The best rides at Epcot

I have mentioned before that Epcot is my favourite park, there's just so much to see and do that we always spend more time there than at any other park in Walt Disney World. I found it hard to choose the best rides in Epcot because I love them all for different reasons, especially the smaller and slower rides!

Spaceship Earth from inside Epcot near the fountains.



My favourites


I am not a roller-coaster fan, I don't like that awful feeling in your tummy when there's a drop somewhere. I much prefer the slower rides, the ones where you learn or where there's interesting things to see.



Soarin'


The last time I visited Walt Disney World Soarin' was brilliant. You sit in a seat and get raised into the air while you watch a large screen. You 'fly' through different scenes and sometimes feel like you're really there.


A man hang gliding in a clear blue sky above snow capped mountains.


No mountain is too high. No landscape is too far. Whether you’re soaring above man-made marvels like the majestic Great Wall of China, cruising over natural sights like Iguazu Falls in South America or swooping past sailboats on Australia’s spectacular Sydney Harbour, this is your chance to experience the joy of hang gliding as you never have before.

Soarin' has been updated since we were last there and I cannot wait to try out the new version, Soarin' Around the World.

Tip: Fastpass+ to be sure to ride.



Spaceship Earth


As one of the best places you can get a nice long rest while still taking in the sights Spaceship Earth had to top my list. It's nice and slow, is almost never busy (as long as you follow my tips), and you get to learn! We have never had to use a Fastpass+ for Spaceship Earth.




Travel back to the dawn of recorded history, when early man painted his thoughts on cave walls, the Egyptians invented papyrus and the Phoenicians devised the alphabet. See ideas spread like wildfire with the invention of Johannes Gutenberg’s printing press, Greek systems of mathematics and the inspiring works of the masters of the Renaissance. The wheels of time turn ever faster as we progress to the modern age of media communications, from newspapers announcing the end of the Civil War to the televised broadcast of the moon landing and beyond.

Just the thought of Spaceship Earth makes me smile, and your kids will love it too because they get to play with an interactive screen while riding! They get to play and imagine and have fun - and then when you leave the ride you can try to spot yourselves on a huge screen when you exit.

Tip: Listen and learn! Don't try to ride first thing in a morning - it will definitely be busy. If you leave it until you're leaving the park (later in the afternoon) it is far less busy.





We have done a lot of thinking on a model community, and I would like to be a part of building one, a city of tomorrow, as you might say.

Walt Disney





Test Track


For a long time I wouldn't ride Test Track, the screaming can be heard from outside the ride and that terrified me. Then the Hubby convinced me to give it a go and I am so glad he did! Test track is a fast ride, but there are no sudden drops or twists. This means I am happy to ride and I even lift my arms! 

Discover how your custom concept vehicle performs thanks to easy-to-read visual charts as you rev through rough terrain and obstacles along the winding Test Track circuit. Fly through straight-aways, maneuver switchbacks through inclement weather, hug curves banked at 50-degree angles and scale hills that are up to 3-stories high!

You get to create your own car for Test Track too - how awesome is that?! The car lovers in your family will think it's brilliant - we had a huge competition last time where we tried to create the BEST car, Hubby won (obvs!) but the boys had a brilliant time trying to beat him!

Tip: Spend some time looking at the creation area when you leave the ride, look at the kinds of things that make a difference to the the car and try again! Fastpass+ will help you ensure you get to ride.



Hubby's favourites


As the resident thrill-seeker in our house Hubby is always looking for the next awesome ride. He does like the smaller, slower rides but prefers the roller-coasters.



Soarin'


Like me the Hubby loves Soarin' and cannot wait to try out the new version. 



Test Track


No surprise here, the fast car ride that gets you outdoors in a speedy car!



Mission: SPACE


Mission: SPACE is not a roller-coaster, it's a simulator. You get into a 'spacecraft' and make your way to space. This is a ride that you can go on with your family because it requires a team, a team that will work together to navigate your craft through space.


The entrance at Mission: SPACE, showing a red planet with swirls around it.



Before you board, you’ll prepare for your mission aboard the X-2 Deep Space Shuttle at the International Space Training Center (ISTC). Each member of your 4-cadet crew will assume an important role: navigator, pilot, commander or engineer. During your flight, cadets will be instructed to initiate a mission-critical sequence… so be prepared!

Finally, board your capsule, lower your harness and prepare for an extraordinary mission—one that takes you to space, without ever leaving Epcot.


There are two versions of Mission: SPACE, one is green (mild) and one is orange - I've tried both. I don't do well with rides that make me feel disoriented and so the Orange version is not for me. I felt like I was spinning constantly and it made me feel sick. However, the Green version is okay. I don't mind this one because there's no spinning so I can cope. The ride is interesting and the kids love it because they get to push buttons and feel like they're really controlling the spacecraft.

Tip: Fastpass+ will help you ride, although in our experience the Green side is often less busy.



The boys' favourites


Like their father the boys like the roller-coasters and anything fast moving. That's why they agree with their dad when I asked them their favourites!



It’s like the city of tomorrow ought to be...

Walt Disney





There's lots of walking to do at Epcot to get between the rides but it is so worth it!


The best rides at Epcot, Walt Disney World - our favourites.


Do you have a favourite ride in Epcot?