So you have the whole world—and the world of the future—right at your feet. What are you going to do now? This chapter helps you choose which of the Epcot pavilions you’ll visit and takes you on a tour of the rides and attractions available in each. This chapter also gives you an insider’s guide to the best shopping sites available at Epcot right now—no need to wait for the future to enjoy this place!
Park Introduction
Let’s consider Epcot in two parts. We will start with Future World and then move on to the national pavilions that make up the World Showcase.
General Park Information
What are the ABCs of visiting Epcot? Let’s look at some of the basics of the park that you need to know.
Park Layout
As mentioned earlier, the park is basically two separate parks connected to form a figure eight. The first part, Future World, is made of pavilions that surround a central hub, Innoventions Plaza. As you enter the park, you pass under Spaceship Earth to arrive at that central plaza. Immediately surrounding the plaza are stores and restaurants, as well as the two sides of the Innoventions attraction. Beyond those areas are the pavilions. As you go clockwise from the left of the central plaza you’ll find the Universe of Energy, Mission: SPACE, and Test Track pavilions on your left. As you continue around on the right you will find the Imagination!, The Land, and The Seas with Nemo & Friends pavilions. There are several walkways to the World Showcase located between the Test Track and Imagination! pavilions.
World Showcase is more easily navigated, as the 11 national pavilions are all located on the walkway that goes around the World Showcase Lagoon. Starting at the pavilion to your left as you enter from Future World, you pass Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Italy, the U.S.A., Japan, Morocco, France, the United Kingdom, and Canada. There’s a “back door” to Epcot, the International Gateway, which is a separate entrance to the park. It’s located between the France and United Kingdom pavilions, and it leads by boat and walkways to the BoardWalk, Hollywood Studios, the Yacht and Beach Club resorts, the BoardWalk Inn and Villa resorts, and the Swan and Dolphin hotels.
Park Operating Hours
The park is unique in that the two parts carry different operating times. Future World is traditionally open from 9 A.M. to 7 P.M., while the World Showcase is usually open from 11 A.M. to 9 P.M. Be sure to check the operational calendars ahead of time at www.disneyworld.com.
Must Do! Sights
• Mission: SPACE
• Test Track
• Soarin’
• Turtle Talk with Crush
• The American Adventure
• IllumiNations
• Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure
Epcot park map.
Dining Summary
Epcot brings the cuisines of the world to Orlando, and it’s one of the biggest draws to this park. The World Showcase pavilions all sport table-service restaurants that serve their nation’s traditional cuisine, and the product is almost uniformly high quality. The ambiance also makes dining here a special experience, so I recommend that any visit to the park be paired with some planned dining. You can find out more about the individual restaurants in the park in Chapter 14, but for now, I just give you an overview of the offerings.
Table Service—The table-service restaurants in the World Showcase side of the park are not just Americanized versions of the respective national cuisine. Influential culinary luminaries from Mexico and France played a role in their respective restaurants, and the other nations all have something great to offer. A popular princess character meal is also here, in the Norway Pavilion, and other restaurants are prized not only for their food, but for the views that their tables afford of the IllumiNations fireworks show. The real problem with the dining here is choosing from the many great options.
That’s not to say that all the food is on the World Showcase Lagoon. Seafood at The Seas with Nemo & Friends is a good choice, and the character meal at The Land combines an enjoyable character experience with food grown right there in the pavilion.
Counter Service—The counter stands at the national pavilions offer a great way to sample smaller bites of different countries, and the Sunshine Season Food Fair in The Land Pavilion offers a broad array of well-prepared foods in a comfortable setting.
Snacks—The bites you can get in the World Showcase make it hard to go back to the standard snacks. Why not choose a crêpe au chocolate over the standard ice-cream bar, or replace fries with an authentic German pretzel?
Tip Board Location
The tip board is located in the central hub of Innoventions Plaza.
Shopping at the Park
Starting in Future World, you can find one of the best in-park general merchandise stores located in Innoventions Plaza. Mouse Gears has a broad array of products, with a particular emphasis on a good selection of clothes.
From there, you enter the mecca of international shopping. The pavilions of the World Showcase feature extensive shopping from the respective nations and have products ranging from inexpensive knick-knacks to extremely high-priced luxuries. The following sections discuss some of the highlights included.
Mexico
Inside the pyramid is a nice courtyard store with an inexpensive selection of sombreros, artwork, pepper sauces, and clothing.
Norway
While there’s a range of luxuries like perfume and jewelry, the real appeal here are the plastic Viking helmets for kids and the expensive but beautiful Nordic sweaters in the back of the store.
China
An entire department store is located here, featuring furniture, clothing, decorations, and other luxuries from China. This is a very impressive array of shopping for a theme park, but the product quality is not quite up to the similar-scope store in the Japan Pavilion.
Germany
Crystal, wine, Hummels, caramels and other sweets are plentiful here, but the Christmas ornaments and nutcrackers are the best takeaways for most guests.
Italy
Although there are wines, fine glass, and perfumes available here, the best (and somewhat affordable) purchase is the selection of Venetian festival masks.
U.S.A.
This is perhaps the least impressive store in the World Showcase. It makes sense, as we’re already in the U.S.A. and you can get all that stuff right outside the park doors for far less.
Japan
The large department store that fills most of the Japan Pavilion is run by one of the large store chains back in Japan. This is probably the best store in the whole park, with a great array of toys, including some harder-to-find Hello Kitty and Pokemon merchandise. There are high-end luxuries, clothing, foods, sakes, bonsai trees, and sushi sets. Please don’t miss this store, if for no other reason than to look at the bags of dried fish and crabs that pass as snack food.
Morocco
The stores here are smaller than those in China and Japan, but they make do, bringing a nice array of metal and leather products. Some clothing choices are also nice to consider, especially as attire for the summer months.
France
Perfume and wine are better than expected, but the trinkets store has some fun choices including miniature Eiffel Towers and products featuring the art of many famed French painters.
United Kingdom
Several stores populate this pavilion, and they’re not all connected, so make sure you don’t miss any. Twinings tea has a large presence, and there’s also a heraldry booth. My favorites, however, are the toys and soccer gear.
Canada
Unfortunately, many of the stores in this pavilion have closed, but there’s still a good selection of Roots sportswear, maple syrup, and some cute stuffed animals.
Child Care at the Park
The Baby Care Center is located in the Odyssey Center, which is behind and to the right of the Test Track Pavilion. The center features changing tables, nursing rooms, high chairs, and a play room with a TV and comfy seating, all complimentary. A limited s
election of baby items is available for sale.
Transportation to/from the Park
If you’re staying at a Disney resort hotel, you can walk or take a boat, bus, or monorail to get to Epcot.
By Foot or Boat (to the International Gateway entrance):
• Yacht and Beach Club resorts
• Swan and Dolphin resorts
• BoardWalk Inn and Villas
By Monorail (changing to the Epcot monorail at the TTC):
• Contemporary Resort
• Grand Floridian Resort
• Polynesian Resort
By Bus:
• All other Disney resorts
You can also get to Epcot from Hollywood Studios and the BoardWalk via boat, and from the Magic Kingdom via monorail.
Park Touring Strategies
All the rides people would fight over are located in the Future World side, so your first goal is to go after FASTPASS vouchers for attractions there that you’re interested in trying out. Some good ideas include:
• Thrill-ride enthusiasts should get a FASTPASS for either Mission: SPACE or Test Track first thing, and then ride the other immediately.
• If thrill rides aren’t your thing, go for a Soarin’ FASTPASS and then wait in line for Turtle Talk with Crush.
• Plan to enjoy rides in The Land Pavilion in the late morning so that you can use the dining area as a stop to relax and reenergize while you wait for your FASTPASS to become valid.
• Use the single-rider line in Test Track to get on in the afternoon if all the FASTPASS vouchers have been given out for the day.
Future World Pavilions and Attractions
Future World is based on pavilions that exhibit different parts of our present and future, including the land, seas, space, and imagination. These pavilions are also air-conditioned, so you can cool down, find some interesting discoveries, and (heaven forbid!) learn something at the same time. Spaceship Earth sits in the center of Future World, surrounded by the two sides of Innoventions. The other pavilions are listed in clockwise order starting to your left as you enter the park.
Spaceship Earth
Attraction Type: Theme ride
The white geodesic dome of Spaceship Earth is the symbol of Epcot, and all guests are sure to see it as the monorail circles the dome on its way into the park. The slow ride inside Spaceship Earth tells of the history of communication and how it has impacted the overall history of mankind, ending with a nice rosy view of the future. A new sponsorship by Siemens has led to a recent refurbishment that not only updated the ride, but also improved an interactive area at the end called Project Tomorrow that is filled with technology-rich exhibits that kids will love.
The slow-moving cars ascend and descend at steep angles and go backward for the second half of the ride, but none of this is a thrill—just part of the show. The ride has several dark parts, so be aware with small children.
Innoventions East & West
Attraction Type: Experience area/playground
These exploration areas are supposed to show little snippets of the future, and used to suffer from being constantly outdated. Disney has done a great job over the last few years of making sure, with the help of corporate partners, that they do a good job of showing emerging technologies in a way that’s interesting to kids. There are interactive, technology-intensive displays that showcase (among other things) recycling, plastics, durability testing, Segway people movers, personal finance, and home fire safety. There is also a place to register for the Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure. Just across the walkway there is a character-greeting area that has some exclusive greeting times for Chase Disney credit card holders. If you have the Disney credit card, contact Chase about gaining access to this area. Times are limited, so plan accordingly.
Ellen’s Energy Adventure
Attraction Type: Theme ride
Located in the Universe of Energy Pavilion, this attraction’s roof is covered with solar panels, and from there you know that the story inside will be about energy sources and how they are impacting human life.
Ellen DeGeneres is your tour host, and Bill Nye, the Science Guy, is her knowledgeable sidekick as you learn about energy and the earth’s natural resources. Ellen is funny as usual, as she walks you through the different kinds of energy sources, explaining where they come from and where they’re going. The ride is not too preachy, and there are even some mild thrills (audio-animatronic dinosaurs) as the show cars lumber through the attraction. I still go on it every now and then; Ellen is funny and the ride is well done.
Some dark areas, as well as the dinosaur scenes, can scare some smaller children. The ride is 45 minutes long, so plan accordingly.
DISNEY DON’T
If you’re looking at a map, you may see a building between Universe of Energy and Mission: SPACE. That is the Wonders of Life Pavilion. Basically, the pavilion and its three rides (Body Wars, Cranium Command, and The Making of Me) are now extinct.
Mission: SPACE
Attraction Type: Thrill ride
Located in the Mission: SPACE Pavilion, this is one of the most thrilling of the thrill rides. Actual astronauts have reportedly said that it is the closest thing to real space travel that they have ever encountered, and the g-forces certainly seem pretty real to most people.
Using centrifuges and other advanced ride technology, you get to re-create a space trip, complete with take-off, slingshots around the moon, and a rather bumpy landing. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of the technology has led to the ride being more than many can handle.
HIDDEN MAGIC!
Outside the Mission: SPACE Pavilion is a large model of the moon. On the surface of this 10-foot-tall sphere are markers representing where human landings have occurred. It’s an interesting diversion to look at while you’re waiting for the astronauts in your group to finish their mission inside.
Disney has retooled the attraction, in a fashion, so that it’s more fun for most guests. You can still experience the normal version of the ride, but they now offer a milder version, with the centrifuge turned off but the other effects still there. I have ridden both, one immediately after the other. While the wild version is definitely more intense than the milder one, the mild one is still a great thrill ride and well worth taking. As you enter the ride line, you’ll be given the opportunity to choose your version.
I’ve labeled this as a Must Do! attraction, as it is an amazing, intense, and thrilling ride. But if you have any reservations about hopping on, pass on it. Guests must be 44 inches or taller to enjoy this attraction.
Mission: SPACE Pavilion.
Photo © Disney.
Mission: SPACE Advanced Training Labs
Attraction Type: Experience area/playground
Also located in the Mission: SPACE Pavilion, this computer lab and playground area is really well done, making it a great place to wait for the members of your group who are on the Mission: SPACE ride.
The playground is much like you would find in a fast-food restaurant, complete with climbing nets, tubes, and slides. It’s a perfect retreat for the very youngest of guests. The lab area is also really neat. Some individual workstations and photo/video booths let you create your own space video greeting card and send it to an e-mail address. The larger lab space has team contests in which guests work together to accomplish tasks via their computer monitors, working together and competing at the same time.
Test Track
Attraction Type: Thrill ride
You’ll have a hard time missing the rampant General Motors marketing everywhere, but it’s at least something to read when you’re waiting in line for this popular ride. Your test car gets put through the automotive proving grounds, complete with maneuvering, braking, and other driving tests, ending with a thrilling spin around the banked test track. It’s fun and fast, and the end of the ride is a blast.
Make sure you take advantage of the single-rider line available for this attraction. It can save you as much as an hour
of wait time. Guests must be 40 inches or taller to enjoy this ride.
Test Track, the fastest ride in Walt Disney World.
Photo © Disney.
Honey, I Shrunk the Audience
Attraction Type: Theater/movie/show
Located in the Imagination! Pavilion and one of the many 3-D experiences at Walt Disney World, this theater show uses more than visual effects to bring the movie Honey, I Shrunk the Kids to life. The seats have water misters, motion simulators, and other devices that coordinate with the movie to make it seem more real, as the 3-D glasses make the action seem to spring from the screen. Although that movie debuted in 1989, this popular 3-D thriller has retained its fun factor over the years, and you don’t need to have seen the movie to get it.
All that being said, it’s not as good of a 3-D show as PhilharMagic at the Magic Kingdom, and it’s starting to become a bit dated, but I still think you’ll enjoy it. The show lasts for 20 minutes.
Note that since mid-2010 this theater has been used for performances of Captain EO. This movie from the 80s, featuring Michael Jackson, is there for a limited but undefined timeframe. So you could find the theater showing the Honey film, the EO film, being closed, or even perhaps showcasing something new.
Journey into Imagination with Figment
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Walt Disney World, 2012 Edition Page 23