Epcot Spaceship Earth

Spaceship Earth is to Disney’s Epcot as Cinderella’s Castle is to Magic Kingdom. Think of Epcot and you will most likely conjure up the image of the 180 foot tall geodesic dome. This is one of my very favorite Disney World rides although was once a part of one of my most difficult moments at Epcot, when the Spaceship Earth ride broke down and I had to climb down a lot of rather narrow stairs right down to the exit. Not one of my better moments, but I wished that I had my camera with me as at least I had a rare glimpse into the complex systems behind the ride.

Spaceship Earth takes you on a journey through time from the prehistoric era right up to the present day. The theme is learning through advancements in communication.  You all board a slow moving time machine which runs on a constant circuit. Since the 2007 refurbishment there is now an interactive touch screen in each vehicle. Now I won’t spoil the surprise of what happens with this but don’t get too excited about this element of the ride – it is I think a little disappointing and will not hold your attention for very long!

Having said that, this 13 minute journey through time is one which is well worth taking. The use of audio animatronics and the commentary by Dame Judy Dench make this one of my favorite places to spend some time in Epcot. But beware. The lines can be very long. What guests typically do is start to stand in line for the ride as soon as they arrive in the park.  At busy times this is a mistake as the line can be very long. There is no Fast Pass for Spaceship Earth so you may want to try waiting until later in the day to ride when the lines are usually much shorter.

Learn more about this Epcot ride and find out how it was designed and see some pictures of what is inside by reading my new Spaceship Earth Guide.

Tags: epcot, epcot spaceship earth