Please tell me about Epcot..

[Disneyland1084]

Thank you to everyone who's responded so far to this thread. I see I have a lot to look forward too.

 

[BrianL]

The plan for now is June of 2017, so hopefully some festival will be going on then.

Well, Flower & Garden usually ends in May and Food & Wine is not until September, so I don't know that there will be any festivals going on at that time. But it is over a year away, so nothing is set in stone.

 

[EagleG17]

There is only really one thing to do at Epcot...bounce from country to country and drink alcohol in each of them. Then take a bus/monorail/boat back to your resort and call it a day. There is truly no other place in the world quite like it.

 

[Catvondita]

Pretty much what everyone else has said. Epcot can be accessed by the monorail at the Ticket and Transportation Center. The fun begins with the monorail ride because it gives you a loop around Future World first.

Epcot is broken into two main parts. Future World and the World Showcase. Future World is the educational part of the park focusing on different achievements throughout history. The "giant golf ball" is a ride called Space Ship Earth which is a slow moving dark ride that lasts about 7 or so minutes (maybe a few more). It doesn't tend to have longer than a 20 minute wait and the ride is narrated by Dame Judy Dench who explains the importance and evolution of communication. Further into the park you have The Land Pavilion which has a boat ride called Living with the Land and shows the different plants they grow and serve in that pavilion. It also houses Soarin' which is the big thing to do in EPCOT. It simulates a hang glide ride over California but it is being redone to simulate flying over the world. There is another Pavilion that houses Mission Space which has two versions of the ride. There is the less intense version and the intense version. This ride simulates a launch to space and is hosted by Gary Sinise. Both versions are in a small capsule but the more intense version spins very quickly to simulate the G-forces of space. There's another big ride called Test Track which is Tron themed and is a car ride that goes through a series of tests and finally a very fast spin around the pavilion. This tens to have a long wait but offers a single rider line which is significantly shorter (but keep in mind you will bypass the option to "design and test" your car. Another pavilion has Journey into the Imagination which is essentially a walk on and is a slow moving dark ride. Finally there is the Seas with Nemo and Friends which also tends to have short lines and is a slow moving dark ride that mixes actual fishtanks/aquariums and projections of the characters. The ride exit leads you into an aquarium with different exhibits and the option to do Turtle Talk with Crush, a show good for children where they can interact with Crush on a screen).

Moving out of Future World you can make your way into the World Showcase. Its broken down into about 12 different "countries" and in each you can get something to drink and drink, you can shop and there is usually some sort of attraction be a film or a ride there. The Countries are Mexico which houses a really cool pavilion where you enter a Mayan temple and it looks like you are outside in Mexico at night. Here there is a Tequila bar where there is usually a wait (but totally worth it), a restaurant that overlooks the boat ride "The Grand Fiesta Tour" and places to shop. Then there is Norway which has a character dining restaurants where you can meet Princesses called Akershush and a frozen meet and greet will be there soon as well as a Frozen themed boat ri. China is next door followed by the African Outpost, and then Germany which has my favorite restaurant "Biergarten". Biergarten has communal seating so you'll be sitting with other families and its also one of those places where it looks like your outside at night but you're really inside. Also there is a show where a band plays every 15 or so minutes. The next country is Italy, then the American Adventure, then Japan. Japan has a great but pricey table service restaurant called "Tokyo Dining" and if you time it right and get a table by the windows you should be able to see Illuminations. I did this once and it was fantastic, they turn down the music they are playing and you hear the fireworks show. Japan also has a really cool huge gift shop called Mitsukoshi that ranges from cute items, to anime merchandise to traditional kimonos, incense, sake bottles and cups, soy sauce trays and chopsticks, and they also have a sake bar in the back. They also have "pick a pearl" where they put on a little show when you pick out an oyster to get a pearl. Then there is Morocco and France (def recommend the Grand Marnier Orange Slush in France) and the Uk and Canada.

Last bit of info is more on illuminations. As others have said it really is an amazing fireworks show with fireworks, fire, lasers and projections and a great soundtrack. It always gives me goosebumps. My recommendation is relax and sit down prior to the show and sit up front so others can sit behind you and have a drink or two. You'll def appreciate the show when you can see it clearly. Beware the sad leaving EPCOT song.

Hope this helps!

 

[StirlingSilver83]

Epcot is one of our fav parks besides Magic Kingdom. Its a pretty expansive park so expect a TON of walking! The monorail goes right into it which is nice if you are staying at a monorail resort or you can park directly at the park. Its broken down into 2 types of parks (Future World & World Showcase). Each having something different about them.

Future World - This is where all your "main" attractions are and most of the rides, I say this loosely bc World Showcase will be getting a pretty big attraction by summer with the welcoming of the Frozen attractions, lol. Epcot's FPs are broken up into Tiers...Tier 1 are your main attractions and Tier 2 are probably the attractions that no one really cares about. The first 2 attractions that see a lot of debate are both Tier 1 attractions...Soarin and Test Track. I see a ton of people always asking which attraction do they choose? Hers the beauty of things now...Test Track has a single rider line which usually has minimal wait time and Soaring is literally right next to Garden Grill which has recently opened for Breakfast (I say this bc it would be pretty easy to snag an 8AM ADR at Garden Grill, quickly eat and then head to the soarin line to be the front of the line), saving that Fast Pass for either Test Track OR the new Frozen ride which I am almost positive will be a Tier 1 ride. You could easily get a FP for the Frozen ride have an early ADR for garden grill to access Soarin and then do the single rider line for Test Track. Also in FP you have quite a few non thrill ride rides that are a few of my favs. Space Ship earth (the center piece for Epcot), this is 1 of my fav rides! I love when you get to the top of the big golf ball with all the stars, lol, its seriously amazing! Theres also a Nemo ride which my kids love and Figment the purple dragon which is a lot of fun too! There is also a boat ride thats in the same building as Soarin. Its pretty interesting stuff! They take you through there "garden" which is I think where they get a lot of they fruits and veggies from to serve in their restaurants like Garden Grill. They also have Turtle Talk...this is an interactive show which stars Crush from Finding Nemo and he actually talks to his audience and no show is ever the same, which is pretty awesome! There also a ride that features Ellen Degeneres. Never been on this ride myself bc its suppose to be like 45 minutes long or something. And the last ride I can think of that they have in Future World is Mission Space. I have never been on Mission Space myself bc I am a vertigo sufferer, but from what I have heard they have an all out rough type version of the ride and a meak and mild version of the ride. Besides rides in Epcot they also have a character spot...I believe right now Joy and Sadness are meeting there (I hope they continue into 2017 bc I know my kids would love to meet them)! They also have a few play areas I can only think of 2 of the play areas right now...my kids LOVE the play areas, lol. They also have Innoventions (I know they were redoing Innoventions, so I am not exactly sure what is still left there). Oh and 1 last thing about Future World...they have this soda shop, its right next to the starbucks and it gives you complimentary soda from around the world! Its sooooo cool (never actually tried it, but from what I have heard) you can try all these different flavors of sodas! We are planning on trying this on our next trip to the World, LOL.

World Showcase - Theres not much to say about World Showcase except that its a replica of all different countries from around the world. You have Mexico, Norway, Italy, Canada, America, China, Japan, Germany, Morocco, France, & New England (Britain?). They have all kinds of little shops in there where you can find items where you would normally find around the world. There are also a ton of places to eat in there and they have some shows and what not. Never really seen any of the shows...we mostly walk around the different shops. My oldest son is really into Anime and since they brought back Sailor Moon in 2014 he is obsessed with that and when we went to the Japan pavilion they had lots of Sailor Moon merchandise as well as Hello Kitty and Pokemon...My son was so excited to see all the Anime stuff there, lol. My younger DS really liked Norway (1) because all the Frozen stuff was there and (2) he loved the giant Troll thing, LOL. My favorite pavilion I think was Mexico though, because its inside the pyramid and its really stunning in there! They also have a donald duck boat ride in the Mexico pavilion. World Showcase is also where Illuminations takes place (I have yet to see Illuminations, but this upcoming trip I plan on seeing it, even if I have to see it myself!).

We are huge fans of Epcot, but I will say this, to really appreciate Epcot and get to see EVERYTHING in Epcot you really need 2 days to do it all. We usually give ourselves 2 or 3 days in Epcot. Epcot has a ton of hidden gems I think and it is definitely 1 of our favorite parks. Hope this information is helpful!

 

[Dreamport]

The plan for now is June of 2017, so hopefully some festival will be going on then.

The Sounds Like Summer concert series was going on when we went in June of 2014. I spent my birthday watching an amazing Journey cover band (DSB) at the American Pavilion stage in the World Showcase! Looks like they're having it again this year so it could be there again when you go! It's not a food festival but a free (with admission ticket) music show is still pretty cool. (https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/events-tours/epcot/sounds-like-summer-concerts/)

 

[WDWGeek1971]

Spaceshift earth

Let's make that Spaceship Earth. ;-)

EPCOT is my favorite WDW park. I love to just hang out there in World Showcase. My ideal trip involves staying at one of the resorts on Crescent Lake (just outside the International Gateway entrance between the UK and France) and then spending all day everyday at EPCOT with the occasional side-trip via Friendship Boat to Disney Hollywood Studios. The resorts around Crescent Lake--Boardwalk, Beach Club, Yacht Club, Swan, and Dolphin--are all very nice resorts with full amenities, great bars and restaurants, and nicely themed pools. Storm-along Bay, which is the Yacht Club/Beach Club main pool, is more of a water park than just a hotel pool.

Future World has a lot and often gets short shrift, so here's my summary. I'll try to get back another day with a write up of World Showcase.

Each of the pavilions in Future World is a self-contained destination.
At The Living Seas, you can spend hours just watching the aquariums and other aquatic tanks and demonstrations. You, of course, exit through a gift shop. Somehow, guests are able to walk right out into the park without coming to the surface via the hydrolators. Must be some Disney Magic going on there.
The Land houses a fantastic quick service option, a nicely done conservation film featuring characters from The Lion King, a boat ride through some really advanced greenhouses, called Living with the Land. There is a walking tour of the greenhouses that is about $20 extra, though there are discounts if you have AAA, AP, or DVC. And then there is Soarin', which is immensely popular on the east coast compared to the west coast.
The Imagination pavilion is a sad shell of its former self. The latest iteration of Journey into Imagination with Figment is lame compared to the original. If you never saw the original complete with Dreamfinder, it isn't that bad. As of this writing, they are showing a collection of Pixar and Disney short films in the theater which was the former home of Magic Journeys (opening day attraction), Captain EO, Honey I Shrunk the Audience. There are also some interesting fountains and water features that are worth checking out.
On the east side of Future World, the pavilions around that side start with Universe of Energy, or Ellen's Energy Adventure. This is a really long ride, and you really need to make sure you see the pre-show. The actual ride is a great place to take a nap!
Next is what is now known as the "Festival Center" if you are there during either the Food & Wine or Flower & Garden Festivals. Otherwise, it is used for private events and was once the Wonders of Life pavilion. Now it is sort of a sad place when you think about the attractions that were there and are now gone.
Next in line is Mission: Space. This is not to be confused with Mission to Mars which was in the Magic Kingdom and is now home to Stitch's hot dog burps. This thrill ride has two sides, orange and green. The Orange side is quite intense and you are spun about on a centrifuge. If you look straight ahead, you reduce your chance of having to ride a vomit comet. The Green side is very mild, and still fun if you are a space or science fiction nerd. I like both sides, myself. There are games and interactive exhibits at the end of the ride that really shouldn't be missed.
Finally, there is Test Track. I love me some Test Track. You can design your own vehicle using various combinations of power, speed, efficiency, and accessories. Then you get to see how your car would have performed on the Test Track. The ride itself consists of a car (think Radiator Springs Racers) that hold three guests in the front seat and three in the rear. You speed around the track facing various technical and handling challenges before zipping around the outside of the pavilion at 60 mph. There are also some fun games and interactive experiences to be had on the way out. It's fun!

The heart of Future World though, is Spaceship Earth where you experience a fun view of how communication has changed over the millennia. This giant geosphere houses a huge dark ride. There are also interactive experiences on the ride and in the post-show area.

One of the best kept thrill ride secrets is actually in Innoventions--the curved buildings that surround the Fountain of Nations at the center of Future World. Here you'll find the Sum of All Thrills! This simulator attraction lets you design your own roller coaster and then ride it via a robotic arm. Very cool!

The rest of Innoventions is in a bit of a mess. Habit Heros and the Color exhibit were both recently closed, and I haven't heard of anything new coming to replace them.

Whatever you do, enjoy your visit to EPCOT!!!!! Remember, Every Person Comes Out Tired!!!!!! Wear some good walking shoes.

 

[mousefan73]

Let's not all talk too much about Sum of all Thrills.. PLEASE...... Let's keep it a best kept secret...

 

[ConnecticutNonna]

Nice little park.
Second one they built at WDW.
Has a monorail, as I recall.

Not much else to tell, I guess.
Crack! Me! Up!

The Crack! Me! Up! wasn't supposed to end up inside the quote, sooooo bad!

 

[ConnecticutNonna]

I also compare the future world a bit to a child ( and adult) Museum of Technology. If you really check everything out, you can spend 2 days there and still not have seen everything.

In future world Spaceshift earth can take us an hour.. the ride is Long ( 15 minutes) and then afterwards, there is a Hands on tech area, Computer Simulation etc... I have to drag my Kids 10 and 11 from there..
Even the Nemo ride is part of a huge Aquarium the rivals some real ones. The Nemo ride plus Aquarium is also for us about an hour. So here you have 2 hrs plus for only the first two rides at the entrance. I dont know how People say this park is a half day or not worth it.

Then innoventions east and west have various things. energy, wind etc.... this part is like a musuem.. Sum of all Thrills you can use math and Computer to create and ride your own rollercoaster

Also for car Lovers, Test Track has a nice after ride area, we spent 30 minutes there too.

The countries, yes can shop and shop.. but great place to try new Drinks, Food, Snacks and a lot of countries have exhibits etc.... It is "fake" but as a world traveler, they do a great Job presently the nations' finest in art, archecture etc... and the CMs there are nationals.
our intern was from Germany and worked one year in the Disney Internship program and was working in the Germany pavilion.

I really want a LOL button, "Spaceshift" earth, indeed! I think you've been texting on my phone which shape changes all my words! (Oops a HP dark side reference)