Let’s Rank All the Rides at EPCOT!
How many Walt Disney World attractions do you genuinely dislike? Exactly.Imagineers have inundated the parks with sublime theme park attractions, many of which justify an entire vacation.
![4 theme parks](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/4899_wdw_50th_beacons_1920x1080_18ce18fd-a6a9-4bdc-98a2-db0882347d51.jpg)
![4 theme parks](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/4899_wdw_50th_beacons_1920x1080_18ce18fd-a6a9-4bdc-98a2-db0882347d51.jpg)
Photo:visitorlando.com
In all honesty, there are maybe five Disney World rides that don’t do much for me.
Coincidentally, a couple of them are at EPCOT, which is strange because that’s my favorite theme park on the planet.
That’s the remarkable aspect of the park. The highlights make a couple of subpar attractions seem almost trivial.
So, let’s rank the rides at EPCOT. Just remember that I love this park more than most people love ice cream.
10. Journey into Imagination with Figment
![Journey Into Your Imagination](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Screenshot-2023-10-08-at-13-21-41-Journey-Into-Your-Imagination.png)
![Journey Into Your Imagination](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Screenshot-2023-10-08-at-13-21-41-Journey-Into-Your-Imagination.png)
Photo: Disneywiki
Okay, I’ve ranked one ride, and you already hate me.
Hear me out. One of the reasons why I love EPCOT so much is that I’m a loyalist.
I visited the park during its first year of operation, and it was the most wondrous thing I’d ever experienced.
One of the things that wowed me as a child was Journey into Imagination, the story of Figment and the Dreamfinder.
![Line for Figment](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2023-wdw-epcot-journey-into-imagination-with-figment-meet-and-greet-line-1-scaled.jpg)
![Line for Figment](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2023-wdw-epcot-journey-into-imagination-with-figment-meet-and-greet-line-1-scaled.jpg)
Line for Figment
The new attraction lacks all the spirit and wonderment of that ride, even though it’s charming enough on its own.
So, the current version of Journey into Imagination is like an instantly forgotten NFL game. It’s no 2008 Super Bowl…
9. Mission: SPACE
![Journey into Imagination with Figment](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2023-wdw-epcot-journey-into-imagination-with-figment-stock-2-scaled.jpg)
![Journey into Imagination with Figment](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/2023-wdw-epcot-journey-into-imagination-with-figment-stock-2-scaled.jpg)
Journey into Imagination with Figment
Still, I debated between Figment and Mission: SPACE about which one I like less.
Ultimately, I couldn’t overlook the childish nature of Figment and the presence of the obnoxious Eric Idle.
![Mission: SPACE](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2024-wdw-epcot-mission-space-earth-globe-sign-1-scaled.jpg)
![Mission: SPACE](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2024-wdw-epcot-mission-space-earth-globe-sign-1-scaled.jpg)
Mission: SPACE
Meanwhile, Mission: SPACE got quite a bit better when Disney finally divided the Green and Orange experiences.
For more than a decade, the two attractions told the same story. The sole difference was the use of the centrifuge.
Let’s just say that the true astronaut experience isn’t for everyone, which is why Disney offered the calm version.
While the new Green version is substantially better than it used to be, I’m rarely excited to do this one.
That’s because you really just sit in a tight space for a few minutes and hit a couple of buttons.
While Disney closely liaised with NASA and former astronauts on the attraction, Mission: SPACE has always struck me as kinda lazy.
8. Living with the Land
I’m fanatical about everything else we’re about to discuss, though.
Longtime readers know that I’m always hyping Living with the Land as a pure EPCOT experience.
During the park’s earliest days, executives dreamt of creating a hub of infotainment attractions.
Living at the Land was at the forefront of those ambitions due to its green-friendly approach to agriculture.
While the first half of the ride is admittedly a bit boring and preachy, even to me, the agricultural facility never fails to impress me.
Imagineers are spending their lives trying to solve world hunger in the same space where guests ride a boat for fun.
There’s nothing more Disney than that.
7. Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros
![Gran Fiesta Tour Three Caballeros](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Gran-Fiesta-Tour-Starring-The-Three-Caballeros_Full_26131.jpg)
![Gran Fiesta Tour Three Caballeros](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Gran-Fiesta-Tour-Starring-The-Three-Caballeros_Full_26131.jpg)
Photo: Disney
Speaking of riding boats for fun, we have this knockoff of It’s a Small World that I happen to like better.
My father could do a spectacular Donald Duck impression, and he knew to break out that voice whenever he wanted a cheap laugh from me.
![Cinco de Mayo](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Cinco-de-Mayo.jpg)
![Cinco de Mayo](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Cinco-de-Mayo.jpg)
Gran Fiesta Tour
So, Donald Duck remains one of my favorite Disney characters to this day. And he’s hilarious during this story!
Gran Fiesta Tour elevates the It’s a Small World concept a bit by adding display monitors.
Many of them feature live-action sequences that Donald and his fellow Caballeros interrupt with their hijinks.
At one point, the ride even gets a bit dark, as a waiter serves duck at a restaurant, much to Donald’s abject terror.
Gran Fiesta Tour is just good, silly fun. Plus, it’s a hidden gem, so you rarely wait long for it!
6. The Seas with Nemo & Friends
![The Seas with Nemo and Friends](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/The-Seas-with-Nemo-and-Friends-1.jpg)
![The Seas with Nemo and Friends](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/The-Seas-with-Nemo-and-Friends-1.jpg)
The Seas with Nemo and Friends
There’s a divide at EPCOT in terms of the haves and the have-nots.
Guests wait a long time for the park’s E-ticket attractions, and one still doesn’t even offer a standby queue yet.
![Long Lines at The Seas with Nemo & Friends](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/the-seas-nemo-line-2024-scaled.jpeg)
![Long Lines at The Seas with Nemo & Friends](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/the-seas-nemo-line-2024-scaled.jpeg)
Long Lines at The Seas with Nemo & Friends
Conversely, several attractions require average waits of 20 minutes or less on most dates.
Notably, some of these attractions are just as entertaining, especially for fans of the classics.
No, I’m not talking about Finding Nemo, although the film’s more than 20 years old now. Yes, you’re old.
Anyway, the classic here is the conventional dark ride that recounts the story of a beloved Disney film.
In this case, it’s technically Pixar from before Disney bought Finding Nemo, but still.
This is a conventional dark ride with some joyous moments, including a happy ending that will have you smiling as you leave.
![The Seas with Nemo and Friends](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/The-Seas-with-Nemo-and-Friends-3.jpg)
![The Seas with Nemo and Friends](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/The-Seas-with-Nemo-and-Friends-3.jpg)
The Seas with Nemo and Friends
I put The Seas with Nemo & Friends on every list of hidden gems I write because it fits the cliché of fun for the whole family.
5. Soarin’ Around the World
Okay, here’s the cutoff line wherein the conversation grows challenging.
In fact, I vacillated on the order of three, four, and five on my list. It’s not that I view them as interchangeable, though.
Instead, I feel that Soarin’ and the two attractions ranked just above it all serve a purpose and fit a mood.
Since I’ve ridden both versions of Soarin’ many times, it possesses a warm familiarity.
![Soarin'](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/epcot_soarin_ride2.jpg)
![Soarin'](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/epcot_soarin_ride2.jpg)
Photo: DVC Shop
Also, no matter how many times I walk into the main room, Soarin’s apparatus still amazes me.
I consider this one of Disney’s perfect rides, but it’s not the new hotness. Thus, I cannot rank it as high as I’d like.
4. Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
Later, I might regret ranking Ratatouille over Soarin’, but it felt right in the moment.
I was one of the countless Disney fans begging for an American version of the pride of Disneyland Paris.
![Virtual Queue](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/224790075_4431840210214160_4571952378918639470_n-1-300x300.jpg)
![Virtual Queue](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/224790075_4431840210214160_4571952378918639470_n-1-300x300.jpg)
Photo: Disney
Seriously, Ratatouille kept that park relevant during a few tough years.
Now that we have it at EPCOT, more people can enjoy this delightful retelling of the film’s kitchen chaos sequences.
![Virtual Queue](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Josh_DAmaro_on_Instagram_“Great_experience_watching_our_Imagineers_at_work_installing_the_Gusteau’s_marquee_tonight_for_the_upcoming_Remy’s_Ratatouille_Adventure…”_-_2020-01-13_21.35.40.png)
![Virtual Queue](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Josh_DAmaro_on_Instagram_“Great_experience_watching_our_Imagineers_at_work_installing_the_Gusteau’s_marquee_tonight_for_the_upcoming_Remy’s_Ratatouille_Adventure…”_-_2020-01-13_21.35.40.png)
Photo: Josh D’Amaro on Instagram
You’ll shrink down to Remy’s size and then try to survive as seemingly every kitchen appliance turns into a mortal threat.
Along the way, you must avoid being seen by disapproving humans, too.
![Disney attractions preschooler](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/4-3.jpg)
![Disney attractions preschooler](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/4-3.jpg)
(Matt Stroshane, photographer)
This ride offers a rare verve that makes me smile just sitting here thinking about it.
Dear Disney, I’d like more of this, please!
3. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
Here’s another ranking where you probably disagree.
At this moment, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is undeniably the must-do attraction at EPCOT.
Fans excitedly pull out their phones to book a virtual queue first thing in the morning and again at 1 p.m.
The unsuccessful ones quickly flip to Lightning Lane in an attempt to secure a ride on the world’s first storytelling coaster.
Let me be crystal clear. This ride is worth all the effort! It’s a masterpiece.
As soon as Disney switches to a standby queue here, it’ll instantly become the ride with the longest wait time at EPCOT.
![Cosmic Rewind](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/2023-wdw-epcot-guardians-of-the-galaxy-cosmic-rewind-stock9-scaled.jpg)
![Cosmic Rewind](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/2023-wdw-epcot-guardians-of-the-galaxy-cosmic-rewind-stock9-scaled.jpg)
Cosmic Rewind
People want this ride and need it to perfect a park visit. And I have zero negative things to say about it.
I just happen to like two rides better.
2. Spaceship Earth
![Disney Park tickets](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/spaceship-earth-gallery00-300x169.webp)
![Disney Park tickets](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/spaceship-earth-gallery00-300x169.webp)
Disney
Here’s where my head and my heart battle for supremacy.
As a child, I gazed in awe at the golf ball in the sky. That was my first glimpse of EPCOT, and it was love at first sight.
Since then, I’ve ridden Spaceship Earth hundreds, possibly even thousands, of times.
Whenever I visit Walt Disney World, I don’t feel like I’m home until two things happen.
The first is that I set foot on Main Street, U.S.A., while the other is my first ride on Spaceship Earth.
So, why are my head and my heart in a fight? As I’ve mentioned, Spaceship Earth is my favorite Disney ride ever.
I consider this experience the ideal embodiment of what Imagineers intended EPCOT to be.
They created a stunning landmark that symbolizes the park, but then they filled it with their best infotainment attraction.
The interior and exterior mesh perfectly. It’s my favorite ride ever, but my head knows that there’s something better…
1. Frozen Ever After
![Maelstrom](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Maelstrom.jpg)
![Maelstrom](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Maelstrom.jpg)
Photo: Disney
You have to hand it to Disney. Imagineers took an already-fun attraction in Maelstrom and somehow made it night and day better.
The former attraction at the Norway pavilion just felt right because it leaned into all the Norse myths of yore.
![Maelstrom](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Maelstrom-ride.jpg)
![Maelstrom](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Maelstrom-ride.jpg)
Photo: Disney
Alas, not everyone is heavily into mythology, and Norway wasn’t a particularly famous country when the pavilion opened.
After more than two decades, Maelstrom had turned into a less popular attraction than Gran Fiesta Tour.
That was a problem for Disney, which only operated a couple of true rides at the World Showcase.
Those attractions need to draw customers, but Maelstrom wasn’t doing that.
![Frozen Ever After World of Frozen Hong Kong Disneyland](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Frozen-Ever-After-World-of-Frozen-Hong-Kong-Disneyland.png)
![Frozen Ever After World of Frozen Hong Kong Disneyland](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Frozen-Ever-After-World-of-Frozen-Hong-Kong-Disneyland.png)
Photo: Disney
So, Disney made a change, and it was a controversial one at the time.
In one of the first aggressive examples of injecting intellectual properties at EPCOT, Maelstrom turned into Frozen Ever After.
![Frozen Ever After](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Frozen-Ever-After.jpg)
![Frozen Ever After](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Frozen-Ever-After.jpg)
Photo: Disney
Some loyalists were outraged at the time. Everyone dropped their complaints the first time they rode Frozen, though.
This ride delights with its charm and whimsy. You enter the world of Arendelle and encounter the sisters whose love saved their people.
![Frozen Ever After](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Elsa-Frozen-Ever-After.jpg)
![Frozen Ever After](https://mickeyblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Elsa-Frozen-Ever-After.jpg)
Photo: Disney
Along the way, you hear Elsa blast out her iconic tune, Let It Go.
Then, you get the splashdown drop that fans loved about Maelstrom.
This ride is quietly one of Imagineering’s greatest triumphs of the 21st century. And it’s probably going to be the best things at EPCOT for a while to come.
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