An Ideal Epcot Evening Touring Plan (No Lightning Lanes)

As I’ve gotten older, I find that I enjoy leisurely visits to the Disney theme parks more than those with a rapid pace. But sometimes, I like to see what I can do in a limited time. On a recent visit to Epcot, my plans for the evening were pretty much wiped out due to a thunderstorm that I assume sent most guests packing. The park was relatively empty when I arrived.

As the saying goes, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. So, I decided to pivot and see what was possible. I had an incredible time and felt like I knocked it out of the park when it came to touring. During my adventure, I asked myself if the average guest would have been able to do the same without a plan. Sadly, the resounding answer was no. Then, I questioned whether or not an average guest could take my itinerary and follow it step-by-step. I believe so with a few considerations and possible alternatives. (You may want to change up some of the rides. But you can still use this plan as a guideline.)

Lastly, I asked myself who could use this evening touring plan for Epcot? Anyone with a good sense of direction or familiarity with the park layout could use it. I used what I call “circle-touring” or a “tour where you’re at” strategy. I’ve come up with these things over the years to maximize time and eliminate backtracking. Below, I’ll share my itinerary with you and then review how the evening went. I ran into a few snags, which you might find hard to believe, considering how much I was able to do. But we’ll discuss them anyway, so you’ll know what to do if you encounter the same.

Epcot Evening Itinerary

Here is how my night went. Note that I did not use any Lightning Lanes or virtual queues. I also ate an early dinner before I arrived at the park. So, I didn’t stop for snacks or meals.

5:25 p.m. Arrived at Epcot’s Front Entrance
5:32 p.m. The Seas with Nemo and Friends
5:59 p.m. Living with the Land
6:16 p.m. Soarin’
7:01 p.m. Impressions de France
7:27 p.m. Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
8:12 p.m. Frozen Ever After
9:00 p.m. Luminous: The Symphony of Us

In the last 3.5 hours of the day, I experienced six attractions and watched the evening fireworks.

Who Could Use This Plan?

Before we get into the specifics, I want to highlight a few types of guests who could benefit from this strategy.

Guests with a Park Hopper ticket who want to visit Epcot later in the day.
Guests who planned a resort day and who only want to spend a few hours at the park in the evening.
Guests who visit regularly and can afford to visit for a limited time. (Annual Passholders)
Anyone who wants to maximize touring the parks in lower crowds after inclement weather.

This plan is not designed for first-time visitors or those who do not have a basic idea of how to get between these attractions. You must also discern when and where to skip an attraction and have a few backup rides in mind.

In all sincerity, I want to mention that this plan is not foolproof. It will likely not work if you visit during exceptionally busy times like the holidays or Spring Break.

How This Plan Works

When I arrived at Epcot, I parked my car and entered the park at the main entrance near Spaceship Earth. The rain had passed, but it still looked ominous, as though it might begin again at any moment. My first thought was to ride Spaceship Earth, which had a posted 5-minute wait. However, the line was a little longer than I would have liked, and it was at a standstill. This signaled that the ride was not moving, so I decided to press on to The Seas Pavilion.

cloudy skies after the rain on an evening at Epcot

Here is a photo of the line to give you an idea of why I skipped it even though a 5-minute wait was posted. This is not a long line by any means, but it also wasn’t moving.

a line of guests waiting to ride Spaceship Earth

I continued to the right of the park toward The Seas Pavilion and boarded The Seas with Nemo and Friends. During the latter parts of the day, this ride almost always has minimal waits. It had a five-minute wait posted, which was about how long it took to walk through the winding queue. However, we never stopped and walked straight on the ride.

The Seas with Nemo and Friends with a posted 5-minute wait

After exiting the attraction, I spent approximately 10 minutes walking through the aquarium. This is an excellent place to hang out if you’re at Epcot during a downpour.

A few divers were in the tank, which is always fun to see.

After my time in the aquarium, I continued to The Land Pavilion. It was still relatively cloudy and damp, so I didn’t feel like walking through Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana. (But you could if that was your preference. It’s across the walkway from The Seas.)

guests walking to the Land Pavilion while touring Epcot

My first priority was riding Living with the Land. After that, I walked over to Soarin’ to check the wait. I should probably mention that I didn’t use the My Disney Experience app to check wait times. While the app comes in handy, I was more focused on touring the park in a way that made sense geographically and judging things based on instinct. When I got to Soarin’ Around the World, the ride had a posted 20-minute wait. Surprisingly, we never stopped until we were assigned a seat in the final waiting area.

With things going so smoothly, I decided to continue to Journey Into Imagination with Figment. This ride is dated, but I enjoy it occasionally. When I reached the entrance, a cast member said it was temporarily closed and would reopen later. You might also notice that the sun had returned, and it was a beautiful afternoon.

Journey Into Imagination closed after a storm

a scenic picture of the sunshine after the rain at Epcot

Now, it was time to make a decision. I could have stayed in the front of the park and ridden Test Track, Spaceship Earth, or Mission: SPACE. (Okay, we both know I would never ride Mission: SPACE, but you can alter this plan and continue in that direction if you prefer.) Ideally, I would have gone to Test Track, but it’s closing for a lengthy refurbishment in the near future. So, I decided to continue my circle to the right side of the park and headed to the France Pavilion. I was going for Ratatouille, but the Impressions de France sign was glaring at me when I arrived. It was nearly 7:00 p.m., the time when the theater changes from showing the Beauty and the Beast Sing-along (not recommended) to Impressions de France (highly recommended). What luck!

the Impressions de France sign with a 6-minute posted wait

Impressions de France is my favorite film at Epcot. If you’ve never seen it, it’s a must-do. Anyone passionate about travel will love this original 1982 film that debuted when Epcot first opened. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself applauding with the rest of the audience at the end. It’s genuinely endearing.

After the film, I went to Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure. The photo below shares a small reflection of how the evening had taken a turn for the better.

sunshine peaking through the trees at Epcot

Again, I didn’t have to walk back to Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure to check the wait times. But I had already decided to ride based on whether or not the exterior portion of the queue was full.

guests walking to join the line for Remy's Ratatouille Adventure at Epcot

There wasn’t anyone waiting outside, which signaled to me that if everything went smoothly, I would have a 30-minute or less wait.

As I entered the line at 7:27 p.m., a 35-minute wait was posted. We boarded the ride at 7:47 p.m. Then, before we left the loading station, the ride went down for approximately five minutes. (This was thankfully not a big deal.)

the posted wait times for Remy's Ratatouille Adventure

I don’t know about you, but I thought this was a steal! It was only an 18-minute wait plus a few minutes of downtime.

After Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, it was a little over an hour until the nightly showing of Luminous: The Symphony of Us at 9:00 p.m. Given that crowds were low, I knew I could walk up and get a decent spot for fireworks at the end of the evening. So I pressed on to the Norway Pavilion to see if I could ride Frozen After Ever. (Spoiler: I knew it would probably be a long stand-by line, given its popularity.)

guests walking through the World Showcase at Epcot

When I arrived at Frozen Ever After, I was met with a long line. The ride had a 35-minute wait posted, which I felt was inaccurate. Since I was already happy with how well the evening had gone, I didn’t mind waiting as long as I was off the ride to see the fireworks. It was 8:12 p.m. when I joined the line. The wait time jumped from 35 to 55 minutes within a few minutes of waiting. (This was good because many people noticed it, groaned and abandoned the line.) I decided to stay put for one sole reason: the line was moving. I probably would have left if we had been at a prolonged standstill. But we were moving every 30 seconds or so.

I also kept an eye on the nearby Lightning Lane. It is often the culprit of long lines at Walt Disney World. When guests use Lightning Lanes, they are prioritized over guests waiting in stand-by. If a good number of guests were cashing in their Lighting Lane to ride Frozen, our line wouldn’t have been moving consistently. As I watched, I noticed that only 2-3 groups were coming through the Lightning Lane every minute. So that was a good sign. We boarded Frozen Ever After at 8:48 p.m. So, it ended up being a 33-minute wait! However, if those guests hadn’t left the line (probably 20-25) and had more guests been using the Lightning Lane, that would not have been the case.

a long line of guests waiting to ride Frozen Ever After

When I exited the ride, I found a front-row spot along the World Showcase Promenade between the Norway and China Pavilions. It was 8:57 p.m., and I still had three minutes left until the fireworks. This turned out to be an excellent viewing location. I’ve been working on a piece with viewing locations for the fireworks I’ll try to have within the next week.

Luminous fireworks to wrap up our Epcot Touring Strategy

Overall, the night went well, and I had a wonderful time doing some of the things I enjoy. I didn’t incur extra expenses or wear myself out trying to do everything. But I did take advantage of the light crowds and didn’t waste extra time backtracking or scrolling the app to make a decision. I used a common sense approach that was flexible. This was by no means an evening where I felt like I had to do anything.

At the end of the day, I didn’t feel as though anything was missing. That said, I always enjoy riding Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. So, if you are hoping to ride it, you could purchase an a la carte Lightning Lane and try to incorporate the rest of this plan around it. If Disney ever drops the virtual queue requirement, I would probably get in line for Cosmic Rewind at night’s end and skip the fireworks unless the fireworks were a priority. I’ll leave that up to you.

I hope this touring strategy gave you an idea of how to take advantage of an evening at Epcot. Short bursts in the parks can be fun and productive. They also don’t wear you out, and the temperature is often much more pleasant, especially after the rain.

For a few of our other touring walk-throughs, you might enjoy:

These are all intended to be fun examples of how we spend our time in the parks. Let us know in the comments if you enjoy this style of touring. What would you ride? Would you do anything differently?