EPCOT Center

Sue Carr
Sue Carr
First Reviewer
4 out of 5
Avg. Member Rating
24
Reviews
23
Photos
Editor Pick

EPCOT--Future World

  • October 6, 2009
  • Rated 5 of 5 by Meggysmum from Oxford, United Kingdom
EPCOT--Future World

EPCOT (Experimental Proto-type Community of Tomorrow) split into two areas that have differing opening times. Future World opens at 9am and is first as you enter the park and World Showcase opens at 11am. I will conentrate on Future World.

Entrance to EPCOT is dominated by the shiny orb that is the Spaceship Earth. It stands 51metres high and can be seen from most of the park. The ride that is housed inside has been completely re-invented since its original opening and was relaunched last year. Passengers travel in a time capsule that takes them along a journey discovering the progress of communication and technology. This is now an interactive experience and you get to design yourself into predictions of the future which is quite fun.

Future World houses several interactive exhibits that allow use of technology to make music, photographs and to send enhanced e-mails to friends and family. It is worth taking a note of friends e-mail addresses with you and they will be able to see what a fantastic time you are having. The area also contains some fantastic rides.

EPCOT is the home to the largest single tank aquarium in the world. There are lots of fish to observe and there are also educational exhibits for the children to enjoy. After watching the fish then its time to visit Turtle Talk with Crush, this is a brilliant interactive experience involving the character from Finding Nemo. Children ask the animated film questions and they are answered by the character on screen. My children have both thoroughly enjoyed this and were delighted to be chosen to ask Crush a question. This area also houses a pleasant little ride through the" sea with Nemo and friends" where you get to have a much needed sit down.

Soarin’ is EPCOTs newest attraction and this ride lifts you 40ft in the area before giving you a birds-eye view of California. You feel like you are flying as the film moves and you are bombarded with the aromas of the places you visit. In the same building you will find the boat to take you through the greenhouses to see experimental work to increase crop production and there is also a film about conserving the planet, presented by the characters from the Lion king this is not as dry as it sounds.

Test Track is probably the most well known of EPCOTs rides. You are strapped into a car that does a lap of various test road conditions such as extreme heat and cold and you are then thrown out to 97km/h around an outside track. This ride is exhilarating and also great fun as there are several near-misses along the way that have you screaming. I have ridden this about 20 times and I still jump at the potential collision. The cars seat 6 people so there is usually a single rider queue that moves quite quickly. The Fast Passes for this ride often run out very early in the day so if you want to ride it is worth getting there early.

Mission Space is housed in the most amazing looking building with an image of Mars outside. As you enter you take an Orange ticket for the extreme ride and a green ticket for the less extreme version. You enter capsules in teams of four and you are then held by a shoulder harness and the screens move towards you. You are then sent on a mission to Mars and you are all given buttons to press depending on the job you have been assigned. The ride works by centrifugal force making you struggle to reach in front. The sensation is fantastic and really makes you feel that you could be in a rocket. This ride was by far my favourite until we ended up being stuck in it for about 10 minutes before it would start. The claustrophobic conditions caused me to have my first ever panic attack as I couldn’t get out (or even see out) and I have not been able to get back on it since.

There are also some very child-friendly attractions such as Honey, I Shrunk the Audience which is a 3D film (little children may be scared of the huge snake and dog). Journey Into Imagination will take you through a carriage ride of brightly coloured room settings and talks about senses and imagination and you will alight with an annoying little song in your head that stays there for weeks! Ellen energy adventure takes nearly an hour so plan when to fit this into your day, this is great for late afternoon when your feet are very tired and a good long sit down is required. You are taken on a trip through history to discover all about energy, this is a pleasant experience and educational as well.

EPCOT is very different in appearance to the other parks. It looks very "concrete" and has lots of flower-beds and fountains. Some of the fountains are musical and are very impressive and there are also several that "jump" which children really enjoy. There are some very "Disney" characteristics though. In the main plaza you will find Pin-trading and an enormous Disney shop but this does sell many items that you will not see elsewhere in Disney. There is a character "meet and greet" area inside. Several years ago there used to be a bus which toured around with the characters which was great and I find the room a little clinical but it does mean that little ones can always find a character for their autograph books.

Overall Future World has some great entertainment but is a large area and you will find yourselves criss-crossing the main area to get the most from your visit. There are time-boards around telling you the wait times at each attraction so it is wise to use these to save yourselves some walking. Once you have completed Future World you then get to go to the World Showcase but remeber "Every Person Comes Out Tired!"

From journal Walt Disney World Theme Parks

EPCOT Center

  • February 2, 2006
  • Rated 3 of 5 by dani_gurl2887 from Columbus, Wisconsin
There is so much to say about EPCOT. This theme park has really developed away from what it used to be. Normally it is one of my least favorite parks, but last time we were there, I had to reconsider this judgement. Disney has made great improvements to make EPCOT more than just a culture fair. The World side of EPCOT is still in great shape and a good place to learn about other cultures in a single day instead of traveling all around the world. The other side of EPCOT, the side right where you enter, is getting better and better each time we visit. With more excitement than ever before, EPCOT now boasts Mission:Space, Soaring, and Fast Track, all of which are alright. None of the members in our group were all too impressed by Soaring. This ride says that you are supposed to feel as though you are hang-gliding across the US, yet you can see the people hanging below you the whole ride. If you really want to experience this, make sure you get a FastPass, because it isn't worth the usual 2-hour wait. All in all, EPCOT is becoming much better.

From journal A Visit with the Florida Mouse

Disney's EPCOT

  • January 18, 2006
  • Rated 5 of 5 by mknvet2be from Columbus, Ohio
EPCOT stands for the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. EPCOT has exciting rides, educational experiences, rides children love, and the culture of many different countries (Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Italy, Morocco, USA, Japan, France, UK, and Canada). There is an amazing fireworks show (2,800 fireworks) every night of the year. Every 6 months to a year, Disney brings people over from each of the countries to work at Disney World, so your food is cooked and served to you and the shops are run by people who are actually from the country you are eating at in EPCOT.

From journal Walt Disney World's Boardwalk Resort

Editor Pick

Marketplace - Australia

  • November 17, 2005
  • Rated 5 of 5 by C.Kowalczik from East Haven, Connecticut
Australia has really grown within the wine industry. More recently Australia has achieved a rapid growth of success in recent years by ranking in the top seven wine producing countries and in the top four for wine exporting.

As one of the favored Marketplace Booths, Australia also offered Australia: Discover Down Under Hosted by Penfolds, Rosemount Estate and Lindemans Wineries. This was a great place to stop by and catch a culinary demonstration, a complimentary wine seminar and enjoy a little Aboriginal entertainment!

Other than the Marketplace Booth and Discover Down Under, Australia also offered its guests an Aussie Walkabout. During our walkabout we got to tour five different wine regions of the South Eastern Australia Wine Area. A selection of wines were featured form:

As we tasted a different wine from each region the staff was busy entertaining our two kids. Everyone was so friendly and our son Ethan particularly enjoyed our stop in the Barossa Valley where he learned the disappearing cork magic trick.. After the cork was removed from inside his ear, he kept the cork. By the time we reached the area offering “regional blends”, Ethan was telling his now famous knock-knock joke.
Kock-knock.Who’s there?
Wine,
Wine who?
Wine, ummm I drank all the wine.

Marketplace - AUSTRALIA
Shrimp on the Barbie $4.00
Aussie Lamb with Caramelized Onions and Polenta $4.00
Chocolate Macadamia Nut Dream $2.00
Aussie Beef Tenderloin on a skewer $3.75 – This was a wonderful and flavorful sample of beef tenderloin cooked over the barbie. ****
Rosemount Tramier Riesling $2.75 - A very smooth fruity, medium-dry wine full of floral characters.****
Lindemans Bin 65 Chardonnay $2.75 - A full bodied wine with soft fruit flavors of ripe melon and a toasted oak finish.***
Little Penguin Merlot $3.00
Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz/Cabernet $3.50 – A spicy and bold medium-bodied wine with dark fruit flavors and a background of oak. ****
Foster's Lager $3.00 (6 ounces) With Commemorative Stein $10.95 (22 ounces)

Australia was an amazing stop on our wine trip around the world inside EPCOT’s 2005 International Food and Wine Festival.

From journal EPCOT's 2005 International Food and Wine Festival

Editor Pick

Epcot: Part One

  • October 24, 2005
  • Rated 5 of 5 by huddlesgirl from Centennial, Colorado

Epcot is one of the more overlooked of the four theme parks at WDW. Even I, a self-proclaimed Disney expert, know the least about Epcot. We only spent a half day at Epcot, so we didn’t experience everything the park has to offer. We did hit up the major attractions and see an amazing fireworks show.

Okay, Future World is broken up into smaller parts called “pavilions”. Each pavilion has a theme. At the front of the park is Spaceship Earth, AKA the large, weird-looking silver golf ball that Epcot is so famous for. Not only is it the icon of the park, but there is also an interesting ride inside. Spaceship Earth takes you through the history of communication. The first pavilion you will encounter is Innovations. Here you will find House of Innovations for the technology nuts. You will also find Tom Morrow’s Playground, Segway Human Transport System, and Fantastic Plastic Works. Even though most of this pavilion isn’t very “ride-centered,” there is a whole day's worth of exploring here. It is very creative; as you follow the “innovations highway,” you will find tons of hands-on exhibits with some amazing and very interesting things; if you’re lucky, you just may learn something new.

Next is Universe of Energy. Here you will find Ellen’s Energy Adventure. This is a funny and creative ride/ film about energy and our fuel sources. The Wonder’s of Life pavilion is host to Body Wars (a very intense ride through the body), Cranium Command (a hilarious show, setting: the brain), and The Making of Me. The Imagination pavilion has a great show named Honey I Shrunk the Audience. Also in Imagination is a fun and wild ride with Figment the dinosaur called Journey into Imagination. The next pavilion is The Land. Living with the Land is an informative boat ride where you learn all about agriculture. New to Epcot is Soarin', a 3D ride that takes you all over California’s beautiful landscape.

The last large pavilion is called The Living Seas. Thousands of fish and other sea creatures call this place home. Here you can try on wet suits, become part of a research team, have a real conversation with Crush the Turtle (this was seriously amazing), and also check out dolphin communication technology. But by far the best two rides in Future World are Mission Space and Test Track. Test Track is definitely worth the 2-hour wait in line. The 10-second slingshot around the outside of the building at 60mph is a rush. Then there is Mission Space. This is by far the most intense and yet the most exciting ride I have ever been on. I seriously almost chickened out four times. There are warning signs every two feet while you are standing in line. The ride is pretty intense; I wouldn’t recommend eating before you blast off, and you may need ten minutes of rest after you land, but the ride is definitely worth the pain!

From journal Spring Break in Disney World

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