Epcot: Top Picks!

So we have arrived at the final stop on our visit to Disney World! Epcot was a place that fascinated me, primarily because of the World Showcase. I love learning about other cultures and trying different foods, so it sounded right up my alley, but I also couldn’t quite imagine what it would be like. Since I doubt I will be able to visit all these countries for real, it was wonderful to get a small taste of so many places in one setting. As a bonus, we were there during the first few days of the 2015 International Food & Wine Festival. We didn’t purposely plan on going during this time, but I am glad it was happening when we went, because it added some extra fun to the day. 

ATTRACTIONS:

Since we primarily focused on the World Showcase while at Epcot, we managed to go on all the rides we wanted right away in the morning before they opened the World Showcase part of the park. Overall, I wasn’t overly impressed or truly amazed by any of the rides, but would still recommend them all to try at least once. The part of the park you walk into when you enter is called “Future World”.

Spaceship Earth is a must, simply because you get to go into the large geosphere that is the symbol for the park. The ride is a relaxed journey through the history of communications and technology through displays and animatronics. Plus, Dame Judi Dench is the narrator (whose voice is quite soothing, so you might get a bit sleepy during the ride)!

Mission Space was something I was tad bit worried about, having read about people becoming ill from motion sickness. I had read the ride was really realistic to what a flight to space feels like, so I felt like we had to take the chance and see what it was like. There is a choice between the “Orange Team” and the “Green Team” with the Orange being more intense. We went with the Orange. As you wait, actor Gary Sinise prepares you for the mission. There was a delay before we boarded, which made me a bit nervous, and once our group was given our roles (navigator, pilot, commander, or engineer) I couldn’t help but feel anxious. The vessel you are put in does get a bit tight once closed (which wouldn’t be good if you are even remotely claustrophobic), but once the ride started I enjoyed it. I did feel worried throughout the ride that something would happen to make me feel ill, but the worry was wasted in my case. My head maybe felt a bit heavy at first, but it was certainly an interesting experience! 

The ride I was not thrilled about was Test Track. I had heard this was a popular one, but was left quite disappointed. As you queue up, you create your own custom “concept” vehicle at a station. You then test that concept once you load into a car and go through evaluations, including speed, efficiency, responsiveness, and capability, with the highlight being the power test when your car is taken outside at high speeds. Maybe because I’m not too fond of vehicles, and the fact the the car we “designed” didn’t show up on our screen once we got into the car (which also didn’t load for the couple in front of us either), it just didn’t work for me. For me, Cars Land in Disney’s California Adventure takes this general concept, but pulls it off so much better. Plus, it really feels more “Disney” and special than this.

We also went on Soarin’, which is one of my favorites in California, but I wasn’t too impressed with this one. I just think it is lame that it is themed around California. They should have had it themed around Florida for all these years to fit with the location better. None of that really matters now though, because it is being turned into Soarin’ Around the World, which is expected to be opening this summer.

My favorite attraction though had to be Living With The Land. The boat ride takes you around real greenhouses and laboratories that sustainably produce food that is used in the park. There were so many innovative ways of growing, and really amazing fruits, vegetables, and flowers. This ride may be boring to some, but I found it so fascinating, especially the fact that it is in the middle of the constant hustle and bustle of Disney World. You can also take a walking tour, which is something I would like to do in the future!

FOOD:

As we made our way around the pavilions in World Showcase, there was just so much to see. We began by stopping at the Canadian Pavilion and watched a movie, called “O Canada”, narrated by Martin Short. You really could spend a lot of time in each pavilion. What makes it especially amazing though is all the food you can try. 

Because it was the International Food & Wine Festival, they had an activity available called “Remi’s Hide & Squeak.” To participate you bought a map and sticker sheet featuring Remi from Ratatouille (one of my personal favorite movies) and find figures of him throughout the World Showcase. Each time you find Remi, you then place a sticker onto the corresponding pavilion on the map. Once you had all the stickers placed, you could claim a special pin. The search was a lot of fun, and we enjoyed walking around all the countries and food stalls using the activity map (plus I have an awesome new pin to add to my Disney collection!).

Throughout the day, we did try our fair share of food. We had one proper meal and shared various snacks throughout the day. We figured it was the last day of our trip, so why not enjoy it, right?

(left) Canadian Pavilion (right) Great Britain Pavilion

(left) Mexico Pavilion (right) Italy Pavilion

(left) Japan Pavilion (right) China Pavilion

Mulan at the China Pavilion (my favorite princess!)

Searching for (and finding) one of Remi’s hiding spots!

Three-course meal at Chefs de France: (France Pavilion) We wanted to make one reservation at Epcot prior to our visit, and I went with Chefs de France after looking at many of the restaurants available. I thought French food would be a fun option we don’t typically have at home and would maybe agree with our stomach a little better than some of the other options. Being a big fan of Ratatouille, I thought the French pavilion would be one of my favorites as well. The restaurant was really lovely and it did feel like we were transported to France for an hour. The three-course meal was surprisingly affordable (for Disney standards), and allowed us to try more than one item on the menu. My mom and I both had the lobster bisque as our appetizer, which was amazing. I now consider lobster bisque one of my favorite foods. haha. I then had the croque monsieur (toasted ham and cheese sandwich) and my mom tried the quiche lorraine (ham and cheese quiche). Both were served with a salad and were pleasant and yummy. The dessert was also wonderful. I chose the puff choux (served with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce) and my mom chose the fresh strawberry and cream cake (served with raspberry sauce and strawberry sorbet). We tasted each other’s meals and felt quite satisfied when we left. 

Lobster Bisque

Croque Monsieur

Guiche Lorraine

(left) Puff Choux (right) Fresh Strawberry and Cream Cake

Black Forest Cake at Sommerfest: (Germany Pavilion) I absolutely love cherry desserts, so this was on my must-list to try. My mom and I shared a slice in the afternoon and it was exactly what I wanted it to be.

Troll Horn at Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe: (Noway Pavilion) The Norway Pavilion was currently building the newest Epcot attraction, Frozen Ever After, while we were there. Although there is a bit of Frozen-overload in the parks, I think this will be a nice addition and actually fit nicely with the worldwide theme. I do find it a bit random to have one ride in all of the World Showcase though (Frozen Ever After is replacing the Maelstrom ride that was previously there). It might be nice to see a Mulan-themed experience in China or a Mary Poppins show in England (for example) to help balance that out a bit. I know some would be against adding more, but I like the idea of including the films that were inspired by these various countries a bit more. During our visit to the Norway Pavilion, we tried the Troll Horn, something I was anxious to experience after seeing photos. It was a crisp pastry shell filled with cream and topped with sugar. The whole bakery was filled with so many delicious treats that it was hard to leave without trying more.

Another Remi sighting

Lobster Roll: (American Adventure Pavilion) This was the only item we tried from the Food & Wine Festival, but it was a solid choice. After having already had lobster bisque earlier in the day, we kept the lobster theme going. The lobster meat was nice, plump, and visible. The toasted roll it was on was also quite yummy. Since the servings aren’t huge at the festival, I really could have gone for another! This was near the American Adventure attraction, which I would also recommend. The show uses an animatronic Benjamin Franklin and Mark Twain to take you through America’s history. The theater it takes place in is very nice and it also acts as a great spot in the middle of the World Showcase to take a break. Another thing to look out for in the area are the “Voices of Liberty,” a group of acapella singers.

Macaron Ice Cream Sandwich at L'Artisan des Glaces: (France Pavilion) We had one more treat before leaving Epcot, and it was possibly my favorite. My mom got a scoop of lemon meringue ice cream (which I tried, and it was truly fantastic), while I got the seasonal flavor macaron ice cream sandwich, which was peach. It was placed in a “French newspaper” wrapping that was so cute, and it was simply delicious! The macaron was perfectly crisp on the outside and the peach ice cream was so fresh and fruity!

All in all, I really think that this park was potentially my favorite of all the parks on the trip. While there aren’t that many rides or other attractions like the other parks offer, I just found Epcot to be so different and magical in a different way. I think if I lived closer to Disney World, I would try to visit Epcot as often as I could in order to try more foods and check out all the little shops (as well as properly view the IllumiNations show, which we were too exhausted to stay for). I enjoyed seeing the Food & Wine Festival, buy I think I would enjoy the Epcot Flower & Garden Festival more. It just looks so gorgeous, plus there are some special treats offered during that time as well. For a future trip to Disney World, I would try to plan around that time period or near the holiday season. Besides, there are quite a few new attractions in the works to look forward to; Star Wars Land, Toy Story Land, Avatar Land, and Frozen Ever After. It is exciting to think of how different the parks will be in just 5 or 10 years! 

Even with the crowds, heat, lines, and expenses, I always leave the Disney Parks with great memories. I am so excited to see how all the parks evolve and can’t wait until my next visit!