Which EPCOT are you visiting? How perceptions of world showcase have a big impact!

[disneydreamer1980]

We always choose to visit the world the week after Thanksgiving or the first week of December, specifically for Epcot at Christmas time. We love the holidays around the world there. I can agree that FW needs some love, it needs to go back to what it once was, a fun, but still educational experience

When I see Epcot, I see money. Normally, I set around $50/day for myself at a park. when I'm at Epcot, I set around $200/day for food and shopping. It's still a family fave though, especially at night. it's pure magic.

I agree, this is always the park we spend the most money in, I can’t resist buying something from each country, and DH spends a million dollars on beers from around the world...

 

[fairestoneofall]

Wow! My family loves Epcot. We've been making regular trips since my now 16-year-old was five. I also have a 13-year-old and a six-year-old. All of them have always loved Epcot. We don't do a lot of eating, but we love exploring World Showcase. Sometimes, I don't think we even get to spend enough time there!

 

[GPC0321]

I think what endears any park to me, Epcot included, is the memories I've made there. Epcot was amazing to me as a kid in the 80's, so even though Future World is kind of struggling to stay relevant or impressive right now, I guess the nostalgia keeps me from being to harsh on it. And World Showcase has been pretty great for my two most recent trips as an adult since I got to see it for Flower and Garden in 2016 and all decked out for Christmastime in 2017. We ate yummy food, saw Candlelight Processional, and both of those recent WDW trips ended at Epcot watching IllumiNations (which I now adore for that reason). I'm a very sentimental person. I don't need lots of rides and characters. I just need "the feels" and I'm good. Epcot still gives me "the feels".

Speaking of which, Magic Kingdom will always reign supreme in "the feels" department. Main Street, USA is one of my favorite places to be not just in WDW but anywhere. Animal Kingdom has actually claimed the second spot in my heart. I love animals though, and that park is just so pretty and immersive. Epcot is third, though still dear to me. Hollywood Studios is the one I have trouble warming to. This past visit I made my best memories so far in that park though at the Jingle Bell Jingle Bam Dessert Party. That was so much fun, and a highlight of our trip. I do love Star Wars though, so when that part of the park opens, I'll probably start enjoying it more.

I'd like to see Future World in Epcot get some TLC. I hope they don't dumb down the World Showcase with anymore attempts to infuse "Disney" into it though (*coughFEAcough*).

 

[WEDWDW]

If they do build Brazil,I don't think "boring" and World Showcase will be together in the same sentence again!lol

 

[ILoveMyDVC]

Agree on so much of this. I have never and will never see Epcot as a park that is supposed to be thrill-a-minute. It is about learning and experiencing. Taking time to explore the small things and especially in World Showcase to talk with the International CMs to learn about their culture; not a place to run from one thing to another and always be on a ride.

My children learned things in EPCOT. Helped take the perceived academic sting out of travelling during the school year. (Elementary only) We always bought the Passports- worth every nickel. They loved it and still do.

 

[ILoveMyDVC]

When planning our first trip to WDW with our sons we read in a travel book to make MK your last park. MK is wonderful, but so stimulating and what most people associate with Disney. To go there first does make it hard for young ones to really appreciate all that the other parks have to offer. My sons were 5 & 9 on our first trip and we began with Epcot, then DS, then AK and finally MK on day four. They had an opportunity to appreciate each park as our week passed. Of course on day 4 my 5 year old looked up at the castle and said why did it take so long to come here??...haha! We spent the rest of our 7 days revisiting favorites and attractions that we missed in each park. For all of our trips, Epcot is our first day. My sons are now 23 and 27 and still love Epcot.
On a side note, I was in the laundry at the Wilderness Lodge after our day 4 and chatting with another Mom about where we had gone that week. She was stunned that we had visited all 4 parks and were starting back the next day to visit our favorites. She and her family had been there the same amount of time but had not been able to get the kids out of MK. I'm so thankful that we began with Epcot. I know that many feel that the countries are lame but there really is a lot to see and immerse yourself in. Also, for some families this may be the only chance they have to see/taste the cultures of other countries.

Agree with your whole post
Side note:
"Couldn't get them out of MK?" Gotta laugh at that one - parents need to parent. I can't imagine not being able to get my children out of anywhere. Must be some super spoiled kids that can dictate which Disney park they will deign to visit. LOL

 

[LVSWL]

Agree with your whole post
Side note:
"Couldn't get them out of MK?" Gotta laugh at that one - parents need to parent. I can't imagine not being able to get my children out of anywhere. Must be some super spoiled kids that can dictate which Disney park they will deign to visit. LOL

I agree. I'm sure that my face reflected that when she said it. Later that week we were in MK for the fireworks and I saw her with her family. Still there.

 

[ILoveMyDVC]

I agree. I'm sure that my face reflected that when she said it. Later that week we were in MK for the fireworks and I saw her with her family. Still there.

Hey - Maybe the smell of sulfur and the FL water will hep her grow a spine.

 

[DOOM1001]

Epcot simply put has become a festival park,even the Holidays around the world changed its name to festival of the Holidays,and its also the reason its the #1 or #2 favorite park on most peoples list.For a local like me I go to Epcot like five times more than the other parks,but those visits are not about getting on Soarin or Test Track,its about what else is happening,the Holiday events,unique offerings, the concerts at the festivals,I think I saw like 25 of the 32 groups that played the F&W festival,obviously trying different foods at the booths and seeing the Holiday events are a much bigger draw to people who have ridden Test Track a couple hundred times.I'm still a huge ride person and I would agree that Epcot is very weak as far as rides,but I know what Epcot is,its a hangout park with a few rides,I'll be the first to say it needs the Guardians rollercoaster and the Ratatouille ride in France to open ASAP.I loved the original Epcot with its more educational rides like Horizons and World of Motion,I'm a thrill ride person but I've never been a fan of Mission Space and I've ridden Test Track so much I've literally grown tired of the ride,if you asked me right now I would bring back both Horizons and World of Motion to replace them.With that said if it wasn't for the more thrill based rides they've added over the years and more importantly all the festivals bringing in locals and semi locals by the thousands the park would be a dead park today,it has to evolve or die,1980s Epcot would not work today.The future is year round festivals and new rides to replace old dated Future World rides and add to the WS offerings,I'm super excited there's actually going to be a coaster in Epcot I can ride every time I visit,and I have zero interest in Guardians of the Galaxy but a coaster is a coaster.

 

[MMR76]

We all love Epcot, it’s our 2nd favorite park behind MK. Our kids were 10 & 5 last time we went and they both had a great time. We can’t wait to go back in May.

 

[Carathryn]

I didn’t visit WDW until I was in college so I don’t have any childhood or early day nostalgia for the park but it is still my favorite. Of course the food always gets mentioned but I also think epcot is the best park for characters. It’s easy to meet the fab five characters with both Mickey, Minnie, and goofy meeting from open to close. You also have unique characters such as Joy and Sadness and Baymax that only meet at Epcot. On top of that it is possible to meet several princesses. The rides might not be as good as MK but there is still so much to do that it makes up for the lack of exciting rides.

 

[DisneyChristmas]

DH and I always enjoy the attention to detail in WS...the Mayan stela representations at Mexico, the tour of British architecture in England, the tributes to various provinces in Canada, the tile work in Morocco, the model railroad near Germany, the details of Venice in the north contrasted with the poplars and architecture of the south at Italy, the peaceful garden in Japan, and much much more. The various opportunities for outdoor eating contrast well with the more formal restaurants. We take time to wander through the garden areas at several countries.

Not every park needs to be a self-imposed contest of how many FP+s you can score in a day that’s intensely planned from ropedrop until the evening parade/light show/fireworks.

If your WDW vacation is a variety of experiences, it’s worth the time to explore WS.

 

[DisneyOma]

The solution? World showcase becomes 'World of IP'. That way, both groups can visit their EPCOT.

Morris

What does the IP stand for in your 'World of IP'?

Epcot is, and always has been my least favorite park. I like to DO things. Not see them. The World Showcase is just an outdoor mall. To pay $100 to be allowed to shop and dine is crazy.
Epcot is not magical. Other than Nemo and FEA, nothing is Disney.
Soarin has been diminished by the new Around the World version.
Test Track was ruined by retheming to some lame 1980s movie that no one watched even back then.

May I suggest a trip to a Six Flags would be more up your alley?

 

[jarestel]

We tend to go to Epcot on years when we have an annual pass, but it's hard to justify using up a day on a regular admission ticket simply for the opportunity to purchase overpriced food and drinks at World Showcase. I guess I like Epcot, but unless I can "hide" the cost by using the AP, we tend to skip it.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

Loved epcot as a kid. Loved epcot as a young adult. But around the time they removed kidcot from future world it went downhill. It's like an old bar where everyone goes to drink and no one cares what the place looks like. We have watched over 30 plus years as the train set up by Germany has gone from multiple trains, lights, to one piece of a train gone, then another, then a whole train gone, then another piece of another train, then pieces of the scenery, another train, on and on as the years went by until there was one lonely train for a few years. We were very sad to see no trains at all last summer. That train set up could be a metaphor for epcot itself. Lol. What are they doing in future world? Not investing much that's for sure.

 

[sam_rogers]

I'm finding the more times i visit the more I appreciate Epcot. I agree future world doesn't have the usual Disney feel with all that concrete but I love the world showcase. Being from the UK we never spend much time in that pavilion and usually skip through France pretty quickly. That being said I still like to have a chat with the cms in the uk and see if there's anyone from the same town as me. I also like the food and wine festival and we will definitely pay it a visit again this year

 

[fla4fun]

What does the IP stand for in your 'World of IP'?

Intellectual Property. They are talking about taking what was supposed to be realistic representations (more or less) of the individual countries and replacing them with fictional rides/displays based on Disney movies. This started with the change in Norway from Maelstrom to FEA, and is not totally restricted to WS, as evidenced by Guardians of the Galaxy moving into the Universe of Energy pavilion. I enjoy Epcot and it's my favorite park, but it becomes more like MK every time they take something meant to be representative of the "real world" and overlay or replace it with Disney IP. I am happy I still have memories of the original EPCOT Center - it was something very special.

I always looked at WS as sort of three dimensional travel brochures for the various countries. They gave you just enough flavor, through the food, shows, and merchandise, to make you want to visit those countries for real (and some of them I have). I can spend a lot of time going around WS just enjoying the atmosphere, the street entertainment, and the food.

 

[slpeters]

We enjoyed Epcot and would definitely go again but I have to say if for some reason we were only able to do three of the four parks it would definitely be the one we skipped.

 

[DisneyChristmas]

Loved epcot as a kid. Loved epcot as a young adult. But around the time they removed kidcot from future world it went downhill. It's like an old bar where everyone goes to drink and no one cares what the place looks like. We have watched over 30 plus years as the train set up by Germany has gone from multiple trains, lights, to one piece of a train gone, then another, then a whole train gone, then another piece of another train, then pieces of the scenery, another train, on and on as the years went by until there was one lonely train for a few years. We were very sad to see no trains at all last summer. That train set up could be a metaphor for epcot itself. Lol. What are they doing in future world? Not investing much that's for sure.

Good news! DH is a garden railroad enthusiast. We were there about three weeks ago in January, and FOUR trains were running. The landscape was fresh and clean and had new features. We spent quite a bit of time there.

 

[MarBee]

Epcot is my least favorite park. While I enjoy World Showcase, my 5 and 7 year old do not. It’s a TON of walking for them, and they find it tiring and boring.
The rest of the park is a ton of walking to go from one ride to another. This summer, Epcot was supposed to be open until 10 one night, so that was our Epcot time. However, what isn’t advertised that everything besides WS closes at 7:00! Yes, even when the sun is still out, they close it! We were waiting in line at Innoventions and listening to this spiel about paint and color when another CM comes up and tells us we need to clear out of the building bc they were closing. We wound up walking from one side of the park to the other trying to find something to do before I finally asked “what exactly is open at this park right now?” It was just WS, which was not really fun for us. I felt cheated for sure.
I’ve been debating back and forth for a while on whether or not to do an Epcot day on our upcoming trip. I’ve ultimately decided to spend a morning there and adding an extra half day at MK.