The World Showcase: This section of the park opens about an hour later than Future World.

Mexico: Mostly shopping, but inside the El Rio del Tiempo they have been able to recreate the atmosphere of Mexico. The ride is a slow-boat ride down a river educating you about what tourists see in Mexico. It is very out dated and needs some serious attention. This is a common theme throughout the World Showcase.

Norway: Maelstrom: This is a fun ride though the Viking era of Norway including an encounter with trolls that results in going over the waterfall. After the ride there is a film on the history of something about Norway. I made the mistake of sitting through It 15 years ago that I’d never make again. I suggest skipping out of it.

China: Nothing really good here. There is so much potential, but again it has been the same for the last 15 years. The one fun thing that you can find here is the performances. They have a great storyteller who was doing the story of the monkey king while I was there which was fantastic.

Germany: No rides, but some great food and shopping. If you want great Christmas ornaments then this is the place to go.

Italy: Nothing more than food and a little shopping.

The American Adventure: Nothing to do here either. We ate here at the Liberty Inn. The food was horrible and not worth the wait. We were given the wrong drinks and no one would fix it and we really didn’t want to stand in line for another hour to change them. The register also broke and no one bothered to tell anyone that there was a problem or that we should get into a different line.

Japan: This is a great place to shop. I was here a few years ago with one of my Japanese friends. She didn’t want to leave because it reminded her home so much. I ate at the Yakitori House and got noodles. They weren’t bad, but I could have got the same thing for much cheaper at home.

Morocco: Another great place to shop, but not much more.

France: Just shopping.

France: I’m seeing a pattern here…more shopping.

Canada: Nothing.

Outpost: This is a fun shopping place that represents Africa. One of the great parts about this is that they had a man who was craving canes that were amazing.

Test Track: This is another great ride. Guys LOVE it! This is one ride that no man will complain standing in line for. I rode it with my grandfather and had a hard time getting him on the ride because he was busy watching the various tests and crash dummies that were set up in the queue area. Once on the ride you go through a series of tests that a GM car would go through. This part is fun, but the best is when you go out onto the track.

The Seas with Nemo & Friends: This is an updated attraction. When you enter the ride it is set up to like you are under water. Once you get onto the ride you travel under the sea in search of Nemo. At the end you actually see large tanks of fish with pictures of Nemo and his friends projected into the tank to look like they are swimming around with the other fish. After you disembark from the ride you can see more of the fish and a tank with manatees as well.

Soarin’: I didn’t get to ride this because the lines were way to long, but I heard amazing reviews for it. If you want to get a Fastpass get it early. They were all passed out by 1pm.

Living with the Land: This ride was a surprise. It was a 20-minute boat ride though a greenhouse and a fish farm. Believe it or not there were two kids on the ride who loved it so much that they convinced their parents to take them back on it. The ride goes through an amazing green house where they are growing 10-pound lemons and plants that aren’t growing in dirt. I had my camera out the whole time.

In 1982 Disney opened there most ambitious theme park the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, EPCOT. Inteneded to combines the emerging technologies with a showcase of international cultures. Today the parke is constantly changing, adding new, fun rides to help attract tourists.

Epcot is split into two areas: the world showcase and future world. Disney has been making efforts to improve this park, however, they still have a long way to go. If you have only a three-day pass in Disney or have young kids, this park can be missed. In the middle of the park there is a giant board that will tell you the queue wait that you can expect to experience for the different rides around the park as well as any closures..

Future World: Leave A Legacy: This is at the beginning of the park. There are several walls where there are pictures of past Disney guests.

Spaceship Earth: This is the ride that is in the giant golf ball. Not much has changed with it since I first visited the park 15 years ago. Once inside you sit in a car that takes you thought the history of communication. This is a great ride to go on when you want to get out of the sun; however, the lines are much shorter at the end of the day.

Mission: Space: What a great ride. This is a ride that allows you the experience of going on a mission to Mars. You have a chance to split up into one of two groups: green and orange. The green team is less intense with no spinning and the orange team comes with the warning that you may experience motion sickness. I was in the orange team and I didn’t think it was any more intense than Splash Mountain or Big Thunder Mountain. After splitting up into the teams you are further split up into teams of four. Each team member is given a job as navigator, pilot, and another two that I can’t remember. Once inside you go through the simulated take off and landing on Mars.

Universe of Energy/ Body Wars: This is like the Star Tours ride. It’s a simulator that takes you though the body. You sit in a simulator that moves. The story is that you are being shrunk to go into someones body to help remove a splinter when things suddenly go wrong. The ride dives and turns as it winds though the body.

Epcot is divided into two separate sections called Future World and the World Showcase. Future World is designed to showcase the most modern technology available in today's world. This is also the section of the park where most of the rides are. World Showcase houses exhibits of various world countries, but very few have something to do within their pavilions besides shopping and food.

One of the most popular rides is Test Track, where you ride in a car going through a series of tests. Lines get long and the ride is frequently shut down for various reasons throughout the day, so see this attraction first if it's a priority.

Mission Space, where you are an astronaut, is another huge attraction that should be seen early in the day. This attraction is rough and induces motion sickness in even the strongest stomachs. I felt poorly for a good half hour after riding this and do not recommend it at all.

World Showcase houses two gentle boat rides and three panoramic movies within its many countries. The real attraction here is the food. Every country has at least one restaurant that serves native food. While often pricey, most are high quality and reasonably authentic. Live entertainment also goes on throughout the day, with the Chinese acrobats and Canadian rock band being particularly noted.

Epcot is wonderful and educational and is a great favourite of many, particularly adults. The average child under 10 would probably be much more impressed with the Magic Kingdom. Still, plan on spending a full day in this gigantic park no matter what your age. It's that cool!

A DO NOT miss at Epcot is the ride 'Soaring'. The boys enjoyed the 'Crash Test' and 'Mission Space.' Me, I almost found out how to use those little baggies they provide for you, you know the ones I'm referring to, like the ones they have on airplanes.