How to tour the Parks – Splitting up Epcot

Many people try to cram as many things in Epcot into one day. Back in the 80’s I used to do the same thing. I have been known do to all 4 parks in one day on many occasions. As I got older (and wiser) I realized Epcot is not a one day park. It is meant to be enjoyed slowly and broken up into several days.

On our past trip I was able to work up a nice 3 day Touring Plan for Epcot where you can really see EVERYTHING! It can be stripped down into 2 days but unless your only at Disney World for a few days try my way (its perfect for parents of infants and those under 5). Also please note we like to get to the parks early to avoid the crowds. If you come in after 10 you are probably going to run into lines. Finally we leave after lunch for naps so these are mainly for the morning hours and work great if you like Park Hopping, if you come in later you’re gonna hit lines and may slow you down some.

Day 1

• Arrive at Epcot when it opens, after the little Park Opening Show head straight to The Land Pavilion and grab a Fast Pass and ride Soarin. If you have a little one don’t forget to do Parent Swap that way your little one can ride it with both parents.
• After you have done Soarin now would be a good time for breakfast (if you have already eaten skip down to the next step) We love Sunshine Seasons for Breakfast! Good, fresh food, great for people watching, and you can even get sushi for breakfast (don’t ask)
• Once you have consumed your meal or after you have ridden Soarin we like to take a nice little boat ride on Living with the Land. For me this has to be one of my favorite rides at Epcot. I studied Forestry and Horticulture in school so the greenhouses really fascinate me. The Behind the Seeds tour is something different to try.
• About the time you are done with Living with the Land your Fast Pass should be ready to go. If not go watch the Lion King’s The Circle of Life show. Most times the wait is longer than the show.
• At this point you have finished The Land Pavilion and you are ready to move on some place else. We like to stay on the Epcot’s Future World (West) area. It should be around 11am and the World Showcase is opening which should ease the lines a little bit. Head over and ride The Seas with Nemo and Friends and Turtle Talk with Crush then shoot over to the Imagination Pavilion for Journey into Imagination with Figment. We wait on Captain EO and do it on Day 2.
• Once you are done on the West Side you can head over and try some free beverages at Club Cool and play around in Innoventions.
• It should be around 1pm so you can do lunch, head back to your room, or use your Lines App and Park Hop.

Day 2

• Arrive at Epcot when it opens again but this time head to Test Track and the Epcot’s Future World (East) side. Be sure to grab a Fast Pass before you jump on Test Track. Do the parent swap thing (if you got them) and have fun looking at all the cars outside of the ride. Last time we were able to ride Test Track 3 times in a 20 minute window and ended up giving our Fast Passes to a random family who were floored.
• Next ride Mission: Space, Universe of Energy: Ellen’s Energy Adventure and Spaceship Earth. I have always felt the East Side needs to have one more good ride to use up the morning.
• Since the baby care center is on this side we usually pop in for a little while before we head off to ride Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros. You could easily head over to Captain EO after Spaceship Earth if you wanted. I would avoid Soarin as that area is going to very busy at this point. Club Cool again is always nice or you can visit the other side of Innoventions.
• It should be around 1pm so you can do lunch, head back to your room, or use your Lines App and Park Hop. This is where you can make it a 2 day or 3 day Touring Plan so if you’re not coming back head out to the World Showcase and walk around. Epcot is our favorite park so we visit here 5-6 times a trip. Usually 3 mornings and 2 evenings.

Day 3

• You have 2 methods you can do here. You can arrive at the Main Entrance and do Soarin & Test Track before the World Showcase Opens or you can arrive at 11am – 12pm and come in the back entrance. I have found that if Hollywood Studios has Magic Hours in the AM we will go there ride some rides and then try to make it to Epcot right at 11am via the Friendship Boats.
• Once in the park head towards France and work your way counter-clockwise. Pick any showcase to stop and have lunch. Ride the rides and take in all the shows. There is no rush and be sure to explore EVERYWHERE. Kidcot Stations are perfect for little ones as it gives them a great FREE souvenir!
• If your into alcohol you can also try to Drink Around the World Showcase. La Cava de Tequila is by far my favorite stop and make for the perfect walking drinks. Try the Cucumber!
• By the time you have worked your way around the World Showcase it should be dinner time. Again Epcot has some of the best Dining Options in all of Walt Disney World. If you planned it right you could get a great seat for Illuminations. We love the view from Tokyo Dining!

So there you have it you have just tackled Epcot the Chip and Company way. This is my tried and true method for getting the most out of Epcot. Individual results may very and please keep this article to yourself. I don’t want everyone doing it 🙂

Related articles

• Top 10 Epcot “Must Dos” (chipandco.com)
• Epcot Tuesday’s — The Land (mydreamsofdisney.com)

Let our friends at Destinations to Travel help you book your next Disney Vacation. They are the preferred Travel Agency of Chip and Company and Disney Addicts, and who we use ourselves.

Get started below for your FREE No Obligation Quote.

Book With our friends at Destinations to Travel

Who is your Travel Agent?(Required)

Let us pick for youEric HilesStacy ReedAbbey JohnsonAlisa SullivanAlli WillisAmanda FolsomAmanda VannAmber BrillhartAmber FisherAmy SieburnAndrea SmithAngela AndersonAngie BaycuraAnna PetrilliAnnabelle DuboseApril StefanskiAshley RamseyBeth ParsonsBetsy SantoroBrandie McQueenBrian BuckleyBridget HatchBryan SchwartzCandice SneedCarrie ButlerCarson DockumCasey BoltCharleen HortonChelsea RoyChelsea WuebkerChris BoyerChristie GrubeChristina FratturaChristina SmithCourtney WhiteCraig YoderDan MercedDanielle NorcrossDarby MouritsenDavid ForrestDeborah AlvaradoEmilee BiegelEmily MorrisFaith HakesGail HatchGreg MatzkerHelen HummerHolly CurryJackie CavistonJaclyn PepitoneJamie SwansonJeanine JordanJeff CallahanJenni MaierJennifer BrownJennifer StephensonJennifer StoessnerJessica HatfieldJessica HuffJessica WunderJoe GuertinJon CarpentierJoseph SliwaJulie McCombJustin BrownKat AttridgeKathryn EberhartKathy AndersonKatie HarrellKatie PrevotKayla CookKelsey SullensKim HelmsKimberly HutchinsonKristi GallagherKyle RamsdenLauren DewlenLeanne MonterLinda DurhamLindsay AckermannLindsey VromanLissette BritoLori HardyMallory MorrisonMandi QuinnMaranda PerkinsMarisa AlvaradoMegan TeismannMeghan BlairMelissa ReedMichele KlineMike BeyerMissy McCormickMisty DickersonNancy CasteelNicole ThorntonPatrick O'ConnorPaul SulPeyton Ward-KubikRaylene CooganRegan OstranderRobbie BulusRobert ThomasSara SolbergSarah McCandlishShanna BrowningShelley BennettShelly MetzStacy CristStacy KrzyminskiStacy SmithStephanie DraganoStephanie FerencStephanie WalshSusannah McCordTara SlusserTerri MillerTiffany DobraskiTiffany DrenkhahnTina FarmerTonya LesiukTracy DaneTroy DuncanVeronica RenteriaVicki FesslerWendy CarllWendy HauserWendy KellehanWendy Shelley

Name(Required)

First Last

Email(Required)

Phone(Required)

Destination(Required)

Walt Disney WorldDisneyland ResortDisney Cruise LineAulani, A Disney Resort and SpaAulani, A Disney Resort and SpaUniversal FloridaUniversal HollywoodRoyal Caribbean, Carnival, Norwegian or other Cruise LineI don't know yet

# of Adults(Required)

# of Children(Required)

Check-in-Date(Required)

MM slash DD slash YYYY

Check-out-Date(Required)

MM slash DD slash YYYY

Comments, Questions or Special Requests

Email

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Δ

For the BEST in Disney, Universal, Dollywood, and SeaWorld Theme Park News, Entertainment, Merchandise & More follow us on, Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube. Don't forget to check out the Chip and Company Radio Network too!