'''Epcot''' is part of Walt Disney World in Central Florida.
Epcot is an "educational park." It is divided into two distinct areas, '''Future World''' and '''World Showcase'''. World Showcase is structured to showcase various international locations, especially in terms of food and/or trade goods. Don't miss the impossibly cheesy but fun Mexico ride along with the extravagant ''Maelstrom'' ride in the Norway pavilion. Future World is comprised of various 'futuristic' attractions, many sponsored by various industrial concerns. The Test Track, a recent addition in which visitors go through the motions of tests for new cars, is a probably the most fun, and the most traditionally theme-park. Recently, Epcot has added "Soarin'", an adventure where visitors hang-glide through many landscapes, and "Mission Space". Epcot may appeal more to adult visitors, but the park has made efforts to appeal to the entire family in recent years with the addition of more character greetings and "Kidcot" funstops which encourage the children to work on a craft and interact with the cast members who are representing their home countries.
Get in
By car
Epcot is in the middle of the Walt Disney World property. Take World Drive or I-4 to Epcot Center Drive and follow the signs for the parking lot. Parking is $12.00 per car, although Disney resort guests can park for free—just show your Key to the World card at the toll gate.
By Disney transportation
From the Magic Kingdom and nearby resorts
From the Magic Kingdom, the Contemporary, or the Grand Floridian, take the '''monorail''' to the '''Transportation and Ticket Center''' ('''TTC'''). Transfer to the '''Epcot monorail''', which runs between the TTC and the Epcot gates. When entering Epcot this way, the monorail makes a nice loop in the park before arriving at the station, giving a great aerial view of Future World and World Showcase.
From the Polynesian, you can walk to the TTC. This is often quicker than taking the Resort monorail all the way through the loop.
From the Wilderness Lodge and Shades of Green, neither of which is connected to the monorail, it is possible to walk to the TTC. Both walks take about 10 minutes, and the walk from Shades of Green goes via the Polynesian Resort. However, the alternative and more convenient option is to take the '''bus'''.
From Hollywood Studios and Epcot-area resorts
From Disney's Hollywood Studios, the Boardwalk, the Yacht and Beach Clubs, and the Swan and Dolphin, you can take the '''''Friendship'' ferries''' to Epcot. There is also a nice wide '''walking path''' that follows a similar route. In either case, you will enter Epcot through its back entrance: the '''International Gateway''', located between the United Kingdom and France pavilions in World Showcase.
From other on-property resorts
From other areas of the property, simply go to your resort's bus stop and wait for the '''Epcot bus''' to arrive. You will be dropped off in front of the Epcot gates.
From the other parks
From Animal Kingdom or Downtown Disney, you ''may'' be able to find a '''bus''' to the TTC, but you may be waiting a while. A more reliable method is to make your way to a resort and make a transfer there. Your best bet is a bus to one of the Epcot-area resorts, then a walk or ferry trip to Epcot's International Gateway. The Beach Club and the Boardwalk Inn are closest to Epcot.
See/Do
Future World
Future World is the front area of the park, dedicated to technological innovation.
Imagination!. Home of three attractions:
* <see name="Honey I Shrunk the Audience" alt="" address="" directions="" phone="" email="" fax="" url="" hours="" price="">3D movie, definitely not for the faint of heart!</see>
* <see name="ImageWorks" alt="" address="" directions="" phone="" email="" fax="" url="" hours="" price="">Interactive exhibit.</see>
* <see name="Journey Into Imagination with Figment" alt="" address="" directions="" phone="" email="" fax="" url="" hours="" price="">A classic Disney dark ride, starring Eric Idle.</see>
Innoventions. A hands-on exhibition featuring the latest in technology and how it's finding its way into every aspect of our lives. (Note that it is divided into two wings: Innoventions East and Innoventions West.)
</see>
The Land. Home of three attractions:
* <see name="Circle of Life" alt="" address="" directions="" phone="" email="" fax="" url="" hours="" price="">A movie about conservation starring the ''Lion King'' characters Simba, Puumba, and Timon.</see>
* <see name="Living with the Land" alt="" address="" directions="" phone="" email="" fax="" url="" hours="" price="">An educational boat ride through Disney's hydroponic greenhouses and a lesson on how we can live in peace with the land.</see>
* <see name="Soarin'" alt="" address="" directions="" phone="" email="" fax="" url="" hours="" price="">A simulated aerial flight over California, a copy of the highly popular ride at Disney's California Adventure in Anaheim, California.</see>
Mission: Space. A flight simulator which simulates a journey to Mars.
The Seas with Nemo and Friends. An AZA-member aquarium, with a ride using state-of-the-art holographic technology to show characters from "Finding Nemo" with real fish, and "Turtle Talk with Crush", an interactive show featuring the sea turtle.
Spaceship Earth. A dark ride travel through the history of communication inside Epcot's iconic geodesic sphere, narrated by Judi Dench.
Test Track. A unique thrill ride along a vehicle test track designed to push your vehicle to its limit.
Universe of Energy. A slow moving dinosaur experience featuring Bill Nye the Science Guy and Ellen DeGeneres.
World Showcase
World Showcase is the back area of the park with different pavilions representing countries from around the world, all themed with architecture, food, drink and culture to match. All pavilions, except the United States, have a table service restaurant and most also have a counter service restaurant. Starting from the Future World/World Showcase plaza and going clockwise around World Showcase Lagoon, the countries included are:
United Kingdom: Winnie the Pooh<br>
France: Beauty and the Beast<br>
Morocco: Aladdin<br>
Italy: Pinocchio
Germany: Snow White<br>
China: Mulan<br>
Mexico: The Three Caballeros<br>
22px <see name="Mexico" alt="" address="" directions="" phone="" email="" fax="" url="" hours="" price="">The Mexican pavilion is dominated by a pyramid, loosely modeled after the pre-Columbian pyramid in Teotihuacan known as the ''Temple of the Feathered Serpent'', dating back to 150-200 CE. Its use is still a mystery, but more than 200 sacrificial burials have been found around the original temple. The head of the mythical serpent creature the temple that seems to be dedicated to ''Quetzalcoatl'' has been included in this replica along the entrance stairs. Inside the pyramid is a nighttime square with stars twinkling above, some Spanish era colonial buildings, and a market selling various Mexican items.</see>
* <see name="Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros" alt="" address="" directions="" phone="" email="" fax="" url="" hours="" price="">Join Panchito and Jose Carioca on a gentle boat ride in search of Donald Duck, the last member of the trio, who has been distracted by all the locomotion and disappeared. The characters are taken from the of the 1944 Disney film of the same name.</see>
22px <see name="Norway" alt="" address="" directions="" phone="" email="" fax="" url="" hours="" price="">Built as a square representing a few Norwegian towns. The fortress like restaurant building is modelled and named after the Akershus fortress in Oslo, guarding the sea approach to the city. The huge wooden church is a replica of the traditional Stave Church in Gol in Western Norway, dating back to 1212, the original is one of very few surviving ancient wooden churches left in the world. It's weird that if you walk inside there are some exhibitions on Vikings (the Vikings were pagans, but don't tell anyone.)</see>
* <see name="Maelstrom" alt="" address="" directions="" phone="" email="" fax="" url="" hours="" price="">Ride a Viking boat through Norway's storybook lands, with Vikings, cursing trolls and oil platforms! Mostly indoors. The ships are loosely modeled after those sailed by Eric The Red, who colonised Greenland, and was central to the Vikings' discovery of North America, five centuries before Christopher Columbus. You can enjoy a travel film afterwards.</see>
22px <see name="China" alt="" address="" directions="" phone="" email="" fax="" url="" hours="" price="">Walk through the large ''Paifang'' gate. These gates were used in ancient China to mark entry into a new division (called Fang) in Chinese, and this one is a replica of one in Beijing's summer palace. The courtyard is dominated by a large recreation of the ''Temple of Heaven'' in Beijing - it was used by the emperors to pray for a good harvest. The 12 columns supporting the roof represent the 12 months of the Chinese year, and the four columns in the center represent the four seasons. Many of the smaller buildings are recreations of the Forbidden City, also in Beijing. If all the Asian culture gets you in a meditative mood, the rough Chinese gardens are one of the most peaceful spots in Epcot.</see>
* <see name="Reflections of China" alt="" address="" directions="" phone="" email="" fax="" url="" hours="" price="">A Circle-Vision 360, 13 minute travel movie of China's most well-known sights, from Shanghai and Inner Mongolia, to the Forbidden City and the Great Wall.</see>
22px <see name="Germany" alt="" address="" directions="" phone="" email="" fax="" url="" hours="" price="">Germany is a federation of 16 states, all with a separate and distinct culture and identity. The architecture of the German pavilion reflects different styles from various regions of the country - for example, the ''Biergarten'' restaurant is Bavarian, but the statue of St. George slaying the dragon represents the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. On an interesting side note, Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, commissioned in 1869 by King Ludwig II, was the inspiration for Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle.</see>
22px <see name="Italy" alt="" address="" directions="" phone="" email="" fax="" url="" hours="" price="">The Italian pavilion is a scaled-down replica of St. Mark's Square in Venice, right down to the bell tower and the gondolas floating in World Showcase Lagoon.</see>
22px <see name="United States" alt="" address="" directions="" phone="" email="" fax="" url="" hours="" price="">The American pavilion is housed in a building inspired by the colonial period of the 18th century.</see>
* <see name="The American Adventure" alt="" address="" directions="" phone="" email="" fax="" url="" hours="" price="">Film and Audio-Animatronic presentation through American history.</see>
22px <see name="Japan" alt="" address="" directions="" phone="" email="" fax="" url="" hours="" price="">Mitsukoshi, a Japanese retailer founded in 1673, is the sponsor of the Japan pavilion. All the touristy classics of Japan recreated, in a way that has little to do with reality. Start your visit by walking through the Torii gate. In Japan you walk through these gates before entering a Shinto shrine, to mark the passing into the spiritual world. The 5 storey ''Goju-no-to'' Pagoda was inspired by the Horyuji Temple in Nara, Japan's ancient capital. Rather oddly it is named after the 5 Chinese elements, but built in 5 stories to represent the 5 Japanese elements; Earth, Water, Fire, Wind and Void. You'll also find a replica of the White Heron Castle modeled after part of the famous Himeji castle in Japan - it houses thes ''Bijutsu-Kan Gallery'' with changing exhibits on Japanese culture. The pavilion's Mitsukoshi store is the only one in North America. Surrounding it all is a large Japanese inspired garden, complete with koi fish swimming around in the ponds.</see>
22px <see name="Morocco" alt="" address="" directions="" phone="" email="" fax="" url="" hours="" price="">The only pavilion sponsored by a government, the Moroccan King was heavily involved in the construction, and dispatched native craftsmen to build the pavilion. The minaret (or tower) towering over the area is a recreation of the unique ''Koutoubia Minaret'' in Marrakech, which has inspired thousands of church towers across Europe, in Muslim countries priests call for prayers ''(fard)'' from these towers five times a day. The pavilion also holds a small recreation of parts of the ''Chellah'' necropolis - which means city of the dead in Latin, a burial place located in Rabat, and actually an ancient Roman structure. There is also a replica of the ''Nejjarine fountain'' in Fez, a very intricate mosaic fountain. Also from Fez, the evenly intricately tiled ''Bab Boujouloud gate'' marks the border between the old town (Medina) and the new town, inside he Medina there is a bustling market place - or Bazaar - as they are known in the middle east. You also find the ''Gallery of Arts and History'' here, featuring exhibits of Moroccan science, music and technology. Because many of the structures, even as replicas, holds great religious significance to Muslims, the buildings, e.g. are not lighted during the IllumiNations show.</see>
22px <see name="France" alt="" address="" directions="" phone="" email="" fax="" url="" hours="" price="">The French pavilion re-creates a Parisian street scene, complete with a miniature Eiffel Tower that's just for show.</see>
* <see name="Impressions de France" alt="" address="" directions="" phone="" email="" fax="" url="" hours="" price="">A travel movie through the French countryside with a classical music soundtrack.</see>
22px <see name="United Kingdom" alt="" address="" directions="" phone="" email="" fax="" url="" hours="" price="">This pavilion's street contains one building for each century of British history, While the largest structure, a recreation of the royal ''Hampton Court Palace'' in south west London, is massive patchwork of different periods architecture since it was successively expanded to compete the French palace of Versailles. Elsewhere the adorable little thatched roof house is a model of Anne Hathaway_fs cottage in Stratford-upon-Avon, Anne was the wife of famous British playwright William Shakespeare. There is also a traditional hedge maze, modelled after the the ''Somerleyton Hall Maze'' in Lowestoft the original dating back to 1846. They even made sure you can photograph yourself in front of the iconic red British phone booths.</see>
22px <see name="Canada" alt="" address="" directions="" phone="" email="" fax="" url="" hours="" price=""></see>
* <see name="O Canada!" alt="" address="" directions="" phone="" email="" fax="" url="" hours="" price="">A Circle-Vision travel movie narrated by Martin Short.</see>
Epcot is also the only park with a back entrance. Guests who are coming in from Disney's Hollywood Studios, or who are staying at the Swan/Dolphin, Yacht/Beach Clubs, or Boardwalk, may walk or take the ferry to Epcot and enter through the International Gateway, located between the United Kingdom and France pavilions in World Showcase.
Parkwide
Illuminations: Reflections of Earth. At park closing, enjoy this extravagant display of fireworks, lasers, fountains and electric lighting over World Showcase Lagoon.
Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure. An interactive adventure, designed to be both entertaining and educational. Use your official "Kimmunicator" (distributed at kiosks throughout the park) to receive messages from Kim and other members of Team Possible to help with your assignment: save the world from villains in one of seven World Showcase pavilions (Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Japan, France, United Kingdom)
Buy
In Epcot, '''World Showcase''' is, to some visitors, just one big international shopping plaza. Every pavilion is chock-full of authentic merchandise imported from the host countries. Genuine German cuckoo clocks, British toys, Canadian maple syrup, Japanese kimonos, Chinese furniture, Mexican leathers, Italian wines—and that doesn't even ''begin'' to scratch the surface of what's available. The number of different items available is amazing, with numerous products that are normally available only overseas, including many handcrafted by native artisans.
'''Future World''', on the other hand, has only two shops of note:
The Art of Disney. nside Innoventions West. A store for Disney art lovers; there is another one in the Downtown Disney Marketplace.
MouseGear. nside Innoventions East. This may be the largest single store outside of Downtown Disney. You can find almost any kind of character or park souvenir here.
'''Mission: Space''', '''Test Track''', and '''The Seas with Nemo and Friends''' all have smaller shops themed to the pavilions.
At '''Disney's Boardwalk''', look for the '''Wyland Galleries''', with underwater-themed prints and paintings, featuring the work of the artist Wyland.
Eat
All of the World Showcase pavilions (except the United States) have a table service restaurant, featuring authentic dishes prepared by native chefs. In addition, some of the restaurants even have live entertainment, such as belly dancing in the Morocco pavilion or ''teppanyaki'' cooking in the Japan pavilion.
Two unique restaurants can be found in Future World:
Coral Reef Restaurant. n The Seas with Nemo and Friends. $$. Dine in an underwater restaurant complete with a nice view of the main aquarium.
The Garden Grill. n the second floor of The Land pavilion. $. Revolving circular restaurant above the 'Living With The Land' ride.
Disney's Boardwalk
ESPN Club. . A sports-themed bar and grill.
Here you can find the traditional boardwalk fare: corn dogs, cotton candy, funnel cakes, popcorn, and so on.
Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin
Il Mulino New York Trattoria. $$. Traditional Italian cuisine from the Abruzzi region of Italy.
Kimonos. $. Experience the fine art of sushi preparation in an intimate atmosphere.
Shula's Steak House. $$. Shula_fs serves only the biggest and the best, including Premium Black Angus Beef.
Todd English's bluezoo. $$. Enjoy coastal cuisine from celebrity chef Todd English.
Drink
Sleep
Staying at Epcot usually means you will be spending top-dollar. The "deals" in the area will set you back well over $200.
Disney's Beach Club Resort. 800 Epcot Resorts Blvd.. 07-934-8000. ttp://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/resorts/resortLanding?id=BeachClubResortLandingPage. 340-2,500. Let the elegant lakeside accommodations of this sand and surf motif hotel take you back to the good old days of an 1870's New England beach holiday.
Disney's BoardWalk Inn. 101 N Epcot Resorts Blvd. 07-939-5100. ttp://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/resorts/resortLanding?id=BoardWalkInnResortLandingPage&count=3. 340-2,700. Check into a lively turn-of-the-century Atlantic City resort complex.
Disney's Yacht Club Resort. 700 Epcot Resorts Blvd.. 07-934-7000. ttp://disneyworld.disney.go.com/wdw/resorts/resortLanding?id=YachtClubResortLandingPage&count=9. pm. 1am. 290-2,050. A nod to the nautical-themed Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Island seashore hotels of the 1880s.
Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort. 500 Epcot Resorts Boulevard. 407) 934-4000. ttp://www.swandolphin.com/. PM. 1AM. 270-2,700. 407) 934-4099.
Walt Disney World Swan Resort. 200 Epcot Resorts Boulevard. 1 407 934-3000. ttp://www.swandolphin.com/. PM. 1AM. 250-2,700. 407) 934-4499.
Disney's Beach Club Villas. djacent to Disney's Beach Club Resort. ttp://dvc.disney.go.com/dvc/guest/resorts/resortDetail?id=ProspectsBeachClubVillasLandingPage. 340-1,175. Villas inspired by mid-Atlantic seaside mansions.
Disney's BoardWalk Villas. t Disney's Boardwalk. ttp://dvc.disney.go.com/dvc/guest/resorts/resortDetail?id=ProspectsBoardwalkVillasResortLandingPage. 320-1,140. Charming waterfront cottages inside the Boardwalk complex.
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