EPCOT at Disney World allows guests to step into different worlds from the future to nature as well as 11 different countries. In this post I share how to plan your 1-day EPCOT itinerary.
Epcot is located in Orlando, Florida and is one of the 4 Disney parks at Walt Disney World. It is the park with the giant “golf ball” which is actually called Spaceship Earth and has a ride inside.
It is a very large park and has 4 different worlds that celebrate culture, nature, and the world. Epcot can often feel overwhelming and confusing on what there is to do, which can turn people off about the park.
Once you learn more about it and what there is to do you can have a really fun day at Epcot. After reading this itinerary be sure to check out my full Epcot guide to help with your planning.
Planning Your One Day at Epcot Itinerary (Before Your Arrive)
Before you arrive be sure to purchase tickets, purchase Lightning Lane if you choose to, and take a look at dining reservations and show times you may want to plan your day around.
Decide on the rides and attractions that are the most important to you and plan your day around them.
Purchase Lightning Lane if you plan to and make ride reservations. Lightning Lane is Disney World’s paid line skipping reservation system. If it is in your budget Lighting Lane can save time waiting in lines and allow you to experience more attractions.
I do recommend rope drop at Epcot and purchasing Lightning Lane to maximize your time at the park. Rope drop means you arrive before park open and are among the first guests to enter the park.
What to Know
Epcot has two entrances for guests. The front entrance is where most guests will enter Epcot. These are guests that parked a car or used Disney buses to get to the park.
The second entrance is the International Gateway entrance. This is located at the Disney Skyliner and is between France and the United Kingdom pavilion in the World Showcase. If you are staying at a Skyliner Resort you will use this entrance.
You will want to arrive at the front gates 30-40 minutes before official park opening or early entry time. If park opens at 9:00am, early entry will be 8:30am. Arrive by 8:00am at the gates.
Currently they are allowing guests to walk into Epcot to their first ride of choice and get in the queue. At 8:30am the ride will start loading guests but you will already be in the line making arriving early a big advantage.
The most popular rides at Epcot are Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, Frozen Ever After, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, and Test Track. Most guests will go to Cosmic Rewind first. Cast Members will help guide you to the attraction during opening.
Currently there are 11 rides at Epcot. I am not including shows or character meet and greets. These do have wait time or specific show times that you may want to consider depending on your priorities.
Plan on riding the most popular rides that are on your must-do list during the first few hours of park opening. This will help you ride more rides with less shorter wait times.
Where you start your day at Epcot will depend on your priorities as well as any dining reservations you may have. Epcot is a very large park and to avoid walking back and forth you want to plan your day as efficient as possible.
1-Day Epcot Itinerary
I always start planning our Disney vacations with a worksheet and pencil. Then I go through and plan each day. This is an example of an ideal day at Epcot. If park opening is later than the times adjust accordingly.
This itinerary included the purchase of Lightning Lane. We were staying on-site at Disney’s Pop Century and booked our first 3 reservations 7 days before check-in at 7:00am.
My Lightning Lane Strategy is to book an early lighting lane that I can use quickly to then book more popular tier 1 attractions. For this visit we booked Mission Space 9:00am-10:00am, Soarin’ Around the World 10:20am-11:20am, and Test Track 6:30pm-7:30pm.
7:30am-8:00am: Take Skyliner from Pop Century to Epcot International Gateway. Enter Epoct and turn left to walk to Cosmic Rewind. This will take about 5-7 minutes. Guests were allowed to get in the queue for Cosmic Rewind but it did not open until official Early Entry time of 8:30am.
8:30am-10:00am: Ride Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and then used our Mission Space Lightning Lane. As soon as you scan in to use your Lightning Lane book your next choice. I booked Frozen Ever After Lightning Lane for 4:45pm. On our last visit Frozen Ever After Lightning Lanes ran out before we could secure one so I was very happy we got one.
10:00am-11:00am Ride The Seas with Nemo and Friends and then used Lightning Lane for Soarin’. Once I scanned in I secured a Lightning Lane for Living with the Land at 7:10pm. This is not ideal but Lighting Lane can be tricky at Epcot because there are so many attractions that are popular and run out quickly.
After riding Soarin’ we checked the My Disney Experience App to plan what to do next. This is where the itinerary will change a bit and I want you to be aware so you can plan your best day.
Test Track, Frozen Ever After and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure were the only rides we had left that are very popular. We had a Lightning Lane for Test Track and Frozen Ever After for later in our day.
11:00am-12:00pm We were in the front of the park so we decided to do 2 out of the 4 attractions we have not yet done. We did Spaceship Earth and Journey Into Imagination with Figment.
You may also want to explore Seabase, the aquarium that is located in the same building as The Seas with Nemo, and Turtle Talk with Crush. This left us with Living with the Land and Journey of Water: Inspired by Moana to explore later in our day.
12:00pm-2:00pm Explore the World Showcase. The World Showcase has 11 different countries with shops, attractions, and dining. We ate at the American Adventure Pavilion at Regal Eagle but there are so many different areas to explore. You can make reservations or dine at a quick service spot.
2:00pm-4:00pm We like to take a break during the day because our visits are usually in August and summer at Disney is hot! If you do not want to leave the park this is a good time to explore the indoor spots in the World Showcase, see a show, or visit the aquarium if you haven’t. Japan is a great spot for indoor activities.
4:00pm-5:00pm When we returned to Epcot from our break we got in line for Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure. This line is unpredictable and you may want to get a Lightning Lane for it if it is a must-do. We have ridden it many times so we took advantage of the single rider line to save time. Then we headed over to Frozen Ever After with our 4:45pm Lightning Lane.
5:00pm-Park Close We used our Lightning Lane for Test Track. After you scan you want to try to book anything you have not ridden yet. Then we did Journey of Water, Living with the Land, and explored more of the park we had not yet done.
Epcot does have a night show, Luminous The Symphony of Us that you may want to stay for. You will also want to make a point to meet characters at Epcot. Check out the My Disney Experience App to see who is at the park because it changes often.
My Final Thoughts
Epcot has a lot of rides and areas to explore, like the aquarium, making it a challenging park to give a plan without some hiccups. The My Disney Experience app is something I am checking often to decide our next move.
When planning your Epcot itinerary it is important to consider what you and your family are interested in, and plan around that. The best days at Disney are the days where you do not try to fit everything in and do what works best for you.
I know this plan requires a bit of back and forth to ride all the attractions in the front of the park and in the World Showcase and if that doesn’t work for you that is okay.
Do what is best for your group and be prepared to skip attractions if necessary. Make a list of your top priorities and then enjoy the amazing attractions and entertainment that you do experience, without worrying about what you might not get to.
I hope this 1 day Epcot itinerary helps you have an amazing day at the Disney theme park.
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If you are overwhelmed with planning or just want someone to make all the reservations for you consider using a travel agent. Our friend Nikki at Royal Treatment Travel is amazing and has helped us plan and book many of our trips. She finds the best deals and her service is complimentary for most theme park vacations! It is a win-win. Learn more here.
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Leah has been a Disney fan her entire life. From growing up with the movies to planning amazing Disney trips. She loves sharing her passion for Disney and helping others plan amazing Disney trips.
