Walt Disney World for Adults: Epcot Edition
Let’s talk about my absolute favorite theme park in the world. Epcot!
Particularly, Epcot for adults.
Yeah, we’re going there today.
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What Does Epcot Stand For?
Epcot stands for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow and has always been thought of as Walt Disney World more adult friendly theme park.
The approach at Epcot has been to take the present and create the future we want to have.
This has been done through the former Future World (now World Celebration, World Nature, and World Discovery) highlighting technological advances of yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
Whereas World Showcase goal is to highlight learning and living with people of other cultures.
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What is in Epcot?
There aren’t many thrill rides here, but the rides at Epcot come with more of a purpose then what you will see in other Disney theme parks.
The classic dark rides, the theatrical entertainment, and the seasonal events are great for a more mature audience.
This isn’t to say that kids won’t enjoy Epcot.
But a lot more adults truly love and enjoy it and I’m TOTALLY not being biased…
…well maybe I am.
Either way it goes, you’ll have fun planning your Walt Disney World trip to Epcot.
Now let’s get into the most common questions I’m asked when it comes to going to Epcot as an adult.
You can listen to Part One here and Part Two here for how to do Disney’s Epcot the grown-up way on the ThemeParkHipster Podcast!
How Much Does Epcot Cost?
A one-day REGULAR season Epcot ticket starts at $109* (prices do fluctuate based on the season).
What Are the BEST Tips for Adults Going to Epcot?
Now that you know why Epcot is perfect for grown-ups, let’s go through a few tips to help you make the MOST of your trip!
1. Get to Epcot before it opens.
I mention this tip in almost every post because it is very important. Especially if you’re coming to any of the central Florida theme parks.
Plus, you will be able to get a jump start on your adult adventure at Epcot. Starting out in World Celebration and moving on to World Showcase for drinks and treats.
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2. Be sure to check out the crowd calendar.
The calendar gives you an estimation of peak times at the Epcot throughout the year.
Beware, its times can change and is not always 100% accurate, but it gives you a general idea of the park’s busyness.
3. Plan out your day using the Disney Genie/Lightning Lane.
This system allows you to book front of the line access on certain rides and attractions.
Disney Genie+ ensures that you can ride the top attractions on your list without feeling like you’ve missed anything.
Watch Next: 5 BEST Rides at EPCOT You Can’t Miss!
4. Download the Walt Disney World park app and purchase tickets online.
The Disney app allows you to make your Genie+ and Lightning Lane reservations before your visit. You can also book your attraction reservations while you’re in the park.
The app will allow you to link your tickets to it, book dining arrangements and view park wait times within the app.
Tickets are also cheaper when you purchase them online.
5. Dress comfy but stylish.
Make sure you have a good pair of sneakers, a light-weight t-shirt, shorts, and a hat to block the Florida sun. You’ll want to remain stylish.
After all, we are ThemeParkHipsters! Plus, you want your pictures to be memorable.
6. Have water on hand.
The must bring item is water. The Florida heat and humidity is hard to describe to out of town guests who are used to milder temperatures.
The Florida summer heat and sometimes the early fall heat can affect someone who’s not used to it.
7. Don’t be afraid to ask a Cast Member for help.
Disney cast members are some of the best people who are around to help. They like to service each guest the Disney way.
In the mist of helping, they sometimes do what’s called “plussing” your day. Which adds more Disney magic to your day at Epcot.
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8. Know what the best days to go to Epcot are.
Tuesdays and Wednesdays tend to be the quieter and less crowded days at Epcot.
You can get the full breakdown on which month to visit Walt Disney World here.
9. Pace yourself when it comes to drinking.
I’ve wrote a whole article called the Do’s and Don’ts of Drinking at Epcot. I was inspired to talk about this topic because, I’ve seen some crazy alcohol induced shenanigans at Epcot.
Due to the many drink options, you definitely want to have a game plan.
You want to prepare your body for eating and drinking alcohol. Stay hydrated, take your vitamin b supplements, and keep water and snacks on deck.
Ready to start planning your next Disney World vacation? Listen to the latest podcast episode on Apple or on your non-Apple device now!
10. Walk through each pavilion thoroughly in Epcot World Showcase.
Each World Showcase pavilion has lots of nooks and crannies to discover.
If you’re sticking to the main path of the World Showcase circle, you will miss so many of the amazing experiences each country has to offer.
What is There to Do at Epcot for Adults?
Everything…just kidding!
The cultural learning aspect of Epcot is what attracts many adults. Not to mention the top Disney attractions such as Soarin Around the World, Frozen Ever After, and Test Track.
These heavy hitting attractions are adult favorites.
There are also loads of exquisite food and incredible booze to try. It’s a perk for adults who are not into the whole edutainment aspect of Epcot.
You can be there to eat all day and drink all day and still not try every delicious option Epcot has to offer. Epcot food is outstanding and far beyond your standard theme park food.
You also experience the Wine Walk (when it returns), which is one of Epcot’s hidden gems that’s perfect for adults.
Let’s not forget Epcot International Food and Wine Festival…an adult’s paradise!
This annual event brings in so many fans from around the world. It has started to develop its own cult following.
A following similar to the famous Dole Whip.
Is Epcot Fun for Adults?
Yes! Did I even need to answer this question?
Of all the Disney parks, Epcot is probably the most adult friendly and fun park to discover. It’s for young adults, solo travelers, seasoned adults, drinking travelers, and foodie experts.
I always have fun at Epcot, even on scorching days. Epcot is one of those parks where there’s no pressure. You just enjoy yourself.
Ready to plan your theme park trip? Watch the best vacation planning tips on YouTube. Get started here!
What are the Epcot Must-Do’s for Adults?
One of my favorite things to do at Epcot is to ride Living with the Land in the morning before the park gets busy.
It’s a true classic Disney ride and I usually have a boat to myself. A very peaceful adult thing to do.
Another thing I like to do is to sit in the garden section towards the back part of the UK Pavilion. I usually have a drink from the Rose & Crown Pub, such as the Leaping Leprechaun or a nice cider.
It allows you to sit back and absorb the Disney vibe.
Sometimes I have a nice Disney book to accompany me and other times I just put on my headphones and listen to a Disney Pandora station.
You must also country hop as an adult in Epcot! There is nothing like it.
The various countries are immersive and offer so much educational information about each culture.
Another must-do is to get your passport stamped in each country while enjoying World Showcase with a glass of your favorite wine.
How Many Days Do You Need for Epcot?
Epcot can be done in one day! However, if you truly want to explore all the nooks and crannies of the park, then you’ll need two days.
How Can I Do Epcot in a Day (for Adults)?
- Download park map and guide.
- Get familiar with Genie+ prior to vacation.
- Get a photo in front of Spaceship Earth.
- Ride Soarin’ Around the World and Living with the Land.
- Explore the Imagination Pavilion and Ride with Figment.
- Discover the Seas with Nemo & Friends.
- Hop on a galactic adventure with Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.
- Ride Mission: SPACE and Test Track.
- Have lunch at La Cantina de San Angel.
- Ride the Three Caballeros
- Have a margarita at La Cava Del Tequila.
- Ride the Frozen Ever After Attraction.
- Watch Reflections of China theater show.
- Explore the Germany Pavilion.
- Do the Wine Walk.
- Discover the Italy Pavilion.
- Watch The American Adventure theater show.
- Walk around the Japan Pavilion.
- Visit the Morocco Pavilion.
- Discover the France Pavilion by having a sweet dessert, watching Impressions de France, and hanging out with Remy.
- Walk through the shops of the United Kingdom Pavilion and enjoy some Fish and Chips with a refreshing Cider from Rose & Crown Pub.
- Watch the new Canadian theater show.
- Ride Spaceship Earth.
- Have dinner at Connections Cafe or Coral Reef Restaurant.
- Watch the new Epcot fireworks show.
What are the Best Rides at Epcot for Adults?
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
- Soarin Around the World
- Living with the Land
- Spaceship Earth
- Test Track
What are the Must-Do Shows and Entertainment at Epcot for Adults?
- Impressions de France
- Oktoberfest Musikanten at Biergarten
- Canada: Far and Wide
- Mariachi Cobre
- Fireworks Show
What are the Best Restaurants at Epcot for Adults?
- Les Chef de France
- Space 220 Restaurant
- Biergarten Restaurant
- Takumi Tei
- Le Cellier Steakhouse
WATCH NEXT: Top 5 BEST Quick Service Restaurants at Epcot!
What are the Must-Do Events at Epcot for Adults?
Of course, all of the Epcot Festivals are a must-do for ANY grown-up visiting Epcot.
I also love the unique activities around the park such as the dessert parties, the Behind the Seeds Tour, and the Wine Walk as mentioned earlier.
These are the current Epcot Festivals:
- Food and Wine Festival
- Flower and Garden Festival
- Festival of the Arts
- Epcot Festival of the Holidays
What Attractions and Rides are in Epcot?
- American Heritage Gallery, World Showcase
- Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along
- Bijutsu-kan Gallery, World Showcase
- British Revolution, World Showcase
- Canada Far and Wide in Circle-Vision 360, World Showcase
- Coral Reefs, World Nature
- Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival, World Celebration
- Frozen Ever After, World Showcase
- Gallery of Arts and History, World Showcase
- Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros, World Showcase
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, World Discovery
- House of the Whispering Willows, World Showcase
- Fireworks, World Showcase
- Impressions de France, World Showcase
- JAMMitors at Future World East, World Celebration
- Jeweled Dragon Acrobats, World Showcase
- Journey into Imagination with Figment, World Celebration
- Kidcot Fun Stops, World Showcase
- Living with the Land, World Nature
- Mariachi Cobre, World Showcase
- Matsuriza, World Showcase
- Mexico Folk Art Gallery, World Showcase
- Mission: SPACE, World Discovery
- Reflections of China, World Showcase
- Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, World Showcase
- Rose & Crown Pub Musician, World Showcase
- Sbandieratori Di Sansepolcro, World Showcase
- Sea Turtles – Disney Animal Encounters, World Nature
- SeaBase – Disney Animal Encounters, World Nature
- Sergio- Streetmosphere, World Showcase
- Sharks and Stingrays – Disney Animal Encounters, World Nature
- Soarin’ Around the World, World Nature
- Spaceship Earth, World Celebration
- Stave Church Gallery, World Showcase
- Test Track, World Discovery
- The American Adventure, World Showcase
- The Seas with Nemo & Friends, World Nature
- Turtle Talk with Crush, World Nature
- Voices of Liberty, World Showcase
Ready to start planning your next Disney World vacation? Listen to the latest podcast episode on Apple or on your non-Apple device now!
How Many Countries Does Epcot Have?
You’ll be happy to know that there are 11 (eleven) countries in Epcot World Showcase for you to discover!
What are the countries in Epcot?
- Mexico
- Norway
- China
- Germany
- Italy
- America (United States)
- Japan
- Morocco
- France
- United Kingdom
- Canada
Read: Around the World in One Day: The EPCOT Pavilion Experience!
Where are the Best Places to Have a Drink at Epcot?
Like everywhere in the park and I mean that. Nothing else needs to follow…
I will say that Tutto Gusto Wine Cellar in the Italy Pavilion and La Cava Del Tequila in the Mexico Pavilion are the absolute best places to chill and enjoy a drink.
If it’s not too crowded.
Ready to start planning your next Disney World vacation? Listen to the latest podcast episode on Apple or on your non-Apple device now!
Have Your Drinking Around the World at Epcot Passport Handy
Don’t get overwhelmed trying to plan your perfect route around World Showcase. You already have enough to worry about for your Disney vacation.
Get your Drinking Around the World Passport to help you keep track of your progress of the best drinks in Epcot.
Grab your own Epcot Passport below!
What are the BEST Drinks at Epcot?
My top 5 must have alcoholic beverages are:
- Avocado Margarita from La Cava del Tequila in Mexico
- Orange Slush Martini from Les Vins des Chefs de France
- Leaping Leprechaun from Rose & Crown Pub in United Kingdom
- Apple Ice Wine from the Trading Post in Canada
- Violet Sake from Japan Pavilion
Read more of the best drinks at Epcot here!
Where Can You Find Alcoholic Beverages in Epcot?
Epcot has many options to avoid the Florida heat and enjoy a refreshing beverage.
…and you know we adults hate drinking and eating heavy in the heat.
Beer, wine, and the variety of cocktails can be found throughout World Celebration, World Nature, World Discovery, and World Showcase. There are vast offerings of alcoholic beverages that change throughout the year.
You can find some type of beverage at most carts and in each country of World Showcase.
Don’t be surprised if you see hazy eyes roaming around Epcot at twilight.
Before we end this article I want to give you a glimpse of what’s coming to Epcot.
Get Your FREE Epcot Video Planning Guide TODAY!
My Final Thoughts For the Best Epcot Adults Only Trip
As you can see, you can find something to do at Disney the grown-up way. I Hope you enjoyed this guide to doing Epcot as an adult.
Let me know some of your favorite things to do when you’re at Epcot without the kids in the comments section below.
If you enjoyed this article, then you’ll love these:
- 3 WORST Epcot Rides for Solo Travelers (Solo Disney Trip)
- Takumi Tei, Epcot’s Newest Japanese Restaurant
- What You Need to Know About Epcot’s Yearly Festivals
- Around the World in One Day: The EPCOT Pavilion Experience!
- Everything You Need To Know About Regal Eagle Smokehouse Craft Beer And Barbecue At Epcot
- 5 BEST Epcot Attractions for Solo Travelers (Disney Solo Trip)
- 7 BEST Disney Shirts for Adults Who LOVE Park Hopping
Until next time, Happy Park Hopping Hipsters!
About the Author
My name is Nikky. I’m a wife, a mother, a pharmacist turned theme park blogger, USA Today 10Best Contributor, and a writer who loves ALL things amusement park related!
Traveling alone to the parks has changed my life and I want to show how you can create your own solo theme park memories.
Connect with me on Instagram!
Planning a trip soon? If so, read the Disney Vacation Planning Guide for your next dream trip!
(Original article date: Summer 2017/Updated January 16, 2024)
Great advice! The only thing I would add is that if you want to get into the parks first thing in the morning, I would book a character breakfast before the park opens. Yes, even as adults. While you might not get as much of a kick out of the character interactions as the kids do (or you might…you might surprise yourself!), there are three big reasons to book that character breakfast: 1) The food is good, especially the signature pastries at both breakfasts, 2) seeing the park with almost no one in it is a really cool and unique pixie dust moment, and most importantly…3) you can get on one of the big-ticket rides with no wait. The Garden Grill is in the same building as both Soarin’ and Living With the Land and Akershus is next door to Frozen Ever After. The *only* way to get on Frozen Ever After without a ridiculous wait is to either win the FastPass+ lottery OR have a delicious early breakfast at Akershus. Princesses, potato casserole, then walking on to Frozen Ever After…sounds like a pretty magical start to the day for me!
This is absolutely great! I’ve never done character dining at Epcot. I think that’s a wonderful addition for adults going to the park. I’ve watched YouTube videos with the Garden Grill Character meet and greet, and it’s definitely on my bucketlist. Thanks again for such an awesome suggestion 🙂
Glad you liked the idea! Never even thought of doing character dining before this year, since we figured it was for the ‘kids’ and, well, what was I going to do with the autographs of a bunch of cartoon characters? But we got the Deluxe Dining Plan (went during Thanksgiving) and decided to splurge on a *bunch* of character breakfasts. We brought clear plastic ornaments for the characters to sign (which they *loved*…breaks up the autograph book monotony) and had a blast with it.
It can feel a bit rushed, especially if all the characters are coming around one after the other, but if you expect that character ‘rush’ and prepare for it (put your autograph supplies and camera down on the table the *second* you sit down) it makes the experience feel a little less stress-inducing. And Garden Grill is waaaay less of a crazy rush than Akershus seems to be. You really only get one shot with each princess at Akershus but the characters will come around to your table 2-3x each at Garden Grill. I got a couple of great pictures of me scratching the back of Pluto’s neck (hey, he’s a dog!) and we used a gesture conversation to finally figure out the relationship between Chip and Dale (for the record, they’re BFFs and not blood related). They’ll just wave at you and move on if you want, but if you just want to throw caution to the wind and play around with the characters, you will have a great time!
I will say it was a joy to people watch at both the princess character breakfasts (we also did Royal Table at the Magic Kingdom). The princesses are all *really* good with kids. During the princess parade at Akershus when we went, Snow White took such great care with gently leading a blind girl around the restaurant at the head of the parade. Snow was treating *her* like she was the princess, and it brought a tear to my eye just watching it. Gotta love those Disney Magic moments. 🙂
My advice for character breakfast ‘rookies’: 1) this is not grab and go food. Plan for the full experience to take at least 60-90 minutes and you will feel much more relaxed about the whole thing. 2) You’ll be most tempted to feel rushed if the food arrives at your table while the characters are coming around. Enjoy the character interaction *first*. If your food gets cold, the Epcot breakfasts are both all-you-can-eat skillets, so just ask for more. And…3) You might also be tempted to strangle Epcot security first thing in the morning—it feels like they take their sweet time about *everything*! Everyone at the restaurants are very familiar with how park security runs in the mornings and *no one* has ever had their reservations canceled because of a security delay. Pack your patience and know that it will all be ok.
Hope this helps! Have fun!
Wow, Laura! This is AMAZING advice!!!! It made my day 🙂
No matter how many times I go to Disney, there are still things I am not aware of inside the vast resort. Great tips for character dining rookies, especially a rookie like me. I so love the ornament idea. I will have to try that this year.
Thank you, thank you! Happy New Year 🙂
Hey Laura and how I do my reservation? for the breakfast?
Which breakfast would you like to make a reservation at?
I am elderly and cannot walk far. But I have always wanted to visit the foreign countries in Epcot. It is all I am interested in—– the different countries pavilions. Dont want the rides or other entertanment. Can I do this at an advanced age. Can guides be hired with some kind of transportatons which can travel between the country pavillions.
hank you
Hi Moyra!
Thanks for reaching out to me. Walking around World Showcase is doable, just be sure to take lots of breaks in each country and maybe watch a film or sit in a bench to people watch and take in the wonderful Epcot atmosphere. There are alternatives to help you get around if you need any assistance such as a scooter that can be rented at the front of the park.
The rides at Epcot are friendly for people of all ages, so you won’t have to worry about missing too much. The most intense rides there are Test Track and Mission Space. Everything else will be great for you.
Disney does offer an upcharge to have a private VIP Tour of the park with a Cast Member, it’s just super expensive, but it’s a wonderful option if you have the extra money to spend.
I hope this helps,
Nikky