Please sell me on Epcot
- Thread starter blessedby3
- Start date
It is a whole different experience....Fireworks, music, X-mas stuff! We don't treat it as a "ride the rides" park and then get out.....There are a lot of nooks and crannies to see.....It has to be "appreciated".......A little sushi here, a little margharita there, a little beer and pretzel here, and a couple of fun rides in the countries.......If they still had the Tapestry of Dreams parade, I would be set!
Rich Ayers
Rich Ayers
WaltD4Me
<font color=royalblue>PS...I tried asking for wate
- Joined
- Apr 22, 2003
- Messages
- 9,703
I used to think I could skip Epcot, but now it has three things I love!!!
1. Turtle Talk with Crush (Amazing show! - Wouldn't miss it!)
2. Soarin' (LOVE this ride)
3. Characters on Holiday bus -- (Check show times for this. The characters get off the bus and dance and interact with guests, it's great!)
Also, there are alot more characters out at Epcot now. We saw Aurora and Belle in France (no lines) and Mulan in China, about the only place we saw her.
Then of course there is Test Track and the awesome, huge Mouse Gear store. I love Mouse Gear! LOL! -- The kids loved Imagination Station too.
Plus since it is the week after Thanksgiving, it will be beautifully decorated for Christmas and Santa will be in all the countries!
I could now spend a whole day in Epcot, I'd give it another try if I were you.
1. Turtle Talk with Crush (Amazing show! - Wouldn't miss it!)
2. Soarin' (LOVE this ride)
3. Characters on Holiday bus -- (Check show times for this. The characters get off the bus and dance and interact with guests, it's great!)
Also, there are alot more characters out at Epcot now. We saw Aurora and Belle in France (no lines) and Mulan in China, about the only place we saw her.
Then of course there is Test Track and the awesome, huge Mouse Gear store. I love Mouse Gear! LOL! -- The kids loved Imagination Station too.
Plus since it is the week after Thanksgiving, it will be beautifully decorated for Christmas and Santa will be in all the countries!
I could now spend a whole day in Epcot, I'd give it another try if I were you.
LightBurnsBlue
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Sep 28, 2005
- Messages
- 265
MossMan said:
Yes, please speak for yourself. Epcot has been my favorite park since I was a kid, and it still is my favorite park today. The grounds are beautiful and spacious, and the music is fun and relaxing. Plus, it's like 2 parks in one! I love Test Track, I know I will like Soarin when I try it, and Spaceship Earth is my favorite Disney ride of all time!
So please don't accuse me of lying when I say that I love Epcot. Your comment seems quite rude!
I think perhaps that post was written tongue in cheek.
I love Epcot because I love experiencing other cultures and the foods from other countries. I love walking around the WS and hearing the music of the various countries. And a trip to WDW wouldn't be complete without at least one evening spent sitting by the lagoon waiting for illuminations to start. It's our favorite thing to do!
It's my hands down favorite park. I'm so glad we're bringing a babysitter this year so we can experience it fully!
I love Epcot because I love experiencing other cultures and the foods from other countries. I love walking around the WS and hearing the music of the various countries. And a trip to WDW wouldn't be complete without at least one evening spent sitting by the lagoon waiting for illuminations to start. It's our favorite thing to do!
It's my hands down favorite park. I'm so glad we're bringing a babysitter this year so we can experience it fully!
Epcot is my favorite park! I call it my vacation within a vacation, at least the WS section. I have never been one to wish to go to Europe, but gong thru WS sure gives me the bug. I take it for what it is tho, a re-creation..but it allows me to pretend/viualize that I am in those countries and that's o.k. by me. I think because it is more spread out overall, that appeals to me, and we like the interactive stuff, especially at MS. Soarin' was not open yet the last trip we made, but I am sure I will enjoy it.
Our kids like to do the mask craft thru the countries, and DH has no complaints of the beverage choices across the countries..
We even get a kick out of the boat ride in Mexico..the condensed version of IASW. We take a more liesurely pace thru Epcot, and I have noticed that MGM has become our shotest time park. We love all the parks, but at MGM we just sort of find ourselves looking for "more"...more to walk thru, or more to do..not complaining, just saying since it is more manageable, we end up with more time on our hands there.
It is a personal preference, but I say give it a shot. I think AK is somewhat the same way...many people think it is no big deal..but I love it there as well!
Pam
Our kids like to do the mask craft thru the countries, and DH has no complaints of the beverage choices across the countries..
We even get a kick out of the boat ride in Mexico..the condensed version of IASW. We take a more liesurely pace thru Epcot, and I have noticed that MGM has become our shotest time park. We love all the parks, but at MGM we just sort of find ourselves looking for "more"...more to walk thru, or more to do..not complaining, just saying since it is more manageable, we end up with more time on our hands there.It is a personal preference, but I say give it a shot. I think AK is somewhat the same way...many people think it is no big deal..but I love it there as well!
Pam
/
disneyholic family
disney on my mind....
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2002
- Messages
- 20,500
all four of us love Epcot - me, my husband, 18 year old son and 21 year old daughter...
we can easily spend a whole day here (but we never spend a whole day anywhere....but we come for 3 weeks at a time and have APs....so we hop around and rest a lot)..
anyway...
what we do at Epcot:
Soarin, Living with the Land, Test Track, Mission Space (my son rides it, the rest of us play the group game at the back, which is lots of fun too), Imagination (my 21 year old daugter can go on this repeatedly...go figure), Honey I shrunk the Audience, the Living Seas (my kids can spend hours here - but maybe they like educational stuff), Turtle Talk (hysterical), Spaceship Earth, Ellen's Energy Adventure (ellen degeneres is a riot on this one), Innoventions East and West (we can spend hours here - yes it's educational, but there are tons of games and interactive stuff to play with - my kids always are willing to go into innoventions)..
on the world showcase side, we like to walk around and visit the shops...
there are two epcot tours we very much enjoyed....
the around the world on Segway tour....lots of fun....we've done this one twice...(the segway is that two-wheeled vehicle you stand on...it's a 2 hour tour...one hour to learn to ride it and the second hour riding around the world showcase)...
and the behind the seeds tour in the land....
oh...and we enjoy watching the fountain in the middle when it's in time to music...
we can easily spend a whole day here (but we never spend a whole day anywhere....but we come for 3 weeks at a time and have APs....so we hop around and rest a lot)..
anyway...
what we do at Epcot:
Soarin, Living with the Land, Test Track, Mission Space (my son rides it, the rest of us play the group game at the back, which is lots of fun too), Imagination (my 21 year old daugter can go on this repeatedly...go figure), Honey I shrunk the Audience, the Living Seas (my kids can spend hours here - but maybe they like educational stuff), Turtle Talk (hysterical), Spaceship Earth, Ellen's Energy Adventure (ellen degeneres is a riot on this one), Innoventions East and West (we can spend hours here - yes it's educational, but there are tons of games and interactive stuff to play with - my kids always are willing to go into innoventions)..
on the world showcase side, we like to walk around and visit the shops...
there are two epcot tours we very much enjoyed....
the around the world on Segway tour....lots of fun....we've done this one twice...(the segway is that two-wheeled vehicle you stand on...it's a 2 hour tour...one hour to learn to ride it and the second hour riding around the world showcase)...
and the behind the seeds tour in the land....
oh...and we enjoy watching the fountain in the middle when it's in time to music...
graygables
<font color=blue>Doesn't like to discuss the Y2K P
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2004
- Messages
- 3,411
Educational does NOT have to be boring! I grew up in Germany and we travelled extensively while we were there and it was never boring, but we learned so much. To me, Epcot is the perfect destination to get a lot of that experience and adventure in one place.
Maybe it's b/c my first ever trip to WDW was to celebrate my 18th birthday just after Epcot opened (Nov 82), maybe it was the music in the cool evening air with the purplish glow of the unadulterated (hate the hand) geosphere against the velvet night sky with the whir of the monorail overhead. I fell in love w/ WDW and Epcot all at the same time.
Spaceship Earth is just a cool ride. I still get goosebumps going through the Renaissance section (and I've seen the Sistine Chapel!). I've never done MS, I get too carsick. Test Track is fun and not nearly as kitschy as the ride that used to be there (remember the motorcycle cop behind the billboard?)! I always loved looking at the "new fangled" cars with my dad ("Cars won't *ever* look like that"...yeah right!). The Living Seas wasn't there my 1st trip, but was when I took my DDs the first time and it is awesome. A soothing, relaxing stop. Living with the Land is great, esp now that Soarin' is there. My DDs love the Living with the Land ride so much we are signed up for the Behind the Seeds tour in December. Imagination was SOOOOO much better when it first opened, but we have to see Figment, if nothing else. Innoventions is like a little science fair with all kinds of gadgets and computers and fun things to play with.
Then there is the World Showcase which mustn't be guzzled, but sipped. Look at the buildings and the details. Talk with the cast members about their homes. I had a chance to visit with a CM from Mexico in Feb about how his village get about the same amount of snow each year that we do in the Lake Erie secondary snowbelt!! Sample different foods, drink in the details around the WS. Browse the shops and see what people around the world make, use, and buy. It's not all about rides and there is nothing wrong with learning about the rest of the world while you are on vacation!
Pick your spot and have some coffee and pastry (sweet pretzel...yummy!) from Kringla (Norwegian bakery) or some other yummy treat. Relax and enjoy Illuminations...the music is awe-inspiring and take the time to listen to the lyrics at the end. The exit song has to be one of the most romantic songs I've heard...DH even gets misty! Walk out slowly and enjoy the fiberoptic lights in the sidewalk, then savor the geosphere again, and imagine Walt Disney, somewhere in the vast night smiling down on his Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow which didn't turn out exactly how he'd planned, but I think he'd like it, just the same.
Maybe it's b/c my first ever trip to WDW was to celebrate my 18th birthday just after Epcot opened (Nov 82), maybe it was the music in the cool evening air with the purplish glow of the unadulterated (hate the hand) geosphere against the velvet night sky with the whir of the monorail overhead. I fell in love w/ WDW and Epcot all at the same time.
Spaceship Earth is just a cool ride. I still get goosebumps going through the Renaissance section (and I've seen the Sistine Chapel!). I've never done MS, I get too carsick. Test Track is fun and not nearly as kitschy as the ride that used to be there (remember the motorcycle cop behind the billboard?)! I always loved looking at the "new fangled" cars with my dad ("Cars won't *ever* look like that"...yeah right!). The Living Seas wasn't there my 1st trip, but was when I took my DDs the first time and it is awesome. A soothing, relaxing stop. Living with the Land is great, esp now that Soarin' is there. My DDs love the Living with the Land ride so much we are signed up for the Behind the Seeds tour in December. Imagination was SOOOOO much better when it first opened, but we have to see Figment, if nothing else. Innoventions is like a little science fair with all kinds of gadgets and computers and fun things to play with.
Then there is the World Showcase which mustn't be guzzled, but sipped. Look at the buildings and the details. Talk with the cast members about their homes. I had a chance to visit with a CM from Mexico in Feb about how his village get about the same amount of snow each year that we do in the Lake Erie secondary snowbelt!! Sample different foods, drink in the details around the WS. Browse the shops and see what people around the world make, use, and buy. It's not all about rides and there is nothing wrong with learning about the rest of the world while you are on vacation!
Pick your spot and have some coffee and pastry (sweet pretzel...yummy!) from Kringla (Norwegian bakery) or some other yummy treat. Relax and enjoy Illuminations...the music is awe-inspiring and take the time to listen to the lyrics at the end. The exit song has to be one of the most romantic songs I've heard...DH even gets misty! Walk out slowly and enjoy the fiberoptic lights in the sidewalk, then savor the geosphere again, and imagine Walt Disney, somewhere in the vast night smiling down on his Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow which didn't turn out exactly how he'd planned, but I think he'd like it, just the same.
Epcot has always been my favorite park AND I'M NOT LYING. It's so much more layed-back than the other parks. You can just walk around and not have to worry about running from one place to another. Mission-Space is great and Soarin' is fantastic. There's a small ride in Norway that's good and a little 'cheesy' ride in Mexico that I happen to like(Small World like). One of my favorite things to see is Off Kilter in Canada. It's a rock band with a bagpipe player. I just love them. You must see The American Adventure in the American Pavilion. It is wonderful. There is also an acapalla group that performs sometimes. Honey, I Shrunk the audience is a 3-D show that is really good. I love to watch all the people scream. I really like Test Track. The best part is at the end when you burst through the doors and go on the track outside. You're only doing about 63 mph. but there's no top on the car so it feels a lot faster than that. Also at the end of Mission-Space there is a game you can play. It's like a big video game that lots of people play at the same time. Two teams play against each other. The store in Japan is really nice, and in the very back of the store you can buy candy and snacks from Japan.
The acrobats and drum players in China are great to watch. But the thing you don't want to miss is Illuminations. It is just fantastic. Innoventions has some really interesting things in it, and you can make a little plastic robot to take with you. The Living Seas has been closed for rehab but it should open soon if not already. Journey into Imagination is so cute and I just love Figment(loved the original ride from long ago) and there are some fun things for kids to do at the end of the ride. You can also send emails to people from there. The 360 degress movies in Canada, France, and China are really beautiful. There are other street performers too like The Jamitors, The Holy Grail Players, and The Kristos. You can find all the performance times on a paper you get where the maps are. The maps also come in other langauges, so it might be fun for the kids to get the other maps and compare them. The Universe of Energy is interesting, but it's about 45 minutes long. However, it is a nice to place to get in from the heat and rest. The kids can make a mask and add something to it from each country. They will even write your name in their language. Of course one of my all time favorites is Spaceship Earth. It's just tradition. There are still too many other things to list like the manatees, 10 pound lemons, Coke drinks from around the world(when Ice Station Cool opens back up), and the talking water fountains, just to mention a few. Well, I hope I sold you on Epcot. Try to get it out of your head that it may be educational, and just have FUN!!!
The acrobats and drum players in China are great to watch. But the thing you don't want to miss is Illuminations. It is just fantastic. Innoventions has some really interesting things in it, and you can make a little plastic robot to take with you. The Living Seas has been closed for rehab but it should open soon if not already. Journey into Imagination is so cute and I just love Figment(loved the original ride from long ago) and there are some fun things for kids to do at the end of the ride. You can also send emails to people from there. The 360 degress movies in Canada, France, and China are really beautiful. There are other street performers too like The Jamitors, The Holy Grail Players, and The Kristos. You can find all the performance times on a paper you get where the maps are. The maps also come in other langauges, so it might be fun for the kids to get the other maps and compare them. The Universe of Energy is interesting, but it's about 45 minutes long. However, it is a nice to place to get in from the heat and rest. The kids can make a mask and add something to it from each country. They will even write your name in their language. Of course one of my all time favorites is Spaceship Earth. It's just tradition. There are still too many other things to list like the manatees, 10 pound lemons, Coke drinks from around the world(when Ice Station Cool opens back up), and the talking water fountains, just to mention a few. Well, I hope I sold you on Epcot. Try to get it out of your head that it may be educational, and just have FUN!!!
blessedby3, I am sorry you feel that way about EPCOT. To me, EPCOT is the best of all the Disney parks. I absolutely love it there. Let's have a rundown. You have Soarin' (the best attraction in all of Disney), Test Track, Journey Into Imagination ( I love Figment!!), Talking with Crush, Living with the Land (Yes! It is educational but just like a Small World, it is relaxing.), and you have all the countries. France and Canada have a great film about their countries. The American Adventure is awesome. We love seeing the Voices of Liberty there every chance that we can. And who can forget about Norway and their ride, Maelstrom. Go to the Rose & Crown in England. Get some pastries in France 
. I'm sorry. How can you not love EPCOT? Everytime I go, I feel like I am on 
.
. I'm sorry. How can you not love EPCOT? Everytime I go, I feel like I am on .fauberfive
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- May 30, 2005
- Messages
- 93
Everyone has different taste and different opinions. I like Epcot.
It is more educational than the other parks but I believe in all the magic and all the fantasy, there is something to learn in everypark.
I do not get to travel much and not outside of the US, so Epcot provides me with other cultures. I work for a Japan company in a small rural area and I did not realize how important other cultures would be to me and my children when they were young and we did our adventures in Epcot.
Food is great, entertainment is great. Nighttime is the best!
Now they do have some "thrill rides". Loved Mission Space and looking forward to Soarin.
No I love Epcot
It is more educational than the other parks but I believe in all the magic and all the fantasy, there is something to learn in everypark.
I do not get to travel much and not outside of the US, so Epcot provides me with other cultures. I work for a Japan company in a small rural area and I did not realize how important other cultures would be to me and my children when they were young and we did our adventures in Epcot.
Food is great, entertainment is great. Nighttime is the best!
Now they do have some "thrill rides". Loved Mission Space and looking forward to Soarin.
No I love Epcot
blessedby3
Actually Blessedby4 now, but cant change my userna
- Joined
- Mar 7, 2003
- Messages
- 8,146
Thanks for all the replies guys. I am actually getting a bit more excited about visiting Epcot for a whole day after reading them. I am really going to try and look at Epcot differently this trip. I hope we all enjoy it as much as you Disers do. Thanks again, I will print off this thread and put your tips to good use!! 
sweetinmaine
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 26, 2005
- Messages
- 5,686
EPCOT is the favorite park of DH and myself! We love to wander around the World Showcase enjoying all the different cultures of the world that we may never get to experience. We've heard people say that they "eat" their way around the world but I won't admit or deny that we have done that. 
The meet and greet with the characters tend to be less crowded than at the other parks. We absolutely loved Soarin'! DH tried Mission Space and wouldn't do that again. Our adult kids loved Test Track and Mission Space. Journey Into Imagination with Figment was cute too. Our 2 young grandsons loved the water spouts that shot up from the ground. We let them finish the day playing in the water and getting soaked. It just seems to us that EPCOT is a more relaxing day than the other parks and yet it carries excitement within it.
The meet and greet with the characters tend to be less crowded than at the other parks. We absolutely loved Soarin'! DH tried Mission Space and wouldn't do that again. Our adult kids loved Test Track and Mission Space. Journey Into Imagination with Figment was cute too. Our 2 young grandsons loved the water spouts that shot up from the ground. We let them finish the day playing in the water and getting soaked. It just seems to us that EPCOT is a more relaxing day than the other parks and yet it carries excitement within it. dixiedizfan
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2005
- Messages
- 2,134
The first time we took our kids to WDW they were 7 and 9. Epcot was their favorite park then, and still is. Something about walking thru World Showcase, while looking across the lagoon at Spaceship Earth, just enthralls them.
Epcot is our favorite Park. We go just about everyday of our trips for at least a couple hours. People have already mentioned so many of the things we love about Epcot. Epcot was even my son's favorite when he was 4-7, then MK took the lead until he was about 14 & now it's Epcot again.
But, the one thing I'm surprised no one mentioned are the World Showcase Passports. Your 2 younger children are the Perfect Age for these! They will LOVE going from country to country collecting signatures & stamps. THe CM's will write something in their native tongue & tell the kids what it means (be sure to write down the translation too, tho, or else you might foget) The Teens might even get a kick out of it too. My son did the Passport when he was 10 & we spent open to close in World Showcase & he didn't want to leave when the Park closed. We went back the next day for more.
Epcot, like AK, is not a Park to rush from ride to ride (altho there are some great ones) There are so many Magical Moments to savor there - the more subtle, yet no less important joys of hearing some new music, watching a street play, enjoying a pastry or a beverage you've never had before, seeing a movie of a land you've never visited but will be inspired to see.....
But, the one thing I'm surprised no one mentioned are the World Showcase Passports. Your 2 younger children are the Perfect Age for these! They will LOVE going from country to country collecting signatures & stamps. THe CM's will write something in their native tongue & tell the kids what it means (be sure to write down the translation too, tho, or else you might foget) The Teens might even get a kick out of it too. My son did the Passport when he was 10 & we spent open to close in World Showcase & he didn't want to leave when the Park closed. We went back the next day for more.
Epcot, like AK, is not a Park to rush from ride to ride (altho there are some great ones) There are so many Magical Moments to savor there - the more subtle, yet no less important joys of hearing some new music, watching a street play, enjoying a pastry or a beverage you've never had before, seeing a movie of a land you've never visited but will be inspired to see.....
Mickey Fliers
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2004
- Messages
- 4,872
My boys love Innoventions. Heck, it is full of video games. They really liked building their own virtual robot and then racing that robot against other players. They even got to make a robot out of plastic and bring it home, free! Innoventions is a great place to walk around and explore. That is the thing about Epcot, around almost every corner there is something new to explore that you may not have noticed before. It is my favorite park. My boys (8,6 and 3) who have been going to Epcot since they were babies, think it is great. They love the candy lady in Japan and drum players there as well. The chinese acrobats are certainly something to see. Disneyworld is more that just "rides" and Epcot definately proves that. I see the Magic there.
Gerweniel
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Sep 15, 2005
- Messages
- 496
Epcot is my favorite place. Always has been.
After the water parks- my sons like Epcot the best. Hopefully, this trip we will be able to sloooowww down and take in everything we may have missed.
I particularly like the Living with the Land boat ride with the hydroponic and fish farming displays. I also love the Universe of Energy and of course the thrill rides. Can't wait to try Soarin'.
Everyone has there likes and dislikes. Hope you have the time to spend at Epcot to enjoy it.
Have a great trip!
After the water parks- my sons like Epcot the best. Hopefully, this trip we will be able to sloooowww down and take in everything we may have missed.
I particularly like the Living with the Land boat ride with the hydroponic and fish farming displays. I also love the Universe of Energy and of course the thrill rides. Can't wait to try Soarin'.
Everyone has there likes and dislikes. Hope you have the time to spend at Epcot to enjoy it.
Have a great trip!
-
Six New Disney x Loungefly Styles for Your Wishlist
-
Relax With Homemade Dole Whip and Ukulele Disney Tunes
-
How Accessible Are the Attractions at Universal Epic Universe?
-
New 54-Second Disneyland 70th Clip That Hits the Feels
-
Universal Epic Universe Got EVERYTHING Right (For Me) on Opening Day
-
New Delightful Moana Summer Snack Arrives in EPCOT
-
Did Disney Put Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway in the Wrong Place?
Save Up to 30% on Rooms at Walt Disney World!
Save up to 30% on rooms at select Disney Resorts Collection hotels when you stay 5 consecutive nights or longer in late summer and early fall. Plus, enjoy other savings for shorter stays.This offer is valid for stays most nights from August 1 to October 11, 2025.
CLICK HERE
