EPCOT is my second favorite park right after Magic Kingdom. Epcot has so many things to do, see, and eat. With a well planned day you can experience almost everything EPCOT currently has to offer. Here are the best tips for touring EPCOT including what to Fastpass, what to rope drop, and more!
Most of the year EPCOT has a festival of some sort going on. EPCOT Festivals are amazing and are something that should be experienced if one is going on during your vacation.

If you fully experience EPCOT, it takes more than 1 day. There are so many musical or improv shows in each country that so many people pass right by.
EPCOT Touring Tips
What to Fastpass
EPCOT is a tricky park to plan Fastpasses for. EPCOT has tiers and all the rides in tier 1 need a Fastpass, all the attractions in tier 2 don’t need a Fastpass at all.
Personally, I would get a Fastpass for Test Track. My two other choices are usually Journey into Imagination with Figment and Living with The Land.
What to Rope Drop
Rope Drop is what Disney park-goers call the first ride of the day at park open. This entails getting to the park before the park officially opens to make sure you get through security and the turnstiles. I would get there at least 40 minutes before the official park opening.
During this early admittance you usually has access to a small area of the park. EPCOT has Cast Members holding a rope blocking you from going further into the park. Usually the Jamminators (EPCOT Kitchen band) warm up the crowd. Once the park officially opens the Cast Members “drop” the rope and you walk as quick as you can to our first attraction.
For Epcot Test Track is my pick for the ride to “rope drop”. My reasoning for this is that both Soarin’ and Frozen Ever After queues has points during the day where the line is not that bad. Plus, if you use the single rider line you can quickly do both Test Track and Soarin’ before 10 am.

What to Do 9 am to 11 am in Epcot
From 9 to 11 am, the World Showcase is closed so I try to do as much as possible in the front of the park.
- 9 am Rope Drop – Test Track (utilize single rider line if you can)
- 9:30 am go to Soarin’ (line usually is still under 30/40 minutes)
- 10:15 am Living with The Land
- 10:30ish am Awesome Planet Movie
- 10:45 The Seas with Nemo & Friends and Turtle Talk with Crush
The schedule above is a tight one but just an example of how much you could accomplish before the World Showcase opens. In all honesty, I could spend a couple of hours exploring the Seas Pavilion usually I am wanting to get to the World Showcase as soon as it opens as there is so much to do!
If you have little ones you may want to spend even more time in the Land and the Seas.
World Showcase Touring Tips
A lot of people debate whether you should start in Mexico or Canada. I usually start in Canada since I am coming from the Figment ride. A lot more people start in Mexico so sometimes going in Canada’s direction is quiet, to begin with.
Each country has a Nikon photo spot plaque. Many times there is a Disney Photopass Photographer there to take our photo. If there is not one there< i would kindly ask a passerby to take your photo so you can get a classic country backdrop for your World Showcase tour.
Get the kids excited about each country. Before our vacation do some research online for each country or get books out at the library. Each country has a Kidcot stop where kids do a simple activity.
Best Things To Do at Each Country
While there is a lot to eat and/or drink I am just going to concentrate on the things to do. Also there is so much to do, I am just listing the best things to do.
Most characters are done meeting guests around 5 pm so if there is someone you really want to meet then make that country a priority.
Canada
- Canada Far & Wide in Circle Vision (New in 2020!)
United Kingdom
- Meet & Greet with Mary Poppins
- Meet & Greet with Alice in Wonderland
- Coming Soon! Mary Poppins attraction
France
- Meet & Greet with Belle
- Meet & Greet with Aurora
- Beauty & The Beast Sing-a-long
- Opening October 1st, 2021! Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure

Morocco
- Meet & Greet with Jasmine
United States
- Listen to the Voices of Liberty

Italy
- Sergio the Juggler
Germany
- Meet & Greet with Snow White in front of her Wishing Well
China
- Meet & Greet with Mulan
- Chinese Acrobats
- Reflections of China (New show coming in 2020!)
Norway
- Frozen Ever After Ride
- Meet Anna & Elsa in their Summerhaus
Mexico
- Gran Fiesta Tour
- Mariachi Cobre Performance
More Epcot Touring Tips
Grab a Times Guide and/or a Festival Guide. You will find these on a display as soon as you enter the park. A lot of the entertainment offered around the World Showcase especially during a festival is not mentioned or shown on the My Disney Experience App.

Make Dinner Reservations. Snack your way around the World Showcase but choose a place to have a nice dinner. There are so many different cuisines you are sure to find something wonderful!
Take a Boat Ride. Want to skip a few countries? Take the boat to the other side of the World Showcase.
Rope Dropping Frozen Ever After? If the Frozen ride is your priority, you have a quicker walk to the ride if you enter the park via the International Gateway. This is accessible via the Boardwalk boats or the Skyliner.
Wear Comfortable Shoes. Epcot is bigger than the Magic Kingdom, so be prepared for a lot of walking. Consider renting a stroller even if your preschooler is getting too big for one. I recommend Kingdom Strollers. Kingdom Strollers is a small family-run business and is loved by the Disney Parks Moms Panel.
Epcot Fireworks. Right now the show is Epcot Forever which is set to change to HarmonioUS in September 2020. The best viewing spots are in the FastPass viewing area (where Future World meets World Showcase), between Canada and France, including the bridge from the U.K. to France, Italy, Germany, China, and Mexico.
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