One Day EPCOT Itinerary & Easy Touring Plan (2024)
This one day EPCOT itinerary shares about my most recent Disney trip, how to plan for one day in EPCOT, and all the foods and drinks you cannot miss.
The acronym EPCOT stands for experimental prototype community of tomorrow.
EPCOT is the most well-known for the world showcase and drinking around the world. Based on this, EPCOT is one of the best parks for adults, foodies, and partiers.
This guide to one day in EPCOT will help you plan out your day to hit all the highlights, avoid crowds, and soak in all the Disney magic.
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Recommended One Day EPCOT Itinerary
While there are many ways to plan a one-day EPCOT park itinerary, the below itinerary is my ideal day. However, changes can be made based on the above tips to suit your interests.
Early Morning: Join the virtual queue for the newest attraction, Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind. Arrive at park 30 minutes before rope drop to get through security and entrance.
Rope Drop: Wait at rope 5 minutes before opening to be first to the attractions. Head to Test Track or Frozen Ever After for your first attraction of the day. If you have not had breakfast yet, visit the world showcase for some food.
Mid-Morning: Hit lightning lane rides as you gather reservations, following the above strategy.
Lunch: Mobile Order from a quick service restaurant and find a shady table for a break.
Afternoon: Get any available lightning lane reservations, then ride those attractions. Alternate between attractions and snacking/drinking around the world.
Dinner: Use reservation for dinner at Le Cellier.
Evening: Take advantage of shorter lines to hit your favorite attractions again.
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Overview of Genie+ and Lightning Lanes
If you are planning a Disney World vacation, chances are you have come across mention of Genie+ and lightening lanes. For a first timer, this system can be super overwhelming. If you are familiar with Disney’s fastpass system, Genie+ is essentially the newest version of it. First, here are some definitions that may help:
Disney Genie – The Disney Genie is an AI tool on the Disney app that helps you plan your day in a Disney park. The tool starts by collecting your interests, then suggests a daily itinerary that will help you visit those interests throughout the day. This tool is great in concept, but I think planning on your own will be the best use of time.
Genie+ – Genie+ is a paid service, around $15 per person, per day that allows you to access lightening lanes throughout the day.
Lightening Lane – A lightening lane is a priority lane that can be accessed in two ways. 1) Booking a timeslot using Genie+ and 2) purchasing an individual lightening lane. Individual lightening lanes are offered for a few attractions per park and cost additional money.
Genie+ in EPCOT Strategy
If you only have one day in EPCOT, I highly recommend purchasing Genie+. The lightning lane wait times are typically 10 minutes or less, compared to 40+ minutes in the standby line.
If you purchase Genie+, there are some restrictions to consider:
- You can begin reserving lightning lanes when the park opens the day you plan to visit
- You can only hold one lightning lane reservation at a time. Choose reservations that are early in the day, so you have time to redeem multiple.
- Individual lightning lane reservations do not count toward your one reservation at a time quota.
To use Genie+ in EPCOT, I recommend the following strategy. The goal is to redeem as many lightning lanes as possible, on the rides you most want to hit.
- If you are interested in the individual lightning lane attractions, purchase them at the start of the day
- Make a list of the top 3 genie+ lightning lane attractions you want to hit
- Once reservations open for the day, book whichever ride in your top 3 has the earliest return time
- Once you hit this ride, get another lightning reservation that has the soonest return time. This may or may not be a ride in your top 3, depending how the time slots are filling up.
- Continue reserving additional lightning lanes as soon as you can, until you ride them all.
- If you are unable to catch a time slot for your priority 3 rides, plan to visit them at the end of the day when the standby lines are shorter.
Currently, the individual lightning lane attractions for EPCOT are Frozen Ever After and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure.
My top three choices for the genie+ lightning lanes are Soarin’ Around the World, Test Track, and The Seas with Nemo and Friends.
Check out Disney’s website for the latest lightning lane attractions and to create your own priority list.
Dining Reservations for EPCOT
It is important to book dining reservations ahead of your one day in EPCOT. Disney dining reservations can currently be booked 60 days in advance for all guests.
Popular restaurants will fully book up within the first couple hours of reservation availability. Out of all the Disney World parks, EPCOT has the best restaurants.
Since you need to squeeze many great spots into this one-day EPCOT Itinerary, it is important to book early.
Some of the best restaurant to get a reservation at are Le Cellier steakhouse in France, Rose and Crown in the United Kingdom, and the Space 220 restaurant in World Discovery.
The Best Attractions to Rope Drop in EPCOT
Rope drop is the opening procedure for Disney parks each morning. Guests are allowed into the park before official opening.
Cast members will line up with rope barriers at the entrance to each land then will “drop” the rope at park opening time.
To make rope drop, plan to arrive at the park around 45 minutes before opening.
Rope dropping your favorite rides is the best way to hit a few attractions with little to no line. The best rides to rope drop are either your favorites or your priority lightning lane attractions with late return times.
In EPCOT, I recommend rope dropping Test Track or Frozen Ever After, as these rides can get very long standby lines later in the day.
Since ride lines will be shorter first thing in the day, choose from the lightning lane eligible rides as these are notorious for long lines during peak hours.
Eating Around the World in EPCOT
One of the most popular activities in EPCOT is eating around the world. In fact, its many people’s main reason for visiting the park.
A large portion of EPCOT is the world showcase, which consists of pavilions representing 11 different countries. Eating around the world is defined as eating a snack or meal at each of the pavilions.
If you plan to eat around the world, I highly recommend doing it with a group and sharing each food. Otherwise, your wallet and waistband will be feeling the pain.
The below items are my top picks for what to eat around the word in EPCOT:
Canada – Poutine Refreshment Port
United Kingdom – Fish & Chips Yorkshire County Fish Shop
France – Ham and Cheese Crepe La Creperie de Paris
Morocco – Hummus Plate
Japan – Rainbow Kakigōri with Sweet Milk Topping Kabuki Cafe
America – Brisket Sandwich Regal Eagle Smokehouse
Italy – Gelato Gelateria Toscana
Germany – Giant Pretzel with Beer Cheese Sommerfest
China – Pork and Vegetable Egg Rolls Joy of Tea
Norway – Troll Horn Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe
Mexico – Fish Tacos La Cantina de San Angel
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Drinking Around the World in EPCOT
Together with eating around the world is drinking around the world in EPCOT.
Similar to the eating version, drinking around the world includes having an alcoholic drink at each pavilion in the world showcase.
As with eating, I recommend sharing the drinks at each stop to save yourself from spending too much money or getting too much of a buzz.
In addition, I recommend breaking up your drinking with snack breaks, attraction breaks, and lots of water. While drinking around the world can be fun, it is important to drink responsibly.
My top picks for what to drink in each country are:
Canada – Draft Beer Popcorn Cart
United Kingdom – Snake Bite Rose and Crown Dining Room
France – Grand Mariner Slush Les Vins des Chefs de France
Morocco – Moroccan Mule Spice Road Table
Japan – Sake Outdoor Sake Bar
America – Craft Beer Regal Eagle Smokehouse
Italy – Italian Margarita Gelateria Toscana
Germany – Schöfferhofer Pink Grapefruit Hefeweizen Sommerfest
China – Canto Loopy Joy of Tea
Norway – Viking Coffee Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe
Mexico – Frozen Margarita La Cantina de San Angel
Packing for One Day in EPCOT
Preparation is the key to success when it comes to a Disney vacation. I suggest packing the below items to help maintain your comfort the entire day in the park.
That way, you will not have to head back to your hotel for anything during the day.
Portable charger– Your phone will be your guide around the park. You will likely use the Disney app for your Disney World tickets, Genie+, mobile food orders and to check wait times. To keep your phone from dying, bring a portable charger.
Portable fan– Disney World can be extremely hot and humid. Pack a portable fan to help stay cool during the day.
Reusable water bottle– Another way to stay cool and hydrated is by packing a reusable water bottle. There are water fountains for refills throughout the park and all quick service restaurants will provide ice water for free.
Fanny pack– A fanny pack is the easiest way to hold your Disney World resort essentials. It can be worn on some rides and easily fits in the baggage area on others.
In addition to the essentials listed above, the below outfits and accessories are great for Disney World’s EPCOT.
Find clothes that showcase the characters and themes of the park such as ratatouille, frozen, or the world showcase. I absolutely love the drinking and snacking around the world shirts!
FAQ – One Day EPCOT Touring Plan
Yes, it is possible to spend an entire day at Epcot in Walt Disney World. Many people view it as a half-day park, but I think one day in EPCOT is the perfect amount of time. With a full day, you can alternate between eating and drinking at the world showcase and riding all of the great attractions.
The abbreviation EPCOT stands for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. It’s meant to show what the ideal futuristic society would look like.
The Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival is not an annual even, but a permanent attraction in the EPCOT theme park at Disney World.
Get the best deal on Disney World tickets and save on vacation packages with the code: TRAVELINGMOORE
Summary of this One Day EPCOT Itinerary
EPCOT is the best park to visit if you only have one day. Unlike some of the other parks, its reasonable to hit all the top attractions in EPCOT in one day.
Since EPCOT is unique in having the World Showcase, I recommend splitting your time between attractions and eating.
Some common mistakes when visiting EPCOT are forgetting to get dining reservations, missing lightning lane reservations, and drinking too much.
To avoid these mistakes, plan ahead, share your drinks, and use the Disney app to guide your day.
Overall, you are guaranteed to have a great day in EPCOT, because Disney is the most magical place on earth, after all. For more Disney tips, check out my complete guide to Disney for Adults.
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