How to Do EPCOT in One Day Itinerary

EPCOT Park at Walt Disney World is best known for the World Showcase, annual festivals, and favorite rides. But as the best Disney park for Adults, this park gets crowded after 4 pm and is crazy on the weekends. As such planning, your 1 Day at EPCOT will require a strategy. If you’re looking for how to do EPCOT in one day, this Itinerary can help you maximize your day in the park. 

Of all the parks at Disney World, EPCOT offers the most varied experiences, due to it’s ongoing annual EPCOT Festivals throughout the year. As such, there is always something more to add to your day at EPCOT. In addition to the rides, restaurants, shows, and World Showcase countries, there is plenty to do here that easily warrants 2 days. However, if you’re hoping to fit EPCOT into one day, here is the plan. 

EPCOT Park Details

EPCOT Park consists of four areas; World Celebration, World Showcase, World Nature and World Discovery. Each area is home to certain rides, restaurants, and themes. While it’s not impossible to do EPCOT in one day, if a festival is happening, it will be all the more difficult to tackle everything in the park, plus the festival. Nevertheless, if you just focus on the park itself, then you can find the best things in our EPCOT Top 10 Things to Do post.

And as the park with the most cultural cuisine, there are plenty of places to eat here. Check out our EPCOT Restaurants Guide for all the places you can eat. From quick service to sit-down restaurants, there are plenty of choices. Add in the festival booths throughout the year, and you have even more choices! 

Everything we’re chatting here can be found in our EPCOT Park Checklist PRINTABLE. With a complete list of attractions, restaurants, and shows you can find all the choices, and check your favorites, to add them to your day. 

Hours

• Early Entry Hours ( when offered): 8:30 AM to 9:00 AM
• EPCOT Daytime Hours: 9:00 AM to 9:00 PM
• EPCOT Festival Hours: 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM
• Extended Evening Hours ( when offered): 9:00 PM to 11:00 PM

When does EPCOT Open? EPCOT is typically open from 8:30 am to 9 pm, But hours vary. There are some times throughout the year when EPCOT does not open until 11 am, and stays open until 11 pm, so keep an eye on park hours.

Location

The address of EPCOT is at 200 Epcot Center Drive, Orlando, FL 32830. Remember that Disney Resort Guests get FREE Parking at Disney Parks. 

Transportation

EPCOT Cart includes multiple options  for getting there. Check out the Disney Transportation Options from your resort, so that you can pick your best option. EPCOT is accessible via monorail, Skyliner, Disney bus, boat and car. If you are driving to EPCOT, then there is a large parking lot just outside the gates. Simply drive there, park and head inside.

EPCOT Rides

To help you save some money we recommend you skip Disney Lightning Lane at EPCOT. If you only have one day at EPCOT your time is limited! Especially if you’re visiting during an EPCOT festival. And so much of it will depend on crowds. And some rides are naturally more crowded than others. Main rides to consider would be Frozen Ever After, and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure. All other rides, with the exception of Guardians of the Galaxy ( which is a single pass lightning lane ride), have fairly average waits and are easy to fit into a one day itinerary. Check out our Disney Ride Strategies post for all your options. 

Highest Waits

• Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
• Frozen Ever After
• Test Track
• Soarin’
• Mission Space
• Guardians of the Galaxy

Average Waits

• Journey into Imagination with Figment
• Spaceship Earth
• The Seas with Nemo and Friends
• Anna and Elsa at the Royal Sommerhus

Low Waits

• Gran Fiesta Tour with the Three Caballeros
• Living with the Land
• Turtle Talk with Crush

EPCOT lightning Lane Selections

These rides are the best rides to try for if you’re using Lightning Lane. And overall, EPCOT rides you’ll want to add to your 1-day itinerary regardless. 

• Frozen Ever After
• Soarin’
• Test Track
• Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure

Other rides offered as part of the lightning lane service are Disney short Film Festival, Journey into Imagination, Living with the Land, The Seas with Nemo and Friends, and Turtle Talk with Crush. None of these rides have long enough waits to warrant using your passes on them, however. 

Lightning Lane Details

• Lightning Lane is a service you pay for, daily, for each person in your party, Priced between $15- $30, per person, per day. 
• Lightning Lane Passes only include certain rides. 
• You can only hold one Lightning Lane reservation at a time. So as soon as you complete one, you can add another to the app. This is called stacking, and how you make the most of your day. 
• If you are a Disney Resort guest then you can make Lightning Lane reservations 7 days ahead of time. 

Is getting Lightning Lane at EPCOT worth it?

For our time and money and we say NO. The best rides available as part of Lightning Lane at EPCOT are Frozen Ever After and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure. Soarin’, Test Track, and Mission Space don’t have excessively long waits to warrant the $20- $30 per person price tag for the day. If choosing to skip Lightning Lane we’d recommend heading for rides in the morning and during meal times for the lowest waits. 

EPCOT Characters

If you’re adding characters to your day in the park, the main character visit is meeting Anna and Elsa from Frozen at the Royal Sommerhus. This Disney character meet and greet generally has a low wait. While you can see other characters throughout the day at EPCOT, they are less scheduled and intermittently offered. Snow White in Germany, Belle and Aurora in France, Mulan in China, Mary Poppins and Alice in the UK, and more can be found across the park. 

If you’re looking to meet the Disney Princesses with ease, you can book a meal at the Akershus Royal Banquet Hall. This restaurant offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner and features Belle, Aurora, Snow White, Cinderella, and Ariel. This restaurant offers a Norwegian menu, so be sure to check the Akershus menu. We like breakfast at Akershus best. 

EPCOT Shows

Epcot has a variety of cultural shows that happen throughout the park, intermittently throughout the day. Matsuriza in World Showcase Japan is live entertainment that happens throughout the day and features classic Japanese drumming. Typically a 15-minute show, this is one you’ll want to stop for when you see it. 

Evening Shows at EPCOT

Luminous at EPCOT is a nighttime spectacular featuring projections on water and screens that set center in the lagoon. This show also features fireworks and familiar Disney favorites. This 20-minute show is able to be seen from anywhere around the lagoon. But be sure to grab a good spot without obstructions at least 30 minutes ahead of showtime. 

EPCOT Meals

We are big fans of the Disney Dining Plan layout; the best of which is 2 quick service meals and 1 table service meal per day. This setup gives you the treat of having a special meal and is a good way to stick to your Disney Dining Budget.  If getting the Disney Dining Plan as part of your Disney Vacation Package this will be built in for you as meal credits. Check out the EPCOT Quick Service Restaurants to choose from through the day. 

Breakfast at EPCOT

Depending on EPCOT hours, if you’re grabbing breakfast at EPCOT there are options. As expected, you can grab Starbucks, but we like Les Halles Boulangerie de Patisserie best. But, as one of the most popular restaurants at EPCOT plan to get in line as soon as the park opens to wait in line. An early table-service reservation at Akershus gets you close to the line at Frozen Ever After if you’re trying to rope drop that attraction. And Sunshine Seasons in The Land Building always has basic breakfasts and Mickey waffles. 

Lunch at EPCOT

Lunch at EPCOT is easy to do during any of the annual festivals due to the wide variety of foods available at any of the outdoor kitchens. But, if you’re looking for something more substantial, then there are several places that are great to grab a bite during the lunch hour. Since almost all of the World Showcase countries have a quick-service restaurant, there are many to choose from. We best like La Cantina de San Angel for Mexican food, but if you’re looking for classic American food, try the Regal Eagle BBQ Smokehouse.

Dinner at EPCOT

Since EPCOT becomes unbearable with crowds in the evenings, it’s the perfect time for a dinner reservation. With so many options for cultural cuisine, you can simply pick your favorite kind of food and head to the restaurant. Via Napoli in Italy is great for pizzas and pasta. And if you’re looking for a buffet, Biergarten in Germany is an immersive dining experience with a show. 

EPCOT Park 1- Day Itinerary

EPCOT is one of our favorite parks, and while you can fit it all in one day, we recommend 2 days, especially during festival times. And if you’re hoping to fit in the major rides, it’s important to figure out when, and how to ride them without a long wait. That said, if these are priorities for you, just add them in! This isn’t by any means a one-size-fits-all situation, just a template to help you get started. 

When figuring out what to do at EPCOT it’s best to aim for the top priority rides on your list early. Mainly because while crowds at EPCOT tend to stay average throughout the morning and afternoon, once 4 pm arrives, the park becomes noticeably crowded. The exception here is if you are visiting on a day with Extra Evening Hours. Knowing that if you wait until later to ride your top priority rides, you may be stuck standing in line and/or missing out on them entirely. 

Early Entry Rides

If you’re able to take advantage of Early Entry, pick Guardians of the Galaxy, Frozen Ever After or Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure. These are the MOST POPULAR rides in the park, and you’ll want to check throughout the day for wait times, if you don’t tackle them early. 

• Frozen Ever After
• Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
• Mission: SPACE
• Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
• Soarin’ Around the World
• Spaceship Earth
• Test Track
• The Seas with Nemo & Friends

Breakfast: Plan an early morning breakfast reservation at Akershus, or head to Les Halles Boulangerie de Patisserie when the park opens. Note that the Starbucks line is consistently long in the mornings, so be ready to stand in line and wait if that is your breakfast choice. 

8- 12 AM

These are your highest priority ries, and some of the most popular. As such, we recommend checking wait times throughout the morning and jumping in lines when you can.  

• Frozen Ever After
• Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
• Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
• Soarin’ Around the World
• Test Track

1- 2 PM

There are tons of places to eat lunch at EPCOT, perfect for any palate. Of course, visiting during a festival gives you more options. Favorite places for lunch are Katsura Grill in Japan for something light, or at Sunshine Seasons for a variety of options. 

2 PM- 4 PM

By late afternoon you should have tackled all your top rides. This is the time of day when you should take time for the Matsuriza show, grab a Joffrey’s Coffee, or browse around the World Showcase countries. We also recommend you head to Creations, the gift shop at the front fo of the park, as this will be crowded later. 

• Living with the Land
• Spaceship Earth
• Mission: SPACE
• Gran Fiesta Tour with Three Caballeros
• The Seas with Nemo and Friends

4- 5 PM

Around this time of day, the park starts to get crowded. As a result, we recommend heading to a table-service dining reservation or taking a break at Disney’s Boardwalk. Trattoria al Forno and Ale and Compass are excellent. If staying in the park La Cantina de San Angel, Spice Road Table and the Fish and Chips window at Rose and Crown are all good choices for a quick meal. 

5 PM- 9 PM

Evening hours are typically spent grabbing any favorite rides you may have missed, and finding a great spot for watching the nighttime show. It’s also a great time to grab any last EPCOT snacks you need before you go. We love getting the homemade caramel popcorn at Karamell Kuche for evening snacking. 

8 PM Luminous Nighttime Spectacular

EPCOT Tips

Early Theme Park Entry

Reserved for Disney Resort Guests only, Early Theme Park Entry allows you to get into the park 30 minutes before other guests. This is most worth it at EPCOT if you are hoping to ride Test Track or Frozen Ever After. Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure will quickly form a 60-minute line during early theme park entry. And other rides won’t have long enough waits throughout the day to warrant arriving early. 

Choose a Day with Extra Evening Hours

Extra Evening Hours are reserved for Disney Guests, staying at SELECT Disney Resorts. Typically, Disney Deluxe Hotels are included. This allows you the opportunity to stay later than park closing on certain days. Often on a 9 pm-close, extra evening hours are extended to 11 pm. This gives you two more hours to ride what you didn’t during the day. 

Take Breaks When You Can

While this may feel counterintuitive, remember you are still on vacation! So, it should feel like a vacation, and less like a checklist. That said, we like grabbing a break as a treat for finishing the main rides in the morning. While this break can sometimes blend into lunch, we like heading to the nearby Disney Boardwalk, just on the other side of the International Gateway entrance. This gives us a chance to explore the resorts and get out of the heat. The Boardwalk also has ice cream shops to help you beat the heat. 

Only Save 1 Popular Ride for the Evening

Evenings are busy for several reasons. First, most people take stock of wait times of rides throughout the day, and when they see it’s too long of a wait, they just hope it will ease up later. This leaves many people finally giving in at the end of the day to ride the top priority rides they didn’t get to earlier. Second, after 2 pm, EPCOT fills up with people who have park hopped there. This includes locals, pass holders, and other guests who have park hopper tickets. So getting to as many rides as possible in the early part of the day is a must. 

Mobile Order your Meals

An easy way to keep out of lines, be sure to check out EPCOT Quick-Service Restaurants that offer Mobile Order. This means you can select and purchase your meals in your My Disney Experience App. Quick Service Restaurants we like, that offer Mobile Order, are Regal Eagle Smokehouse BBQ and Sunshine Seasons. 

Make an Advanced Dining Reservation

We highly recommend one sit-down meal for your EPCOT day.  Mainly because taking a break from a whirlwind day is always needed. Plus, there are certain restaurants both at EPCOT and on the Disney Boardwalk that are well worth the time!

Ride popular rides during the 12-2 pm hour

Between 12-2 pm most people are either eating lunch or heading to their next park for the day via the park hopper. This means between 1-2 pm many people are traveling to their next park, leaving parks across Walt Disney World a little emptier as people travel between parks. As a result, 12-2 pm is an IDEAL time to try and finish up your morning batch of high-priority rides. 

While You’re Waiting for Your Lightning Lane

If purchasing Lightning Lane passes you want to make the most of the time while you’re waiting. Since times given for these scheduled rides has a cushion of waiting, we recommend you fill this time with browsing the World showcase countries or riding the low-wait rides. That way your EPCOT day is filled with fun, even when it’s not scheduled. 

One Day at EPCOT

While we always recommend 2 Days at EPCOT, hopefully, this one-day itinerary has helped you see some options. As Disney’s busiest park it’s easy to get discouraged and feel like you need to spend all day waiting in lines. But that’s not the case! Planning Ahead can help you prioritize each part of your day and make the most of your Disney Vacation.

Check out our other One Day at Walt Disney World Itinerary Guides for Each Park.

• Hollywood Studios in One Day
• Magic Kingdom in One Day
• Animal Kingdom in One Day