Disney Answer: Yes

The nightly fireworks show at Epcot is currently called IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth, and starts nightly at 9:00 PM and lasts 12 minutes, subject to the weather conditions or course. Illuminations is available for viewing all around the World Showcase, just find a good spot with a decent view of the water, and you are good to go.

Illuminations has been part of the Epcot landscape since 1998, and is scheduled to be replaced later this year. Sometime in the late Summer or early Fall of 2019, Disney will introduce Epcot Forever, an interim show that will feature classic Epcot tunes, surely to be a hit with long time Epcot fans.

Sometime in 2020, the new permanent show, A Celebration of Disney Music, will replace Epcot Forever.

While no exact dates for the changes have been announced, it appears that there will not be any transition period between the shows, and fireworks will continue to be displayed every night.

Disney Answer: See Below

Questions like this are very subjective, and there isn’t necessarily a correct answer. I may love Soarin’ but you may think Test Track is better. So, please take these answers with a grain of salt, and pick which rides you think your family will enjoy.

FastPasses allow you to basically bypass the line at Disney. You are allowed to book up to 3 fastpasses per day either online or via the WDW smart phone app. Reservations can be made up to 60 days in advance of your trip.

In Epcot, due to the reduced number or attractions, they have put the fastpass options in two tiers, Tier 1 and Tier 2. Here are the options in each tier:

Epcot Tier 1 Fastpass attractions

• IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth
• Soarin’
• Test Track
• Frozen Ever After

Epcot Tier 2 Fastpass attractions

• Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival
• Journey Into Imagination
• Living with the Land
• Meet Disney Pals at the Epcot Character Spot
• Mission:Space
• The Seas with Nemo & Friends
• Spaceship Earth
• Turtle Talk with Crush

You are currently allowed to select 1 option from tier 1 and 2 options from tier 2. Once you have used all three fastpasses that day, you are allowed to make an additional reservation from any tier, if there are any times left.

So, which Epcot rides should you fastpass?

From tier 1, I would avoid Illuminations. Now, DO NOT avoid the show itself, it is fantastic, but the fastpass allows you access to a reserved standing area, and the view from there is no better than anywhere else. 15 minutes before the show starts, find yourself a spot somewhere around the lagoon with a good view of the center.

If you have little girls, get Frozen Ever After. Beware, these go super quickly, and are usually gone within a few minutes of being made available.

Both Soarin’ and Test Track are great options for a thrill ride, pick one of the two, and then arrive at Epcot a few minutes before opening and go directly to the other one and get in line. Your wait should be pretty short, and much shorter than any other time during the day.

From tier 2, it really depends. Mission:Space is a no brainer, it is the other thrill ride in Epcot. The other options would be wisely used on something your family would like. Personally, I love Living with the Land, and Spaceship Earth is fantastic, but you can usually find both of these rides without lines late in the afternoon. If you have kids, the Disney Pals meet and greet is quite fun, and a great way to meet a lot of Disney characters in just a few minutes.

When I do Epcot Fastpasses here are my choices:

• Soarin’
• Mission:Space
• Living with the Land or Spaceship Earth

I think Epcot is harder to figure out then any other Disney theme park. It is pretty easy to pick the best 3 or 4 rides in the Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios, but because of the tiers, the three most popular rides are limited to you, so you have to pick between rides that really do not need a fastpass most of the time. Pick what works best for your family.

Disney Answer: YES

Very few people realize that the Boardwalk are and Epcot are very close, just a few hundred yards separate the two. Everyone is familiar with the front entrance to Epcot, that is how most people arrive there, either by monorail, bus or car. But even if you are in the park all day, you most likely will not see Epcot’s second entrance, the International Gateway. The second Epcot entrance is located between United Kingdom and France in the World Showcase area of Epcot. As you exit the UK and head towards France, there is a pathway on the right hand side that heads downhill to a small shop right before you cross the bridge. If you head down that path, you will see the International Gateway right behind the little store.

From the International Gateway, you can access the Boardwalk Inn, Boardwalk Villas, Beach & Yacht Club Resorts as well as the Swan and Dolphin, and a bit further on is Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park. If you are just headed to one of the resorts or the Boardwalk area, you can walk, they are just minutes away, but if you are going to Hollywood Studios (or maybe the Swan or Dolphin), hop on one of the boats and enjoy the ride.

The International Gateway operates just like the front entrance to Epcot, and is open the same hours. A bonus for entering Epcot through the International Gateway? The World Showcase does not open until 11 AM, so you get to walk through an empty, not yet open World Showcase, which is always a special opportunity.

Disney Answer: YES

Even though Epcot is a bit of a different type of theme park, it does have rides. Not only does Epcot have rides, Epcot has some of the best rides at Walt Disney World, including many that can’t be found in any other Disney theme park, anywhere!

Current Epcot Rides

• The Seas with Nemo & Friends – Go under the sea—without getting wet—on this attraction based on Disney•Pixar’s Finding Nemo which finds Nemo lost again.
• Living with the Land – Sail through the greenhouses of The Land Pavilion on a boat tour and behold 9-pound lemons, Mickey-shaped pumpkins and more!
• Soarin’ – Take flight on a breezy, airborne adventure as you hang glide above some of the most breathtaking wonders the world has to offer.
• Journey Into Imagination with Figment – Figment the playful, purple dragon is your guide on this whimsical ride through the Imagination Institute.
• Ellen’s Energy Adventure – Be entertained and enlightened during a zany, 45-minute multimedia trip through time and Ellen DeGeneres’s subconscious.
• Mission: Space – Experience authentic NASA-style training and an out-of-this-world space launch on this shuttle simulator.
• Test Track – Design a virtual concept vehicle and then go for a high-octane spin at this attraction that’s thrilling and creative.
• Spaceship Earth – Travel in time and explore the history of communication on a ride that takes you from the Stone Age to the computer age.
• Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros – Take in the sights of Mexico and the antics of the 3 feathered amigos on this gentle boat ride through the Mexico Pavilion.
• Frozen Ever After – Hoist the sails in Arendelle aboard an ancient Norwegian vessel as you set out into the wondrous wintery world of Frozen!

There you go, and I only include the attraction that move around, or what one would consider “rides”. Don’t forget some of the other awesome attractions such as The American Adventure or Impressions de France, that don’t technically move around but are first class attractions.