Seeing Epcot through Adult Eyes

It just so happened that my time at Epcot came six days after the opening of its first coaster. Luckily, I got to ride and loved my time at this "Disney for grown-ups" park.

Recap of my Previous Visit

I visited Epcot for a full day on a weeklong family trip to Walt Disney World in 2006. This was probably my least favorite of the 4 parks in '06, as it severely lacked thrill rides. I waited two hours to ride Test Track and was devastated when it broke. I thought Spaceship Earth was kind of boring, and Soarin' was underwhelming. I enjoyed riding the monorail most.

Overview

I "started" my Epcot halfday by pressing that infamous Join Queue button at precisely 7:00:00AM in the MDE app. Fortunately, my attempt was successful, and I was awarded boarding group 51 for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. I visited Epcot from 8:30AM-2PM, which was plenty of time to accomplish what I wanted to do. Admittedly, I only explored about 40% of this park, going as far to the left as Test Track and as far right as the International Gateway. I rode Test Track twice, Spaceship Earth once, Guardians once, and Soarin' once before park hopping to Hollywood Studios. Although outer space isn't a huge interest of mine, I enjoyed the futuristic theming of Epcot. The construction walls were very annoying though.

Coaster

I got the callback at 11:20AM to ride Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. I don't typically discuss queues, but the one for this coaster was amazing. From the dark blue hues of the Galaxorium to the holographic characters to the epic pre-show, Cosmic Rewind delivered a pre-ride experience that had me pumped! The queue even smelled brand new. I wited about 45 minutes to ride. The loading sysyem for Cosmic Rewind is very efficient. This ride has speedy lift hills, a thrilling backwards launch, and cool spinning. Being inside makes it seem much faster, and the music probably also helps. I got "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" and think that song syncs perfectly with the ride! I can see how the spinning effects are disorienting for some riders, but I had a blast! This ride is not very intense, but it's engaging. Cosmic Rewind is my second-favorite attraction at WDW, only behind Rock 'n' Roller Coaster.

Other Rides

Test Track could definitely be considered a thrill ride. It felt a lot like actual driving, but a bit more action-packed! My favorite part of course was the 60mph+ lap outside finale. I did the single rider queue both times and waited less than 10 minutes while the posted standby wait was an hour. The 3-across seating makes this ride an excellent choice for the single rider line. I'm glad I got to experience this attraction 16 years after being disappointed. I also enjoyed Spaceship Earth and Soarin' more than I did as a child. I will say that being in the bottom row on Soarin' and looking at feet ruined some of the magic.

Food & Merchandise

I had lunch at Sunshine Seasons. This meal was one of my favorites of the trip; I got the rotisserie chicken with green beans and potatoes. With a small bottled water, my total was $16.

Cost

I spent $392 on a two-day park hopper ticket with Genie+ and one IAS purchase. On this day, I saved all Genie+ selections for Hollywood Studios. While it is extremely expensive to pay nearly $200/day for an individual to visit theme parks and skip a few lines, it took me 16 years as it was to get back to Disney World. It will likely be at least another 5 years before I return to Florida. While not packed with thrill coasters, the Disney parks are special...and worth every penny in my opinion. Check out the cost breakdown of my entire trip here.

Photos

These photos were taken by me. Please credit this website if used. Check out my photos page for pictures of Disney World from 2006.