. I still like Nemo, though it's in dire need of a refurb. The World Showcase is an individual taste thing. I find it rather boring, as do my kids (boy 15, girl 12, boy 12), but plenty of people love it.

How about getting park hoppers? You can easily hit both parks in the same day.

 

[Tomh]

Epcot is at the beginning of a major renovation. Much like with DHS, this means things will be closed, and the park may not have as much to offer for a while.

Guardians of the Galaxy isn't expected to open until 2021, but Ratatouille is supposed to be open by then. Spaceship Earth may well be closed at that point, but Soarin, and Test Track will be there. Mission Space will still be open. Living with the Land is one of my favorite attractions in Epcot, as well as Journey Into Imagination. The Pixar Shorts is actually quite well done too. Awesome Planet at the Land pavilion may be open by then, and don't forget the Gran Fiesta Tour, and Frozen Ever After, which are both enjoyable rides in World Showcase.

 

[Frozen2014]

AK does get very hot in the summer. However, if you've never been there I'd suggest maybe giving it a shot. There is a lot to like there. Not sure if your kids like thrill rides or not, but Expedition Everest is a really fun coaster. Both Pandora rides are really fun. The safari is always worth the time, you never know what you'll see. Dinosaur is a great ride, and the kids may like Primeval Whirl. Also, The Festival of the Lion King is probably the best show in any park, IMO. If it is a really hot day, go on Kali and you'll get soaked.

Don't get me wrong, I love Epcot. TT and Soarin' are two of my favorite attractions. And yes, if you can get FP+ for both. Get one as your initial 3 and then pick the other up as a 4th after you use the first 3. Spaceship Earth is a favorite of mine. Pixar is a nice break from the heat, as is Living With the Land. FEA is definitely worth your time. I still like Nemo, though it's in dire need of a refurb. The World Showcase is an individual taste thing. I find it rather boring, as do my kids (boy 15, girl 12, boy 12), but plenty of people love it.

How about getting park hoppers? You can easily hit both parks in the same day.

Thank you. Will look at the rides at AK and Epcot and then make a decision closer to our FP selection time which isn't until early July. Our kids do like thrill rides, except for rollercoasters that have loops. Despite my name (which i guess is ironic now...lol), they won't do anything Frozen. DS always refused. DD loved it at our first Disney trip and for many years, but now she's "too old" for princess stuff. (I'd totally be there though if she changes her mind). The Pandora ride looks really cool though at AK, and we loved Indiana Jones at Disneyland, which I understand is same mechanism as Dinosaur (just different theme).

Since we'd probably do Epcot (or AK) on the day we leave our cruise , I'm not sure park hopping makes sense, since we would already have lost half a day. And for our other days, we definitely want one day at Magic Kingdom, and another at Hollywood Studios (assuming this is now a full day park with Star Wars stuff added).

 

[Frozen2014]

Epcot is at the beginning of a major renovation. Much like with DHS, this means things will be closed, and the park may not have as much to offer for a while.

Guardians of the Galaxy isn't expected to open until 2021, but Ratatouille is supposed to be open by then. Spaceship Earth may well be closed at that point, but Soarin, and Test Track will be there. Mission Space will still be open. Living with the Land is one of my favorite attractions in Epcot, as well as Journey Into Imagination. The Pixar Shorts is actually quite well done too. Awesome Planet at the Land pavilion may be open by then, and don't forget the Gran Fiesta Tour, and Frozen Ever After, which are both enjoyable rides in World Showcase.

Ugh...thanks for the warning. Would this be still going on late August? Loved Spaceship Earlth last time so a shame if its closed during our visit. Thanks for the mention of the other attractions. Will look into them.
And will look at the rides at AK and Epcot with our kids and see which they prefer.

 

[Tomh]

Ugh...thanks for the warning. Would this be still going on late August? Loved Spaceship Earlth last time so a shame if its closed during our visit. Thanks for the mention of the other attractions. Will look into them.
And will look at the rides at AK and Epcot with our kids and see which they prefer.

I don't believe that exact dates for the Spaceship Earth refurbishment have been announced yet, so no way to know for sure if it will be closed then, however the refurb is going to be a big project, and for sure will take a long time. My guess is that IF Spaceship Earth closes before your trip, there is pretty much no chance of it being done, and reopened before you go. There are also a slew of smaller things slated to close, with no idea of exactly when they may reopen, but none of them are attractions, it is things like the fountain of nations, Starbucks, the pin trading station etc. The rest of the rides will still be open, there will be a brand new night time show on World Showcase, and most likely Ratatouille will be open. Add to that the possibility that people will shy away from Epcot because of the construction, so it is possible that the park will be a bit less crowded than normal. I think it will still be worth visiting, and certain will still have enough attractions to fill a day.

 

[Grammy4Lizzy]

You may be surprised how early you get to WDW after a cruise. You have to be off by 9:00 and can go as early as 7:00. The drive even by bus is about an hour and you can just drop your luggage at Bell Services and go to a park. No need to "check-in". Do it online. Strap on the magic bands and have a great day.

 

[Frozen2014]

You may be surprised how early you get to WDW after a cruise. You have to be off by 9:00 and can go as early as 7:00. The drive even by bus is about an hour and you can just drop your luggage at Bell Services and go to a park. No need to "check-in". Do it online. Strap on the magic bands and have a great day.

Lol...yeah, I know they kick you off quick. And guess if we do self-disembark, we could scoot off quickly.

Thanks for the mention. Where is Bell Services located? We are staying at POP (so for Epcot, we have the Skyliner as an option).

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I'm starting to look at attractions for our short trip next August (post cruise). Most likely we'll do Epcot on our first day, which will be more like a half day by the time we depart our cruise, transfer to Disney World, check in, etc.

Am I missing something?

I recently posted about this....For the time being- when looking into FP - you'll actually have fewer options at HS than at Epcot...but again- as of right now- none of us knows exactly what will be offered next August.

Usually, historically, when WDW plans a major ride closure, they try to balance it out with something else. (Hs in 2018/2019 was kind of an exception.) In the case of Epcot, I'm inclined to think they won't close SE until they open at least one new attraction, though no guarantees or anything. By then, at the very least, the new movie in the Land should be open.

Second, when renovations happen, WDW tends to add soft attractions to counter closures. They add things like bonus character greets, street performers, or shows. Even if those soft attractions don't appeal to you personally, they help disperse crowds.

I'd also add that of the parks, Epcot already has many things to do that aren't classic ride type attractions. The World Showcase offers many dining, snacking, adult beverage, and shopping options. Epcot has many gardens, photo stops, interactive water fountains, and character greets. Even if gardens aren't quite your thing in general, it is hard to walk by the little garden near Germany without looking at the mini-trains for a moment. Japan has quite a few bonsai trees and a koi pond that are neat to see.

Several of the lands have small museums and quiet spaces to explore: Norway, Japan, and Morocco come to mind.

Most of the bigger attractions have post-ride amusements. Test Track has a showroom of cars, a virtual race track (where you get to race the car you designed for the ride), and stations where you can tweak your auto design. The Living Seas has a considerable number of aquariums and live animals. There are sharks, manatees, seahorses, and very giant clams.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Lol...yeah, I know they kick you off quick. And guess if we do self-disembark, we could scoot off quickly.

Thanks for the mention. Where is Bell Services located? We are staying at POP (so for Epcot, we have the Skyliner as an option).

Luggage services is located just next to where the bus drops you off at Pop. (At Pop, technically they don't offer full bell services; so they call it luggage services instead)

[I've never done a cruise, but typically for airport transfers, WDW transfers any checked luggage that people want them to transfer. WDW also transfers luggage between WDW hotels for free, so I imagine they offer a similar service for cruise transfers. ]

 

[kiford]

When we got to Epcot, we spend about 85% of our time in the World Showcase - shopping, watching the performances, eating, and just watching. We may go to Test Track, Soarin', Living with the Land, sometimes into the Seas with Nemo and to Mouse Gear to shop. We only did Spaceship Earth every few years, mostly for something to do or to get out of the heat; it's been needing upgrading for a number of years so I won't particularly miss it. We mostly went this year (just returned Friday) for Food and Wine which was good. But it was way hotter than I could ever have imagined so we spent a lot of time going in and out of the buildings for the air conditioning and stopping for something to drink. I can imagine that earlier in August will be brutal unless it's something you're used to and/or really enjoy.

WDW also transfers luggage between WDW hotels for free, so I imagine they offer a similar service for cruise transfers.

After a cruise, you have to handle your own luggage onto and off the bus (or your own transportation), but bell services/luggage services will certainly hold them for the day. We've left our luggage there at our resort after cruises when they didn't have our room ready yet and then just picked them up when heading back in the afternoon or evening.

 

[Frozen2014]

Luggage services is located just next to where the bus drops you off at Pop. (At Pop, technically they don't offer full bell services; so they call it luggage services instead)

[I've never done a cruise, but typically for airport transfers, WDW transfers any checked luggage that people want them to transfer. WDW also transfers luggage between WDW hotels for free, so I imagine they offer a similar service for cruise transfers. ]

Thanks for explaining. Our cruise is Royal, but out of Port Canaveral so guessing there is no luggage transfer from the cruise port. But still sounds handy for dropping off at the resort and avoiding check in when busy (plus probably can't check in yet anyways if morning).

 

[Frozen2014]

When we got to Epcot, we spend about 85% of our time in the World Showcase - shopping, watching the performances, eating, and just watching. We may go to Test Track, Soarin', Living with the Land, sometimes into the Seas with Nemo and to Mouse Gear to shop. We only did Spaceship Earth every few years, mostly for something to do or to get out of the heat; it's been needing upgrading for a number of years so I won't particularly miss it. We mostly went this year (just returned Friday) for Food and Wine which was good. But it was way hotter than I could ever have imagined so we spent a lot of time going in and out of the buildings for the air conditioning and stopping for something to drink. I can imagine that earlier in August will be brutal unless it's something you're used to and/or really enjoy.



After a cruise, you have to handle your own luggage onto and off the bus (or your own transportation), but bell services/luggage services will certainly hold them for the day. We've left our luggage there at our resort after cruises when they didn't have our room ready yet and then just picked them up when heading back in the afternoon or evening.

Thanks as well. Adds to info above. Great that they do this, and something we can for sure use.

P.S. - It'll be end of August. Will find the heat hard, but will find a way to manage (cooling towels, AC, water, etc). Hopefully no hurricanes next year as this is the week we'd be coming. (Insurance and mentally prepared in case have to cancel)