Top 10 EPCOT Attractions

Last year we gave you the Magic Kingdom and Universal Studios; now it’s time for EPCOT. Yes, we’re back in our favourite world of dreaming about the best rides and attractions in Orlando, and it’s time to look at Walt Disney World’s second park.

The wonderfully varied EPCOT park opened in 1982 as The EPCOT Center, with the initials standing for Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow. It was one of Walt’s most cherished ideas but, sadly, he never saw it take shape.

However, Disney has kept it flourishing through several updates and transformations, and the latest one is just about complete, with the finishing touches being applied to the new World Celebration area at the heart of the park.

And, seeing as we have already given you our exclusive top 10 of both the Magic Kingdom and Universal Studios, we thought it was past time to add our faves list for EPCOT, too.

EPCOT basics

First of all, EPCOT isn’t quite the all-action park that both the Magic Kingdom and Universal Studios are. It isn’t jam-packed with rides and it doesn’t overwhelm visitors with big-name films and non-stop movie characters.

But it does have a totally unique style and it does offer a tantalising mix of blockbuster rides and thoughtful attractions, as well as its own ‘World Expo’ type area full of international sights, sounds and culture.

In fact, we’d go as far as to say that the World Showcase section of EPCOT is almost a theme park in its own right, as it has a distinct message and design completely separate from any other Disney park.

Combined with the new-look front section, the former Future World that is now World Discovery, World Nature and World Celebration, it makes for a really compelling visit that now appeals to a wider audience than before.

Add in the spectacular set-piece live entertainment throughout the park – notably the big finale show of Luminous, The Symphony of Us – as well as seasonal festivals highlighting the arts, horticulture, music and culinary treats, and you have a complete picture of theme park delight.

So, with all that preamble behind us, here are our essential Top 10 attractions for EPCOT which you really need to see to ensure you have “done” the very best of what the park has to offer:

10) Turtle Talk with Crush: Tucked away inside the Nemo & Friends pavilion in World Nature, this wonderfully interactive show features the hip surfer dude turtle from the Finding Nemo films, in a movie-style presentation that can take some hilariously funny turns. ‘Shoot the breeze under the seas,’ it proclaims, and it really does deliver excellent family-friendly fun in clever, 15-minute chats between Crush and the audience.

9) Jammitors: Having said that EPCOT specialises in memorable live entertainment, this long-standing act is definitely one of the best and something of a park hallmark. A fun percussion act, the Jammitors ham it up with dustbins, plastic tubs and other “instruments,” putting together a raucous mix of songs and rhythms. Look for them in the World Celebration area.

8) Living With The Land: This classic ride is one of the slowest and most gentle in the whole Disney pantheon, but it remains a clever and insightful journey into food production and modern growing techniques. It’s WAY more interesting than it sounds and it is the sort of experience Walt would most certainly have approved of.

7) The Seas with Nemo & Friends: Returning to safe territory with a bunch of Disney animated characters, this “undersea journey” replaced the original Sea Cabs ride that opened with the park in 1982. Now, it is a wonderfully creative and amusing journey to find Nemo (yes, he’s lost again) with all the gang from the Finding Nemo films. PS: We LOVE the animated seagulls outside!

6) The American Adventure: Here’s another EPCOT original that has stood the test of time well and is a magnificent historical journey through the past and present of the USA. Part movie and part animatronic extravaganza, the American Adventure is completely captivating and features a rousing finale that is full of the patriotic fervour that the country does best.

5) Mission:Space: When you need to raise the pace and get some adrenalin pumping, this is the ride for you, a unique space simulation that blasts visitors on the flightpath to Mars for a vivid journey to the Red Planet. In fact, it is two rides in one – the full centrifuge-style (orange) ride that feels like it is really sending you into orbit, and the less intense (green) version that offers a more relaxing alternative without all the dynamic properties of the other.

4) Luminous The Symphony of Us: EPCOT has always been renowned for the big, end-of-evening shows on the central lagoon, and this continues today with the latest in a string of spectacular firework and special effect extravaganzas. Luminous made its debut last December and features a mix of Disney songs and new music, along with a dazzling pyrotechnic display.

3) Test Track: Amazingly, this high-speed thrill ride is already being prepared for its third incarnation, after originally opening in 1999. It was changed from the GM version to Chevrolet in 2012 and is now due another update in the next year. But it still provides terrific fun and excitement with its indoor-outdoor journey through this digital proving ground.

2) Guardians of the Galaxy – Cosmic Rewind: EPCOT moved into a new realm of rides with the opening in May 2022 of this dynamic whirl through the cinema world of the Guardians of the Galaxy films. Featuring a lively music track, clever indoor theming and cars that twist and turn on their axis, Cosmic Rewind is simply one of the most enjoyable rides in the whole of Walt’s World.

1) Soarin’ Around the World: If there’s one ride that sums up the spirit of EPCOT and its appeal to all ages, this is the attraction that really hits all the right notes. An advanced flight motion simulator (a bit like a hang-glider ride), it made its debut at Walt Disney World in 2005 and remains a five-star experience, even after its change in 2016 from a California-based journey to a fully worldwide one, with additional special effects. It sums up the creativity and imagination at the heart of Disney, and is the one ride in this park you simply shouldn’t miss.

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