If you’re looking for an EPCOT one-day itinerary that doesn’t involve buying Genie+ or Individual Lightning Lanes, then this post is for you!
In this guide, I’ll walk you through an entire day Epcot without paying for or using Genie+ while still being able to maximize your time and money at the park.
From riding most major rides to eating and drinking around the world showcase, this one-day itinerary will be filled with stress-free fun.
If you are looking to plan your EPCOT day with Genie+ in order to ride every ride, then this article probably won’t help you. But if you still want to have a fun time at Epcot by taking your time going through each country’s pavilion and knocking out some of the major rides, then I got you.
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Planning Ahead
Before you even get into the park, the first thing you should do is look at all of the rides and attractions that you want to check out and then make a note of the ones you absolutely need to hit, followed by some that you’re okay to miss if you’re short on time.
Thankfully, there are only a handful of must-do rides at Epcot, so you can easily knock everything out from 10 or 11 am to park closing.
If this will be your first time at Epcot, then I recommend that you try to hit the following attractions:
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
- Test Track
- Soarin’ Around the World
- Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
- Frozen Ever After
If you don’t care too much for Frozen, then you won’t be missing much if you skip it.
Anything additional will be a bonus!
As for restaurants, I have a couple of recommendations. The first being Garden Grill if you’re looking for a family-style character dining experience. And the second being Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria. Just make sure to make an advanced reservation. If they are sold out, you can use these tips to see if anything opens up.
But if I’m being honest, you can spend the entire day at Epcot and not eat at a table service restaurant thanks for the delicious snacks and quick service options located throughout the park. Not to mention, if you come during festival season, you’ll have more options than your stomach can handle.
When it comes to drinks and snacks, you can build your list using some of my recommendations:
Who is this for?
This Epcot itinerary is great for adults and big kids who don’t want to buy Genie Plus, and instead want to enjoy great eats and exhilarating rides.
Epcot Itinerary without Genie+
Here is my one-day itinerary for Epcot that doesn’t require you to pay for Genie+ or Individual Lightning Lanes, but instead takes advantage of savvy timing and a little pre-planning.
EPCOT always opens up at 8:30 am for Early Entry and 9:00 for all other guests.
You don’t necessarily need to rope drop this park, but you will need to be there in the morning if you decide to to the 7:00 am virtual queue for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.
So, if you want to ride Cosmic Rewind, at 7:00 am, be sure to join the virtual queue for the ride on the My Disney Experience app (don’t worry, if you don’t get in, you can try it again at 1:00 if you’re in the park). You can join the 7:00 am queue from anywhere outside the park as long as you have a theme park reservation for Epcot.
Once you get your confirmed boarding group for Cosmic Rewind, I would then head to the park around opening time.
If you get to the park before 10:00 am, I recommend that you head straight to Soarin’ Around the World. The wait times is around 39 minutes on average between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm. Since it makes no sense to go into the World Showcase because of the possibility that your Cosmic Rewind boarding group will be called, I would stay in the front of the park and knock out some rides.
After Soarin’, I would head to Journey into Imagination with Figment. If this doesn’t interest you (because it’s trash), then the Seas with Nemo and Friends is also a good choice, if you want something tame. Living with the Land is another solid choice but honestly, I wouldn’t go on that too early in the day since there’s so much more to do.
By this time, your boarding group should be close to being called. If not, you can stop by Club Cool to sample Coca Cola products from around the world or get a drink from Connections Cafe (aka Starbucks).
Once you finally ride the best ride in Disney World (Cosmic Rewind), it should be time to start eating (and/or drinking) around the World Showcase.
Everyone starts in Mexico, but Canada is perfectly fine too.
So, if you start in Mexico, and you like to drink, I would head straight into the pyramid-like building and get a margarita from La Cava del Tequila. You honestly can’t go wrong with any other their drinks but the Avocado Margarita is by far the best and most popular.
After Mexico, I would then head into Norway. During this time of the day, Frozen Ever After will be an 81 minute wait on average. So, if you don’t mind waiting, this will be the perfect time to go on it because the wait won’t get any shorter throughout the day.
But if you skip it, then I would instead take a peak inside of the Kringla Bakeri og Kafe and see if any of the snacks are calling your name. Everyone get’s the School Bread, but I think it’s overrated.
Next up is China. I very rarely eat or drink anything at this pavilion, but if I had to choose something, it would always be the pot stickers from Lotus Blossom Cafe and a boba tea from Joy of Tea.
After China comes Germany which is where you’ll find some of the best desserts in the entire park. Stop into Karamell Kuche and grab a bag of freshly made Werther’s caramel popcorn or snag one of their many caramel pastries.
And if you want something even better, get the Pretzel Bread Pudding from Sommerfest. This is a hidden gem that is slowly starting to get the love and praise it rightfully deserves.
Drink-wise, you can’t go wrong with an iconic grapefruit beer!
Next up is Italy! This is the perfect time to sit down and grab some food, and there’s no better spot that Via Napoli if you’re in the mood for some authentic wood-fired pizza. If you rather snack or drink, then the gelato or Italian Margarita (a frozen blend of limoncello and tequila) is a great choice. You’ll find these items from Geletaria Toscana.
After Italy comes the American Adventure. Here, you’ll find the best quick service restaurant in Epcot, Regal Eagle Smokehouse. If love barbecue, then you’ll love their selection of ribs, pulled pork, brisket, and smoked chicken. And you definitely can’t forget about the Loaded Burnt End Fries!
The American Adventure Pavilion is also the only place where you can get a turkey leg in the park. You’ll find it at Fife & Drum.
These foods pair well with a Golden Road Mango Cart beer from Block and Hans.
After America, you’ll head straight into Japan. This pavilion is home to the most expensive restaurant inside of any Disney World park called Takumi-Tei which is priced at $150 or $250 per person.
While in Japan, I recommend that you get the Violet Sake or the TikTok famous Kakigori. Japan is also home to the best store in the park called Mitsukoshi which is also a good place to cool down.
After Japan, I would then head into Morocco. Honestly, I very rarely eat or drink in the pavilion, but instead spend my time exploring the various alleyways. Not to mention, this is a great place to Princess Jasmine from Aladdin.
After some exploration, I would then head into France which is home to some of the best snacks in all of Disney World.
If you’re ready to eat, then I recommend you snack on the following:
- Croque Glace
- Butter and Sugar Crepe
- Fraises
- Macaron
- Macaron Ice Cream Sandwich
- French Baguette
- Napoleon
And for drinking, the best thing to get is always the Grand Marnier Orange Slush.
If you’re in the mood for a ride, then I would head to Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure. During this time of the day, the ride will have an average wait time of 84 minutes. It’s crazy long, and the queue is mostly outside, but if you love Ratatouille, then this is the time to do it.
After France, I would head straight to Rose and Crown Pub inside of the United Kingdom. This is a fun place to grab a drink before moving on. Food-wise, you can’t go wrong with the fish and chips from Yorkshire County Fish Shop.
Last up is Canada. Besides Le Cellier Steakhouse, there isn’t much to eat in the pavilion. You can get some maple popcorn, but other than that, I don’t expect anyone to spend that much time in here unless they’re watching the Canada Far and Wide in Circle-Vision 360.
By the time you make it around the World Showcase, you might be in the mood for some rides.
At this time, I recommend that you head straight to the fastest ride at Disney World, Test Track, for some exhilarating fun!
If the wait is too long and you don’t mind splitting your party up, you can always join the Single Rider Line to cut down your wait.
If your stomach can handle some G-forces, you can head next door to Mission: Space Orange for one of the most intense rides at Disney World. Just a heads up though, it’s pretty disorienting due to the spinning and it may leave you feeling pretty sick. But don’t worry, there’s also a milder Green version that doesn’t spin.
At this point of your day, you have a few options. You can see if the lounge at Space 220 is accepting walk-ins, or you can head back to the World Showcase and start all over again.
If it’s approaching 9 pm, you can also go find a great spot to watch the fireworks.
If not, you can go knock out some other attractions that you missed like Living with the Land, Spaceship Earth, or Turtle Talk with Crush. Or you can do some repeats.
Hopefully this Epcot itinerary without Genie Plus has give you some ideas to plan a fun park day!
Example Epcot Itinerary #1 – Morning
Here is my favorite Epcot itinerary that I personally use when I have family or friends in town. It’s a pretty well rounded schedule that hits all of the major rides, attractions, and eats. It’s fairly quick and not too time consuming. This is great is you plan on park hopping later on in the day.
- 7:00 am – Grab a Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind boarding group
- 9:00 am – Scan into EPCOT
- 9:10 am – Soarin’ Around the World
- 10:00 am – Journey into Imagination with Figment or The Seas with Nemo and Friends
- 10:40 am – Club Cool
- 10:45 am – Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind
- 11:30 am – World Showcase(start in Mexico)
- 12:30 pm – Lunch at Regal Eagle Smokehouse or Via Napoli
- 1:30 pm – Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
- 2:30 pm – More snacking and drinking
- 3:15 pm – Test Track
- 4:15 pm – Mission Space
- 4:45 pm – Leave Epcot or hit some rides missed like Living with the Land, Spaceship Earth, or even Frozen Ever After
Example Epcot Itinerary #2 – Afternoon or Evening
EPCOT is a better evening park in my opinion, so here’s an itinerary for people who prefer to visit later on in the day. This is a good strategy to use if you plan on visiting Animal Kingdom in the morning and end the day at Epcot.
Also, if it’s insanely hot and humid out, this is the itinerary for you if you want to avoid the heat.
- 4:00 pm – Scan into Epcot
- 4:05 pm – Spaceship Earth
- 4:30 pm – Soarin’ Around the World
- 5:00 pm – Head to World Showcase (start in Mexico)
- 6:45 pm – Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
- 8:00 pm – Test Track
- 8:45 pm – Find a spot to watch the fireworks in the World Showcase
- 9:20 pm – Leave Epcot
The only thing missing from this itinerary is Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. There are only two ways for you to ride this. The first way is if you are staying at a Disney Deluxe, Deluxe Villa, or other select hotel. If Epcot has extending evening hours during the day that you visit, you can join the virtual queue for Cosmic Rewind at 6:00 pm. The second way is if you decide to pay the $14 to $17 for an Individual Lightning Lane.
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