Spaceship Earth at EPCOT (Walt Disney World)

At 180-feet in height and located right at the entrance to EPCOT, Spaceship Earth is one of the most recognizable attractions within the Walt Disney World Resort.  This attraction is a geodesic sphere which houses a dark ride where guests travel through time, exploring some of the most significant events throughout the course of human history.

Originally opened in 1982 as one of the few remaining opening day attractions, this Spaceship Earth was scheduled to closed for refurbishment in May 2020.  However, Disney has delayed the refurbishment indefinitely and the attraction is currently operating as normal.

There have been four narrators throughout the history of Spaceship Earth.  American actor Vic Perrin was the first  narrator who was replaced by newscaster Walter Cronkite in 1986.  Currently the attraction is being narrated by Academy Award winning English actress Judi Densch who replaced actor Jeremy Irons in 2008.  The musical score is conducted by Emmy winner Bruce Broughton along with a 63-piece orchestra and 24-person choir.

Although Spaceship Earth is one of the more popular rides at EPCOT, wait times are fairly moderate since the ride has a very high capacity.  Former sponsors of this attraction include Bell Systems (1982 to 1984), AT&T (1984 to 2004) and Siemens AG (2005 to 2019).  

Spaceship Earth Ride

Guests board their four-person Omnimover-style time machine from a moving walking just inside the sphere itself.  Each row is designed for two riders and features a video monitor.  The 15+ minute ride takes guests from the dawn of humanity and all the way to the modern era using a number of highly themed sets and Audio-Animatronics figures.

Show Scenes Include:

• Prehistoric hunters
• Ancient Egypt
• Ancient Greece
• The Roman Empire
• Burning of the Library of Alexandria
• Gutenberg’s print press
• The Renaissance / Michelangelo painting the Sistine Chapel ceiling
• End of the Civil War
• Telegraph operators
• 1930’s radio
• 1950’s movie theater
• 1969 Apollo moon landing
• Creation of the computer age
• The peak of space to see the planet Earth

While heading back to the ground level, riders get to answer a number of questions on the video monitor about how they will live their life in the future.  

After the Ride

Unlike most of the attraction at Walt Disney World, Spaceship Earth does not let guests off into a gift shop.  Instead, riders pass through Project Tomorrow: Inventing the Wonders of the Future.  This high-tech area let’s kids and adults alike explore technology in four different interactive experiences.

• Body Builder – Guests can reconstruct the human body
• Super Driver – Driving simulator
• Power City – Power a city by playing a high tech game of shuffleboard
• InnerVision – An innovative game using your physical coordination

In addition to these experiences, there is a large globe and several video monitors that highlight the locations of riders on Spaceship Earth.

Unknown to most guests is a private sponsor lounge which is located on the second floor above Project Tomorrow.  Currently Spaceship Earth does not have sponsor to the space is being used for special events.

Spaceship Earth is suitable for most guests and there are no height or age restrictions.  The ride operates slowly but is dark in several areas. FastPass+ is offered but we don’t recommending using on of your first three reservations on this attraction.