Disney World (Our Impromptu Evening in Epcot)

Out of all the Disney World parks, we have visited Epcot the least.

At this point, I have most of the park maps memorized in my head. Especially Animal Kingdom. I could basically navigate you around Animal Kingdom with my eyes closed.

But not Epcot.

Driving there on this Thursday afternoon, I had the image of the infamous sphere ingrained in my memory, followed by the vague fuzzy outline of the different countries in a circular formation around a lake. And I honestly wasn’t in the mood to do more research. I had a headache and was exhausted from the previous week being spring break. So I figured we would just get there and go where the wind blew us.

So there we were.

After a 2 hour drive involving traffic, Peter Rabbit, an enormous meltdown, and spending way too much money at the McDonald’s drive through (an astonishing amount if you ask me).

There we stood.

In the Epcot parking lot.

In the rain.

The walk to the entrance isn’t nearly as complicated and lengthy as Magic Kingdom. So that was exciting. No monorail. No 20 minute situation. There wasn’t even a line. The lack of line was probably due to it being so late in the day and the rain, but that’s sort of a hidden secret. If you go to any of the Disney parks later in the day during inclement weather, it’s usually much less crowded.

Epcot included.

Epcot is Disney World’s red headed step child. And I actually hate that analogy because I wish I had red hair and being a step child is awesome because you get bonus parents. But yes, Epcot has kind of been neglected and not updated like the other parks and people tend to think of it as the worst park and one worth skipping.

Well I’m here to confirm that sentiment… just kidding.

To be honest, I feel like Epcot is just a completely different vibe. And you need to go there with totally different expectations.

There is a sprinkle of cool adult rides that older children will enjoy, but nothing as extensive as the other parks. There is also a sprinkle of rides for the little ones… The Seas with Nemo and Friends, Frozen Ever After, and the recently added Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure.

But the real draw is the experience of feeling like you are walking through different countries without actually boarding a plane. The more I pushed the stroller through the circle, the more I felt like I needed to come back without the kids so I could really immerse myself in the cultures before me.

I was particularly impressed with France. Disney recently expanded the pavilion to add the Ratatouille ride. And it does truly feel like you are in Paris. If only for a moment. As we were crossing the bridge, Camilla became super excited over being able to see the Eiffel Tower. And to my surprise she seemed to thoroughly enjoy viewing the architecture within the different pavilions.

Unfortunately, the Ratatouille ride was a ridiculous wait, over two hours. So we randomly decided to go on The Skyliner. Which is essentially a monorail that takes you from Epcot to Hollywood Studios. But you can also ride it as a giant loop. It takes around 30 minutes and there was absolutely no wait. And let me tell you, this was the best idea ever.

The kids had so much fun. And Kroy kept saying “up high up high” over and over again.

Flying through the sky for thirty minutes and being able to see the park from this vantage point while taking a break from walking was fantastic. I would now add it to my Epcot must-do list. I would love to go back and try to time the whole experience during sunset.

We also hopped on The Seas with Nemo Friends. Which is a similar set up as Voyage of the Little Mermaid in Magic Kingdom. You board clam shells and watch the Nemo inspired visuals in front of you. That being said, Voyage of the Little Mermaid in Magic Kingdom is definitely better. So is Frozen Ever After (also a similar set up and in Epcot). And Navi River Journey in Animal Kingdom blows all the other out of the water. None of these have height requirements so the entire family can go on them together.

However, we literally walked past The Seas with Nemo Friends and there was no wait so we basically walked on the ride within two minutes of walking through the entrance. The ride also ends in an actual aquarium which the kids (and adults) really enjoyed. As you can tell I was all about not waiting in any lines this trip. Below is a real-life Dory fish.

My one regret was waiting in a 30 minute line to eat probably the worst ice cream I’ve ever had in my entire life in the Italy Pavilion. I didn’t even know it was possible for ice cream to taste this bad. But it is. Before going back to Epcot I definitely want to research where the best bites and drinks are because it can be very hit or miss. For example, the newly added Choza de Margarita in the Mexico Pavilion with its tiki torches, specialty frozen drinks, and tacos looked and smelled amazing. I will definitely be stopping there on our next journey.

We left directly before the fire works which is also something I want to return to experience.

Overall, I would say Our Impromptu Thursday Evening in Epcot was a successful feeler visit. We were able to return to the park for the first time in over two years and discover what it is that makes Epcot truly magical, while not waiting in a single line. I’m usually such a planner and it was fun to just walk around and see where the night took us. And I can’t wait to go back and explore the different pavilions with a list of bites to try, hop on The Skyliner for a sunset voyage, experience the fireworks, and maybe go on Ratatouille if the wait is reasonable.