Epcot (Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow) was the second theme park built at Walt Disney World, opening in 1982. Spanning an area of 120 hectares, Epcot is dedicated to both technology and international culture.
The park is divided into two large areas: Future World – which presents the latest technological innovations and World Showcase – which includes 11 pavilions, each pavilion representing a country – Norway, Italy, Germany, India, China, Japan, Morocco, Great Britain, Canada, France and Mexico.
Among the most visited attractions in the Future World area are Test Track, The Seas with Nemo&Friends, Living with the Land and Mission: SPACE.
Test Track is brought to you by Chevrolet® and before you set off on your actual journey you must go through the design center to design your virtual car.
Then you get into a 4-passenger car and head to the test track. The car has to pass several tests and obstacles such as rough terrain, bad weather conditions or sequences of curves, and at the end the speed is tested. After each test you can check the dashboard to see how your designed car performed.
Living with the Land is a guided boat tour and aims to promote agriculture with an emphasis on ecology and new technologies. Here you will see how Disney World horticulturists use new techniques to feed and grow plants. The tour also goes through the fish farm. Most of the Disney World Resort restaurants use fresh produce, fish and seafood raised or farmed here.
Mission: SPACE teaches you how to be an astronaut for a few minutes. Before boarding you are trained for the mission at the International Space Training Center. The crew consists of 4 members and each one is assigned a role: pilot, commander, navigator and engineer. Then the countdown begins and you reach space.
You can choose between 2 missions: Orange Mission – journey to Mars or Green Mission – walk above Earth (less intense). Those who want to experience the Orange Mission should be in good health and free of high blood pressure, heart, back or neck problems, motion sickness or other conditions that could be aggravated by this adventure.
The Seas with Nemo&Friends – a walk with Nemo and his friends among coral reefs. Once the underwater adventure is over, you can explore the huge aquarium with turtles, sharks and exotic fish.
In the World Showcase area there are specialty restaurants and shops with souvenirs and items specific to each country.
In Norway there is another very famous attraction where you have to wait at least 30 minutes to enter: Frozen Ever After. Take a boat ride through the frozen forest, visit Elsa‘s castle and sing your favorite songs from Frozen with Anna and Olaf.
In France you must not miss the 2 shows at the “Palais du Cinema“: Impressions de France which presents the most beautiful tourist areas of France and Sing along Beauty and the Beast where you can sing along with the characters from “Beauty and the Beast” your favorite songs from the classic animated film. If you arrive too early and have to wait until the show starts, you have time to admire the collection of theater, ballet and opera objects and costumes inspired by the world’s most famous stories.
Among the most beautiful pavilions is Morocco. Explore the country’s distinctive architecture and taste traditional Moroccan food. Don’t hesitate to visit the colorful carpet and souvenir shops.
We ended the day at Epcot with the fireworks and laser show: Epcot Forever. Starting October 1, 2021, the new show at Epcot is called Harmonious – one of the biggest nighttime shows ever created for Disney parks. Epcot Forever premiered on October 1, 2019 and served as a replacement for IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth.
From Orlando we rented a car and headed to Miami.
(Epcot – August 2021)
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