The different sections of the park include Discovery Island (complete with a huge Tree of Life that is surrounded by animals similar to those found on the Galapagos Islands), Africa (with the best safari anyone is going to find this side of Kenya), Asia (the Kali River Rapids features exciting white-water rafting), and DinoLand U.S.A. (Finding Nemo - The Musical is a must). This park provides quite a contrast after spending time at the Magic Kingdom, and the good news is that it is not as crowded even at the peak time of mid-afternoon.
The next day we went to Epcot, and I must confess this was my favorite place. As you enter the park, you can’t help but be impressed by the huge white sphere (home of the Spaceship Earth presentation) that is as immediately recognizable as Cinderella’s Castle, but represents Walt Disney’s futuristic vision more than anything else. There are great rides to be found here including Mission: SPACE (featuring the more intense and exciting Orange Team and the Green Team for those who want a more sedate experience), Test Track, and Soarin’. By the way, those rides that are a physical challenge are advertised as such, with signs posted outside warning those with various medical conditions not to come aboard.
Despite all the other attractions, the heart of Epcot is the World Showcase, where you can stroll through pavilions featuring realistic representations of places from all over the earth. Each “country” has streets with distinctive shops, restaurants, and attractions that one would find in the real places without having to take the arduous voyage to get there. I particularly enjoyed Maelstrom in the Norway section, a replicated boat voyage that shows what the Viking era was like. The beer is delicious in Germany, the sushi fresh in Japan, and don’t pass up the cappuccino in Italy.
The highlight of this day was a carnival mask (like one found during New Orleans’ celebrations) that my daughter designed in the Italy section (materials, markers, and crayons were provided). We then had to “travel” to every pavilion where she would get an attachment for the mask (representative of that country) and also a stamp. For collecting these items from all eleven countries, her reward was a colorful Disney poster, but the thrill of the chase for these things was more than enough for her.
Article comments
1 - diana hartman
Congratulations! This article has been selected for syndication to Boston.com, where it will be enjoyed by even more readers.
2 - Victor Lana
Thank you, Diana. As always, I appreciate opportunities such as these. Thanks for letting me know.
3 - steev janssen
hope you used their photopass service! it is awesome. ;)
4 - Victor Lana
I should have mentioned Photo Pass in the article. That was a really great idea. In every theme park there are photographers standing in strategic locations who will take your picture, scan your card, and then you can access them online.
This takes a lot of the worry about missing a shot out of the equation, and the pictures came out great.
Thanks for reminding me, Steev.