Disney World Epcot 2026 Review

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On our third day at Disney World, we chose to visit Epcot. For this park, we did separate rope drops. My husband went to Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, while my child and I lined up for Frozen Ever After. Remy's Ratatouille Adventure was delayed, but my child did not want to ride that one anyway.

I used to consider this one of my favorite parks, but after this trip, I realize it's not as great as I remember. It's a lot of walking and mostly geared towards shopping at the different countries.




Rides

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind

My husband rode this one, and it was one of his favorite rides. He would do it again, but wait times get up to 100 minutes, so definitely recommend getting in line at rope drop if you can. 


Frozen Ever After

I remember going on this ride in 2018, and somehow the wait times for this ride still sit at around 45 minutes throughout the day. We got in line at rope drop and still had to wait about 30 minutes before getting on the ride. 

It's a short little boat ride with a couple of small drops, so you may get wet. In my opinion, it's not worth waiting an hour to get on. 


 


Remy's Ratatouille Adventure

It's a newer ride, so it had a 60-80 minute wait time for most of the day. It was delayed at rope drop, so that didn't help. My child didn't want to wait to go on it, so my husband and I took turns going in the single rider line. If you can do single rider, do it! Wait time was only maybe 10-15 minutes. 

I thought it was a fun experience, but I wouldn't do it again, and I definitely wouldn't wait an hour. 



Spaceship Earth

A nice slow ride that sends you a fun video at the end. My child enjoyed it. It did feel a bit outdated, especially since technology has advanced a lot since the ride was made. 


Living with the Land

Another nice slow ride which takes you through the greenhouse. 


 


The Seas with Nemo & Friends

This one felt very similiar to Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid in Magic Kingdom. It's another clamshell ride, but instead of Ariel, you follow Nemo and friends. The aquarium is the backdrop, so there are real fish behind the animated characters, which was a cool touch.


Journey Into Imagination with Figment

This is another fun little slow ride, but none of us appreciated the skunk smell. Yuck! The ride has you exit into a fun play area, though, which my child enjoyed. It was a shame the Figment dragon maker didn't seem to work very well, so we were unable to email her creation. We took a picture instead. 




Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros

This has It's a Small World vibes. It's a slow boat ride where you're trying to find Donald Duck. It was our last ride of the night, so it was a walk-on. 


Shows

Reflections of China

This was a 360-degree video with no seats, so a great way to cool off, but not great if you want to rest your feet. They provide wooden railings, though, for you to lean on as the video can get trippy. If you are prone to motion sickness, make sure to take breaks from the screen and look down at the ground.

It was a cool experience that I recommend doing once if you have never experienced a 360-degree video, but I wouldn't do it again. It does get tricky to know where to look sometimes. 


Turtle Talk With Crush

This was similiar to the Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor in Magic Kingdom. It's geared towards kids, though, as they have them sit up front to talk to Crush. Depending on the kids you get, the show could be entertaining. Unfortunately, the kids that got to ask questions kept asking the same question: "Why did you run into the glass?" So we didn't get much out of it. 


Luminous – The Symphony of Us

This is a water light show combined with fireworks. My child demanded we be close to the entrance because she wanted to leave right after. This led to us not having the best view as the closer areas were already crowded. We would have done better to watch it from the opposite side of the park. 

I'm not sure if it was the wind or what, but during the show, ash from the fireworks fell down on us and got into my eyes, making it hard to watch. It wasn't a pleasant experience, and if we do it again, I'll be sure to watch from one of the World Showcases instead of at the front. Also, if you watch from the front of the park, you can't see the ball light up. 



Activities

Epcot has Kidcot stations where kids can collect a passport card from each of the countries, which includes a sticker. Some of the countries would write our child's name in their language on the card, others would write the name of a Disney character, and some would simply put a word in another language. 

It's a very easy activity for kids and a free souvenir! 

They do have the option of purchasing a $20 passport, which gets stamped at the stations, and the employees will spend a little extra time decorating them. In my opinion, it's not worth the additional cost, and the cards are fun enough.


Characters

Anna & Elsa

We lined up to meet Anna and Elsa after the Frozen ride. The line wasn't super long, but it still took about 45 minutes before we finally got to see them. They are generous with time for each party, so if there's a group with a lot of kids, it can take a long time. 

I mainly went because the last time we went, we got pictures in their Frozen outfits, and this time they were in their Frozen 2 outfits. By the time we go again, they may have Frozen 3 outfits! If they don't have new outfits, then we will probably skip seeing the sisters in the future. 


Minnie Mouse

Like Hollywood Studios, Epcot has a Disney Visa Cardholder experience. I looked it up online, and it sounded like the characters change, so you don't know who you will get until it's your turn. A lot of comments online mentioned two characters, but we only got Minnie Mouse, which was one of my preferences, so it worked out. 

Unlike Stitch in Hollywood Studios, there was about a 20-minute wait for this one. Minnie was great though, and it was worth getting the free photos to remember our trip. 


Figment

When we exited the Figment ride, my daughter saw that Figment was doing meet-and-greets. The line wasn't long, so we got in it. Shortly after we entered, they closed the line, so we were the last group to meet Figment; talk about lucky timing! 

Because we were last, we also got to see Figment leave through his Dreamport, which in itself was a cool experience. 



Food & Drinks

Lotus Blossom Café

Pretty much on par with Panda Express. One downside is that they don't have mobile ordering, so you have to place your order at the register. Food is prepared quickly, though, so I didn't have to wait too long after ordering.

My husband had the Orange Chicken Combo, and I had the Mongolian Beef Noodle Combo. My child had the Sweet-and-Sour Chicken, which she enjoyed, but I think she would have preferred Orange Chicken (there wasn't an Orange Chicken option for kids). 

I had the Lychee Iced Tea, which was so good, and my husband tried the Honey Jasmine Lager.


Connections Eatery

I had the American Classic Cheeseburger and a Mango Mai Tai. I actually don't remember what my husband or child had. I'm guessing he had a burger too, and my child either had the cheeseburger or cheese pizza. 

Besides the Mango Mai Tai, which was good but a bit strong (keep in mind that I am a lightweight), it was a pretty forgettable restaurant. 


In Summary


Highlights:

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind

Figment


Disappointments:

Luminous – The Symphony of Us

Fife and Drum Tavern

  • We had planned on trying The American Dream, but when we got there, they told us the machine was broken and had been for 2 months. They really should update their online menu!