You have excellent taste, Karen. The restaurants at Epcot offer so much variety. My family enjoys visiting the World Showcase for dinner, too!
I have good news and news that probably isn’t what you want to hear. Let’s start with the latter, shall we?
Given the
current health and safety measures that require a theme park reservation, there really is no way to guarantee that you can dine at Epcot each night unless you make a theme park reservation there for every day of your trip. That’s no fun though, right? I’m sure you want to visit all of the theme parks while you’re at Walt Disney World. So, let’s move on to the better news.
The better news is that Guests can purchase the
Park Hopper Option. This entitlement will allow Guests to visit more than one theme park on any given day. There are some important caveats to note, though. The first is that park hopping opportunities do not open up until 2 P.M. The second is that park hopping is only available at theme parks that have capacity availability and only
after visiting the theme park for which you have a reservation. In short, what this means is that while it is possible for you to purchase the Park Hopper Option and potentially visit Epcot after visiting the theme park where you hold a reservation, it is not a guarantee. For that reason, Disney recommends only making dining reservations in parks where you hold a reservation.
Given the cancellation penalties for missing a dining reservation, there is some risk involved in reserving meals at Epcot when you have theme park reservations for other parks. It’s up to you whether that risk is worth it. The capacity restrictions for park hopping Guests have not posed a widespread problem, but it is important to be aware of the official policies and recommendations.
I hope this information helps you make the decision that is right for your traveling party, Karen.