Disney Epcot Theme Park at Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida
Official Website
Park Hours: Daily 9am – 9pm, Extra Magical Hours 9am – 11pm | Calendar
Fireworks time at Disney Epcot: Reflections of Earth 9:00pm
Epcot Disney Tickets and Availability
Epcot, which stands for “Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow”, was built by Walt Disney originally to continually develop new technologies and communities that will inspire people of tomorrow. Walt Disney envisioned the place to have at least 20,000 residents to live inside EPCOT as a testbed. After Disney died, the company didn’t want to be in the business of running a prototype city without his guidance. Today, Disney EPCOT serves as a World Showcase, where millions of Disney visitors get to experience a plethora of cultures inside one destination.
I enjoyed Disney Epcot more than any other theme parks in the world because of my love for understanding different cultures and the nuisances that came along with it. Here at Disney Epcot, you can visit Norway, China, Italy, United Kingdom, Canada, Mexico and many more countries that are accurately represented by the characters that you love in Disney movies. For example, in Norway, you can visit Elsa and Anna from Frozen and ride the “Let It Go” ride, and eat wonderful Norweigian dishes that are incredibly delicious.
Here at Epcot, you can purchase an Epcot passport and have it stamped in each country as if you have really visited the place. Kids can also enjoy this activity that makes them interact with different locals. Yes, each city has locals that are Disney staff, so you can hear them chatter in German, Italian and Japanese as you shop.
Each country sells their own specialty goods originating from the country. Sneakers and ponchos from Helly Hansen Norway are sold in Norway, and Maple-infused tea originally from Canada. I bought a souvenir from each country as I was really a fan of the World Showcase. You can expect to see Pokemon stuff in Japan.
I would rather tell this story through photos, that show the beauty of Epcot and how incredibly intricate and detailed are the designs in each country.
Norway
Morocco
Mexico – Coco themed
Germany – Snow White and Seven Dwarves
China
France
Venice, Italy
Scallops from Canada
Peru
Disney is expanding Epcot to include Ratatouille and Guardians of the Galaxy attractions. That would incredible as their Test Track ride attraction is one of the most popular rides in Walt Disney World.