EPCOT is nearing completion of the most dramatic transformation in its history.

Simultaneously, the Disney100 event and the 2023 EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival are underway.

Oh, and Disney just brought back Soarin’ Over California and opened Journey of Water | Inspired by Moana.

With so much happening right now, you’re likely wondering. What’s worth your time at EPCOT? I have thoughts…

Figment Character Greeting

Figment has returned to EPCOT after a 15-year absence!

Okay, sure, Journey into Imagination with Figment never left, and you’d be hard-pressed to enter an EPCOT store and not find something Figment.

What’s different is that a character greeting is once again available at the Imagination! pavilion.

So, you can talk to your favorite dragon and watch him hold court in his own home. It’s quite charming and something EPCOT has sorely needed.

Verdict: Worth the Wait

Frozen Ever After

At EPCOT, you can experience the chilly world of Arendelle at two locations.

One is Royal Sommerhus, which we’ll discuss in a bit. The other, more popular option is Frozen Ever After, arguably EPCOT’s best ride.

Imagineers cleverly took the framework of an entertaining ride, Maelstrom, and elevated it by adding Frozen theming.

In the 21^st century, you’d be hard-pressed to argue that any other Disney/Pixar story has matched the cultural impact of Frozen.

I’d like to argue Lilo & Stitch due to merchandising sales, but Cars probably beats it.

Even though Frozen is still less than ten years old, it’s already one of Disney’s most lucrative franchises ever. And the ride is excellent.

So, I strongly suspect you’ll take the time to ride Frozen no matter what I say here. As you should!

Verdict: Worth the Wait

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind

This one’s up to fate and/or your wallet.

Disney still utilizes a virtual queue for Cosmic Rewind, which is more than a year old now.

So, you’ll get two chances to schedule a Boarding Group. Should those fail, you can also purchase a Lightning Lane for the attraction.

Most of the time, you’ll experience the attraction in less than an hour…and much less when you pay for it.

I don’t view that as your best investment, though.

Verdict: Worth the Wait but Maybe Not Worth the Money

Journey of Water | Inspired by Moana

Here’s another example of something you’ll try next time no matter what I say.

That’s because Journey of Water just opened to guests. And it’s spectacular!

Here are three of our MickeyBlog team members exploring the new Moana attraction for the first time:

You can tell our team’s joy as we explore all the water elements. Disney has sprinkled surprises throughout the walkthrough attraction.

Frankly, everything about this is lovely and exactly what a theme park visit should include.

You’ll be happy at Journey of Water…and you’ll be grateful for this attraction on hot days in particular.

Verdict: Worth the Wait

Journey into Imagination with Figment

I never want to step on any toes when I discuss theme park attractions.

Anything you love is aces by me! So, those of you who swear by Journey into Imagination should ride it as much as you want!

I’m talking to everyone else now. And you should lower your expectations for this attraction, which is arguably the worst one at EPCOT.

Disney meddled with a very good attraction to garner some marketing heat toward the end of the 1990s.

We’ve suffered as fans for a quarter-century because of it. We’ve had two figment rides since then, one of which came and went in two years.

The current version of Figment is more than 20 years old and politely described as long in the tooth.

While we ride it every visit since the waits are short, EPCOT has become too competitive for me to pass that behavior down to you.

This one’s a pass unless you absolutely must ride something while you’re performing the Figment character greeting.

Verdict: Not Worth the Wait

Mission: SPACE

In recent weeks, guests have waited an average of 25-30 minutes to experience the two versions of Mission: SPACE.

Typically, you’ll want at least ten minutes longer for the Orange version of the ride, which is the more intense one.

Since I don’t view that version as demonstrably better, my pro tip is to ride the Green version if you must ride Mission: SPACE.

Overall, this attraction has never impressed me much, though. So, I view it as a hard pass.

By the way, those of you with your heart set on visiting Mars should know that’s the Orange version. The Green version merely orbits Earth.

The Orange version also adds the centrifuge effects, which are too intense for some guests.

Verdict: Not Worth the Wait

Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure

As a Ratatouille superfan, I’m all about this attraction, which I think exemplifies Disney greatness.

However, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure often requires the longest wait at EPCOT. It’s typically between this and Frozen Ever After.

Test Track sometimes factors into this conversation as well. Between the walking and the waiting, these three rides could take four hours to do.

Theoretically, something has to give, but I definitely wouldn’t sacrifice a ride on Remy. If we can only pick two out of three, well, you can already do the math.

Verdict: Worth the Wait

Royal Sommerhus

Dear Frozen fans: please don’t come at me with torches and pitchforks over what I’m about to say.

Lately, the average wait time to meet Anna & Elsa at Royal Sommerhus has hovered in the 40-minute range.

At EPCOT, you can feasibly ride multiple attractions at the park in that timeframe.

By this point, you’ve probably encountered the Queens of Arendelle multiple times. Presuming that’s true, it’s not worth the opportunity cost.

Then again, if you love Anna & Elsa, you’ve already made up your mind and don’t care what my analytics say, right? So, go go go!

Verdict: Not Worth the Wait (But You’ll Probably Do It Anyway)

Soarin’ Over California

Okay, here’s the easiest answer on this list.

Ordinarily, EPCOT hosts Soarin’ Around the World at The Land pavilion.

During the Disney100 celebration, Disney has temporarily brought back the original version of the ride, Soarin’ Over California.

While I’m not one of those absolutists who maintain the California iteration is better, I do love any and all limited-time offers.

This attraction literally won’t be here in a few months. So, your choice is clear.

Verdict: ABSOLUTELY Worth the Wait

Spaceship Earth

Okay, I’m definitely not going to tell you to skip my favorite Disney attraction ever.

Even if I didn’t possess such an extreme personal bias, I’d still view Spaceship Earth as a matched set with an EPCOT visit.

Still, part of the premise of this particular article entails maximizing your park time.

For this reason, I’d be remiss if I didn’t remind you of EPCOT park behavior.

When the park opens, most guests enter through the main gate.

What’s the first attraction they see? Spaceship Earth. So, they stop here, which leads to longer wait times early in the day.

Spaceship Earth becomes a better use of your time later in the afternoon and the evening when the wait is less than half of what you’ll find early in the day.

Verdict: Worth the Wait

Test Track

Here’s an answer that honestly just depends on the time of your visit and your taste in Disney attractions.

Test Track often requires a wait in excess of an hour. Even worse, it tears down frequently, which adds an unfortunate element of risk.

So, my advice depends on whether you love unique thrill rides. There’s definitely nothing else like Test Track in America.

However, the ride hasn’t changed in more than a decade. You’ve probably ridden it and maybe even recently.

The only reason you should prioritize it during your next trip is because Disney announced that it would re-theme the ride again in a year or two.

Riding Test Track provides you with one last spin on the old version of this attraction. Is that worth a wait that’s sometimes 75+ minutes? Weeeeell….

Verdict: Coin Flip

Turtle Talk with Crush

I’m going to surprise you with this one, but I feel strongly about it.

Turtle Talk with Crush provides as much entertainment value as anything at Walt Disney World, especially when the crowd asks the right questions.

At its core, this interactive Finding Nemo attraction works as a glorified improv show where kids provide the questions.

Then, a hidden and typically VERY funny cast member provides the answers.

You’ll spend about 25-30 minutes on Turtle Talk with Crush, and I think it’s worth your time.

Verdict: Worth the Wait

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