Disney Theme Parks Cont. 

In my last post I had touched upon Disney World and specifically Disney Worlds first park, Magic Kingdom and highlighted some of my favorite rides and attractions. Today I will be highlighting EPCOT and it’s fascinating history! 

EPCOT

Me in front of Spaceship Earth, EPCOT’s icon on my last January 2019

HISTORY:

Oh EPCOT, the park with this beautiful golf ball behind me (aka Spaceship Earth). EPCOT was opened on October 1st 1982, 11 years after Magic Kingdoms opening. This park was created conceptually by Walt Disney himself as an experimental prototype community of tomorrow (EPCOT). This was planned to be a utopian city of the future where people could live and create new ideas. Unfortunately as I mentioned in my previous post, Walt did not live to see Magic Kingdom or his EPCOT center come to fruition.

Disney imagineers decided to take Walts original idea and create a park where 9 pavilions were present on communication, energy, transportation, ecosystems and nutrition, creativity and imagination, the ocean, the body, and future technology. This was one side of the park, the other features the world showcase. An area which showcases 11 countries and their cultures. 

Today the pavilions of future world still exist in The Land, Imagination Center, The Sea with Nemo and Friends, and Transportation. EPCOT’s icon, Spaceship Earth, still remains the center of the park and contains a wonderful ride through human history. 

 

EPCOT’s Future World: 

Spaceship Earth one of the main attractions of EPCOT

Spaceship Earth is not only the giant golfball looking structure that is the icon of the park but it also contains one of my favorites rides. The ride takes you up into the structure through a journey through time where you witness detailed scenes and animatronics that show the journey humans have taken in technology and the advances that we have made. This is an EPCOT classic and always a must do!

Other favorites of mine in EPCOT: Future World are Test Track (a high speed ride where you test out vehicles and their safety) and The Sea with Nemo and Friends (because aquarium things plus a ride featuring one of my favorites Finding Nemo). Moving away from Future World you enter into the World Showcase. 

EPCOT’s World Showcase:

Me in front of the Canada Pavilion in the World Showcase

EPCOT’s World Showcase features 11 countries; Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Italy, United States, Japan, Morocco, France, United Kingdom, and Canada. Also it was just announced that Brazil will be entering the pavilion in 2022! Each country showcases the country with the buildings making you feel like you are in the country itself. Some feature attractions such as Norway with the ride Frozen Ever After and Mexico with The Three Caballeros. France is soon to have a ride around the movie Ratatouille. 

Along with the countries showcasing history and culture they also have the most delicious food! 

Ice cream macaron from the France pavilion

Each country has a sit down restaurant as well as many quick service options as well as food stands. During the fall they offer the Food and Wine festival, in the winter they have the Festival of the Holidays, and in the spring they have the Flower and Garden festival. These festivals allow for guests to experience a lot of food offered from every country. Needless to say you won’t ever be in need of food in the World Showcase!

EPCOT in Summary:

EPCOT may be a park with not as many rides or attractions as the others but it still offers so much to see and do. Just the World Showcase alone, you spend an entire day exploring every country and learn so much about the culture and history without even leaving the US. I love EPCOT and as I have grown older I have learned to love and appreciate it so much more! For more information on the rides and festivals Epcot has to offer the Disney World website is the place to go! Stay tuned for the next post where I’ll talk about Hollywood Studios!

 Have a magical day!

-Caitlyn