7 EPCOT Cheats We Use All the Time

We love going to Disney World every day, and since we go so frequently, we have learned quite a few cheats to get us through our park days.

Of course, we are going to share those cheats with you so you can also become a park professional! Regardless of whether it is your first time to Disney World or you are a local and go all the time, you could still apply these cheats to your visit. Today, we are talking about all things EPCOT, and these are the seven main cheats that we use when we go!

We want you to have the perfect day in EPCOT, and when you learn a few EPCOT cheats, like the one we use, it can make your day at EPCOT even better!

Use the International Gateway

EPCOT has two entrances, unlike the other three parks, which only have one (unless you count the Rainforest Cafe entrance at Animal Kingdom). If you have stayed at an EPCOT area resort or taken the Skyliner to EPCOT, you may have used this entrance before.

This entrance is really the hidden gem of EPCOT, especially later in the day. Normally, security lines are very low, and you can enter EPCOT swiftly. It can also be cool to enter the World Showcase between the United Kingdom Pavilion and the France Pavilion. 

We also like entering here because once you enter the park, World Traveler, a gift shop, is right there. Here, you can replace your FuelRod and also pick up scavenger hunt maps and prizes if there is a festival going on at EPCOT.

EPCOT’s World Showcase does not always open at the same time as all of EPCOT, so if you are looking to get a head start on drinking around the world, you might have to wait. The good news is that the rides in World Showcase open when EPCOT opens, so using this entrance can help you get on rides like Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and Frozen Ever After a little bit quicker.

Using the International Gateway entrance can make you feel like a pro and is a great way to save time if you are planning a casual evening visit to EPCOT. If you aren’t staying in one of the hotels in the EPCOT Resort area, you could park at Disney’s Hollywood Studios instead of EPCOT and take the Skyliner to the park — the EPCOT Skyliner station is at this entrance. That won’t be the quickest way to get to EPCOT, but if you’re trying to save some steps in getting to something at the back of the park, or you just want to experience this entrance (and the Skyliner), this can be a fun route to take.

Book Dining Packages

Did you know that live entertainment is free during EPCOT International Festivals? That’s right! At the America Gardens Theatre, different musical performances happen throughout the festival. 

During the EPCOT International Festival of the Arts, you can catch some of your favorite Disney Broadway stars performing Broadway hits.

During the EPCOT International Flower and Garden Festival, you can attend the Garden Rocks Concert series, and you may even recognize some of the names! This year, musicians like Jo Dee Messina and Plain White T’s were part of the line-up! 

The Eat to the Beat Concert Series takes place during the EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival. While no acts have been announced for this year, we did some digging and saw that, according to Shelia E.’s website, she will be performing at EPCOT on September 20th and 21st. 

Finally, during the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays, you can catch the Candlelight Processional with different celebrity narrators. Last year, the narrators included Jordan Fisher and Brendan Fraser.

While anyone with a park ticket can attend these events, if you want to have a reserved seat in the front, you can book dining packages. These packages are offered at certain restaurants around EPCOT and can be booked like a normal dining reservation through the My Disney Experience app.

Your reservation is based on which of the three shows you wish to attend. Currently, shows are performed three times a night: 5:30 PM, 6:45 PM, and 8:00 PM. After you dine, you are given a sticker that is your pass to skip the standby line and head straight to the front.

This is a great cheat if you do not want to have a bad seat or you really like an artist and want to be up close. Some of these shows are popular and can be seen in standing room only.  

Avoid the Crowds, Go in the Afternoon

We love EPCOT, but sometimes, by the afternoon, those who visited earlier in the day start to trickle out. Sometimes, kids get bored, or maybe the big kids had a little too much fun trying all the drinks in the World Showcase. Regardless of people’s reasoning for leaving, it is a good thing for crowds.

By the late afternoon, EPCOT begins to get less crowded. Some of our local team members only visit EPCOT in the afternoon and evening to get a bite to eat and stop by America Gardens Theatre to see a concert. This can be you, too!

You can rope drop at a park like Animal Kingdom in the morning and then head to EPCOT later in the day to avoid the crowds. We know that Disney World is full of lines, and finding times to visit with lower crowds is ideal.

While crowd levels change, and it is not always guaranteed that EPCOT won’t be crowded in the afternoon, the trend has been that EPCOT is less crowded during the later hours of the day.

Get Your Free Soda by Visiting Club Cool

Disney World can be expensive, and purchasing bottled beverages can add up. Well, if you are looking to quench your thirst while also trying new things, then you need to head to Club Cool.

Club Cool is located next to the Creations Shop in World Celebration. Here, you can sample Coke products from around the world.

While you are there, you have to try the infamous Beverly and cross that off your EPCOT to-do list. This experience is free, and you can try many cool soda flavors that are not offered in the United States. 

Snack Around the World

It is no secret that EPCOT is known for its food and drinks, and because of that, you may want to sample a little bit of everything.

The perfect time to do this is during festivals. There are so many booths where you can try different foods, but because you want to try all that food, you may not be hungry for a full meal later. It is totally okay to go to EPCOT and skip the table service meal to snack around the world instead! This way, you can try a little bit of everything without worrying that you will be too full later. 

If you do decide to try food at festival booths, we know it can be hot at times and hard to find a table, which leads us to our next cheat.

Pick Up Food from Multiple Booths and Eat Inside

There is one festival booth that is located INDOORS! In The Odyssey, you can find a cute area themed around the current festival. For example, last year’s EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival, The Odyssey, was themed to Muppet Labs!

We love to pick up food from other booths nearby and then go into The Odyssey to try all our yummy food in the air conditioning. While you are in there, you may even want to try the food offerings that are in The Odyssey as well.

Exclusive Visa Cardmember Character Meet and Greet

If you want to meet characters but do not want to wait in a long line, we have good news for Visa Cardmembers!

This experience can be found near the Imagination Pavilion by the Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival. Simply present your Disney Visa Card to the Cast Member at the front and you are granted access to this exclusive meet and greet.

Using this cheat is a great way to be able to meet another character in the park without the long line, plus it is inside so you can cool off. As if this could not get any sweeter, you also get complimentary downloads of the pictures that are taken! 

We hope that you are able to use these cheats the next time you visit EPCOT in Disney World!

Click Here to Read About Five Things Our Reporters Do When the Parks are Not Crowded!

Have you used any of these EPCOT cheats before? Let us know in the comments!

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