Worth the Wait — EPCOT
You never want to waste your time at the parks. Instead, you would rather do everything there is to do without spending most of your time in long lines.
Even at EPCOT, Walt Disney World’s least crowded park, you don’t want to wait unnecessarily, especially if the ride doesn’t justify the time investment.
Photo: Todaysorlando.com
So, which rides at EPCOT are worth the wait? Read on to find out…
Frozen Ever After – 90 Minutes
The nice thing about an EPCOT visit is that you really do have time to do everything you want, at least in terms of rides.
Disney structured EPCOT to have half attractions and half experiences. So, you control the visit by deciding how you want to split the day.
You can walk to the World Showcase and hang out for several hours. You’ll find plenty to do. Plus, the food and beverages are the best at Walt Disney World.
Photo: David Roark/Courtesy Disney
I’ll presume that you want to pick and choose the attractions rather than doing everything.
Even under this theory, you’ll want to experience Frozen Ever After. It takes the best parts of the old Maelstrom ride and updates them with Frozen characters.
Credit: Disney
Who wouldn’t love that? Frozen Ever After is a boat ride where you will get wet at the end. Along the way, you’ll also learn more about Arendelle.
Also, you’ll get to watch Elsa belt out your favorite Frozen song. It’s a magical experience.
Photo: Disney
Oh, and the ride is even better than you realize.
Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros – 10 Minutes
Judging by the wait time here, most people apparently think the answer is no. They’re wrong.
Gran Fiesta Tour delivers the most entertaining ride of any Donald Duck-based attraction on the planet…primarily because it’s the only one.
Well, I guess we could include Mickey’s PhilharMagic, but Mickey’s in the title for a reason. Donald Duck is merely comic relief there.
Then again, he’s comic relief on Gran Fiesta Tour as well. It’s an It’s a Small World clone highlighting the beauty of Mexico and its culture.
Imagineers have interspersed some Donald Duck cartoons on various projector screens throughout the world. It’s the cherry on top of the attraction.
Image: Disney
Journey into Imagination with Figment – 10 Minutes
I’m squarely in the Hard Pass category on this one. I know that many of you will disagree, including my wife, who always insists that we ride it.
Alas, I remember the original version of Journey into Imagination, which makes this one feel like a pale imitation.
Photo: Disney
I compare the situation to a rock band that still tours after the original lead singer and guitarist have left. It’s the real deal in name only.
This Figment ride does skew quite young. So, if you have small children, it’s better for you than it is for me.
Living with the Land – 20 Minutes
Longtime readers know that Living with the Land is one of my favorite attractions.
I’ll admit that the first part of it, the edutainment aspect, won’t thrill anyone. Also, it grows less useful with each passing ride.
Photo (Earth 911)
Still, the second half of the attraction always proves engrossing. We take a boat ride through actual agricultural endeavors.
Along the way, we see what Disney scientists are doing to feed the world.
Image: Disney
The whole affair is even better knowing that we can eat some of this food at The Land pavilion.
Plus, you get off your feet for 20 minutes and can even take a nap on this ride if you like.
Mission: SPACE – 25 Minutes
My answer here has remained the same since Disney changed the Green version of the ride, giving it a unique identity.
Oddly, the attraction hadn’t had that since the beginning, although there is an explanation. Disney never intended for this ride to include two options.
Credit: Disney
Then, Mission: SPACE’s Orange version proved too violent for some.
For this reason, I always hesitate to recommend it fully. Some people legitimately dislike Mission: SPACE and have unpleasant after-effects.
Photo: Disney
If you’re not susceptible to nausea, you’ll definitely want to try this one at least once.
I’d recommend the Green version, which regularly requires a shorter wait. So, you’ll save time and stress that way.
Photo: Disney
Thrill-seekers should try the Orange version instead. Unless you’re an astronaut, the centrifugal force on it is like nothing you’ve ever felt before!
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure – 90 Minutes
We’re talking about the newest attraction at Walt Disney World. Before that, it was the anchor attraction at Disneyland Paris for many years.
Photo: Disney
I realize I’m advising you to wait three hours for just two attractions. However, you can work your way around that.
You can book Frozen Ever After via Disney Genie+ or Ratatouille via Lightning Lane.
Photo: Disney
We’re talking about the new math at Disney. Would you rather pay less or skip the lines for about $15 per person? I’ll leave that to you to decide.
However, I’ll throw in the conversational Firestarter that if you can only pick one ride at EPCOT, it should be Ratatouille.
(Matt Stroshane, photographer)
Odds are good that you’ve ridden everything else at least once.
The Seas with Nemo & Friends – 15 Minutes
There was a hilarious Reddit thread a while back that dismissed this Finding Nemo attraction as terrible. Fans pushed back HARD.
Photo: Disney
I didn’t participate, as I try to stay above the fray on social media. Still, the whole thing amused me.
I honestly cannot imagine anyone disliking a ride as charming and innocent as The Seas with Nemo & Friends.
Photo: Disney
We often ride this attraction three or four times during a single park visit. I’m not even joking.
Soarin’ Around the World – 40 Minutes
The next three are all no-brainers, although one of them will come with a slight hiccup.
Photo: DVC Shop
Soarin’ embodies the best of Disney Imagineering, and it displays a flair for cinematography as well.
Intrepid camerapersons have traveled the world to capture digital videos of natural wonders. You’ll watch waterfalls, beaches, and human monuments during the trip.
Photo: Touring Plans
More importantly, you’ll experience them by Soarin’ like a bird. It mimics the sensation of flight so well that you’ll forget your body doesn’t come equipped with wings.
Spaceship Earth – 20 Minutes
Look, the giant golf ball in the sky defines EPCOT as a whole. The attraction residing within it displays the course of human history.
Photo: Disney
Spaceship Earth is legitimately my favorite theme park attraction on the planet, even over my beloved Millennium Force at Cedar Point.
I cannot imagine anyone NOT riding Spaceship Earth during an EPCOT visit. In the words of Ralph Wiggum, that’s un-possible.
Image Credit: Sarah Phillips
Test Track – 60 Minutes
Okay, you definitely want to ride this one, as it’s the most unique thrill ride at Walt Disney World.
Theme park designers describe Test Track as a slot car dark ride. In other words, you just sit in a car vehicle and act out the role of a crash test dummy.
Photo: Disney
Don’t worry. You’re at Disney, so you’re safe! Well, safe-adjacent.
You’re supposed to get a little scared when you notice vehicle headlights and slam on the brakes.
On Test Track, you also design your vehicle. It’s a fun little gamified element that adds to the experience.
Photo: Disney
However, you don’t need to do it, especially not if you’re a pro at this phase by now.
Instead, you can use Single Rider to skip the car design and, thereby, get on the ride much quicker. You generally save at least half the wait time this way.
Photo: Disney
Also, this ride (and Soarin’) are available via Disney Genie+.
So, you can pay more to spend less time in line and more time drinking your way through the World Showcase.
Turtle Talk with Crush – 10 Minutes
The answer here depends entirely on whether you have children. Generally speaking, we skip this one.
In fact, I struggle to remember the last time we did it. I want to say it was 2019, aka several park visits ago.
Photo: Disney
Still, kids find the idea of talking to a giant turtle hysterical. So parents will make memories this way.
I’m not a fan, but it’s a 10-minute wait for a 10-minute show. So if you like the math of that – or anything else here – go nuts!
The most important thing is that you have a magical time during your EPCOT visit!
Feature Image: Disney
