Top 11 EPCOT Rides at Disney World

By CJ Tiernan

Disney World has four distinct theme parks in Orlando, Florida: Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Animal Kingdom, and one that keeps getting renamed but I think is currently called Hollywood Studios. EPCOT was the second of these four parks to open and stands as my favorite one. EPCOT is an acronym for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow and was a land of the future in Walt Disney's eyes. It came to fruition well after his death, but was designed to honor the spirit of his vision of the world to come. Divided into two sections, World Showcase and Future World, EPCOT was built to celebrate world cultures and paint an idyllic future, highlighting where our technological advancements can take us. Below is a list of my Top 11 favorite rides I ever got a chance to ride at EPCOT. It's worth noting that the last time I was there was 2021 and the new Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind ride didn't fully exist yet, so it will not make my list.

1. Spaceship Earth

My Siblings and I at EPCOT - July 2017

While the many iterations of Disneyland and Disney World across the globe love their castles, to me the most iconic Disney theme park landmark is the EPCOT ball. It stands as an architectural marvel not only for its unique shape but also for the fact they crammed an entire ride inside. Spaceship Earth is the pinnacle of what a ride should be. It is fun, it is accessible to the whole family, and in keeping with the strategy of the theme park as a whole, it is educational. At the moment, it is a story of human communication throughout the history of humanity. It goes from cavemen, to the advent of papyrus, all the way to the invention and subsequent ubiquity of computers, and then tries to push that vision past the now and into the future. When I was kid, I remember seeing video conferencing on this ride for the first time, and now with Zoom and FaceTime, it's the norm. Such a fun and unique ride and unquestionably the greatest one at EPCOT.

2. Maelstrom

This one no longer exists at the park. After the success of the animated film "Frozen," Disney transformed this attraction into a ride called "Frozen Ever After." While I much preferred the original version, don't worry, "Frozen Ever After" will also make my list. The first time I ever rode this ride, it felt as though we had stumbled on to something that no one else knew about. It was tucked in like a weird back corner of the Norwegian Pavilion and seemed off the beaten path. Once inside, you would kind of just weave back and forth inside of a single room where you could see the ride vehicle and you could just take in this enormous mural painted on the wall featuring vikings and trolls and tipping its hand at the ride ahead. The ride itself was a gondola-style water ride. I vividly remember the line "you are not the first to pass this way" with a mesmerizing one-eyed Odin serving as a narrator and a warning. If you're in possession of a time machine, I highly recommend dipping your toes into these waters (1988-2014 is going to need to be your target).

3. Soarin'

This is a really cool ride. You sit down and then get lofted into the air in like a 3-story hang-glider in front of a giant screen. Various versions of this ride have left you hang-gliding around the world or over California. Starting in 2026, you will be "Soarin' Across America." It is a really unique experience, because not only are you in the air, they create effects to make the experience immersive like blowing wind in your hair and manufacturing aromas you would have access to in the various areas you go. You can smell oranges and the open seas. It is a very cool and unique experience that Meta has not yet been able to replicate with their glasses.

4. Universe of Energy Adventure with Ellen

I like dinosaurs. As a kid, I loved dinosaurs. This was another ride that allowed for education and fun. It started with a video of Ellen DeGeneres, Jamie Lee Curtis, and the incomparable Bill Nye playing some Jeopardy (with the late Alex Trebek). The ride talks about energy and renewable and non-renewable resources. I'd argue that Bill Nye is our most important non-renewable resource. Anyway, back to the dinosaurs. You get on these comically large vehicles that feel like auditorium sections on wheels, and roll through the late Jurassic Period (actually, I think it was kind of a mishmash of all sorts of different eras to maximize the presence of dope dinosaurs). There were a whole bunch of different tableaus with animatronic dinosaurs. I wanted to be there forever. Now, it's the new Guardians of the Galaxy ride, so it better be really good.

5. Mission: Space

I am someone who is highly susceptible to motion sickness. I have heard that this ride will really knock a lot of people down with its ability to inflict nausea. I am fortunate that this ride doesn't do that to me. Instead, I walk in, Gary Sinese says "we need you to save the world" or whatever, and then I get launched into outer space. It is absolutely insane! To create the G-Force necessary to simulate a launch into space without first requiring a physical, the Disney Imagineers made each ship a pod that could spin to create up to 2 and a half Gs of force. Getting launched into space is so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend it.

6. Test Track

This is another ride that has had multiple iterations. Disney, man, always tinkering. My favorite version of this ride was the first one. You are essentially placed in a car and are operating as a crash-test dummy. They test anti-lock brakes, they send you through hot and cold temperatures, and they even did a head-on barrier test (Spoiler Alert: they didn't actually drive you into a wall, at the last second, the doors open and you instead do a speed test outside before reentering the building. The later iteration of the ride was more of a "design a car and see how well it fairs" type of a thing that didn't have the same charm and simplicity as "you're a test dummy: deal with it." There is a new theme that started in 2025 and I believe they incorporate AI or something, but again, I have not yet had the honor of partaking.

7. Journey Into Imagination with Figment

Figment is my guy! I love that little purple dragon. Dreamfinder and Figment are such a fun and unique combo. Unlike much of the Disney World attractions, they were characters created specifically for the ride, not pre-existing IP. The original version of the ride that I remember from my childhood featured Dreamfinder on an odd bike in the sky and a wonderful tune called "One Little Spark." The song, and the attraction as a whole, extolls the virtues of one's imagination. Figment is the anthropomorphic embodiment of imagination (again, love that little dude). The later iteration of the ride changed some elements but also incorporated Eric Idle, my favorite of the Monty Python clan, so it wasn't all bad. They have a room where everything is upside down which is always nice, but I miss the original. Plus, the new one, at least last time I was on it, felt really worn out, which is a sensation I don't like feeling at Disney World. It chips away at the magic.

8. El Rio Del Tiempo

This is another ride that feels hidden in the World Showcase. You have to navigate through like a Mexican restaurant and inside of an Incan or Mayan pyramid to get to the queue. For nearly twenty years now, it has been called the "Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros." It follows the titular "Three Caballeros" as Donald Duck gets lost and the other two birds (a parrot and a rooster) attempt to find him. Disney essentially just ret-conned these characters into the existing ride. It feels like they aren't necessary, which is why I prefer the original, because the ride itself seems to otherwise be the same. It toured through Mexican culture, had an ominous volcano eruption, and even featured some animatronics that are remarkably similar to the ones used in "It's a Small World." Plus, it's a water ride. Water Ride = Dope. That's just math.

9. Living with the Land

Speaking of water rides, "Living with the Land" might be the longest water ride in history. You get a chance to sail through various pieces of agricultural history and even an active garden. You get to see some jackfruit, some hydroponics, you know, really make it day of it. You get to coast through greenhouses and different biomes. It is a very relaxing experience. The ride lasts for like 15 minutes. At a theme park in Florida, 15 minutes of sitting down indoors is wonderful. At the very end of the ride, they tag you with the signature line, "only then, will we truly be living with the land." Ah, it hits every time.

10. Remy's Ratatouille Adventure

This is the newest ride at EPCOT that I have ridden. You get to feel like you've been shrunk down (shrank down? shrinked?) to the size of a rat and you get to hang with your boy Remy. The ride vehicles were unique and the heat you could feel from the ovens was fun. I believe they recently opted to eliminate the 3-D element and the need for said glasses. It's just too screen-heavy for me. I prefer my rides drenched in animatronics. This one was a little lacking. Very cool, otherwise though. And it's tucked in the French Pavilion, which I don't think got enough shine before they added this ride. C'est magnifique!

11. Frozen Ever After

I love the movie "Frozen." At the time of this writing, I have it at #250 on my all-time list of favorite movies. It's a great flick with fantastic music. But I'm always gonna resent this ride a little for replacing one of my all-time faves. It is inevitable to compare this ride to that one, and it just doesn't hold up. That ride was dark and ominous and this one is just so bright. I'm also a little bummed that the animatronics (yes! animatronics!) have weird, projected faces instead of just your standard animatronics. Innovation is great and I love that Disney likes to try new things, but I wish the price wasn't childhood nostalgia. But, yeah, obviously I WANT to build a snowman.

Final Thoughts

EPCOT is sensational and I really hope that Disney continues to cling to the ideals of the genesis of the park and continue to have it serve as a hub for innovation and looking to the future. It seems more and more it is leaning toward pre-existing IP by adding in aquatic characters like Nemo and Moana and shedding originals like Maelstrom and El Rio del Tiempo. The rides that just missed my list were "Horizons" ( I think I only rode it once and I was like 6 at the time so I don't remember it that well but I think it had some of the "looking to the future" elements as the EPCOT ball ride) and "Honey I Shrunk the Audience" (which is really more of an attraction than a ride but was a fun 4-D experience). If I missed any of your favorite parts of EPCOT, or my order was a swing and miss, please let me know in the comments below. Thanks! I will always love this park, I just hope Disney continues to seek "one little spark, of inspiration..."