EPCOT- What else to do???

[jeepwreck]

Epcot for us is a 2 day park because we take out time in WS. looking in all the shops checking out all the details of each pavilion and also the food

FW is always the first half of the day because it opens first and its the first thing you enter when in the park and again we take out time at all the rides too we usually do all the rides, my wife loves living with the land so that's always a must and even Ellen is a most too even thou its out dated and slow its a good relaxing ride

 

[AllieBoo]

We always spend at least two full days at Epcot! We love exploring the World Showcase! We also love Soarin, TT, Living with the Land, Mission Space and Spaceship Earth in Future world. There are also lots of characters in the world showcase and in FW if you or your kids are into that. My kids also love sampling all the different coke flavors at Club Cool!

 

[tcherjen]

We love Epcot... We are planning our upcoming trip and just visiting it and MK. We could spend the whole trip at Epcot. I love the countries, the food and the atmosphere.

 

[Jennasis]

As a kid, Epcot bored me to TEARS. As an adult, it's my favorite and easily a two day park.

Whether ANY park is a half-day, full-day or multi-day park depends solely on each individual, their preferences etc.

 

[Chitownpeeps91]

How old are you kids? While I love the Worldshowcase my teens were bored.

They said it was all the same. Shopping, food, repeat.
They said it was not really how the countries looked. ( now they have only been to three of the countries showcased) not counting US of A but being teens of course they are experts in everything. Insert eye roll

We had a 3/4 day there. Too little for me, too long for them. The hubby was just along for the ride

 

[rikhub]

Epcot is my favorite park. Food and Wine is excellent, the Lands are great, and it also has a lot of places to slow down and take a break. Going a hundred miles an hour works the least here and I think that's why it's popular for so many.

 

[Minerva Mouse]

OK, is EPCOT a half-day park? What is the best way to tour EPCOT and stay all day without getting really bored?

OP, we need more information. I take it this is your first visit to Epcot,

How many days are you spending at Disney?
Do you have children?
What do you like to do?
Do you like to eat?
Do you like to watch shows?
Do you like to listen to music and singers?
Do you like to stop and smell the roses?
Do you like thrill rides?
Do you even like rides?
Do you like rides that educate you?
What do you want to accomplish with this trip?

Most adults love Epcot, it's a beautiful park, and a great place to slow down and enjoy the day. But as others stated, everyone is different, one mans trash is another mans treasure.

 

[Stinky_Pete]

I skimmed the other responses, but didn't notice much about all the live entertainment!

I don't know specifically what's going on when you're there, but typically you can enjoy the Jammitors in Future World, acrobats in China, a drum performance in Japan, as well as other acts in other World Showcase pavilions.

Plus the films in France, Canada and the American Adventure.

There are also exhibits in some World Showcase pavilions.

I love Epcot, though wish they'd do more with it (another country please?).

 

[JAG107]

If Epcot is a half day park, then HS and AK would be "drive past and kind of see the stuff above the treeline" parks.
My first trip to Epcot was in 2007, I spent 2 long afternoon/evenings there after MK, and still didn't get close to seeing everything. It is my favorite theme park period. I only wish I had been able to visit during the "glory days" of the 90's before World of Motion, Horizons etc were shuttered.

 

[poeticdiabetic]

You guys have given some insight and I thank you. Let me give some more insight: I have a wife and two sons- 15 and 16 (soon to be 17.) And yes, we are big thrill junkies, but have the ability to slow down (AK is a fantastic park for us, for example.) We've been to WDW around 6 times. I like Soarin. Everyone else in the family is just 'meh.' I also like Mission Space, but we have rode that ride so much that it's becoming funny. Plus, my wife gets sick and what's a GREEN ride anyway???

So here's the dilemma- the FW rides are cool, but has been done. The WS is OK, but we're really cheap people and will probably NEVER buy a trinket at WS. We don't drink alcohol, but I do enjoy the food. But I admit: I don't think I've ridden everything. I haven't ridden Ellen's ride. I heard something about creating a ride and riding that. Plus, I don't know where they are. And I haven't ridden the Mexico boat ride.

It sounds to me like I'm not touring the park correctly, but it's just boring to me once I'm done with the thrill rides. Maybe you have to use your interpersonal skills to enjoy it better. (Oh, and I almost forgot! My wife is a photographer and Scrapbooker-for-Hire! We always purchase MM and she still takes about 200-300 pictures on top of that! That's why AK is such a big park for us.)

 

[mom2AidanAndEli]

As I mentioned before, I'm obviously in the minority. But I think Epcot is the least enjoyable park for teenage boys! They like some of the rides but once you get past that, WS has little interest for them. We do most of the rides--Soarin, Test Track, Living with the Land, Spaceship Earth, even Nemo, Figment. They insist on the Ellen ride! Love testing the sodas at Club Cool. They did Sum of all Thrills once. I'm with your wife--I can't handle Mission Space! They love the Fiesta ride in Mexico--I think that's a nostalgia thing going back to our first trip there. But then that's about it. So for us, it's easily a short day park. And that's okay! Just because others like it, doesn't mean we have to.

On the flipside, I see many people saying AK is barely a half day park and we love it there! We can easily open and close that park and still not do everything we wanted. To each their own!

 

[loves to dive]

It's our favorite park, so much so we always make sure we stay at one of the Epcot resorts so we can hop over any time we want. It's usually the park we visit on the day we arrive and the day we leave with two or three visits during the stay. My son, now an adult, has always loved it since he was a little kid. He never got bored but he loves learning things so the countries were interesting to him.

 

[nilla]

Epcot is a two-day park AT LEAST. We've done it some years where we don't even venture back into World Showcase on our first Epcot day, since there's so much to do in Futureworld.

Three attractions in the Land. Two in the Imagination pavilion. Three over by Test Track. Both Innoventions. Spaceship Earth. An aquarium (with two attractions in it). Plus, all the fun after SE, TT, MS, and even Figment.

 

[nilla]

But I think Epcot is the least enjoyable park for teenage boys! They like some of the rides but once you get past that, WS has little interest for them.

Disagree. WS has teenage Norwegian girls.

 

[Karin1984]

But I admit: I don't think I've ridden everything. I haven't ridden Ellen's ride. I heard something about creating a ride and riding that. Plus, I don't know where they are. And I haven't ridden the Mexico boat ride.

You do know there are maps of the park on which you can find which ride is where ;-) The rides you mention aren't thrill rides, but if you have anything else, why not give it a go? I love creating my own ride and can spend quite some time at Sum of All Thrills.

If your wife is a photographer, she doesn't do that in WS? I can imagine there are loads of pics to take in each country and use those to scrapbook with.

 

[Dolphindee]

We generally do 1 full day there and several evenings there. It is the reason we need to get the hopper. The full day we spend about half the time in FW and half in WS. My boys love the kidcot stations, Agent P missions and the smaller rides within WS. Their absolute fave ride in all of Disney is Test Track, my son was 4 the last time, 6 now and for our trip, and still talks about it all of the time. We missed the soda thing but my kids did not like soda until recently (now 6 & 9) so we will be doing that this time. I am planning about 5 nights there for our 7 day trip. One will be just me and my dh, while the kids go off with my parents. Epcot is my fave resort!!!

 

[Delirium]

Epcot is best toured on long trips in small chunks with a park-hopper. There is a lot to see and do, but trying to do it all in a single day can wear you out and, honestly, get a little boring at times. Touring the countries is fun, but touring all 11 of them in the same day can get repetitive.

We go a lot during October and like to hop over to Epcot in the afternoon from another park to watch the concerts and enjoy the Food & Wine festival. That way, we tour the countires in 3-4 smaller chunks. We hit Future World on a separate day and hop to HS or MK afterwards.

 

[Anesthesia Fine]

Disagree. WS has teenage Norwegian girls.

Oh man, I shouldn't be reading these at work. I just laughed out loud right at my desk.

 

[sweetnjmom]

EPCOT was a half day park for us on our last trip -- my son was just 4 and not interested in the World Showcase and the thrill rides were too intense for him (he's afraid of heights). So we mostly strolled around Innoventions and the Seas pavilion and that was it. Though we were there twice (park hoppers) and had dinners at Coral Reef and Le Cellier.

This time we are planning to get to EPCOT between 2-3 PM (the night before will be a late one, with a fireworks cruise) and we'll stay through Illuminations. So that's 6 plus hours. It will be our only EPCOT day. We'll probably only see Spaceship Earth and the Seas pavilion in Future World before heading to the World Showcase. We're going during Flower & Garden so we'll see the topiaries and butterflies and meander around the countries. It's open space so a lot of sun and a lot of walking, but I think my son will enjoy the countries a bit. Maybe we'll see the movies shown in some pavilions (France, China... don't remember who else). I think my son will like the Passport.

 

[poeticdiabetic]

SUM OF ALL THRILLS!!! I think that's going to be our saving grace.