Epcot opened as Walt Disney World's second theme park on October 1, 1982 and is in the midst of a park-wide transformation project, so expect a lot of construction walls around the Future World section of the park. The pandemic has altered some of Disney's announced plans for the park, which can be previewed in the Odyssey exhibition space between Future World and World Showcase. Epcot is big on food festivals, which now run almost every week of the year, starting with the Festival of the Arts in January, then continuing with the Flower & Garden Festival in the spring, followed by the Food & Wine Festival in late summer through fall, wrapping up with the Festival of the Holidays in November and December.
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Other notable attractions include The Seas with Nemo and Friends aquarium tour, Listen to the Land indoor farming tour, and Journey Into the Imagination with Figment dark ride in Future World; the Gran Fiesta Tour indoor boat ride in World Showcase's Mexico pavilion, and the Frozen Ever After indoor boat ride in the Norway pavilion.
New for 2021 will be Remy's Ratatouille Adventure, a trackless dark ride that first opened in Walt Disney Studios Park at Disneyland Paris. It will debut in an expanded France pavilion in World Showcase. Also coming soon will be Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, an indoor roller coaster with rotating cars in the former Universe of Energy pavilion in Future World.
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Other notable shows include Turtle Talk With Crush in The Seas with Nemo and Friends pavilion, Awesome Planet in The Land, Canada Far and Wide in Circle-Vision 360 in World Showcase's Canada pavilion, Beauty and the Beast Sing Along in France, and Reflections of China in World Showcase's China pavilion.
Epcot's next production will be Harmonious, a night-time spectacular on the World Showcase lagoon that replaces the long-running Illuminations show.
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Coming next is Space 220, a Patina Group restaurant next to Mission Space that will use giant screen "windows" to simulate dining 220 miles above the planet, in Earth orbit.
Epcot is part of the sprawling Walt Disney World Resort, located in Lake Buena Vista, Florida – about 24 miles from Orlando International Airport.
You must reserve the day you want to visit in advance using the Disney Park Pass Reservation system. Once you have your dates reserved, you can start making restaurant reservations up to 60 days in advance of your visit. As for ride reservations, Walt Disney World's Fastpass+ system has been suspended due to the pandemic and the need for additional physical distancing in queues.
The Frozen ride tends to be the longest wait in the park, followed by Test Track. But the big consideration here is the dining, as Epcot's restaurants are the real top attractions in the park. Make your reservations as soon as you can, starting exactly 60 days before the date of your visit - and the earlier in the day (Eastern time), the better.
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