Epcot is a fan favorite at Walt Disney World and is a theme park you absolutely have to visit! However, there’s so much more to Epcot than people think. Don’t be a rookie and avoid making these mistakes:
9. Not going during a special event: Some of the best times to visit Epcot are during Food and Wine Festival every fall and Flower and Garden Festival in the spring! These events give a whole new spin to Epcot and allow for tons of limited edition merchandise opportunities, photo opportunities, musical guests, and limited edition dining options that you can try! If possible, try to plan your Epcot visit around these times.
8. Buying crazy merchandise: There are plenty of really cool merchandise options at Epcot, like sweatshirts and mugs and everything you could ever imagine with different country or general Epcot designs on them. But occasionally, you’ll see someone walking around with a Chinese rice farmer hat on or an extremely massive, colorful sombrero. While these things can be super fun to purchase, if you’re traveling to and from Walt Disney World by plane or from far away, be sure to ask yourself if it’s something you’ll ever use again or something that will be easy to take back home.
7. Not making dining reservations: While there are plenty of wonderful quick service restaurants at Epcot, between The Land and all of the various country pavilions at the World Showcase, but some of the best dining experiences at Epcot require a reservation. Dining with princesses at Akershus in Norway and having a view of the fireworks at Tokyo Dining are experiences that everyone can enjoy but have a high demand!
6. Not meeting the characters: Did you know that you can meet some characters at Epcot? That’s right, various characters meet throughout Epcot! You can meet Mickey and friends in Future World and various princesses and other characters like Alice and Mary Poppins. There are schedules posted in their meet and greet spots and you can also view who meets where and when on the My Disney Experience mobile app.
5. Not taking advantage of potential special offers: Disney Visa Cardholders, this one is for you! You can have a private meet and greet with some of Mickey and friends if you have your Chase Disney Visa Card handy. The private meet and greet can let you and your family and friends in and also comes with a free photo print after your meet and greet.
4. Skipping The Land: Even if you aren’t interested in agriculture, gardening, and crops, The Land is a really cool experience that you have to experience at Epcot. Living with the Land is a ride in this section of Epcot where you go through a very brief history of agriculture in America and then you can see where Walt Disney World grows their own food! Living with the Land also offers a behind the scenes tour called “Behind the Seeds,” which is only $20.00 for adults and $16.00 for children (Annual Passholders and Disney Visa Cardholders can get a discount).
Bonus Tip!
BONUS TIP: Consider planning and booking your next Disney trip with an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner you can trust like Mickey Travels. They’ll help you get the best Disney travel deal, share expert advice and their services are totally FREE! It’s genius! Discover More >
3. Skipping a country in the World Showcase: Each country pavilion in the World Showcase offers something unique and beautiful that is representative of each country’s people, culture, and history. Every pavilion is filled with detail, great food, and amazing performances that you absolutely cannot miss, so don’t skip out on any of them!
2. Not getting any FastPasses: Most rookies just assume that Epcot is just the World Showcase and Spaceship Earth. Big mistake! Rides like Soarin’ and Mission: Space are always extremely popular at Epcot and are experiences that you can’t miss!
1. Skipping IllumiNations: Don’t think that you should skip out on IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth, the nightly fireworks show, because everyone always talks about Wishes at Magic Kingdom! IllumiNations is an equally beautiful fireworks show and happens every night at 9:00 at the World Showcase Lagoon.
Now that you know what you should do when you go to Epcot, you can visit that theme park like a Disney pro!
BONUS TIP: Consider planning and booking your next Disney trip with an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner you can trust like Mickey Travels. They’ll help you get the best Walt Disney World deal, share expert advice and their services are totally FREE! It’s genius!
