Disney's EPCOT Park

Step in to a World of imagination and innovation!

EPCOT will always be the only other park, after Disneyland and Magic Kingdom, which was the brain child of Walt Disney himself… partly. Its genesis goes back a long way and that is perhaps for another day, and while Walt may not have necessarily had a theme park in mind, his vision, imagination and passion for innovation and community lives on through EPCOT – his Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow.

We are welcomed to the park by its distinctive and iconic geodesic centrepiece, Spaceship Earth, which houses the recently reimagined journey through time and space - the perfect scene setter for what to expect in this remarkable park which will excite, entertain and educate in equal measure.

The park is then split in to two areas. The first, Future World, a nod to the evolution of technology and the exploration of space, science, the seas, the land and our Imagination. 

The second area is a feast for the eyes, ears and pallets of all culture vultures. A huge World’s Fair, the picturesque World Showcase is a 2.3 mile stroll around the world, through eleven pavilions of countries (Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Italy, Morocco, USA, Japan, France, UK and Canada) all showcasing the finest each has to offer in shopping, dining, entertainment and history.

Like Magic Kingdom families may want to set aside two days for EPCOT for one early start to enjoy the attractions, and another day starting a bit later to take advantage of what World Showcase has to offer and enjoy the spectacular fireworks. 

EPCOT is the most spacious and exposed of all the parks so, while there is lots of open space to enjoy, wear comfortable shoes, keep hydrated and keep the sun screen handy.

Adventurous Attractions

Best rides for: 

Seeking thrills: Mission:Space, Future World East

Time to chill: Innoventions East and West

Character spots: Character Spot, Future World. 

Tiny tots: Turtle Talk with Crush – The Seas with Nemo Pavilion, Future World West

Smiles: The Seas With Nemo – future world west

Screams: Test Track – Future World East

Culture and history: Where do you start? Each pavilion in the World Showcase has its own enchanting story to tell, take some time to explore what each has to offer, trying out the attractions, the stores and sampling the food and drink of each for the ultimate inter-national experience. 

Tours and vips: Illuminations Sparkling Desert Party

The whole gang: Soarin’, The Land. Future World West.

Ending the night with a bang: Illuminations: Reflections of Earth. World Showcase Lagoon

Disney Dining

Lunch – Tangerine Café, Moroccan Pavilion

Dinner – Le Cellier, Candaian Pavilion

Coffee and cake – The Joy of Tea at the Chinese Pavilion

Cocktail hour – Margaritas at the Mexican Pavilion 

Picnic area – Showcase Plaza

Quick bites – Promenade Refreshments, World Showcase

A Little extra magic

Epcot’s seasonal festivals add an extra splash of colour, music and flavour with the spring time Flower and Garden festival, autumn’s Food and Wine Festival and Holidays Around The World during the festive period, when one of the highlights is when stars turn out as guest narrators for the enchanting Candlelight Processional, not to be missed if visiting around the holidays.

For something a bit different The best way to see EPCOT is to travel to the park by monorail, which will give you a fantastic view of all areas of the park in futuristic style. Similarly a short walk or boat ride from the International Gateway will take you to EPCOT resorts and Boardwalk, which is well worth taking time out your day to explore, or as an alternative option for evening entertainment if you would like to escape the crowds of the park.

Future dreams

Great news for all Soarin’ fans as the attraction will soon be reimagined to not only cover the sights, sounds and smells of California but will take in some of the greatest natural and manmade wonders of the world, to debut at Disney’s Californian Adventure before making its way to EPCOT later in 2016. Soarin’ will close for refurbishment at EPCOT in January 2016. 

The Norway Pavilion where Maelstrom was previously located will be transformed in to Ardenelle for a Winter Festival in Summer in this new ‘Frozen’ themed area where there will be a meet and greet with a host of characters from the movie, and a new attraction, set to open in the Summer of 2016.

Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party!

Every one loves Halloween, and every one loves Magic Kingdom, right? So why not go along to the most magical ' not so scary' party in town?

Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party is the Magic Kingdom's annual nod to all things spooktacular and is a fantastic night for the whole family to experience something that little bit different.

As a ticketed event, partygoers have exclusive use of the park on one of the many selected nights throughout the Halloween season.  

Guests with out a ticket must vacate the park by 7pm so a useful tip for those too frightened to attend is to check the schedules while planning your itinerary, as your day is cut short and there is therefore no evening parade or Wishes.

The park is transformed in to a smoke filled and colourfully ghoulish place fit for only the spookiest and most devilish of our favourite frightful and nasty Disney villains, many of whom only come out on these special evenings.  So for the keen meet and greeters out there this is a once a year chance to meet some special and seldom seen characters, the most special of which for me is a photo opportunity with all seven dwarfs, and others such as Jack Skellington and the witch from Snow White, as well as all your favourite classic characters dressed in their Halloween costumes-after all, it's their party too!

Upon entering the park be sure to collect your party specific map and time guide and plan your evening out.  The crowds are busy and not every attraction and dining location is open, so another reason to plan out your night, you only have 5 hours to squeeze it all in!

This is a unique opportunity for guests to dress up in the park and at times it can be tough to distinguish the guests from the various parades and shows that take place throughout the night, such is the effort that guests put in for this seasonal treat that has become a staple in the WDW calendar.

There is the exclusive Mickey's Boo to You Halloween parade, with a frightful combination of haunting figures and the worst of Disney's villains on the floats and interacting with the crowd, but don't get too close, would you trust Cruella, Captain Hook or Jafar?  There are two parades on the night, so beat the crowds by planning what to do during one of them.

There may be no Wishes, but party guests are instead treated to an exclusive Hallo-wishes fireworks display, a near 360 degrees extravaganza set to the themes of all Disney villains from through the years.  This is a real treat and well worth the entry alone.  If you are lucky enough to be around any of the resorts at MK then you'll be in for a treat seeing this from distance, but it is most definitely best seen, heard and felt inside the park.

Party goers young and old can also follow the trick or treat treasure hunts throughout the park, found on your park map these provide a great opportunity to see the full park in its exclusive Halloween glory and pick up some tasty treats Along the way!

Tickets for the party are around $75 per person so it can make for an expensive evening, especially for large families having already splashed out on theme park tickets.  That said, if both Halloween is a special time for the family, or you fancy something a bit different from your Disney holiday it is absolutely worth doing. 

 

For families with memory makers this is an opportunity to get even more value for money with all of the exclusive and unlimited one time only snaps you will get of characters and of areas of the park you will never see like that on a normal day.  Visit Haunted Mansion for some really spooky photo bombers you won't even know were there until you check your photos later.  

Too scared to give it a go? Don't be, it's magically spooktacular!