Epcot

Navigation Tips:

• There are two entrances - "front" is the monorail & buss drop off and "back" is the skyliner drop off and access to Epcot area resorts

• If you come in the front entrance, don't do Spaceship Earth first.  It's not a great 1st ride to start with.  Come back later if you need air conditioning.

Early Entry:  Depends on which entrance you are coming in on

• Skyliner:  1 hour before you will wait at the Security Gates.  45 minutes before, the security gates will open.  Head through Internation Gateway Entrance and head towards the France Pavillion.  Go across the bridge and head to the right.  You'll be in the queue until Early Entry time.  After done with this ride, head to Norway Pavillion and do the Frozen Ever After Ride

• Bus:  TBA

Best Bathroom:  Connections Eatery & American Pravilian.  Worse Bathroom:  Morocco & by Spaceship Earth - Every other country has a bathroom in the World Showcase

How to end the day:

• Epcot Forever Show in the end of the night

• The countries are open for several hours after park closing so take your time strolling through them after the Fireworks.

• At the end of the night, head to view the light show on Spaceship Earth that plays to music which makes the "front" entrance a good place to leave from (even if you came by skyliner in the "back" entrance).

Meal Suggestions

• Starbucks is located in Connections Cafe & Eatery

• If you are interested in a drinking in Epcot, I suggest the countries as they have lots of options.

• My Quick Service Restaurant Suggestion: Sunshine Seasons or Connections Eatery

• My Sit Down Restaurant Suggestion:  Space 220 and Garden Grill

Fun Facts

• • Epcot stands for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow.

World Showcase Tips

Mexico Pavilion

• RIDE:  Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros - no height requirement - boat ride through a cartoon

• Pyramid is Modeled after the Aztec Temple of the Feathered Serpent located in the ancient holy city of Teotihuacan (The City of the Gods) near modern-day Mexico City

• They created the outside to have native plants from the desert region, but inside the climate zone is more like the jungles.

• Inside the pyramid, you can find “The Mirror de los Muertos,” or the “Mirror of the Dead.”  It is an interactive mirror that allows guests to create their own skeleton and transports them to the Land of the Dead, just like in Coco.

 Norway Pavilion

• RIDE:  Frozen Ever After - no height requirement - boat ride through “Frozen”

• The roof on the Kringla Bakeri og Kafe in the Norway Pavilion has real grass growing on it.

• Outside of the Royal Sommerhus is a small courtyard.  You can find six runestones that have carved words and images in the 11the Century AD Viking tradition.  There are 3,000 runestones across Scandinavia, with 50 still existing in Norway.  Runestones mark territory, explain inheritance, boast about construction feats, and talk about important events.

• There is a special inscription on one that translates to: "You are not the first to pass this way.  Nor will you be the last.  Those who seek the spirit of Norway face peril and adventure.  But more often find beauty and charm."

• The towering wooden church that overlooks the Norway Pavilion is a replica of a Gol Stave Church

 China Pavilion

• SHOW:  Reflections of China - 14 minutes - 360 degree view of China

• The archway is based upon Yunhui Yuyu Archway (or Glowing Clouds and Holy Land Archway) at the Summer Palace in Beijing.

• Lotus pool surrounded by Chinese garden.  

• Stand in the middle of the Temple of Heaven.  If you speak, you’ll hear your voice echo back to you – the temple is acoustically perfect.

• The 12 pillars in the Temple of Heaven represent a month in the Chinese calendar.

• The Tomb Warrior exhibit is a minature version of the real Tomb Warriors which cover a 22 square mile area, with each soldier having a different sculpted face.

 African Outpost

• open the lids of the crates and coolers and see what happens.  You may get a little soaked

• let your kids let lose with some African drums.

• Look over the wall into the lagoon and you'll spot 3 different African canoes on the shore.

• Kola tress are native to West Africa and are used to add caffeine and flavoring to Coke and other cola drinks.  Burlap bags containing kola nuts can be found here.

• Village Traders is housed in a mud house made with wood poles and roof support, elephant grass for the thatch, and straw and mud for the walls.  Cow dung may be mixed in with the mud and straw to cut down on insects.

 Germany Pavilion

• The Platz (square) is decorated with a statue of St. George and the Dragon and a clock tower.

• On the hour, a wooden boy and girl emerge from the clock and twirl around.

• The back wall of the Germany Pavilion (the one covered by a mural).  Knock on it, and you’ll notice a hollow sound.  That’s because the wall covers the area that was originally intended to host the never-built Rhine River Cruise boat ride.

• Minatare train village is complete with working model trains from Piko and Lehmann Gross Bahn.

Italy Pavilion

• The entrance to the pavilion are two columns, one being a winged lion, the symbol of Venice and its guardian.  Another is St. Theodore, a military figure who played an extremely important role in Venetian history.  

• There are pillars that surround one of the buildings, and they are decorated with several kings.  Each king is holding a crystal cannon ball and sword.  When originally built, one of the kings was holding a bowling ball with the holes shaped like Mickey.  The Imagineers were allowed to put something of "themselves" in the design and one was a bowler.  Unfortunately you are not able to see this anymore.

• The marble used for the Doge's Palace isn't marble at all, but in fact fiberglass because it's impossible to find the exact marble that represents St. Mark's Campanile (bell tower) from Venice.

• look for little red buttons located close to the fountains behind the shops.  If you push them, water sprays out from one of a handful of locations.

• Florida water isn't great, so the water used to make the pizza dough in Via Napoli is flown in from Pennsylvania to make it as close to authentic Neapolitan dough.

• Via Napoli's three wood burning ovens pay tribute to the three active volcanoes in Italy:  Etna, Vesuvio and Stromboli.

 American Adventure Pavilion

• SHOW:  The American Adventure - 30 minutes - past & future of America

• The American Adventure show is on the 2nd floor because the presidents and other figures that you see during the performance are all housed on hidden platforms which are stored underneath the audience’s seats.

• It is 5 stories tall, but enormous doors and windows are used to make it appear to be only 3 stories tall.  The facade was created using 110,000 bricks handmade from Georgia red clay – each of which was aged to look authentic.

• Take another look at the pictures on the walls inside the American Adventure.  See the one hanging in the corner to left as you enter the rotunda?  It’s a painting of a World War II-era B-17 bomber.  If you stand on the gray strip of tiles on the floor in front of it and walk backwards and forwards, the plane appears to swivel to follow you.

• There is a replica of the Liberty Bell inside the American Pavilion.  It was cast at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry which has cast bells for many churches around the world including Big Ben, The Liberty Bell, and the Bow Bells.

• When you walk in the American Adventure building, to the right you will see the American Heritage Gallery.  Within this collection, you will see authentic, historical Native artifacts alongside contemporary works of American Indian art - demonstrating examples of cultural traditions that have been handed down through generations.

• Some things they no longer do

• Take a look at the paintings on the front wall.  They used to have a painting that you pulled open to reveal the elevator.

• 13 lanterns that hang from the trees to represent the 13 colonies

• shutters are not straight as colonists would take metal from the hinges and remake them into other items, like horse shoes or ammunition 

Japan Pavilion

• Inside Mitsukoshi, there is Akoya Pearls which is where you pick you pick an oyster out of a live oyster tank.  Once selected, a cast member will work to open it for you and get the pearl out. Then, they will clean the pearl for you.  You can choose to put the pearl in a jewlery setting or just take the pearl with you. ($)

• Glance at the statue on your right as you enter Japan.  It was a gift from the government of Japan when the Magic Kingdom opened, but was later moved to Epcot

• The blue-roofed pagoda is a replica of a 7th century Horyuji Temple.  It is 5 stories each representing one of the elements that Buddhists believe make up the universe – earth, water, fire, wind and sky.

• There is a koi pond that form a Hidden Mickey, which can be seen in the center of a metal grate collecting water to be returned to the top of the waterfall.

 Morocco Pavilion

• The king of Morocco was so thrilled to be part of the World Showcase that he sent over his men to construct it and even paid for it.

• As you walk from Morocco to France, notice that the walkway becomes darker.  This is intended to represent the Strait of Gibraltar.  It’s not geographically correct, however, as it actually lies between Spain and Morocco.

• During Luminous Fireworks Show the temple remains dark, lighting them up would violate local religious beliefs.

• The mosaic tiles have at least one flawed tile in it – as local beliefs dictate that only Allah can create something that is “perfect”.

• There is a prayer room made of "gold".  It is open to the general public that want to use it.

• Islamic style of art prohibit the representation of any living thing, which is why the designs are all geometric.  It's why there are no animated drawings, only squares or other lines.

• There are hidden speakers to make it seem more like you are in a real market.  If you listen closely, you can almost make out everything they are saying.

• The Twilight Tower of Terror over at Hollywood can be seen when looking at the Morocco Pavilion.  Color and design have been added to ensure that it blends in.

• You can take a guided tour of the Morocco Pavilion for no charge.  Check in at the Tangierine Cafe or ask any CM at the Markesh Kiosk.  It takes about 20 minutes.

France Pavilion

• SHOW:  Beauty & the Beast Sing-Along 

• RIDE:  Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure - no height requirements - 3D ride through Ratatouille

• When you cross the small bridge in the International Gateway between the UK and France pavilions, you are symbolically crossing the English Channel.  Take a look at the wall down by the water.  You’ll notice a bicycle parked next to an artist’s easel, along with a partially-completed painting.

• The fountain in front of Remy's Rataouille Adventure has Remy running around it so circle it to see the magic.

• If you look, you'll find these Easter Eggs throughout the Pavilion - "2007" which was the release of Ratatouille - "2014" which was the opening date of Walt Disney Studios Paris - "2021" which was Epcot version of the attraction

• Disney uses natural bird deterrents to scare birds away from the Eiffel tower.  It would spoil the illusion of height.  It it only 103 ft tall compared to the original 1063 ft tall.

United Kingdom Pavilion

• The row of shops represents a host of different time periods.  The tea shop is designed to resemble a typically 1600s building, the next features a sign that reads “Est 1702” and the last is built in an 1800s neoclassical style.

• The garden area represents Hyde Park, including a typical shrubbery maze.  

• Pooh Corner was in East Sussex, England so you can see characters from Winnie the Pooh in this area from time to time.  Also Mary Poppins and her loyal "friend" Bert also frequent the area.  Alice also loves spending time in her garden when she isn't in Wonderland.

• Chimney’s were painted with blackened soot to give the impression that they are still working.

• The Historic Research Section (HRC) lets you look up your family name and get any information about it.  A cast member will be able to pull up a picture of your family crest and family name history.  You can have the crest printed on a variety of different things.

• Within the butterfly garden, you may notice boxes that have 4 sides and a roof, but no bottom.  This is to protect the cocoons until they are hatched and then they are able to fly out of the bottom.

• There is a Knot-a-Garden.  The hedges are grown about a foot in height in the shape of the knot, and each "section" of the hedge has a different herb planted in it.  It's supposed to represent the local apothecary, a person who prepared and sold medicines and drugs.

 Canada Pavilion

• SHOW:  O Canada - 14 minutes - very best of Canada

• Walk through to the back of the Canada Pavilion to find an abandoned mine and a 30 foot waterfall.  

• The mountains are representation of the Canadian Rockies

• Take a look at the rocks in Canada & Japan when the Luminous Fireworks Show show is about to begin.  The top of some will open, revealing sound and lighting equipment.

• The Hotel du Canada in the Canada Pavilion is only 3 stories tall.  To make it look larger, Imagineers added 5 stories of windows.

• There are three totem poles on show.  Only the one on the left is real – it was carved by Tsimshian Indian carver David Boxley, and weighs some 700 pounds.  The other two totem poles are made of pieces of fiberglass stacked on top of each other.

• You can find maple leaves hidden throughout the pavilion along with hidden Mickeys, snowshoes and kayaks.

• The garden is similar to the Butchart Gardens in Victoria, British Columbia.  This is actually the largest garden found in World Showcase and one of the most difficult to care for due to all the details included.  And the flowers are even changed based on the season so check back during each trip.

Tours / Experiences available:

Meet the dolphines - https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/events-tours/epcot/dolphins-in-depth/

Tequilla Experience - https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/epcot/cava-experience/ 

Behind the Seeds - Tour of Living with the Lands - https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/events-tours/epcot/behind-the-seeds/ 

Areas of Epcot

• World Discovery

• World Celebration

• World Nature

• World Showcase