I Never Thought I Would Try This in EPCOT, But It Made My Day 10x Better

For over 40 years, EPCOT has been beloved by Disney fans thanks to its mixture of hopeful optimism and celebration of World Showcase.

I’ve been writing about Disney World for over five years, and I’ve been to the parks countless times. Because of that, I know there are ways to make a day at the park EVEN better.

Start in France

EPCOT guests have two options when entering the park: the traditional entrance at the front of the park near Spaceship Earth, or from the International Gateway entrance near France in the World Showcase.

Entering through the International Gateway can change up the traditional EPCOT day, and allow guests to grab a breakfast treat in France at Les Halles or more easily rope drop Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure.

Also, on September 5th, the breakfast buffet is returning to Chefs de France on select days through the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival. This entrance will put you closer to the restaurant! You’ll want to book a reservation for this experience when they open on August 12th, 2025.

International Gateway is likely the entrance you’ll use if you are staying at the EPCOT area hotels, including Disney’s BoardWalk Inn, Disney’s Beach Club Resort, Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, and even the Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin. These are all within walking distance. The Skyliner hotels do not offer bus services to EPCOT (unless the Skyliner is not running), so this is also the ideal entrance for people staying at Disney’s Pop Century Resort, Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, or Disney’s Riviera Resort.

*DO NOTE, HOWEVER: If you enter through the International Gateway Skyliner entrance, you will be across the park from Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and Test Track (which just reopened on July 22nd), making rope dropping the busy attraction difficult.

Skip Mission: SPACE

It’s not often that skipping one of the park’s E-Ticket attractions can make a day better, but that’s arguably the case for EPCOT’s long-troubled Mission Space.

The attraction, which replaced the iconic Horizons two decades ago, isn’t a favorite for many. The more intense Orange Mission has a tendency to induce motion sickness, which can potentially ruin a whole day at the park.

There can be a LOT of pressure to ride everything, and with few rides in EPCOT, that’s usually an easy feat. However, being sick all day is not worth it, and skipping it made my day SO much better.

BoardWalk Break

If you need a break from the park, take a stroll out through the aforementioned International Gateway to the BoardWalk Resort. This short walk gives a nice breather from the park’s hustle and bustle.

The Cake Bake Shop is one of the newest restaurants in Disney World and it’s located on the end of the BoardWalk closest to EPCOT. It’s not the cheapest place to eat, but if you’re looking for something new or celebrating something special, we highly recommend checking it out for a meal or even just a to-go dessert!

Plus, you can grab lunch or a midday snack at any of the other spots along the BoardWalk, like the Jalapeño-Stuffed Mickey Pretzel from Boardwalk Joe’s. Even just relaxing on the bench for a few minutes can be a lovely (and much needed) recharge.

Spaceship Earth Finale

Many guests who enter through EPCOT’s front entrance make Spaceship Earth their first attraction of the day, mainly because they come upon the massive geodesic sphere upon entering the park.

However, saving Spaceship Earth for the end of the day can be beneficial. First off, lines for the ride generally go down as the day goes on, likely leading to a shorter wait. Plus, from a thematic standpoint, there’s a nice circular quality to riding Spaceship Earth at the end of an EPCOT day, since the attraction serves as a full thesis of the park’s overall themes of world history into futurism and global togetherness.

Another reason for this is the brand new GEO-82 lounge, which opened earlier this summer! The adults-only spot is located along the back of Spaceship Earth, and has already become one of the hardest reservations to get in all of Disney World.

You can make reservations for the daytime, but we highly recommend trying to score one at night. GEO-82 offers a special fireworks package for $179 per person with exclusive food and drink and seat right by the window to watch Luminous: The Symphony of Us (the park’s nighttime spectacular). The music is pumped into the lounge and it’s a pretty unique view with a seat and A/C! You can also watch the fireworks with a regular reservation if you time it right, but the best seats in the house are reserved for those who booked the fireworks package.

Doing these things made our EPCOT day even better, and the same could hold true for your next visit! Stay tuned to AllEars for more EPCOT tips.

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Have any EPCOT tips of your own? Share them in the comments below.

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