Epcot - Planning Tips and more




Some exciting news - we are planning a trip to WDW in 2018!

I am currently writing a (personal) Notebook for WDW that summarises my tips and notes for our upcoming WDW trip. I thought it might be nice to share it with you all online - the tips that I have found at the planning stage. When planning a holiday, I read from numerous sources- from travel guide books, amazon e-books, TripAdvisor and other internet sources. I have found different tips in different books and below I have summarised what I have found. These difference sources of tips were also the reason for the beginning of this website!  Its a work in progress, feel free to share in comments if you think something is wrong or want to add something. The tips are untested at this stage - but I will let you know how they go in practice during 2018.

Epcot (Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow)

I have read that this park is also called 'Every Person comes out Tired'. This makes me laugh. This is reportedly the biggest of the parks and we plan to go here 2 days. It is twice the size of MK.
  • Good park to go if it rains.
  • Kids can get special Passports ($10 USD) which they can get stamped from the 11 Countries.
  • Spend mornings on rides, afternoons at theatre shows. Ride Soarin First. FP run out midday.  Test Track and Mission Space next most popular attractions.
  • Save Spaceship Earth for later in the day (when lines thin out).
  • Save World Showcase for evenings
  • There are 2 tiers Fastpass. Living with the Land is never busy, so is a waste of a FP.
  • Friendship water taxi's save tired feet and is a way to get across the World Showcase lagoon. This will not save you time though.
  • Long Queues for Security to get into this park. East Security Checkpoint quicker. 
  • Epcot is a food park. So much choice! (won't have troubles finding food options here!)
  • Shopping  'Mouse Gear' enormous Disney Shop. You'll see things in Epcot that aren't available anywhere else in WDW.
  • Innovations - Pin Central! Pin Trading Headquarters. 
  • If the sphere was a golf ball, you'd need a golfer 1.9 Km tall (1.2 miles) high to hit it
Spaceship Earth - If lines are long, try again after 4pm. Not to be missed. 16 minute ride. Ride coils towards top of 17 story geosphere. Traces development in communication from cave drawings to computers. See own future complete with own face. Check out the Post Show. Mickey has his own star at the beginning of this ride.

 The Seas with Nemo - You board Clamobiles (like doom  buggies ) and travel through a coral reef looking for Nemo. Home to Sharks, Fish, Puffer fish. Holds Turtle Talk with Crush.

 Living with the Land -A 13.5 minute boat ride past scenes of giant vegetables etc..

 Soarin - Lifted 40 feet off the ground inside a giant IMAX type dome. Madly popular. FP might be gone by midday. Most popular ride in WDW. Don't do if scared of heights. Flight simulated 5 minute ride. Normally 50-90 minute wait if no FP.

 Future Worlds Cool Club -  Free Coca Cola tasting at the complimentary International tasting station. Apparently Smart Watermelon (China) is the best!

 Journey into Imagination with Figment (Purple Dragon) - 6 minutes. 

 Captain EO - replaced by Disney and Pixar movie shorts

 Test Track - May create a 15 second commercial and send out via email. Breaks down a lot. Can ask a Cast Member if ride breaks down for a free FP. You  begin the ride inside, checking out how your vehicle responds to heat, cold, sharp turns etc. FP gone by early afternoon. Singles line. Check out Post show area.

 Mission Space - This ride equipt with Motion sickness bags (which may indicate that this might make you sick!)
  • Do the less intense 'Green line' experience if subject to motion sickness
  • Simulated Space adventure from the excitement of lift off to the wonder of flight.
  • Disney Imagineeers worked with 25 space experts from NASA. 
  • Completely immersive and interactive.
  • Very tight space/claustrophobic
  • You are grouped into teams of 4, each person given a crew position - Commander, Navigator, Pilot, Engineer and assigned tasks that go along with that role.
  • There is a spinning and non spinning ride (Green). G forces are not on the Green (non spinning ride). Same pre and post show - just no G forces during the lift off portion of the ride. Not all guests can tolerate the G forces.
  • Fair amount bouncing around in capsule regardless which line you are in.
  • Check out the advanced training lab near the exit - its got activities that are out of this world.

 World Showcase
  • Has Kidcot Fun Stops. Adult version is 'Drinking around the world'.
  • Eleven countries showcased: Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Italy, America, Japan, Morocco, France, U.K, and Canada.
  • It is a 1.2 mile trek around.
  • The workers here are actually from these countries on a cultural exchange program!
Germany - Karamelt-Kuche (Caremel Kitchen), the fudge is divine. Shops very tempting.

China - Has the 'Reflections of China' 360 degree film. Also a version of the 'Temple of Heaven' that is found in Beijing. This temple is acoustically perfect - if you say something in the middle of the room, you can hear your own voice echo . No seats. 

The China Pavilion
Norway - Get FP for this indoor boat ride through Arendale (Frozen) (4.5 minutes)
Kringla Bakeryi Og Kafe is one of the best places in the World Showcase for a quick snack/lunch. Main building is a castle. The Stave Church in the Norway Pavilion was built in the style popular in the middle ages.

American Adventure - 30 minute film with audio -animatronic figures of Mark Twain. Rated as one of the best attractions at Epcot.

 Mexico - Gran Fiesta Tour indoor boat ride (7 minutes). The pyramids contain many authentic and valuable artifacts. Boat ride is relaxing (similar to Its a Small World).

 Morocco - Buildings are copies of Moroccan Cities including, Casablanca, Fez and Marrakesh. Great resting place behind red doors on left when enter. The King of Moroxxo sent his royal craftsmen to do all the tiling, carving and painting.

Morocco Pavilion
Canada - Entertainment is the Canadian Lumberjacks. 
'O'Canada' is a 20 minute 360 degree film starring actor Martin Short. You will wish there were seats. Must stand during duration. Rocky Mountains, streams, gardens and a totem pole.

France - Impressions de France (18 minute film). Exceedingly well done - and with seats. Rarely a wait to get in. Bakery delicious. The Eiffel Tower is 1/10th the size of the original.
Japan - lots of souvenirs here. Sago Trees - monkey puzzle trees (monkey's can't climb them!). Taiko Drums play 5 times per day by a group called the Matsuriza.

Japanese Pagoda in the Japan Pavilion
Italy - no film or ride. The 83 foot tall belltower in Italy is modeled on the original in St Marks Square in Venice. The angel at the top of the bell tower is covered in real gold leaf!

 Illuminations Fireworks show - Highlight of Epcot. 
  • Takes place in the sky. Note don't sit under a tree as the view will be blocked! 
  • Entire history of our planet in 13 minutes with lasers and fireworks. 
  • Very popular, very crowded. Takes place over World Showcase Lagoon.
  • If you watch from Mexico, Canada pavilions, you will beat the crowds at the exit
  • Produces a lot of smoke.
  • Get a spot 30 minutes in advance if off season.

I hope you enjoyed reading my planning tips on these parks. If you would like to comment on any of these tips, please do so in Comments. Next week I will share what I have found out about Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios.

Until next week,
KJ 
Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/themeparktravelguide




This site may contain affiliate links. When you click on a link, we receive a small percentage of an affiliate sale without any cost to you. Thank you for your support!


This Website is neither endorsed nor affiliated with any Disney Park or Universal Studios park worldwide. This website is unofficial. To avoid disappointment please always check the official websites for current details of rides etc.  Please read my full Disclaimer here.












Location: Orlando, FL, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

12 Tips for visiting the Bamboo Forest, Kyoto, Japan

Image
The Bamboo Forest in Kyoto This week I wish to share with you our trip to the Bamboo Forest, Kyoto. This place was on my bucket list and I was so happy to visit here. We visited in April, on a Monday, in the middle of Cherry Blossom season. It was already very busy by 10am.  However, there were areas of the Bamboo Forest which were very tranquil and serene in spite of being one of the busiest places in Japan that we visited. The further you walked into the bamboo forest the less crowds there were. The sounds of the tops of the bamboo colliding was very relaxing and it was a very calming place to visit. The air smelt ‘fresh’. All you could hear were the birds, the rustling leaves and the crashing of the tops of the bamboo. We were so glad we visited. It was also close to some other attractions in Arashiyama so it was a great place to make a day of it. Here are my 5 tips to get the most out of your visit to the Bamboo Grove: 1. How to get there
Read more

10 Tips for Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan

Image
Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan I find Aquariums quite relaxing and the fish displays are quite colourful and mesmerising. When I found out that Osaka had one of the biggest Aquariums in the world we had to visit it on our trip to Japan! We have seen other Aquariums in the world* so I can easily make a comparison in how great this aquarium actually is. We visited Osaka Aquarium in mid April 2019.  Osaka Aquarium was a great family day out with a large shopping mall conveniently found next door. The above ground eight storey building was indeed impressive (unlike any others I’ve seen) and the aquarium housed many marine animals I had never seen in any of the other world aquariums.  You start your journey with an escalator ride to the top of the 8 th floor and work your way in a downwards spiral through the building. Osaka Aquarium was not as ‘pretty’ as the SEA Aquarium Singapore but it certainly was impressive. Educationally, there was information about each of the ani
Read more

8 Reasons why you should visit Minoo Park

Image
Minoo Park Waterfall We had a spare day to fill in Osaka, and we decided to spend it at Minoo Park after some recommendations from Facebook groups. Minoo Park is also known as Minooh and Minoh Park. I have no idea why this place has so many ‘other names’. It takes about 30 minutes to get to Minoo Park from central Osaka. The station you are looking for is Minoo Station on the Hyperdia.com website for navigating how to get there. We had a lovely day visiting this park. The weather was fine and there was a lot of greenery with lots of ‘tunnels of green’ to walk through. The 3 km hike to a waterfall is not onerous as it is very flat to walk (and so is also ideal for prams). The scenery was beautiful with lots of vermillion red bridges and old bridges. Combined with an insect museum, a free foot onsen (foot spa) and yummy maple leaf snack (unique to the area) – you really can’t go wrong visiting this wonderful gem of a place. Tunnels of Green Here are my re
Read more

17 Tips for Visiting Universal Studios Japan

Image
Hogwarts Castle We visited Universal Studios Japan (USJ) midweek, in April 2019 (not during the school holidays). These are our tips below. 1. Be strategic when you go Do not go weekends, golden week, school holidays. Also avoid Mondays and Fridays if possible.   This is particularly important for this park as USJ is a magnet for school holiday crowds. Check the crowd calendars online http://www15.plala.or.jp/gcap/usj/ You will notice that the Calendars are in Japanese – open them in a Chrome browser and it will translate a lot to English for you automatically (this tip works for all Japanese websites). From the Calendar you can tell what is a busy day from a not so busy day – there is a table at the bottom of the screen that tells you the level of crowd congestion. 2. Buy your tickets from Klook. I’ve used Klook several times all over Asia and have never had a problem– they give you a little discount off the entry price and the ticket is emailed directly to
Read more

12 fun facts and tips on visiting Himeji Castle

Image
We travelled to Himeji Castle mid-April 2019. This was my personal favourite place to visit in Japan. Himeji Castle is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and I found it to be extremely photogenic. The surrounding grounds are lovely also, especially as we also went in Spring, right in the middle of the Cherry Blossom season. Here are my fun facts and tips on visiting Himeji Castle below: 1. Himeji Castle is very easy to get to by JR train Like a lot of tourist attractions in Japan, Himeji Castle is very easy to get to by JR train. Once you get out the Train station exit – you can actually see the castle! It’s about a good 10 minute walk to get there and its flat too (no stairs!). 2. The Castle is also known as the ‘The White Heron Castle’ Another name for the castle is the ‘White Egret Castle’, supposedly because the castle is white and resembles a Heron ‘taking off’ in flight. The castle is very photogenic and as its located on a hilltop, seems to look down upon the ci
Read more

20 Need to Know tips for Magic Kingdom

Image
This week I review Magic Kingdom (MK) at Walt Disney World, Orlando. I review the rides, good places to eat and things to do. We are a family of three, with a 10 year old and we travelled to Magic Kingdom in April 2018. MK is actually on the second floor of the park. The first floor is filled with tunnels known as 'Utilidors'. In these Utilidors, deliveries are made, cast members access attractions and garbage is removed . 1. Disney World Railroad - A lap around the park via the train takes 20 minutes. Walking is the fastest means of transport in MK. The shortest lines for this train are at Main Street. It doesn’t take you through a Dinosaur cave though like in Anaheim and Tokyo Disneylands. It just does a loop around the park which shows a different perspective of the park. At busy times there’s a train every four minutes. It shuts down during a parade though, so don’t line up then. Disney World Railroad 2. Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover
Read more

Total Pageviews

Share Button