Please tell me about Epcot..

[Disneyland1084]

because I know absolutely nothing about it. I'm going for the first time in 2017 and am just curious what to expect and what's there, etc..

 

[Robo]

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

Not much else to tell, I guess.

 

[jmccoy18]

Epcot is divided into two main parts: Future World and the World Showcase. In Future World, there are different pavilions that showcase different things, for example in The Land Pavilion you have a TS restaurant, a QS restaurant, Soarin', and Living with the Land (another ride.) Pretty much all the rides (minus the one in Mexico and the new Frozen one being worked on in Norway) are in Future World.

The World Showcase is the back half of the park. Different countries are represented with their own space that usually have a TS and QS restaurant, shops, and some sort of cultural experience (movie, live entertainment, etc.) That is a very basic explanation of Epcot.

It is a full day park if you want to do everything. I also really like Illuminations, the nighttime fireworks show at Epcot.

 

[Iowamomof4]

2 parts:

1. Future World - has rides and attractions including Soarin' and Test Track.

2. World Showcase - has several pavilions representing countries from around the world. The pavilions are home to numerous restaurants (both table service and quick service) as well as shopping opportunities and interesting areas to explore. Some pavilions also offer a movie or show that "showcases" different aspects of the country.

 

[Huff]

For some its their favorite park. To me, its a huge outdoor shopping mall that charges admission. There are lots of excellent restaurants and shops. Theres a few rides too!

We usually go to Epcot for dinner several times during our vacation. Its fun to visit the shops of each country and sample the foods especially during the wine and food days. Illuminations is a great fireworks show but difficult to get a good spot to see on busy nights.

 

[Dreamport]

What others have said. Plus, there are two entrances:
- The main gates lead you into Future World with the majority of the attractions, some character meets, and a handful of decent counter service eateries plus some table service restaurants. It's really pretty after dark!
- The 'back gate' plops you between England and France in the World Showcase. Walking this path leads you to/brings you from Disney's Boardwalk area. I've heard a lot of the Boardwalk resort guests use this and we did once when hopping over from Hollywood Studios by boat. Only two attractions (once Frozen opens in Norway), but plenty of places to eat, a handful of shows to see, cultural experiences to learn, more characters, shopping galore, and a nighttime show on the lagoon. If you plan on seeing Illuminations, try to get a dinner reservation near the showtime or stake out a spot on the lake an hour (or two?) in advance as some of the pyrotechnics are low to the water.

All in all, it's still my Mom's favorite park and high up on my list as well. Definitely plan at least one full day to do both sections justice.

 

[TeamSy]

Also, you're going to want to spend time walking around the countries! It's really amazing as each place offers food, drink, items, and castmembers! from that country!! It's pretty fascinating and aside from actually traveling to the country itself it's a very unique way to "travel around the world!"

 

[Delirium]

If you're travelling with children, there are a couple of kid related activities they can do while touring the contries.

Kidcot/Passport - The children receive a mask they can color by stopping at stations in each country. They also receive a passport book that can be stamped at each spot.

Agent P - Sleuthing scavenger hunt under the premise of stopping Agent P's arch-nemesis.

 

[Fsudisney]

If you are looking for lots of typical theme park rides it will probably not be your favorite. However we love it. Love Soarin', Test Track and eating and drinking our way around World Showcase.

 

[Tomh]

I love EPCOT!

Park is divided into two parts:

Future World is the section of the park closest to the entrance. The first thing you see upon entering the park is the parks Icon, Spaceship Earth. The remainder of Future World radiates out from a central point which is the Fountain of Nations that is located directly behind Spaceship Earth. Surrounding the Fountain of Nations are Innovations East and West which house a showcase of new technologies (well, they are supposed to. Both are a bit outdated, but there is some updating in progress I believe), as well as club cool (free samples of Coca Cola products from around the world) Starbucks, the Electric Umbrella (counter service) and Mouse Gear (the biggest gift shop in EPCOT). Beyond the curved buildings holding those, there is a ring of walkways, lawns, gardens, and water features, as well as a monorail loop, and then outside of that are the pavilions of Future World. To the left are The World of Energy, Mission Space, and Test Track. To the right are The Seas, Imagination, and The Land.

Past Future World is the World Showcase. The World Showcase is built around a lagoon. The pathway around the water is about 1.2 miles long in roughly a circle. Around the circle are 11 pavilions, each representing a different country of the world. Two of the pavilions (Mexico, and Norway) have rides in them. All of the pavilions feature architecture, food, beverage, and merchandise representing their country. A number of the pavilions also offer up some kind of entertainment again representative of their culture, and several also have some kind of museum display.

Future World opens at 9:00 when the park opens. World Showcase (with the exception of a couple of food service locations which open at 9) opens at 11:00.

Every day at EPCOT ends with Illuminations, a show of lights, lasers, fireworks, fire, and music, performed on the World Showcase Lagoon. Illuminations is probably my favorite night time show at Disney World!

 

[Dan Murphy]

These links may give you some insight. Make sure to click the many links contained within.

http://allears.net/tp/ep/ep.htm

http://www.wdwmagic.com/attractions/epcot.htm

 

[mousefan73]

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.

 

[dreiwhit]

I went to Epcot for the first time back on February 29th. I really liked it, even more than the other Disney Parks. Maybe I liked it more than MK, because it didn't really seem like a theme park to me.

When we go back, we're going to spend two days in Epcot. In the morning, we'll ride rides and meet characters. After the World Showcase opens at 11am, we'll take the afternoon and evening to spend more time there. IMHO, if you do Epcot in a day like we did, you end up hurrying through the World Showcase.

 

[karly05]

Go when you're hungry. TONS of good and different food options, both TS and QS. My Disney trip is never complete without a pizza from Via Napoli and a lamb shawarma platter from Tangierine Cafe.

 

[Parker Clan]

Probly can't add too much else that hasn't been said. But wanted to throw my two cents in that Epcot is one of our fave parks. And to plan and spend a few days there. Like PP mentioned go when you're hungry - snacking around the world is awesome!
They have one of the best rides too- Soarin. Test Track is pretty awesome too!
And Illuminations is our fave fireworks show hands down!
Enjoy!

 

[BrianL]

When in 2017 are you going? Depending on the time of year, Epcot also has festivals. Namely, the Flower & Garden Festival in the Spring and the Food & Wine Festival in the fall. Epcot is the best park for food thanks to the World Showcase, but Food & Wine takes it to a whole new level with the outdoor kitchens where you can get tasting portions from many countries not represented with a big pavilion. Flower & Garden also has some food kiosks, but is more focused on the plant life. They have cool topiary sculptures all over the park.

Epcot is light on rides, particularly "thrill rides" though Test Track and Mission: Space qualify I'd say. Soarin' is the biggest crowd-pleaser, plus the new Frozen ride will be open by the time you go. Don't overlook Living with the Land (the Land pavilion is also a good place for food options with one quick service and the table service Garden Grill). Definitely stay for Illuminations at night; it's a great show!

Have fun!

 

[bbjunkie]

For a first-timer, it might be a good idea for you to go to your local library or purchase BurnBaum's Guide to Walt Disney World. It will give you a little bit more detail about each country pavilion, and provide insight into the rides in Future World. It will also give you some details about the other 3 parks, water parks, and even Disney Springs. You can also search YouTube for videos of things if you'd like to get an idea of parts of your trip and can help you get even more excited about your vacation!!

 

[minnie mum]

I agree that you should consider a good guide book. 2 that I think are excellent for first time visitors are

- the Easy Guide to Your First WDW Visit. There are companion websites run by the authors: easywdw.com and **************.net.

- The Unofficial Guide to WDW. The companion website is touringplans. com.

Epcot is typically a 2 day park for us, doing half of FW and WS each day. This allows for more time to enjoy the live entertainment in WS and we can FP 6 attractions instead of just 3- a good thing when having to deal with the annoying tiering system.

 

[Hopefully]

I also suggest reading a good guide book as a first timer. There are several on the market. In addition to Birnbaum's Guide I like the Unofficial Guide to WDW and The Passporter Guide.
Epcot is our favorite park as well. We go in the Fall during Food & Wine festival and on a 7 night trip we will spend 2 full days and probably 4 or 5 evenings in Epcot.
Enjoy

 

[Disneyland1084]

When in 2017 are you going?

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