Every EPCOT ride in one day on our first Walt Disney World visit!
Only got one day? Find out how our Aussie family did every ride at EPCOT in just one day – plus a discount ticket promo code!
Disney’s EPCOT theme park in Orlando Florida
We recently explored all four of the major Walt Disney World theme parks in Florida for the very first time.
Our first theme park was the stunning Magic Kingdom , then Disney’s Hollywood Studios and later Disney’s Animal Kingdom. In this article we’ll be focusing on our third park choice of the trip – the massive EPCOT theme park.
Where can I buy discounted Walt Disney World tickets online?
Buy Walt Disney World tickets on Klook
Firstly, if you’re planning your own Aussie family holiday trip to Walt Disney World, we have a tickets discount promocode for you!
Australia and New Zealand new Klook purchases booking tickets online to Walt Disney World in Orlando can use our LETSGOMUM20 promocode at checkout and save *USD$20! (you must click on the following link for the promocode to work!):
Go to Klook to buy discounted Walt Disney World tickets online
*$200 minimum purchase
This page may contain affiliate links. If you book a stay or an attraction through one of them, I will receive a commission (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for your support!
There was a flower festival on at EPCOT when we visited
What is EPCOT?
Disney’s EPCOT is a massive, globally themed Disney ride and attractions park in Orlando, Florida.
EPCOT was the second park to be opened at Walt Disney World in 1982. It’s a massive theme park, covering area of 305 acres. With a huge lake in its centre surrounded by different world country areas, EPCOT feels like a fabulous international world travel expo or fair – but with really amazing Disney rides and shows added!
We set out to do all the rides at EPCOT on our one day visit and found that whilst it was possible to squeeze them all in, it left precious little time to really enjoy all the international exhibits and shows on offer. Still, we gave it a really solid try! Here’s how our day at EPCOT went…
What are the best rides in EPCOT?
Everyone has their favourite Disney rides but as this was our first visit to EPCOT, we could hit them all for the first time in one day! Our four top EPCOT rides were:
1. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
We go into more detail about this ride later due to its virtual queue but trust us – if you are okay with flashing lights, spinning and whirling through the galaxy at top speed whilst upbeat music plays, then you’re going to LOVE this ride. Hugely popular, you need to PLAN AHEAD to ride it (more info below).
2. Test Track
Test Track
Design a car on a computer and then go for a speedy real-world ride in it – what’s not to love? Test Track is so fun! It definitely lived up to the hype. I also like to think that we did prove the point that even if your car design is terrible (we accidentally bumped the screen and nearly cut the car design in half!) you can still win everything except for efficiency! Awesome fun that goes super fast at 104kms (that’s 64 miles) per hour.
3. Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
A top family-friendly ride, we really only just edged this ride out of second place. I usually find 3D rides less immersive because it means a high-screen content, but although Ratatouille has screens, they are massive and the props are all huge too – the ride is designed to made to make you actually feel like you are rat-sized, and it does a fantastic job of it.
4. Spaceship Earth
Spaceship Earth is inside the EPCOT ball!
Have you ever wondered if there is anything inside the big EPCOT golf ball? Okay, so EPCOT don’t actually call it a golf ball, it’s the iconic “Geosphere” that you see when you first enter the main gates. It also just so happens to have a very cool ride inside of it! Spaceship Earth is a family friendly, slow paced ride that features a fascinating trip through time. You haven’t been to EPCOT if you haven’t been inside the ball!
Which is the newest ride at Disney’s EPCOT?
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. EPCOT is home to Walt Disney World’s second newest ride and EPCOT’s newest ride Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, which opened in May 2022.
A reverse launch roller coaster that rotates 360 degrees, one of the most amazing things about the Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind ride is that it is a dark ride – an inside ride that is one of the biggest fully enclosed roller coasters in the world!
Snacks on the run are a must if you’re trying to do all the rides!
How do I ride Guardians of the Galaxy at EPCOT?
A ride on the Marvel-themed Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind requires a free virtual queue reservation or paid individual Lightning Lane entry (a fast pass).
To get a free place in the Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind Virtual Queue, you’ll need to download the My Disney Experience mobile app. and book a place the morning of the day of your visit to EPCOT.
The Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind virtual queue places become available on the Disney app at 7am (you don’t have to be in the park but you will need a valid admission ticket) and again at 1pm (you do have to be in the park).
We used two phones logged into our Disney account with our fingers tapping the reserve button the second the clock ticked over 7am. Luckily we managed to snag a spot in the virtual queue – we were placed in GROUP 114 which didn’t come up until 3:45pm that afternoon. This goes to show there’s a lot of people trying to get a place on the ride and some are going to miss out!
You are only given your group boarding party number during the virtual queue booking and not a time. When your boarding party notification appears on the app at the park you receive an hour’s notice time-block to ride.
Even though the virtual queues fill up in seconds in the morning, if you are unsuccessful then you can always try again in the afternoon for the 1pm virtual queue booking release (if you are inside EPCOT at that time).
Make the effort to get a boarding group place on Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind a priority if you love fast-paced thrill rides. With its exciting music background and cool special effects as you are spun through the universe, this is one of our favourite Disney rides of all time!
EPCOT Genie+ & Lightning Lane pass
Lightning Lane scan gates
What are Genie+ and Lightning Lane passes?
These extra-cost digital fast passes use a separate ride entry with a shorter path to by-pass the normal stand-by lines. This will fast-track you to the head of the standby ride queue. Download the My Disney Experience app for free in the Apple Store or on Google Play to buy fast passes.
How early can I buy Disney EPCOT fast passes?
Genie+ passes – All guests can buy Genie+ on the Walt Disney World My Disney Experience app from 7am on the morning of your visit. You don’t have to be at the actual parks to buy it.
Lightning Lane pay to ride (only currently available for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind) – If you are a Disney hotel guest then you get early access from 7am on the morning of your visit to buy Lightning Lane on the Walt Disney World My Disney Experience app. Other guests must wait until the park opens to buy them. Be quick! These will also sell out during the morning.
How much is EPCOT’s Genie+?
EPCOT’s Genie+ was USD$25 per person the day we visited – a Thursday on the 1st of June 2023.
How much is Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind Lightning Lane?
It costs about USD$20 per person to buy Lightning Lane access for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, which is currently the only pay-to-ride ride at EPCOT.
Can you do all the rides at EPCOT in one day?
The Land is a boat ride through agriculture
Yes you can, because we did! Here are all the rides at EPCOT in the order that we did them.
Full Disney EPCOT ride list
8:21am – Arrive at EPCOT via the International Gate
Ride 1 – (Enter Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure queue at:8:30am)
8:51am-8:56am – Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
Ride 2 – (Enter Journey Into Imagination With Figment queue 10:51am)
11:00am-11:10am – Journey Into Imagination With Figment
Ride 3 – (Enter Soarin’ queue 11:52am)
12:14am-12:19 Soarin’
Ride 4 – (Enter Living With the Land queue 12:23pm)
12:40pm-12:58pm – Living With the Land
Ride 5 – (Enter The Seas With Nemo and Friends queue 2:11pm)
2:16pm-2:20 The Seas With Nemo and Friends
Ride 6 – (Enter Spaceship Earth queue 4:16pm)
4:18pm-4:37pm – Spaceship Earth
Ride 7 – (Enter Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind queue 4:51pm)
5:40pm-5:44pm – Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
Ride 8 – (Enter Mission: SPACE queue 5:50pm)
5:57pm-6:08 – Mission: SPACE
Ride 9 – (Enter Test Track queue 6:14pm)
6:54pm-7:12pm – Test Track
Ride 10 – (Enter Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros queue 7:25pm)
7:27pm-7:35pm – Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros
Ride 11 – (Enter Frozen Ever After queue 7:52pm)
8:15pm-8:20pm – Frozen Ever After
9pm – watch the Fireworks
Leave EPCOT at 9:30pm
What ride should I do first at Disney’s EPCOT?
The Frozen Ever After ride has a small drop
During early entry, it’s best to get a popular ride or two done first, as they will be even busier later on.
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure is one of the most popular rides at EPCOT. As it was close to the Skyliner gondola park International Gateway entrance, we decided that this should be our first ride.
Although, very popular rides with standby lines like Test Track which is closer to the EPCOT main entrance or Frozen are also great first ride choices. We prioritised Ratatouille as more of a geographical popular ride choice for us – it would have taken us another ten or fifteen minutes to navigate the crowds to get to Test Track or Frozen Ever After, and by then the queue would be even longer.
Does EPCOT have fireworks?
Yes, EPCOT has it’s own fireworks show. We finished our last ride in time to watch the whole EPCOT Forever fireworks show just before closing time. The fireworks show is held over the central lake in the center of EPCOT, so it’s relatively easy to get a good spot if you sit down 30 minutes before.
EPCOT lights up at night
How do I buy Walt Disney World tickets online?
Klook sells Walt Disney World tickets
Purchase your Walt Disney World tickets on Klook. Klook is a registered Walt Disney World ticket reseller who offer discounted tickets.
Quick, easy and cheap, Klook is the best way to buy Walt Disney World tickets online, and you can do it all from your armchair at home or work!
Is there a Walt Disney World promo code?
Yes! Australian and New Zealand purchases get *$20USD off Walt Disney World tickets if you’re new to Klook by using our promocode: LETSGOMUM20 at checkout!
Book tickets online to Walt Disney World in Orlando
*$200 minimum purchase
We felt like we really just scratched the surface of Disney’s EPCOT – it’s a huge, fun Orlando theme park with a lot to see and do. Luckily, not exploring absolutely everything we wanted to gives us a great excuse to return to this wonderful theme park again in the future!
EPCOT is an essential part of any Walt Disney World Florida visit. Don’t miss it!
If you enjoyed reading this article, please consider giving it a Facebook “Like”, share or we’d love to hear about your own Disney experiences in the comments below!
You may also like to read these other Walt Disney World blogs:
How buy Walt Disney World tickets from Australia
Our Australian family Walt Disney World trip – Magic Kingdom
Our Australian family Walt Disney World trip – Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Our Australian family Walt Disney World trip – Disney’s Animal Kingdom
3 Walt Disney World theme park hacks for your Australian family holiday
Disclaimers: Let’s Go Mum may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you with bookings made with Klook
The Let’s Go Mum family partnered with Disney & Klook for this Walt Disney World trip. As always, all opinions are our own.
All prices and times quoted were correct at September 2023, the time of publishing this article, but can change frequently. Please always re-check for current prices.
Share one of our images to Pinterest…
Every EPCOT ride in one day on our first Walt Disney World visit!
