Top 5 EPCOT Attractions

EPCOT is in a weird transitory period.  On the one hand, there’s still enough to do (and, especially, eat) to make a visit there worthwhile.  On the other hand, there’s plenty of areas that still fall under the “too boring” side of edutainment or had a bad renovation and haven’t recovered.  Nevertheless, here’s my top 5 EPCOT attractions.

Note: The * indicates rides that have a FastPass, which is generally worth getting.

5. Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros: Tucked inside the pyramid in the Mexico section, it can be easy to miss the Gran Fiesta.  A boat ride in the style of It’s a Small World (including a section that seems like it wouldn’t be out of place there), it may not be the most informative tour of Mexico, but it’s fun with plenty of humor from Donald’s antics.

4. Mission: SPACE*: A simulator, Mission: Space takes four people and puts them in an experimental rocket, where everybody has their own roles to perform to make a successful trip to Mars.  Note that there are two versions of the ride, the Green Team and the Orange Team.  Orange Team is a centrifuge, while Green Team is more of a light simulator.  I’ve never done Orange, but on Green, there’s still some nice effects.  Green Team also has a lighter wait, making the FastPass only necessary for Orange Team.

3. Journey into Imagination with Figment: While it may not quite have the flair of the original ride and post-ride area, Figment is worth visiting, taking you through the Imagination labs which test your senses and, of course, your imagination.  After the renovation that completely removed Figment, having him back is welcome.  The post-ride here, ImageWorks, might be best skipped, though, not really having enough to entertain for long.

2. Test Track*: The new renovation of Test Track, which lets people design their own cars, is interesting but not really incredible.  More fun is the ride which combines actual information about how vehicles are tested before being sold, the new Tron-like visuals that the ride has, and the thrilling outdoor area.

1. The Seas with Nemo & Friends: The Seas starts with a nice ride through several of the movie’s great moments (including the incredible EAC and the jellyfish field), and then just expands as you leave the ride.  There’s a two-floor aquarium filled with fish, manatees, and sharks, all with Nemo-themed information about the species in there.  And there’s Turtle Talk with Crush, which leans more towards kids, letting them talk to Crush using the same technology that the Laugh Floor uses, but can still be entertaining for adults.