Should You Skip EPCOT?
Some Walt Disney World vacation planners question whether they should skip EPCOT due to ongoing construction and upcoming ride reimaginings. This post covers what’s happening, when projects will be completed, and how they’ll impact your experience on upcoming visits.
When it comes to radical Disney park overhauls, there are two existing ‘templates’ based upon recent projects: Disney California Adventure and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Most Walt Disney World fans will likely be familiar with the latter, which sacrificed a lot to get where we are today.
Both of these other park reimaginings significantly impacted guests, albeit in markedly different ways. Epcot’s overhaul will likewise no doubt weigh on the park experience for the next couple of years. The question thus becomes, should you skip Epcot?
At Disney’s Hollywood Studios, several attractions closed in order for construction to occur, including flagship and opening day experiences that defined the park, along with other less-popular offerings. There were fewer attractions to experience, but the construction at DHS didn’t significantly impact the atmosphere. Most construction occurred within buildings or out of the way, with walls up at dead-ends but not in main thoroughfares or places creating visual blight.
By contrast, the reinvention of Disney California Adventure was primarily burdensome in how it impacted crowd-flow and in the sea of construction walls throughout the park. The worst of this occurred when the park entrance actually re-routed guests backstage behind Soarin’ while Buena Vista Street was being built. Despite this, there were few “important” attractions taken out of commission for the overhaul. Basically, the divergent approaches are “atmosphere v. attractions.”
Epcot is somewhat of a mix of these two, skewing much more towards the DCA end of the spectrum. The central spine or core of Epcot is currently behind a maze of construction walls, which means the large area between Spaceship Earth and World Showcase is currently inaccessible. Very little current information is known about the scale and scope of whatever is going to happen to what we “lovingly” are referring to as the Giant Epcot Dirt Pit.™️
That’s no exaggeration–take a look for yourself:
Substantively, this area of World Celebration behind Spaceship Earth contains Dreamers Point, a wishing tree in an enchanted forest, natural environments, global design elements, interactive features, and gardens.
Also coming to this area is Communicore Plaza & Hall, which is essentially just Innoventions rebuilt. This will be an area to watch music and other entertainment, with areas to sit, eat, relax, and more. In other words, it’s most landscaping and true park elements–not a single ride will be built here.
CommuniCore Hall and Plaza won’t open until sometime in 2024.
This area also includes Moana’s Journey of Water, an interactive area with fountains and water features. That should be a fun walk-through that’s enjoyable for families with small children, but it’ll be better characterized as a diversion than an actual attraction.
Moana’s Journey of Water is now open.
The good news is that progress is being made at the front of Epcot, and guests are already seeing the fruits of this overhaul. The reimagined park entrance project is finished and looks fantastic. Redesigned landscaping, flags, topiaries, and an iconic prismatic pylon fountain in front of Spaceship Earth have all been installed.
These are further enhanced at night by an upgraded lighting package, including the Beacons of Magic. This is an all-new lighting effect on the outside of the geodesic sphere that debuted for Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary. It seems like a minor thing, but it’s absolutely mesmerizing.
Along the perimeter of the aforementioned Giant Epcot Dirt Pit, a few locations have already opened: Creations Shop and Club Cool. These were built in the former Innoventions building, where MouseGear was previously located.
On the other side of the building, Connections Cafe & Eatery is now open in the space that used to house Electric Umbrella. This counter service restaurant is nothing special, but it’s better than what it replaced, and its opening also means there’s a clear path from the front entrance to World Showcase.
In front of Mission: Space and behind those locations, Space 220 Restaurant is now open. This highly themed dining experience takes place in a space station offering views of Earth from 220 miles up.
For more info, take a look at our Photos & Video Inside Space 220 Restaurant as well as our Space 220 Lunch Review that looks at whether the food is worth the $55 price tag. Suffice to say, there’s a good reason this is the most popular (and hardest to book) Advance Dining Reservation at Walt Disney World.
In this same neighborhood (World Discovery), the biggest addition to Epcot is Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, which is a hybrid roller coaster. This is the biggest-budget project at Walt Disney World since Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, and it is now open.
The debut of Cosmic Rewind effectively answers the titular question for everyone. If you were still on the fence after Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and Harmonious, this should settle things for you. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is an absolute must-do roller coaster. It’s a great addition and likely will become the top-rated ride at Epcot. For more read our Spoiler-Free Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind Ride Review.
Also in World Discovery, the Play Pavilion will replace Wonders of Life. Maybe.
This was also intended to open “in time for Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary.” An official date has not been announced for this, and Walt Disney World has been totally silent about this addition for the last 3 years.
At this point, the Play Pavilion project might’ve been abandoned. If not, it won’t open until 2025 at the earliest.
In World Showcase, the newest attraction to open at Epcot is Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure. This family-friendly trackless dark ride is part of an expansion of the France pavilion. That also includes retail and restaurant additions, most notably La Crêperie de Paris.
There is no other notable construction occurring in World Showcase. It’s possible that there will be minor refurbishment projects and aesthetic refreshes from time to time, but there aren’t any substantive additions or closures planned.
We’ve been addressing this question of whether readers should skip Epcot for the last couple of years, and for a while “it depends” was our answer. We leaned strongly towards “yes” through last summer, and “no” stopped being an answer–at all–with the start of Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary.
Now, with Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, Luminous: Symphony of Us, Space 220, Club Cool, and the overhauled entrance all open, there is absolutely no reason to skip Epcot. Yes, the sea of construction walls is undeniably frustrating and an eyesore. However, skipping Epcot means missing out on Walt Disney World’s newest rides, biggest budget nighttime spectacular, and one of the most ambitious themed restaurants ever. It’s a no-brainer.
To be sure, Epcot still needs a lot of help and could use even more reimagined attractions and improvements as part of its overhaul, but it’s already dramatically improved as of 2024.
Ultimately, the answer to the question, “should you skip Epcot?” is ABSOLUTELY NOT. What’s closed versus what’s open and will be debuting in the very near future skews heavily in favor of the new stuff. Epcot has had some major additions in the last two years, with even more on the horizon in 2024. What we are “losing” to gain all of these new attractions and a visually transformed Epcot is (arguably) not much.
Accordingly, we do not recommend anyone skip Epcot in 2024. The park is going through tremendous growing pains, but it looks worse than it actually is. When it comes to attractions, Epcot will have more to do in 2024 than it did in the last few years. Plus, Epcot has better atmosphere and food options than any other park at Walt Disney World, which is especially true and important as the phased reopening continues.
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Your Thoughts
Will you be following our advice and visiting Epcot in the next couple of years? Do you disagree and think the volume of construction is simply too much to justify paying full price for Epcot admission? Excited about the park’s future? Any other feedback on upcoming changes and how they’ll impact the experience? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Recap: Do NOT skip Epcot, just use the back entrance called International Gateway for a better touring experience. Construction has minimal affect, all rides remain open (until Spaceship Earth goes down) and changes to Future World have little impact because the rest of Epcot is business as usual. RIP Club Cool, but it’ll be reincarnated.
-SkyLiner opens Sept 29 ’19
-“Epcot Forever” nite show & Epcot Experience Preview Center debut Oct 1 ’19.
-Space 220 and Regal Eagle restaurants open this winter.
-Awesome Planet, Beauty & the Beast Sing-a-long, and new Circle-Vision 360 Canada film open for Art Fest in Jan ’20.
-Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure will open Summer ’20.
-“Epcot Forever” gets replaced by the more permanent “HarmonioUS” sometime in ’20.
-Play Pavilion… late ’20 or early ’21?
-Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind… Summer 2021?
Funnily enough my first visit to Epcot was before it was complete. There were green walls and signs saying this is where Canada will be. This time was just a little confusing navigating your way in and out but it didn’t stop me from going three times and I would not stop when there!
World Showcase is the best part of WDW, (well, for adults at least) as long as that is there – Epcot is a must visit, the rides over in future world are a fun lil bonus.
I have to disagree about visiting Epcot but need to qualify it. IF you are visiting Walt Disney World for multiple days AND have park hopper or an annual pass, , AND are frequent or seasoned visitors like most of the people reading this blog are, and who know all of the “ins and outs”, than yes stop by and visit Epcot. Ride a few rides (there are really only a few anyway), eat dinner, shop, buy some foreign treats for your room, watch Illuminations or the new show, then leave. But IF you have only one day to spend at Walt Disney World and are trying to figure out what park to spend a day in, or if you have a multi day pass but no park hopper, you should stay away. I keep thinking of some of my friends who never visit and don’t know “squat” about WDW. How they may think, “we saw the Magic Kingdom 20 years ago, let’s see Epcot this time”. Shelling out $500+ for their tickets and having 9 rides, to ride. Only 1 of the top 3 can be fast passed, and half of the others are hardly worth the time. Decades old movies, an over long and somewhat boring American Adventure show, and what some consider to be a highly themed outdoor shopping and dining mall (World Showcase) round out the entertainment. Throw in the construction walls and they would regret not going straight to the Magic Kingdom which remains the undisputed, very best park on property by far. This all said, I have strong feelings and appreciation for Epcot and love it. But I fall in the frequent and experienced visitor category.
agreed….I go at least twice a year – and visit 2 parks each time….I’m not happy about what’s been happening. Hollywood Studios was a waste of time -as there were so many rides that were closed permanently – that the others were lined up for hours. Now it seems that Epcot is going to be the park to avoid. I love Epcot – but I’m not going to spend the money to have to find my ways through a maze. I loved the Gateway entrance – but now I here that it’s also busy due to the gondolas. Oh what’s happening to my beloved Disney World? I’m depressed….gotta go and weep. 🙁
I don’t see a lot of reason to skip Epcot; it surprises me that so many people are considering it. Most of the construction involves aesthetics. Very few actual rides/attractions are closing. Spaceship Earth will be tough, but Innoventions has been a hollow shell for years and Energy was almost always dead. With new attractions next year to balance it out, I agree with Tom – don’t see a lot of downside.
Now Hollywood Studios, on the other hand, was a skip for us last trip. Half the park was closed off, the Movie Ride was gone, Midway Mania was temporarily closed for re-orientation into Toy Story Land, and we are not fans of the thrill rides, so there just wasn’t much to justify a day there.
Exactly!
Thank you for this! I’ve been trying to decide if we should skip Epcot in February. We spent A LOT of time there on our trip back in March of this year, and after reading this, I think we will skip. Although, we will be staying at CBR so we may just ride in on the skyliner and do some snacking around the world showcase if anything.
I’m not a frequent visitor, so please excuse the dumb question. If we are staying at Animal Kingdom and I wanted to use the Skyliner to the International Gateway entrance. Would my best/fastest/easiest method be:
Bus to Hollywood Studios, then take their Skyliner over to IG?
yes from the resort- any other option involves 2 bus stops.
I would just take a cab from Animal Kingdom Lodge to the Beach Club. Then walk in through the International Gateway entrance. Ride the gondolas just to ride them after you arrive. Maybe go from Epcot to Pop Century when your all done then take a cab from Pop to AKL.
We’re planning to go in late 2020. Not going this year mainly because we want to stay in a nice resort
If you are not staying on Disney property, what would be the best way to enter through the International Gateway?
Park at Hollywood Studios and take boat, Skyliner, or walk to IG but this is time consuming. Although I enjoy the walkway to IG entrance, Future World parking is still more convenient and time saving option.
Skip. And years ago the Tier 1 limitations really made it less appealing.
This. I’m sick of the tiered fastpass plus. I love MK even more because there are no tiers. Whenever I see tiers I see either lack of major attractions or new major attractions. It’s a weakness!
Me too. The tiers just amplify the fact that there are only a few rides worth the time. My opinion only but if Toy Story Mania, Frozen, Soarin, or Test Track we’re in the Magic Kingdom, they would rarely see wait times over 30 minutes. Hollywood Tower and Rockin Roller Coaster would be the exceptions as they are truly great.
I love the international gateway entrance and feel like it was such a low traffic hidden gem. I hope it doesn’t get too congested with the opening of the Skyliner.
Does anyone know if Club Cool will come back, or is it gone forever?? Our kids love it!
Although not officially confirmed by Disney, most of the indicators are yes it will return.
Quick question just wondering if it is the perfect time to skip wdw in 2020 to do my first vacation week at universal studios Orlando. Then in January 2021 go back to wdw. The crowds have to pick up at Hollywood studios, Epcot will be a mess, and a lot of the new stuff will be added from January 2020 to January 2021.
Planning to go in February 2020. Using international gateway entrance sounds good to me.
Why does everyone think that, if a new country does ever debut at World Showcase, that it will be put between Germany and Italy? There is a ton of dead space where the African outpost is, that would make WAY more sense to me, instead of shoehorning it into a much smaller space.
Hi Laura. Correct me any readers if I’m wrong but I believe the space behind African Outpost is backstage area for the Illuminations shows and other backstage functions while Italy-Germany is actually the biggest unused expansion pad in World Showcase. Its hard to tell with all the trees.
Staying at Boardwalk and using the International Gateway is the norm for my family, and we absolutely love walking into the showcase. Do you think the construction, along with the new Skyliner will cause long lines and delays at the IG?
We were concerned about the very same thing. To us, one of the advantages of the hotels in that particular area is the lack of lines and also the close proximity to world showcase without the madness of the other epcot entrance. If there are going to be long lines or masses of people at a once quiet entrance, we might be changing where we stay. Hope Tom can address this.
Since my first visit to DCA wasn’t until 2012, I didn’t experience the construction. Based on photos and videos of DCA between opening in 2001 to the overhaul, the growing pains were well worth it.
On a week long WDW vacation, I wouldn’t skip EPCOT during construction phase. My favorite attractions and activities at EPCOT (Imagination, Spaceship Earth, Gran Fiesta Tour, Garden Grill, fur character greets, manatee viewing, and roaming World Showcase) are still open and I look forward to the EPCOT Forever show and Ratatouille ride.
Watching demolition of former attractions is little depressing for me. Photos of Horizons’ demolition was gruesome haha. Although I was not crazy about the Ellen version of Universe of Energy, I am sad to see the building reconfigured. I will be little sad watching demolition of Communicore/Innoventions buildings even though it had a recent dead mall vibe.
We are splitting the difference, using the EPCOT day to sleep in and do a half day at the pool. Very excited to take the skyliner over to the international gateway entrance after lunch and make it a half day. EPCOT has yet to really resonate with our kids (I loved it when I was a kid). Hopefully the refresh gets it back. It would be nice if they dropped the price with all the construction :-).
Besides the Fountain and it’s wonderful music (which I hope Disney replicates in some form), there was a lot of dead space that can be used so much more effectively. We would just hit the favs that are still available… The Land with Soarin and Living WTL, Test Track, and the Seas. As much as we love these, we would still go to EPCOT if it was only for the World Showcase. Good article, but for the Once in a Lifetime visitor, I’m not sure it was stressed enough how wonderful the World Showcase can be. (I know you hear it all though.) Maybe link to a previous Showcase article? Thanks for the great tip on entering from the International Gateway entrance.
I am actually excited to visit during construction time to see the changes happening. We lived through years of it at CA Adventure and it’s not as bad it looks.
I am interested to get your perspective on whether it would impact your hotel decision – to stay closer to EPCOT still (normally our favorite park) or closer to another park during this time.
We are skipping Epcot this year. I’d rather wait to see it when it’s done.