Epcot Center – Discover the Wonder
Today is the first of our four-day excursion to Disney World. We choose Epcot, the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, which was opened in 1982 as the Disney resort second theme park and is suppose to be a futuristic city.
The intent of choosing Epcot Center was to pass a quiet day visiting mostly world pavilions and see some future world displays and try a few attractions. What we did not figure is the Epcot Centre is the largest of the four Disney sites. Disney World Resort is built on 25,000 acres (39 square miles). So if you plan on visiting Epcot make sure you wear very comfortable walking shoes.
We arrived at Epcot around 9:30 a.m. with the intent to visit the world pavilions first. When we reached the first one, we found out that the pavilions did not open until 11:00 a.m. So it was back to the beginning also known as Future World West.
Future World West
Future World West Is divided into four areas.
First stop – Imagination
I
n addition to an interactive play area, we tried two attractions. Journey into imagination with figment is a trip on a vessel through tunnels where you experience the five senses. We rated this a C.
The next attraction was Captain EO. This 3-D adventure was produce in 1986 and the star of the show is Michael Jackson. In fact this is where he first did the moon walk. The movie is shown in a theatre with special effects, such as lasers, smoke and seats that shake and vibrate on cue to the action on the screen. I am told that the combination of 3-D film which incorporates in-theater effects is known as 4-D. Who knew! We rated this attraction a B.
Second Stop - The Land
There are three attractions that you should visit. Our first attraction here was The Circle of Life. It is a 20-minute environmental film. Through a mix of animation, live action, and the use of characters from the Lion King you are exposed to the wonders of nature. Kids would probably enjoy this and for that we rated this attraction a B.
Our next stop here was Living with the Land. You board a boat and set sail on a voyage of discovery through living laboratories as you cruise past the American plains, a tropical rain forest and the African desert to witness the latest developments in aquaculture and desert farming. You also float by experimental greenhouses where they actually grow produce for restaurants at Epcot. We saw very big vegetables! I wonder if they would grow in our garden? We also saw the Aquacell which is an aqua environment with alligators and fish. As an educational tool, we rated this attraction B+.
The last attraction at The Land is called Soarin. It is one of the most popular attractions at Epcot so we were provided with a Fast Pass which means that we have a scheduled block of time to come back for this attraction. Our Fast Pass said we should come back between 3:57 and 4:57 p.m. Since it was only 10:30 a.m. we had a few hours to visit other attractions. After a very long day of walking this park and finishing our tour of the World Showcase we returned at the end of the day, one minute before the expiry of our Fast Pass! And folks, it was worth the wait! If you do only one attraction at Epcot, you must try Soarin.
Soarin is a multisensory attraction that simulates a hang-gliding flight over California. You experience the feeling of free flight while surrounded by scenic panoramas including the Golden Gate Bridge, Malibu and Los Angeles. We rated this attraction an A+.
Third stop – The Sea with Nemo and Friends
We boarded Board a vessel shaped like a clam and it simulates descending into a colorful underwater world where Nemo and his friends explore colorful tropical reefs, discover ancient shipwrecks, meet beautiful sea creatures and avoid lurking peril. Great for kids and for that we rated this a B.
Fifth Stop – Epcot Character Spot
This area is very busy and lots and lots of kids waiting for a change to get their picture taken with the Disney Character. We bypassed this area and hopefully we will get our pictures with Mickey, Goofy and friends at Disney World.
Future World East
This area is divided into five sections.
First Sop – Test Track
Test Track is a thrill ride in which we are strapped in a car and go through a number of tests like quick braking, controlling a slideout and the finally you accelerate to about 100 km an hour and shoot outside on a oval track with 50-degree banked curves! Dee thought she was riding in the Daytona 500. This attraction was worth an A rating.
Second Stop – Mission Space
If you always wanted to get a feeling of what traveling into space on a journey that turns you into an astronaut on a space flight to Mars as you attend to your aeronautical duties. Dee was the Pilot and I was the Navigator. We also had a Captain and an Engineer who both forgot to attend to their duties during flight! Thanks to the autopilot we managed to land on Mars! We rated this attraction and A.
Third Stop – Universe of Energy
For fans of Ellen DeGeneres you will love this attraction. The attraction is built in a mirrored pyramid with solar roof panels to supply some of the power. Once you enter the first theatre it takes 34 minutes for the complete show. After the seven minutes intro is completed you are brought into a second theatre to sit in a series of moving benches. Ellen’s dream (or nightmare) continues and you are taken on a tour of the origins of the universe, the dinosaur age and the history of energy. It’s a multimedia attraction and because Dee is a huge fan of Ellen we rated this attraction an A.
Fourth Stop – Spaceship Earth
This attraction is built in the big mirrored golf ball! that you see when you enter Epcot. It’s the signature attraction of Epcot. In fact it’s a 18-story geodesic sphere that's home to the time-traveling Spaceship Earth and Project Tomorrow: We thought it would be a more intense ride up and down the inside of the sphere but found it a bit lame after Soarin and Mission Space. For that reason we rated this attraction a B.
World Showcase
This attraction is where you will find 10 distinct areas depicting the following countries; Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, the USA, Japan, Morocco, France, the United Kingdom and finally Canada.
The sites depict the architecture, the culture and the different type of food you would find in that country. Some pavilions have attractions; all have restaurants, and all have gift shops selling wares from the country. At the Canadian pavilion I could buy a Maple Leafs jersey or any of the other three Canadian teams. Oh, that right, there are six Canadian team but we were told that the Senators and the Oilers did not make the Disney Team!
If you plan on spending your time in this area, bring lots of money or a platinum plus credit card!
For your enjoyment I have posted a few pictures of the pavilions.
We also took a ride on the Disney monorail. We made the loop from Epcot to Disney’s Magic Kingdom and returned to Epcot. It was a 20-minute ride and as a mode of transportation it’s very efficient and reminded me of the Vancouver Skytrain. Maybe Ottawa should have seriously considered this instead of the O-train and underground tunnels.
Finally, our visit coincided with the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival. This Festival is a special event filled with Disney character topiaries, a colourful array of flowers, gardens, live music and special presentations. There are over 75 Disney character topiaries among the over 100 topiaries arranged throughout Epcot. Mickey Mouse and friends are depicted in colourful flower arrangements! Lucky for us, for the very first time, the festival included Disney•Pixar characters such as Buzz, Woody from Toy Story 3 and Lightning McQueen and Mater from Cars 2. We took a few pictures of the topiaries, enjoy.
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