Thursday Feb 17th 05
EPCOT Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow. Around the world the EPCOT Golf Ball is as instantly recognisable as Cinderellas castle and almost as much as Mickey Mouse himself. It is an icon of the park and just like the castle it conjures up flavours of excitement, wonder and a magical experience. However, this park never has (and I dont believe ever will), give me those feelings. This was our third trip to EPCOT and my view hasnt really changed since the first time we went there.
Please, let me explain
We left our villa and drove up Highway 27 and east down the 192 towards WDW. The traffic was again bad this morning and it built to its usual crescendo around the Maingate area. It doesnt appear to be road works just an awful lot of traffic. Arriving around 09:20 I expected us to be parked away from EPCOT but we were right under the Monorail within 2 minutes walk of the main gate. Spaceship Earth (i.e. the Golf Ball!) was gleaming as usual but we skipped this as everyone always does it first and the queue was very long.
Id been to EPCOT twice in the past and never ridden Test Track, the first time it had been too busy, the second it was broken. As my sons love their cars we made our way there first. The ride queues had already started to build so we got fast passes for 10:40 11:40 and I joined the 5 minutes Single Riders queue to see what it was like. Apart from the obligatory film show before you ride, the rest of it was great! I liked the brake tests and the corners; the crash test made me howl with laughter and as for the outside banked turns at speed it was huge grin time! I came off and told the others how much fun it had been and although Howard, our youngest, showed some signs of reservation but he did agree to go on.
We visited a couple of shops (and believe me, there are LOTS of shops in EPCOT) and at 10:45 Ruth nipped over to Mission: SPACE to get us fast passes for this ride. So currently, we were holding two sets of FPs for the same hour for TT and MS. We find this a much better system then Universal as there you have to wait until your FP time has passed before you can get another. At least at Disney, if you time things correctly, you can get FP rides sorted in succession. When we joined the FP queue for Test Track it was quite long but with typical efficiency we moved forward quickly to the ride.
We all, especially the children came off the ride and wanted to do it again. Howards reluctance to ride had evaporated and they were chomping at the bit to get back on until we came across the GM car display in the basement of TT. My boys were in their element getting to sit in fast sports cars, large flat bed trucks and best of all, a Hummer. Yeah, I know theyre fuel guzzling, totally eco-unfriendly beasts best know for their use by the military but theyre a real Boys Toy and even I couldnt wait to sit inside. It was sumptuous in comfort, the controls felt smooth and I had a superb feeling of power. I felt Arnold Schwarzenegger behind the wheel if only theyd let me drive the beast but alas, no keys.
After wed managed to prize the kids out of the cars it was time to travel to Mars so we joined the FP queue for Mission: SPACE. Again, it took no time at all to reach the front of the queue but this annoyed my DW Ruth as she was enjoying reading the picture and articles on the walls! Never mind, onwards to Mars! As there are 5 of us we had to be assigned to different vehicles; Ruth went off with Emily and I took our sons. Danny & I have ridden this before so we knew what to expect and I had explained to Ruth what the ride was about
she came off a distinct shade of green and gave me a withering look. Oh dear. Emily looked none to please either. Oh double dear, Im definitely in the bad books over this one. When I asked what was wrong, Ruth explained that the ride made her feel ill so she kept looking left and right. As part of the safety briefing youre given before the ride they tell you NOT to look left and right keep looking forward or you might feel ill. Dont blame me for not following clear guidelines!
Now for the bit that Disney fanatics wont like
So wed arrived at the park and ridden Test Track and Mission Space quite quickly, the only other ride of note is Spaceship Earth and we always do that on the way out. This for me is the major problem with EPCOT. There are only three rides of note that are worth going on (soon to be 4 when Soarin opens) but for us, thats it. We sat and looked at the EPCOT map and there was nothing else that we could really say is a must ride /see attraction. The World Showcase? A lake surrounded by shops. The Land? A food court and a long, laboured boat ride. The Living Seas? A fake lift into a dull (by Sea World standards) aquarium. Honey I shrunk The Audience is mild fun but nothing to write home about. I know that many of you will be reading this thinking What is this idiot talking about?, EPCOT is a fantastic place! but not for us. After the thrills, spills, entertainment and pure joy of MK, MGM, AK, US, IOA and Sea World EPCOT for us, is a let down. I would recommend that anyone that hasnt been to WDW before does visit EPCOT with a caveat that they visit this park first. This way you might not feel as disappointed by the park as we do.
The next thing we went on summed up EPCOT for me. The Universe of Energy with Ellen DeGeneres. This starts with a 10 minute stand up film show and then youre ushered onto 4 very large cars. The lights dim, the cars pirouette and the longest and dullest film starts. I remember seeing some animatronic dinosaurs (at least there were more in here than on the Jurassic Park River Adventure at IOA!) but that was it until the end of the ride and my kids woke me up. OK, I had fallen asleep in the Carousel Of Progress in MK but that was warm, comfortable and it had been a long day. The Universe of Energy was just plain dull! When I came off I heard that others had been to sleep (so I wasnt alone) and kids moaning they were bored. I agree! The ride (if you can call it that), needs one of two things. Either for you to be issued with a pillow and blanket on the way in or fit each rider with an Emergency Boredom Button to press and get you out of there ASAP! Again, I can imagine the gasps of How dare he say this about a Disney park! but thats the way I feel. I spoke to some other British people outside who were in the process of warning other members of their party not to ride on energy as it wasnt worth it. So Im not the only one who thinks this way sorry, it is just a long, dull ride in the dark.
The kids needed waking up after the energy experience and asked for Test Track again so we grabbed FPs for 12:40. Ruth asked to go and have a look at the World Showcase oh no not there, please. So we took a walk and found ourselves by a café/bar and shops in Mexico. The kids went on some sort of mini boat ride before we went to Norway and found a café/bar and shops. They went on this mini boat ride and then asked Is this all it is Dad?, Yep fraid so. No doubt if we had walked all the way around the World Showcase we may have found something of interest but seeing as each country was a collection of café/bar and shops, whats the point? If I want to go shopping at Disney shops, Ill use Downtown Disney which is free to get into. I fail to see the point of paying full whack into what is billed as a theme park to walk around cafés, bars and shops!
We bought some ice-creams and drinks and then took our 2nd and final ride on Test Track using FPs wed picked up earlier. It went even faster this time and as the kids knew what was coming they enjoyed it even more. In the shop they bought toy Hummers to remind them of the ride and then we hit a shop and bought mugs for the kids. We walked down to Spaceship Earth and rode on this before making our way back to the car around 13:15. And that, for us and EPCOT, was that. Just over four hours there was more than enough. In fact, if we do go back to EPCOT again itll only be to ride TT , Soarin and Spaceship Earth (wouldnt bother with M:S again its not that good) and only do it as part of a park-hop.
We decided that wed eaten out enough over the past few days and had had too much park food. Wanting to get back to normal, at least for today, we drove to a Publix and picked up some stuff for lunch and tea. It was nice to get back to the villa and have a relaxing afternoon in the pool and be able to put the children to bed at a reasonable time. We couldve gone back to another park in the evening but we just couldnt face the rushing around. We needed to relax and thats exactly what we did.
I know that my views on EPCOT are in the minority, (perhaps of 1) but I liken EPCOT to Ikea. Both of them involve long walks. Occasionally you might see something that interests you. There is a slight possibility you might enjoy something at either. However, when you leave you know that you would have had better value from a proper store/park. At least you dont have to pay to get into Ikea! EPCOT could and in my opinion, should, be so much better. There should be so much more there for the paying public to do. There needs to be more rides/shows and not on the lines of Universe of Energy, The Land or The Living Seas. It might have been a bold idea in the 1960s when EPCOT was designed but IMHO its lagging a long way back in the attraction park stakes. I know that Ill be flamed for my opinions about this but its our holiday. Weve paid for it and if I think something needs praising I will and if something doesnt meet my expectations or I find it boring, then Ill say so.
I'm sorry if you think that EPCOT is the best thing since sliced bread and are angry/dissapointed/upset with me for saying such things about something you love. But life would be very boring if we all thought the same way. I wish EPCOT was better, I really do, but when it comes to being a pure theme park, its not in the same class as MK, MGM or the Universal Parks.
EPCOT Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow. Around the world the EPCOT Golf Ball is as instantly recognisable as Cinderellas castle and almost as much as Mickey Mouse himself. It is an icon of the park and just like the castle it conjures up flavours of excitement, wonder and a magical experience. However, this park never has (and I dont believe ever will), give me those feelings. This was our third trip to EPCOT and my view hasnt really changed since the first time we went there.
Please, let me explain
We left our villa and drove up Highway 27 and east down the 192 towards WDW. The traffic was again bad this morning and it built to its usual crescendo around the Maingate area. It doesnt appear to be road works just an awful lot of traffic. Arriving around 09:20 I expected us to be parked away from EPCOT but we were right under the Monorail within 2 minutes walk of the main gate. Spaceship Earth (i.e. the Golf Ball!) was gleaming as usual but we skipped this as everyone always does it first and the queue was very long.
Id been to EPCOT twice in the past and never ridden Test Track, the first time it had been too busy, the second it was broken. As my sons love their cars we made our way there first. The ride queues had already started to build so we got fast passes for 10:40 11:40 and I joined the 5 minutes Single Riders queue to see what it was like. Apart from the obligatory film show before you ride, the rest of it was great! I liked the brake tests and the corners; the crash test made me howl with laughter and as for the outside banked turns at speed it was huge grin time! I came off and told the others how much fun it had been and although Howard, our youngest, showed some signs of reservation but he did agree to go on.
We visited a couple of shops (and believe me, there are LOTS of shops in EPCOT) and at 10:45 Ruth nipped over to Mission: SPACE to get us fast passes for this ride. So currently, we were holding two sets of FPs for the same hour for TT and MS. We find this a much better system then Universal as there you have to wait until your FP time has passed before you can get another. At least at Disney, if you time things correctly, you can get FP rides sorted in succession. When we joined the FP queue for Test Track it was quite long but with typical efficiency we moved forward quickly to the ride.
We all, especially the children came off the ride and wanted to do it again. Howards reluctance to ride had evaporated and they were chomping at the bit to get back on until we came across the GM car display in the basement of TT. My boys were in their element getting to sit in fast sports cars, large flat bed trucks and best of all, a Hummer. Yeah, I know theyre fuel guzzling, totally eco-unfriendly beasts best know for their use by the military but theyre a real Boys Toy and even I couldnt wait to sit inside. It was sumptuous in comfort, the controls felt smooth and I had a superb feeling of power. I felt Arnold Schwarzenegger behind the wheel if only theyd let me drive the beast but alas, no keys.
After wed managed to prize the kids out of the cars it was time to travel to Mars so we joined the FP queue for Mission: SPACE. Again, it took no time at all to reach the front of the queue but this annoyed my DW Ruth as she was enjoying reading the picture and articles on the walls! Never mind, onwards to Mars! As there are 5 of us we had to be assigned to different vehicles; Ruth went off with Emily and I took our sons. Danny & I have ridden this before so we knew what to expect and I had explained to Ruth what the ride was about
she came off a distinct shade of green and gave me a withering look. Oh dear. Emily looked none to please either. Oh double dear, Im definitely in the bad books over this one. When I asked what was wrong, Ruth explained that the ride made her feel ill so she kept looking left and right. As part of the safety briefing youre given before the ride they tell you NOT to look left and right keep looking forward or you might feel ill. Dont blame me for not following clear guidelines!
Now for the bit that Disney fanatics wont like
So wed arrived at the park and ridden Test Track and Mission Space quite quickly, the only other ride of note is Spaceship Earth and we always do that on the way out. This for me is the major problem with EPCOT. There are only three rides of note that are worth going on (soon to be 4 when Soarin opens) but for us, thats it. We sat and looked at the EPCOT map and there was nothing else that we could really say is a must ride /see attraction. The World Showcase? A lake surrounded by shops. The Land? A food court and a long, laboured boat ride. The Living Seas? A fake lift into a dull (by Sea World standards) aquarium. Honey I shrunk The Audience is mild fun but nothing to write home about. I know that many of you will be reading this thinking What is this idiot talking about?, EPCOT is a fantastic place! but not for us. After the thrills, spills, entertainment and pure joy of MK, MGM, AK, US, IOA and Sea World EPCOT for us, is a let down. I would recommend that anyone that hasnt been to WDW before does visit EPCOT with a caveat that they visit this park first. This way you might not feel as disappointed by the park as we do.
The next thing we went on summed up EPCOT for me. The Universe of Energy with Ellen DeGeneres. This starts with a 10 minute stand up film show and then youre ushered onto 4 very large cars. The lights dim, the cars pirouette and the longest and dullest film starts. I remember seeing some animatronic dinosaurs (at least there were more in here than on the Jurassic Park River Adventure at IOA!) but that was it until the end of the ride and my kids woke me up. OK, I had fallen asleep in the Carousel Of Progress in MK but that was warm, comfortable and it had been a long day. The Universe of Energy was just plain dull! When I came off I heard that others had been to sleep (so I wasnt alone) and kids moaning they were bored. I agree! The ride (if you can call it that), needs one of two things. Either for you to be issued with a pillow and blanket on the way in or fit each rider with an Emergency Boredom Button to press and get you out of there ASAP! Again, I can imagine the gasps of How dare he say this about a Disney park! but thats the way I feel. I spoke to some other British people outside who were in the process of warning other members of their party not to ride on energy as it wasnt worth it. So Im not the only one who thinks this way sorry, it is just a long, dull ride in the dark.
The kids needed waking up after the energy experience and asked for Test Track again so we grabbed FPs for 12:40. Ruth asked to go and have a look at the World Showcase oh no not there, please. So we took a walk and found ourselves by a café/bar and shops in Mexico. The kids went on some sort of mini boat ride before we went to Norway and found a café/bar and shops. They went on this mini boat ride and then asked Is this all it is Dad?, Yep fraid so. No doubt if we had walked all the way around the World Showcase we may have found something of interest but seeing as each country was a collection of café/bar and shops, whats the point? If I want to go shopping at Disney shops, Ill use Downtown Disney which is free to get into. I fail to see the point of paying full whack into what is billed as a theme park to walk around cafés, bars and shops!
We bought some ice-creams and drinks and then took our 2nd and final ride on Test Track using FPs wed picked up earlier. It went even faster this time and as the kids knew what was coming they enjoyed it even more. In the shop they bought toy Hummers to remind them of the ride and then we hit a shop and bought mugs for the kids. We walked down to Spaceship Earth and rode on this before making our way back to the car around 13:15. And that, for us and EPCOT, was that. Just over four hours there was more than enough. In fact, if we do go back to EPCOT again itll only be to ride TT , Soarin and Spaceship Earth (wouldnt bother with M:S again its not that good) and only do it as part of a park-hop.
We decided that wed eaten out enough over the past few days and had had too much park food. Wanting to get back to normal, at least for today, we drove to a Publix and picked up some stuff for lunch and tea. It was nice to get back to the villa and have a relaxing afternoon in the pool and be able to put the children to bed at a reasonable time. We couldve gone back to another park in the evening but we just couldnt face the rushing around. We needed to relax and thats exactly what we did.
I know that my views on EPCOT are in the minority, (perhaps of 1) but I liken EPCOT to Ikea. Both of them involve long walks. Occasionally you might see something that interests you. There is a slight possibility you might enjoy something at either. However, when you leave you know that you would have had better value from a proper store/park. At least you dont have to pay to get into Ikea! EPCOT could and in my opinion, should, be so much better. There should be so much more there for the paying public to do. There needs to be more rides/shows and not on the lines of Universe of Energy, The Land or The Living Seas. It might have been a bold idea in the 1960s when EPCOT was designed but IMHO its lagging a long way back in the attraction park stakes. I know that Ill be flamed for my opinions about this but its our holiday. Weve paid for it and if I think something needs praising I will and if something doesnt meet my expectations or I find it boring, then Ill say so.
I'm sorry if you think that EPCOT is the best thing since sliced bread and are angry/dissapointed/upset with me for saying such things about something you love. But life would be very boring if we all thought the same way. I wish EPCOT was better, I really do, but when it comes to being a pure theme park, its not in the same class as MK, MGM or the Universal Parks.
That is so funny, Andrew!!
Are we going to see the rest of them anytime soon the first 10 days have been excerlent 
). And I like the shopping, and would like to try some of the restarants.
