How Many Days Should You Spend at EPCOT?

For the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, EPCOT was originally envisioned by Walt Disney as a perfect futuristic city. Unfortunately, he long passed before seeing his dream come true.

Nowadays, EPCOT is a theme park designed to celebrate various cultures all around the world. Apart from that, it also showcases innovation and technology, which is one of the things Walt Disney had in mind.

Due to how the theme park is designed to be like a world’s fair, it’s only fair to say that it’s one of the must-visit parks if you plan on taking a trip to Disney World. However, this brings the question: how many days should you spend at EPCOT?

A single day at EPCOT won’t be enough to truly enjoy what it has to offer, and there are several reasons why two days should be the minimum during your visit.

How Long Should You Stay at EPCOT?

As mentioned, if you’re focused on the rides, you can ride everything at EPCOT in under nine hours. However, this will cause you to miss out on the experience that the park has to offer. It would be like you’ve read a whole book but only the last page.

While the front section of the park is where most of the rides are, it’s the back section at the World Showcase where all of EPCOT’s hidden gems are located.

Especially if you love embracing different cultures or are curious about other cultures, you will surely enjoy your time at the park.

For this reason, we’d recommend spending at least two days in the park. Aside from its culture-rich attractions, EPCOT is also the best choice if you want to have a good time while at Disney World.

But why did we recommend at least two days to tour EPCOT? Well, here are five different reasons for that:

1. There Are Tons of Stuff To Explore

EPCOT has a total area of 305 acres, and within that massive space lies four different neighborhoods!

Future World is divided into three neighborhoods: World Celebration, World Discovery, and World Nature. The fourth one is the well-known World Showcase.

Each neighborhood has incredible attractions, characters to meet and greet, and amazing gift shops if you’re up for some souvenirs.

Let’s have a brief overview of what each neighborhood has to offer:

• World Celebration – This neighborhood features Spaceship Earth, a well-known attraction throughout EPCOT. It received the biggest changes among the four neighborhoods, giving it a brand-new look than the rest.
• World Discovery – Known as Future World East, World Discovery focuses on exploration and science. Several science-themed attractions are here, such as Test Track and Mission: SPACE.
• World Nature – Known as Future World West, World Nature focuses on the natural world’s balance and beauty. It features attractions like Living with the Land, the Imagination pavilion, and The Seas.
• World Showcase – Arguably the most popular of the four neighborhoods, World Showcase is where you can explore the world’s various cultures. Here, you can find 11 pavilions themed after different countries. While there are no thrill rides in World Showcase, you can get the chance to experience what it feels like living in another country.

If you stay in EPCOT for a day, you won’t be able to experience everything each neighborhood offers. For this reason, we recommend at least two days since you won’t have to rush through everything.

2. It Has the Best Dining Spots

All Disney World theme parks offer spectacular dining experiences, but when it comes to the best dining options possible, that would belong to EPCOT. The food at EPCOT is just that fantastic, and it’s a major reason why you’d want to visit the park in the first place.

By spending two days at EPCOT, you’ll get the opportunity to enjoy multiple dishes from different parts of the world. Think of it as a worldwide trip and visiting different countries to taste their cuisine.

You can visit the World Showcase for delicious and mouthwatering food. Or, you can drop by any of its popular restaurants, such as Le Cellier Steakhouse, Coral Reef, or Akershus Royal Banquet Hall, to name a few. Even EPCOT’s quick-service locations will have delicious menus for you to try.

The best part is that most portions are large and competitively priced. Then there’s the fact that there’s less traffic in EPCOT than in any other Disney World theme park.

This allows you to take your time enjoying the park’s delicious meals. You can also enjoy various beers and cocktails if you want alcoholic drinks.

3. You Get To Enjoy Special Events and Festivals

EPCOT has several exciting events at different times of the year. If you want to fully enjoy your visit, we recommend visiting there during a festival. And while you’re at it, allocate at least two days to participate in any events and enjoy the festivities.

During the late winter, you can enjoy the Festival of Arts, featuring various art presentations ranging from paintings to food!

Meanwhile, the International Flower & Garden Festival occurs during spring. This is when the park is filled with colorful flora and topiaries of your favorite characters.

And our personal favorite is the International Food & Wine Festival which is held during the fall season every year. As you’d expect, there will be tons of dishes and beverages from different parts of the world that you can’t find on normal days.

Festivals in EPCOT are grand and majestic, and spending a day wouldn’t do justice if you want to participate in any of them.

4. There Are Spectacular Experiences and Nighttime Shows

Besides its fantastic festivals and restaurants, EPCOT also features spectacular nighttime shows that make the park worth at least two full vacation days.

Throughout the park, you can come across spot performers or even artworks from various countries worldwide, especially around World Showcase.

Depending on your current neighborhood, you can enjoy experiences you can’t find in the other parks.

And to end your two-day visit at EPCOT, you can attend the spectacular “Harmonious” nighttime show. This show combines many elements, including lights, lasers, fountains, floating screens, Disney music, and fireworks.

5. Get To Drink Around the World

Finally, one of the best reasons you should spend at least two days in EPCOT is to get the chance to drink around the World Showcase.

You might have heard of the phrase “Drinking Around the World” before. But if you haven’t yet, it simply means you get to sample alcoholic beverages from each country present in the World Showcase area. You can try drinks like Japan’s sake, Mexico’s tequila, Germany’s beer, and so much more.

This activity is best spent during the evening, and if you happen to visit during the International Food & Wine Festival, you can even get to try limited-time food and drinks from the booths.

Since many countries are at the World Showcase, you won’t be able to sample all of them if you rush through the park and allocate one day for your tour.

Conclusion

EPCOT is one of the most accessible theme parks at Disney World. You can get there via the Skyliner, a bus, a monorail, or a boat. However, if you want to make the most out of it, a single-day visit won’t be enough, considering its scale and attractions.

So, if you plan to visit EPCOT anytime soon, we highly recommend allocating at least two days for the park in your daily schedule. This way, you’ll fully explore and enjoy its many attractions and features before moving to the other theme parks.