EPCOT Rides by Age: The Offerings for Each Age Group
This park has a lot to do including play areas, character meet and greets, tons of dining options, and the opportunity to walk around the World Showcase. There are rides, but not nearly as many as you will find at Magic Kingdom. What are the best EPCOT rides by age?
What Do You Need to Know About the Best EPCOT Rides by Age?
1. Maximize Your Day with a Touring Plan
2. Do You Need Front-of-the-Line Passes?
3. Rides in EPCOT for Everyone
4. Rides for Preschoolers and Up
5. Rides for Early Elementary-Aged Kids and Up
6. Rides for Upper Elementary-Aged Kids and Up
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EPCOT Rides by Age
1. Maximize Your Day with a Touring Plan
EPCOT is hot. You will be much happier if you alternate indoor and outdoor attractions and minimize wait times. Make a plan.
The perfect plan will vary depending on what is important to you. Everyone should plan to arrive prior to park opening and eat at off times. Consider going to Guardians of the Galaxy, Soarin’, Frozen Ever After, Test Track, or Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure first. Save shows, shopping, and less popular attractions for the afternoon.
EPCOT employees are not going to kick you out of a line if you are in it before the park closes. If you get in line one minute before the park closes, you will be allowed to ride.
Pro tip: Touringplans.com creates personalized touring plans for free. Input what you want to do to generate a plan. The plan can be modified throughout the day based on current wait times.
Bonus pro tip: If you don’t care if you sit with your party, single rider lines will have shorter waits.
2. Do You Need Front-of-the-Line Passes?
Genie+
Genie+ allows you to reserve spots to skip the line on certain attractions throughout the day. The cost varies by the day.
While it is annoying to pay this extra charge, you will be glad you did. This park has a lot to see. Don’t waste unnecessary time in line.
Individual Lightning Lane
You can purchase an Individual Lightning Lane to skip the line one time on one ride. The price varies based on demand.
As of the time of this writing, the only ride that accepts an Individual Lightning Lane is Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. This is also a worthwhile purchase. The standby line moves like molasses. If you’re not the fastest runner when the park opens, you will have to wait.
3. Rides for All Ages
Frozen Ever After
Frozen Ever After is a boat ride through the story of Frozen. The animatronic Olaf’s movements are impressively natural. At one point, the boat goes backward. Even if Frozen isn’t your thing, it is worth a stop.
Height requirement: None
Genie+ accepted: Yes
Lightning Lane attraction: No
Best for: Babies, toddlers, preschoolers, early elementary, upper elementary, tweens, teens, adults
Location: World Showcase (Norway)
Indoor or outdoor: Indoor
Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros
Gran Fiesta Tour is a slow-moving boat ride with an angry Donald Duck wearing a sombrero. It never has much of a line and is a great place to sit down and soak up some air conditioning.
Height requirement: None
Genie+ accepted: No
Lightning Lane attraction: No
Best for: Babies, toddlers, preschoolers
Location: World Showcase (Mexico)
Indoor or outdoor: Indoor
Journey into Imagination with Figment
This ride screams little kid. Barney Figment, a purple dragon (?), sings and takes you on a slow-moving ride through rooms about imagination. At one point, a puff of air is blown in your face. This ride is a walk on all the time. Save it for the afternoon and do not waste a Genie+ reservation on it.
The ride exits into ImageWorks, a small play area that will appeal to the younger population.
Height requirement: None
Genie+ accepted: Yes
Lightning Lane attraction: No
Best for: Babies, toddlers, preschoolers
Location: World Celebration
Indoor or outdoor: Indoor
Living with the Land
Living with the Land is a slow-moving boat ride through a greenhouse and the inner workings of how the park grows its food. It isn’t exciting, but it is a relaxing cruise in air conditioning. There is never much of a wait. Save this for the afternoon and save the Genie+ reservation for something else.
Height requirement: None
Genie+ accepted: Yes
Lightning Lane attraction: No
Best for: Babies, toddlers, preschoolers, early elementary, adults
Location: World Nature
Indoor or outdoor: Indoor
The Seas with Nemo & Friends
This is a slow-moving ride through the story of Finding Nemo in a real aquarium. It is short, but sure to be a hit with kids. There is rarely a wait for this ride. Save it for the afternoon.
Pro tip: This ride empties into SeaBase, a large aquarium. Don’t miss the manatees.
Height requirement: None
Genie+ accepted: Yes
Lightning Lane attraction: No
Best for: Babies, toddlers, preschoolers, early elementary
Location: World Nature
Indoor or outdoor: Indoor
4. Rides for Preschoolers and Up
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure is a 3D ride in a rat car. It is screen-heavy and not for those who get motion sickness easily.
Height requirement: None
Genie+ accepted: Yes
Lightning Lane attraction: No
Best for: Preschoolers, early elementary, upper elementary, tweens, teens, adults
Location: World Showcase (France)
Indoor or outdoor: Indoor
Spaceship Earth
Spaceship Earth is a slow-moving, somewhat outdated, very long ride through the iconic silver golf ball sphere you see upon entering the park. The first half takes you up the ball through different periods in history with lots of animatronics, and the descent features an interactive screen in your car.
The line exits into a play area with screens that let you send postcards via email.
This ride never has much of a wait and the line tends to move quickly. You should be able to walk on with no wait every morning and before the park closes.
Height requirement: None
Genie+ accepted: Yes
Lightning Lane attraction: No
Best for: Preschoolers, early elementary, adults
Location: World Celebration
Indoor or outdoor: Indoor
5. Rides for Early Elementary-Aged Kids and Up
Mission SPACE
Mission: SPACE is one of the most nauseating rides EPCOT has to offer. It is a motion simulator in individual space shuttles. There are two sides, Orange and Green. If you don’t enjoy really, and I mean really, intense spinning, go to the Green side for some mild shaking instead.
This ride exits into the Advanced Training Lab, an area with some games with screens and a playground.
Height requirement: 40″ Green, 44″ Orange
Genie+ accepted: Yes
Lightning Lane attraction: No
Best for: Early elementary, upper elementary, tweens, teens, adults
Location: World Discovery
Indoor or outdoor: Indoor
Soarin’ Around the World
Soarin’ lifts you up and gives the illusion you are flying over several landmarks on a screen. You go on a smooth ride that is enjoyable for most.
Pro tip: There are three large sections of people lifted at once and stacked on top of each other in rows. The best view is in the center section (B) and Row 1 which goes to the top of the stack. If you’re not in the first row, you will see the feet of the people above you during the ride. If you really care about this, request this section and tell the ride attendant you’re willing to wait.
Height requirement: 40″
Genie+ accepted: Yes
Lightning Lane attraction: No
Best for: Early elementary, upper elementary, tweens, teens, adults
Location: World Nature
Indoor or outdoor: Indoor
Test Track
Test Track basically has its occupants act as crash test dummies. Prior to boarding, you design a car on a screen that is incorporated into the ride. At one point, there is a fast lap around the outside of the building.
You exit into an interactive section featuring screens and a car dealership (no, really).
This line gets long. Arrive early or consider using Genie+.
Height requirement: 40″
Genie+ accepted: Yes
Lightning Lane attraction: No
Best for: Early elementary, upper elementary, tweens, teens, adults
Location: World Discovery
Indoor or outdoor: Indoor with a partially outdoor queue
6. Ride for Upper Elementary-Aged Kids and Up
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
Guardians of the Galaxy is a dark, indoor roller coaster. It is fast. Many people report feeling dizzy and nauseous upon exiting. Be sure to pack Dramamine if you are prone to motion sickness.
Height requirement: 42″
Genie+ accepted: No
Lightning Lane attraction: Yes
Best for: Upper elementary, tweens, teens, adults
Location: World Discovery
Indoor or outdoor: Indoor
Final Thoughts – EPCOT Rides by Age: The Offerings for Each Age Group
The park is light on rides, but it is worth a visit. Use the EPCOT rides by age guide to plan your day, but don’t forget that the majority of your day will be spent doing other things.
Visit Disney World with kids. You will not regret it.
