My family of 4 spent $800 on a day at Epcot. Here's everything we did.

We arrived at the front entrance of Epcot 30 minutes before the early-entry time began. We were staying at a Disney resort, so we got the perk of being able to enter the theme parks 30 minutes early.

They were already letting people in, so we were able to start our day an hour before the park officially opened. My family's strategy is always to conquer the front of Epcot first and then head back to the World Showcase for the afternoon and evening.

We started our day by getting our quintessential picture of the Epcot ball and riding Spaceship Earth. It's the first ride once you enter the park, and it's a classic we try to do every time.

When I booked Genie+, I scheduled a morning Lighting Lane reservation for Test Track.

Once we hopped on that ride, I was able to grab another Lightning Lane for Soarin' Around the World.

While we waited for our next Lightning Lane time, we rode Living With the Land, one of my husband's favorite rides, and grabbed a snack at Sunshine Seasons.

We loved the cinnamon roll ($4.50) and breakfast sandwich ($11), but we didn't want to eat too much because we knew we'd be snacking around the World Showcase.

After riding Soarin', we quickly rode Journey into Imagination and The Seas With Nemo and Friends since they were close by. Neither ride had a long wait, so we rode without Genie+ reservations.

After much debate, we decided to skip Mission Space as most of us can't ride it without feeling a little sick. But we were able to snag another Genie+ reservation for Remy's Ratatouille Adventure for later in the day.

My family all professed that this is now their ultimate favorite ride in all four parks.

We couldn't use Genie+ for this attraction since it's so new, so we ended up buying individual Lightning Lane passes for it for an additional $20 a person. It was definitely worth it.

After, we took a quick trip to the Creations Shop to peruse some Disney swag and souvenirs. The store is full of apparel for kids and adults, purses, backpacks, jewelry, toys, housewares, and more. There's a great assortment of Dooney and Bourke, Loungefly, and Pandora, which are top on my list each visit.

Experiencing the shops, food, and entertainment of the World Showcase is always delightful.

My husband and I love walking around it anytime but especially during one of the many festivals at Epcot.

We stopped in each of the countries to browse the stores and try different delicacies, drinks, and desserts.

We always start in Canada and work our way around. On our first stop, we fawned over the Canadian cheddar and bacon soup served with a pretzel roll ($6) and the wild-mushroom beef filet mignon with truffle-butter sauce ($9.75).

We enjoyed a beignet aux trois fromages (a warm beignet filled with a three-cheese blend) from a booth outside for $6.95 and a ham-and-cheese crepe ($18.50) from La Crêperie de Paris.

Our boys grabbed some soft serve ($5.95 each), and my husband and I enjoyed a wine tasting from one of the shops.

It was also time for our Remy's Ratatouille Adventure reservation, so we hopped on the ride.

We tried both gnocchi dishes ($9 each) from a booth in the Italy Pavilion, and they did not disappoint.

I also grabbed a great glass of Italian wine ($10).

We all got the hot-beef sandwich ($6.25) from the American Adventure Pavilion, and my husband got the beer flight ($10), which he thoroughly enjoyed.

We explored the shops in Germany and China, but we needed a break from food and drinks.

In Norway, we got the rice cream with strawberry sauce ($4) from the bakery, and I still dream of it to this day.

We had the tostada de barbacoa ($8) and some guacamole and chips ($8.95).

There was a short wait to ride the Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros inside the Mexico Pavilion pyramid, and it's a must-do for us on every trip.

By this time, it was dark and the World Showcase was beautifully lit up. We decided to skip the nighttime show because we started so early and everyone was ready to relax by the pool.

Epcot is a large park, and hitting most of the attractions takes a lot of time and steps. We headed back to our resort tired, stuffed, and fulfilled.

We spent $500 on tickets, $160 on Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, and about $135 on food between the four of us, bringing our total for the day to just under $800.