Epcot is my least favorite of the Disney theme parks, by a mile. The theme is educational and learning and BLURGH! Give me my thrill rides! However, Mr. Husband and Alexis both love it, for different reasons. He's a fan of the World Showcase while Alexis is a fan of the few rides that are there.
Epcot involves a lot of walking . . . a LOT of walking. However, it can be done at a pretty leisurely pace, so it's good for a "down" day when you don't want to be racing to get on rides and such. There are some great playgrounds hidden around the park, so if you have small kids, it's pretty fantastic to find a bench and just hang out while your kid(s) burns energy.
Anyway, here's a few things I think when it comes to enjoying a day at Epcot:
Epcot Tip #1: As soon as you get into the park, go get a Fast Pass for Soarin'. Trust me on this.
Epcot Tip #2: If you get to Epcot early in the day, head straight back to the countries (after you get your Soarin' Fast Pass). I know it's tempting to stop and look at all of the stuff that you see when you first come in, but that's exactly what everyone does. The lines go down substantially a little later in the day, plus, all those air conditioned exhibits are much sexier when the sun really starts beating down. P.S. The "ride" that goes through the giant golfball is L-A-M-E. Everybody stops there when they first get into the park, so if you wait until later in the day when the line goes down, you won't hate yourself quite as much.
Epcot Tip #3: I hope you showed up to Epcot hungry because the best food Disney has to offer is there. The nachos in Mexico are not anything spectacular in the grand scheme of Mexican food, but yet I love them. A lot.
The real star of Epcot, though, is the bakery in Paris. Z.O.M.G. The pastries are pretty reasonably priced ($3.50 for a slice of cheesecake, for example) and did I mention Z.O.M.G.? The strawberry tart, people. THE STRAWBERRY TART. The strawberry tart is so phenomenal that I walk right past the funnel cake stand in America to get to the strawberry tart.
(Side note: lots of people would argue that the true star of Epcot is the ability to drink your way around the world. I can see how that would be alluring.)
Epcot Tip #4: We made a reservation at one of the full-service restaurants this year for the first time. And, while it was nice, I have decided I'd rather graze my way around Epcot. Still, if you're interested in eating at one of the full-service restaurants, you can make reservations online here (do it as early as possible for best availability) or stop into the particular restaurant at any time. Sometimes when it says there is nothing available online, there are still openings, so it's worth checking.
(We ate lunch at Via Napoli. It was $40 for a large cheese pizza. It was VERY good, but it wasn't $40 good, IMHO. For the record, I think that if a pizza costs $40, it should change my life.)
Epcot Tip #5: The shows, "rides," and movies at each of the countries are hella lame. And I do mean LAME. I think everyone should do them each once, but don't feel bad if lines are long and you decide to skip something.
Epoct Tip #6: There are real Smarties at the shop in Canada. Totally made my day when I discovered that little tidbit.
Epcot Tip #7: Alexis really, really, really enjoys the Kim Possible game that is featured at Epcot. You start at one of the Kim Possible stations (there are several all over the place--for example, just inside Innovations at the front of the park, one near England, one near Mexico, etc). It's basically an electronic scavenger hunt. You get a cell phone that is programmed to give clues and you have to find things based on the clues/photos provided. We were pretty leisurely about the game, taking several breaks to do other things and then resuming when we were ready.
Epcot Tip #8: Another Alexis favorite is the Finding Nemo ride. It's back up near the front of the park. Lines are a bit long in the morning, but if you wait until a little later (around 2:00 seems to be good when we're there in March--not sure about other times of the year), a lot of times there is little or no wait. We always end up riding it three or four times because she likes it THAT much. The grown-ups like it because it involves sitting and air conditioning. Make sure you stop at Crush Talk before you leave.
Epcot Tip #9: After Soarin' and Nemo, the other thing Alexis insists on riding is Test Track. Get a Fast Pass for it as soon as you're allowed. (You're only allowed one Fast Pass at a time. I'd definitely take Soarin' first based on what I've seen with lines and availability. There will be a time printed on your Fast Pass that says when you're allowed to grab another one, so that's when to grab Test Track.)
Epcot Tip #10: Epcot is a fantastic place to catch a lot of characters. There is an organized, indoor spot for Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, Pluto, and Donald near the front of the park. You wait in line once to meet all of them. Right outside of that building you can find Chip and Dale.
Around the World Showcase you can find Snow White, Jasmine and Aladdin, Sleeping Beauty, Belle, Marie, Mary Poppins, Alice in Wonderland, and probably a few others that I'm forgetting.
Epcot Tip #11: Coca-Cola's Club Cool is the stickiest place on earth. It's a little shop in the Innovations pavilion and allows you to sample (free!) carbonated beverages from around the world. Some of them are absolutely disgusting (I'm looking at you, VegitaBeta), but some are really very good. But, hooboy, the floors there are insanely sticky.
Epcot Tip #12: The Illuminations show that goes on at park closing is pretty amazing. There really isn't a bad spot to see it, but there are "better" spots. For example, check the direction the wind is blowing. If it's blowing towards you as you look out on the lake, you may end up with a face full of smoke. Go sit on the other side. Also look out for large posts and anything else that may end up blocking your view.
If you want one of those better spots, you'll have to find it a bit early. I like to be right at the entrance to the World Showcase or on the bridge between France and England, but like I said, really anywhere around the World Showcase is good. Alexis *hates* fireworks, so we haven't gotten to stay and watch it in the past few years, but if we had, I would have found a place to sit and then sent the husband to go buy some food to eat while we waited for the show to start.
What did I miss, almighty Disney gurus?
Saturday, April 2, 2011
