By Undercover Diva
The original design of EPCOT is nothing like what the park is today. Walt’s original vision was for an Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, and was actually supposed to be a city that people could live in. How cool would that have been?! You can see the model for what might have been when riding the People Mover at Magic Kingdom, but what about the park it turned into? The park is separated into two parts, Future World and the World Showcase. Both are unique in their own right, but have a different type of appeal. So what sort of thing should you put on your must-do list at this very diverse park? I’ll give you 10 ideas!
1. Drive on Down to Test Track. This ride is a favorite among many Disney fans. Here you get to design and test your own car in a crash test facility. You decide what features you want in your car and then go head to head against the other designs in your vehicle. This is great for those who are a little competitive and want to see who can design the best car among their friends or family. Test Track can have quite a wait, so if you can, I recommend getting a Fastpass. The single rider line does not get as many choices for their cars, but still goes much faster. And there is always doing it the old fashion way and waiting in line. Take the time to catch up and maybe learn new things about each other.
2. Take a sip at Club Cool. I seriously love Club Cool, and I don’t think many people know about it. Just before you enter the World Showcase, on your right there is a little tucked away entrance that leads to Club Cool. Here you can taste soda from around the world. Some of them are pretty disgusting and some are actually pretty delicious. The best part, is that you don’t know which is which until you take a sip! They do change out their flavors, though I’m not sure how often. The only real downside to this place is that if you find one you really love, you can’t buy it. It would be awesome if they could have some of the drinks for sale.
3. Explore Under the Sea at Sea Base. This place is totally wicked dude! Where else can you visit The Seas with Nemo and Friends, have Turtle Talk with Crush, get to experience over 4,000 sea creatures all while being surrounded by 5.7 million-gallons of water, one of the largest man-made ocean environments in the world. With over 60 different species of marine life included in the environment, guests get access to all kinds of fish, sting rays, sea turtles and manatee. This is also where the three different aquatic tours are given, two where you do not have to be SCUBA certified and one more in-depth tour for those that are SCUBA certified.
4.Travel Through Time in Spaceship Earth. Have you ever wondered what’s inside that giant golf ball-looking orb at the front of EPCOT? Well, it’s actually a ride, one that probably gets over looked more times than you would think. I’m honestly fascinated at what all fits inside that giant orb and it’s enough to take you through time. Once again, Disney uses the magic of animatronics to tell a story, along with smells and sounds that really take you back to key points in time. This ride does get dark, but what else would you expect from a ball with no windows and no doors…. Oh wait, wrong ride!
Undercover Family attempting to drink around the world.
5. Do… Something… Around The World. Whether you want to drink around the world, eat desserts around the world, watch entertainment from around the world, it doesn’t matter, just commit to something and do it! You will have a great time doing it, and you will feel accomplished for getting it done! There are so many different ways to make it around the world, and each country has something new to offer. Every country has something to eat, both snack wise or sit down. Every country has their own style of drinks, both alcoholic or otherwise. Every country has some sort of show which showcases their heritage. Every country has great photo opportunities for you to even just take a photo shoot around the world! And if you come up with something exciting, let us know! We would love to hear about it!
6. Meet Some Friends at the Character Spot. What signifies a great Disney trip better than pictures with some of your favorite characters? Meet three of the fab five in one place, without too bad of a wait. Every time I’ve gone, it’s only been about a 5 or 10 minute wait. And here they are in their classic outfits, so while it may be fun to meet Minnie in her circus costume, sometimes it’s nice to get a classic Minnie picture! So if meeting characters just isn’t your thing, or if you have kids who don’t do well with waits, here is the perfect place for you to get the classic pictures you want, without the classic wait time!
7. Spice Up Your Life at Teppan Edo. If I had to recommend one place on the World Showcase to eat, it would definitely be at Teppan Edo. I love teppanyaki style meals and the one I had at Teppan Edo was the best experience I had ever had. If you want to read about my experience, you can do that here, but I will still recommended you eat their yourself. After you pick what you want to eat, a chef, who is actually from Japan, will come and prepare your food right in front of you. I promise you, eating has never been so much fun! It can be about $30 per person, depending on what you order, but the price is well worth the food and the experience you get! This Diva is definitely going back sometime soon!
8.Find the Sum Of All Thrills. I actually first found out about this attraction from on of those silly Travel Channel specials, and I knew I had to make sure I checked it out. Inside Innoventions East there is this crazy attraction where you can design and test your own roller coaster! Whether you are a chicken like me who likes to stay upright the whole time, or if you prefer to spend the whole time upside down, this place is for you. It comes with all the drops, twists and turns an adrenaline junkie lives for, and challenges your mind in designing the whole thing. And once you’ve designed your ride, the best part is that you hop into a 4D robotic simulator and actually ride your ride! No, this is nothing like Star Tours, if you wanna go upside down, you will actually be upside down! I can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t like this place! I was a little nervous at first, because like I said, I’m not a huge fan of roller coasters, but the tracks vary with so much personalization that there is nothing to worry about!
Dopey Diva’s son
9. Go on a World Showcase Adventure with Agent P. You can help Agent P stop Evil Doctor Doofenshmirtz from taking over the world! With clues in almost every country in the Showcase, young adventurers can go and many different mission throughout the day. Just remember to turn your F.O.N.E. in on time, it will turn off in the middle of a mission. While this Diva has never gone on a mission herself, several kid devos have and they have all loved it.
Tangled Diva’s sonage 13, really enjoyed the adventure and loved that he got a free fortune cookie in China! Tangled Diva’s son last completed a mission at age 6, and really loved just getting his own phone, and his favorite mission was Japan. This Diva is hoping to get out there and try this out herself one day, but has never heard anything bad. So if you think Epcot is just for adults, think again and try this out!
10. Learn How to Help the Earth by Living With The Land. I’m sure a few people will think I’m crazy with this one, but I honestly think this attraction is very cool! You learn so many cool things about EPCOT and the world, and you get to do it while sitting down. It’s a great way to learn about the conservation efforts that Walt Disney World is making, and learn about many different plant and animal species. Even if you think this ride is boring, I know you will come off learning something you didn’t know before. So, yeah, this may not be the first thing you hit right when you get to the park, but it is definitely something I recommend everyone does at least once.
Obviously there are many other great things to do at EPCOT. I love the World Showcase myself, along with all the different festivals they hold throughout the year. But hopefully this list gets you started if you run out of ideas or things to do. And if something else tops your must-do list, let us know!
Courtesy of Nick the Disney Divo
We have thought about trying the Agent P World Showcase Adventure. How long do you have before you have to turn them in? Does each kid get one, or do you share as a family?