The Florida heat and humidity is hard to describe to out of town guests who are used to milder temperatures. Plus, you will be able to get a jump start on your adult adventure at Epcot. We don’t know if those will be the final hours for EPCOT or if park times will be changed again and possibly extended as the weeks go on. The most important thing you need to know during the reopening phase for any of the Disney parks is all the new safety and health guidelines guests have to follow in the parks. THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS. My name is Ziggy and I love Disney, everything Disney! The grand finale to any Epcot trip is Illuminations. The majority never go above 10-15 minutes, and many are walk-ons at all hours of the day outside the “busy” period from 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm. As in the other parks, not everything is open in EPCOT, so expect some closures while visiting during this period. … The Gran Fiesta Tour had an interesting start as the José Carioca animatronic was having mechanical problems and went missing for a couple of weeks. They like to service each guest the Disney way. We’ve also discovered that wait times are usually much lower than what they are listed at when you enter the queues, and often a listed 30-minute wait, in reality, is only 15. It will be an “innovative city” that is “bursting with interactive experiences, your favorite Disney characters, hands-on activities and engaging entertainment,” according to Disney’s announcement. As noted above the best time to visit the 2021 Disney World Food and Wine Festival is the entire month of September. You want to prepare your body for eating and drinking alcohol. That of course is not happening right now, and Disney has announced they are limiting it to only 35% of the normal capacity. If you haven’t been to EPCOT in a while, the whole entrance to EPCOT has been re-done and it is now a much smoother experience. Another must do is to get your passport stamped in each country while enjoying World Showcase with a glass of your favorite wine. In the mist of helping, they sometimes do what’s called “plussing” your day. We brought clear plastic ornaments for the characters to sign (which they *loved*…breaks up the autograph book monotony) and had a blast with it. 9 Spectacular Things You Must Do at Epcot Flower and Garden Festival 2021, Road Trip Essentials You Must Have: Driving to Disney Alone (Solo Disney Trip). This annual event brings in so many fans from around the world. The fountain is now open and it offers so many awesome photo opportunities both during the day at night (when we can actually still be here at night). Disney suspended FastPass+ for all 4 theme parks and we still don’t know when or IF it’s coming back. Of all the Disney parks, Epcot is probably the most adult friendly and fun park to discover. As we now have even further reduced park hours we’re interested to see what this will do. In the meantime, the queues that were previously dedicated to FastPass+ are now being used as extra stand-by queues to help soak up the guests waiting in line for a given attraction. Getting Tickets. Terms & Privacy | Disclosure | Disclaimer | My Story | Contact Me. If you are here for a week and doing multiple parks, put Hollywood Studios on the weekend since it always is full, and leave the other parks for the weekdays. Of all the procedural changes in the parks, dining and restaurants have perhaps been the most affected. Winnie the Pooh and Joy from Inside Out – These two can be found in Future World hanging out and playing in the grass. This has been consistently the case in all 4 parks. These are our two favorites that will be at this year’s festival. Pack your patience and know that it will all be ok. Wow, Laura! I’ve wrote a whole article called the Do’s and Don’ts of Drinking at Epcot. Thanks . A seventh, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, is opening October 1, 2021. One of the biggest bummers when the parks reopened, was that Park Hopping was temporarily suspended. There are still some restrictions however as the parks still have capacity limits. We chose to go to Epcot on our second day at Disney World and what a great choice it was. We also really miss the Awesome Live Mix featuring the Guardians of the Galaxy which is one of the most high-energy shows EPCOT normally does. Use arrows key to select day and page up or down keys to change between months. Epcot … The 2021 Taste of EPCOT International Festival of the Arts celebrates all things art and imagination. While the grounds at Epcot are always beautiful, the … These heavy hitting attractions are adult favorites. This site is an Unofficial Disney Fan site and is in no way affiliated with the Walt Disney Company or any of its affiliates. The first thing before even leaving the parking lot, you will notice the face mask dispensers set up in case you forgot yours at home. International Food & Wine Festival: July 15th – Mid-November. I grew up on Disney and it has and continues to be a huge part of my life. EPCOT to me is also the safest-feeling park with the wide walkway around World Showcase Lagoon. My name is NikkyJ and I’m the owner of ThemeParkHipster. For the Walt Disney Company visit their website: www.waltdisney.com, Copyright © 2020 | Bamboo on Trellis Framework by Mediavine, Disney's Magic Kingdom After Reopening | What's Open in 2021, Disneyâs Hollywood Studios After Reopening | What's Open in 2021, Walt Disney World Phased Reopening | Complete Guide, How to Make Disney World Park Pass Reservations | Complete Guide, Disney World Closures – Updates, How to Get a Refund & Future Impact, Disneyland Reopening â Latest Updates, FAQs & Refunds, Disney Cruise Line Closure â Updates, Refunds & FAQs, Oga’s Cantina (Menu, Review and Reservations), Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser Hotel | Location, Cost and Opening, Savi’s Workshop – How to Build a Custom Lightsaber, Complete Walt Disney World Reopening Guide, How to Make Disney World Park Reservations. To learn more about how to find all the characters now, read our guide to the Disney Character Cavalcades in the Disney Parks. Tips for Doing Walt Disney World on a Budget, Takumi Tei, Epcot’s Newest Japanese Restaurant, What You Need to Know About Epcot’s Yearly Festivals, Everything You Need To Know About Regal Eagle Smokehouse Craft Beer And Barbecue At Epcot, 21 Best Drinks in Epcot – Your Cheat Guide, 5 Incredible Universal Orlando Packing List Tips (Ultimate Guide & Checklist). Waits for Spaceship Earth are almost inexistent and rarely have wait times more than 10 minutes. EPCOT: FastPass+ Tier 1 Choices. I’ll be perfectly honest, having a specific plan right now just isn’t as important as it usually is. Keep checking back as we will continue to update this post with the latest news from EPCOT and anything else you need to know during this reopening phase. That being said, we’ve put together some tips that will help you get the most out of your day in the current situation. Epcot Crowd Calendar. Epcot International Food and Wine Festival. For lovers of the original Epcot, you know World of Motion, Horizons and Communicore, Disney…, The Walt Disney World Railroad in Disney's Magic Kingdom has been closed now since December…, You can never get enough Mickey Ears and there is a new set coming to…. This is AMAZING advice!!!! Usually, EPCOT has 9:00 am openings and 9:00 closing times, with the park staying open even later on days with Extra Magic Hours or during the busy season. Frozen Promenade – Lastly, Anna and Elsa make their way down World Showcase Promenade, Anna from her caravan and Elsa on foot. Since EPCOT is closing early now, your time in the park is greatly reduced. The only thing I would add is that if you want to get into the parks first thing in the morning, I would book a character breakfast before the park opens. Even with the Food and Wine Festival running, it’s been difficult to get anyone but locals to come to the park. While we know these changes can be annoying, try to have patience while visiting Disney right now. If park closing is at 7:00 pm, try booking dinner as close to 7:00 pm as possible. Let me know some of your favorite things to do when you’re at Epcot without the kids in the comments section below. If you are staying at an EPCOT-area hotel (Boardwalk Inn, Yacht & Beach Club or Swan and Dolphin), or on the Disney Skyliner route (Pop Century, Caribbean Beach, Riviera Resort and Art of Animation) then you have a few options. If you want A/C though, head to Akershus. This has steadily been one of the two most popular rides in EPCOT since it opened in 2016, and it remains that way after reopening. And we were NOT alone. The Future World side of EPCOT is light on restaurants, but one that is coming is truly out-of-this-world…the Space 220 restaurant. 2) You’ll be most tempted to feel rushed if the food arrives at your table while the characters are coming around. 41 is certainly enough to cover the needs of the greatly reduced crowds in the park right now. Most of our favorite EPCOT table service restaurants are open. However, with no international Cast Members and many restaurants and shops closed, it just doesn’t have the same feel to it as before. Princesses, potato casserole, then walking on to Frozen Ever After…sounds like a pretty magical start to the day for me! The lack of cultural representation is felt in all the other countries too…France, Japan, Morocco, etc. They cost $2 each. You can book FastPasses while you’re in the park. A very peaceful adult thing to do. There are 3 Relaxation Stations in EPCOT and they are located at: Hand sanitizer is located in all three locations, as well as plenty of signage and distancing markers. A huge change in the park-going experience is the fact that you must buy tickets in advance, and they must be accompanied by one of the new Park Pass reservations. Epcot’s approach has been to take the present and create the future we want to have. You must also country hop as an adult in Epcot! There were also special Christmas Character Cavalcades going on during the holiday season: Even if you don’t catch a character procession, there are a couple more opportunities to see characters in EPCOT. Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros, Walt Disney Imagineering presents the Epcot Experience, Project Tomorrow: Inventing the Wonders of the Future. Posted on Last updated: March 9, 2021 By: Author Ziggy Oskwarek. Maybe we’ll get used to it the more we go, but here’s hoping they come back soon. No opening date has been given yet. This whole area of the park is surrounded by walls and inaccessible right now. It … With everything currently going on there, it sends off a vibe at times that doesn’t feel the same in either Future World or World Showcase. First, you need to buy your park ticket for EPCOT if you don’t already have one. The Disney app allows you to make your FastPass+ reservations before your visit. Until next time, Happy Park Hopping Hipsters! Thanks again for such an awesome suggestion . Not that this was much different before the closure, but the construction is EVERYWHERE in EPCOT and is impossible to miss. However, if you truly want to explore all the nooks and crannies of the park, then you’ll need two days. Thankfully, wait times at EPCOT have been extremely low since reopening, in fact, it’s the park with the second-lowest wait times behind only Animal Kingdom. Thankfully, Mariachi Cobra and the JAMMitors play throughout the day at the America Gardens Theater. While the Monorail is running on the Magic Kingdom loop, it is NOT currently bringing guests to EPCOT. Alice and Mary Poppins – Both of these lovely ladies can be found in the gazebo, in the back of the U.K. pavilion. A huge change in the park-going experience is the fact that you must buy tickets in advance, and they must be accompanied by one of the new Park Pass reservations. This makes it convenient and easy to get to, and since guests are only being loaded one group at a time on the Skyliner, your risks are minimized. The queue has distanced markers on the ground for guests: The other exhibits in The Seas pavilion are cleaned often by Cast Members, especially in the high-touch areas. One of the beautiful things about EPCOT is the cultural diversity throughout the countries in World Showcase and the fact that you normally find representives from each specific country actually running the shops and restaurants in those pavilions. Starting in January, EPCOT hours were reduced with openings at 11:00 am and closings from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm daily. Disney cast members are some of the best people who are around to help. That means many fewer guests each day are allowed entrance. However, like all the other Disney Parks right now EPCOT has greatly reduced hours. The Big 3: Test Track, Frozen Ever After, and Soarin’ Around the World are all on average 30 minutes or less making them easy to get on multiple times per day. and we used a gesture conversation to finally figure out the relationship between Chip and Dale (for the record, they’re BFFs and not blood related). Make sure you have a good pair of sneakers, a light-weight t-shirt, shorts, and a hat to block the Florida sun. Our favorite of these is the Epcot International Festival of the Arts, which runs now through February 22, 2021. The calendar gives you an estimation of peak times at the Epcot throughout the year. 99% of the people follow the rules and are respectful of others, and there are a few who you find every now and then trying not to wear them. Here is what to expect: Disney still isn’t running Extra Magic Hours in the parks at this time. Calendar Control. Let’s face it, most of our visits to EPCOT are during one of the 4 yearly festivals, so we were happy to learn that Disney is still running them going forward. This way you will be seated right when the attractions are all closing down. Another super easy ride to get on with waits between 5 and 10 minutes. At least we can ride it a few more times again before the change. It kind of takes away some of the immersion the experience should give you. After the ride is over, we find the interactive features of the post-show also turned off, but the cars are still viewable. Right now there are 41 restaurants open in EPCOT including table service, quick service, lounges, and snack carts. If you aren’t there at rope drop, no worry. There aren’t many thrill rides here, but the rides at Epcot come with more of a purpose then what you will see in other Disney theme parks. Read: Around the World in One Day: The EPCOT Pavilion Experience! Great tips for character dining rookies, especially a rookie like me. You can snap a few photos without a mask if you do … Get started here! This is just one of the many restaurants that have the menu available to guests by QR code so you can scan and read it on your phone. The characters include: Mickey, Pluto, and Chip ‘n’ Dale. I will have to try that this year. If you are in that first group, it means you are within walking distance of EPCOT and that is your only choice at the moment. Anticipating that not all guests will be able to go all day in a theme park without a break from face coverings, Disney has created designated areas called “Relaxation Stations” where guests can stay mask-free. EPCOT has the highest park capacity, and under normal circumstances, it can hold as many as 100,000 or slightly more. Despite its reputation for being a more “grown up” park, Epcot actually has a lot to offer kids. No word yet on when this is coming back or how long Disney Harmonious, the new replacement fireworks show has been delayed. There are also protective plexiglas barriers set up in the queue since it’s indoors and in a small space. Some of the attractions are still closed (though very few), entertainment options are scarce, and even many of the restaurants in World Showcase have yet to open their doors. TIP: Disney’s new Early Theme Park Entry for Walt Disney World Resort hotel guests allows you access to the theme parks 30 minutes earlier than the scheduled opening time. If you enjoyed this article, as always I appreciate it if you’d share it with others via social media. Disney is currently transferring all those names to another location outside the entrance so stay tuned there. Ready to start planning your next Disney vacation? Hey Laura and how I do my reservation? FastPass+ ensures that you can ride the top attractions on your list without feeling like you’ve missed anything. ... Do not waste your time coming here in 2021. Winnie the Pooh over by the Imagination! It’s a true classic Disney ride and I usually have a boat to myself. We just love those old school acrylic prisms! This evening show features lasers, … The biggest downer for us is the lack of international Cast Members, who we feel do a tremendous job in creating the wonderful environment in EPCOT that we are so used to. And…3) You might also be tempted to strangle Epcot security first thing in the morning—it feels like they take their sweet time about *everything*! There is different availability depending on which type of park ticket you have (Annual Pass, Regular Park Ticket, or Disney Hotel Guest), but for the most part EPCOT usually isn’t sold out. I think that’s a wonderful addition for adults going to the park. As you can see, you can find something to do at Disney the grownup way. Again, EPCOT is not busy compared to normal times, and even if you come on the weekend and in the middle of the day, crowds will be significantly lower than what you’re used to. The Garden Grill is in the same building as both Soarin’ and Living With the Land and Akershus is next door to Frozen Ever After. Here is a list of the biggest projects underway right now in EPCOT: The entrance to the park has been under construction since 2019 but is nearing completion now. Get used to them, they are everywhere! Let’s talk about my absolute favorite theme park in the world. . Some of the links on ThemeParkHipster are affiliate links. The boats have been modified and now have plexiglass dividers between rows. Like everywhere in the park and I mean that. Thank you! It’s like you stepped into an alternate universe…very weird indeed! There are also no nighttime spectaculars going on right now in Walt Disney World, and that means EPCOT Forever isn’t running. 2021 UPDATE: FastPasses have been temporarily suspended at Walt Disney World. Even before the closure, most of the machines here weren’t working, and it looks like they are packing it in until the refurbishment starts where this whole area is getting gutted. This is a attraction of Epcot which requires English to make the most of it. We know many families had their names on them, but they were horrendous to look at and we dig the new green look much more. guide to the Disney Character Cavalcades in the Disney Parks. Inside the theater many of the seats are blocked off and it’s easy to tell where you can sit. Regal Eagle Smokehouse: Craft Drafts & Barbecue. Since Disney announced the budget cuts, a lot is up-in-the-air for World Celebration and Disney hasn’t updated us yet on what is getting cut. Here are some things to do at Epcot, plus some information about how to plan your trip: EPCOT … Sculpted Topiaries at EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival 2021. Attractions have never been EPCOT’s strong suit, but at least almost everything they have is open right now. Of all the rides in EPCOT, Test Track has the highest wait times at around 30-35 minutes and Frozen Ever After averaging 25-30. The only bummer is there are a significantly reduced number of food marketplaces this year and each of the menus is missing a few items that in a normal year would be there. Epcot … The only thing open right now is Reflections of China. Don’t be surprised if you see hazy eyes roaming around Epcot at twilight. In our 4th and final article in the series, we take at EPCOT and what it’s like since reopening. Epcot. If your food gets cold, the Epcot breakfasts are both all-you-can-eat skillets, so just ask for more. Resort Hop. — AllEars.Net (@AllEarsNet) March 11, 2021 . Art Defying Gravity is a group of acrobatic performers that do … Disney World Resort guests can have reservations for each day of their hotel stay. The shopping experience has changed in Disney World as shoppers have to wait in a distanced queue to enter the stores, or a virtual queue in some cases. The biggest part of the work is focused in the old Future World, which is getting split-up into three separate lands. Yes, masks are obligatory even on thrill attractions like this one. 28,999 Reviews #8 of 432 things to do in Orlando. EPCOT is going through a similar phase and right now, unfortunately, we are still near the beginning of the work. Copyright © 2012-2020. There are 11 (eleven) countries in Epcot. They were so much fun to watch and brought a lot of energy into World Showcase which now is pretty dead. They’ll just wave at you and move on if you want, but if you just want to throw caution to the wind and play around with the characters, you will have a great time! The new security checkpoint at the EPCOT entrance is working and guests were moving through quickly without many holdups. This system allows you to book up to three attractions before you arrive to the park. Planning a trip soon? One of my favorite things to do at Epcot is to ride Living with the Land in the morning before the park gets busy. It will be available at all 4 theme parks, every day of the week once it debuts sometime later in 2021. It allows you to sit back and absorb the Disney vibe. Disney started the Park Pass system due to the current limited capacity of the theme parks. They are the only reason the parks are allowed to operate, and the better things run, the sooner we can have more of a “normal” experience there. I’ve never left the EPCOT Flower and Garden Festival without nagging Leap to re-do our landscaping. It was supposed to be ready to open in 2021, but now it won’t be opening until 2022. You can be there to eat all day and drink all day and still not try every delicious option Epcot has to offer.