NEWS: Disney Announces Closure of EPCOT Experience

The EPCOT Experience opened in 2019 and was a really cool way for guests to see the upcoming changes that would take place during the historic transformation of EPCOT. Many projects have now been completed, Disney has announced that the experience will close to make way for new things. Learn more below.

Here is the Instagram Post from Zach Riddley, Creative Portfolio Executive Walt Disney Imagineering:

Here is the text from his post:

Since its 2019 debut, Walt Disney Imagineering presents the EPCOT Experience has welcomed more than two million guests, as travelers from around the world enjoyed an immersive look at the past, present and future of this beloved park. This attraction gave our team a chance to share a first-person view of the vision coming to life during this ongoing “state of becoming.” It’s a rare moment to see these milestones unfold, and we’ve been inspired and deeply grateful to have this opportunity to pull back the curtain on our thinking.

With the transformation now well under way and many of those projects now open – including Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, Harmonious and the upcoming debut of Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind this summer – we have decided it is time to close the EPCOT Experience on March 14 and make way for exciting new activations of the Odyssey pavilion to create a great experience for our guests.

I’m proud of the work and storytelling that our Imagineers put into this incredible 360-degree presentation, as it beautifully set the stage for the largest transformation in the history of EPCOT, and provided an in-depth look at the exciting attractions and experiences being developed for this beloved park. I always like to say to our team that EPCOT is a park about people – our dreams, our curiosity and our ability to make magic possible when we work together. The EPCOT Experience was a showcase of all those things, inviting each of you to dream with us as we create the future of EPCOT together.

We have a lot more to share in the weeks and months ahead, and I am grateful for the opportunity to provide an in-depth look at the process through our Imagineering lens. Follow along with me here as we share more exciting details about this historic EPCOT transformation, including Journey of Water inspired by Moana, the ongoing evolution of World Celebration, and more!

RELATED ARTICLE: Top 13 Tips for the Perfect Day at EPCOT

by Paula Brown

EPCOT was the second theme park at Walt Disney World. It is loosely based on Walt Disney’s vision. Although it is not a living community as he envisioned, there is still much about the park that we think he would be proud of. Here are our top thirteen tips for having the perfect day at EPCOT. They start well before you step foot in the park.

1 – Visit During a Festival

There are four annual festivals at EPCOT, and you can’t go wrong whichever you choose. EPCOT International Festival of the Arts celebrates the arts in different forms. EPCOT International Flower & Garden Festival is alive with color. EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival honors tastes from around the world. EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays would put a smile on even Scrooge’s face. All four festivals are different, but there are elements that are the same. You’ll always find food booths for just that festival, merchandise, and extra entertainment. There are more days with a festival than without, so it isn’t hard to plan a visit when something special is going on.

2 – Advanced Dining Reservations

If there is a full-service restaurant that you really want to try, make the reservation 60 days out. Some reservations, such as Space 220 Restaurant, will be full within minutes that day. If you can’t get the desired reservation, look over the menus at the restaurants that do have spaces open. There aren’t any bad full-service restaurants at EPCOT.

3 – Book a Dining Package

During the four festivals, there is extra entertainment in the America Gardens Theater. The line for these acts can start to form hours before the first show. Skip the line by booking a Dining Package. You will receive a delicious meal for a set price, and then a voucher for the show. It must be a Dining Package that you book. Having a meal at a participating restaurant will not get you a voucher.

4 – Visit on a Weekday

If you have a bit of flexibility in your schedule, visit EPCOT on a weekday. Weekends are noticeably more crowded, especially during the four festivals. Consider visiting on a Monday if you can. Mondays are when many families have their first theme park day, and they want to spend it at the Magic Kingdom. That means that they won’t be at EPCOT.

5 – Skip Disney Genie+

Unless you purchased it as part of your ticket package, you might want to skip buying Disney Genie+ for EPCOT. There just aren’t that many EPCOT attractions included. Most of the ones that are part of Disney Genie+ are known for having short waits. Instead of spending money on the new service, consider buying Individual Lightning Lane for Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and Frozen Ever After. Those rides usually have the two longest lines, and they aren’t included with Disney Genie+.

6 – Head Immediately to Test Track

Outside of the two Individual Lightning Lane attractions, Test Track will almost always have the longest standby line. Arrive at EPCOT when it opens, and head immediately to Test Track. It will not take long for the line to grow. If the wait time is too high, consider getting in the Single Rider Line. You and your party won’t ride together, but your wait will be much shorter.

7 – Think Twice About Mission: SPACE

If you have even the slightest problem with motion sickness or hate small spaces, Mission: SPACE is not a good idea. Enough people get sick on the ride that there are barf bags in the ride vehicle. If you aren’t sure if you can handle it and you want to try, get in line for the Green Mission first. It is much less intense than the Orange side.

8 – Ignore the Construction Walls

EPCOT is a park in transition. Because of all the changes, there are numerous construction walls in the front of the park. Do your best to ignore the walls, or better yet, think about the magic that is going on behind them. Once the transformation is done, EPCOT will be more amazing than ever!

9 – Explore World Showcase

There is much more to EPCOT than a few rides and construction walls. World Showcase is incredible! Where else can you visit Morocco and the United Kingdom in one day? Each World Showcase country is designed to make you feel as if you are really there. You can dine on traditional dishes and buy authentic merchandise. Pay attention to the architecture and the small details, and take some time to explore each pavilion. There’s a good chance that you’ll learn something.

10 – Be Careful if Drinking Around the World

An unofficial game that some members of the 21 and up crowd play at EPCOT is Drinking Around the World. It involves purchasing and drinking one alcoholic beverage from each of the World Showcase countries. That’s 11 drinks! If you decide to partake, spread out the drinks, eat something, and drink water as well. Please, always drink responsibly.

11 – Look for Characters

If you love characters, you will find plenty at EPCOT! It is a great place to see princesses, and the classic characters can be found as well. Characters are “sightings” instead of traditional meet and greets right now, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still have a great interaction. Even with social distancing, you still might end up with a new profile picture.

12 – Harmonious Viewing

Harmonious is the nighttime spectacular at EPCOT, and we love it more each time we see it. There are great viewing areas all around World Showcase. We like to watch at either the entrance to World Showcase or more towards the back because that is where we find the best view of the circle in the middle of World Showcase Lagoon. If you watch from the sides you will still have a great view, because there is so much going on.

13 – After Harmonious

One final tip, don’t rush out of EPCOT the moment Harmonious ends. It might seem like the show is over, but is it? Hang around for a few minutes and find out for yourself.