Since the park would be open until 10 p.m., we decided to arrive around 11ish. Our FastPass+ choices for the day (Soarin' around the World, Spaceship Earth, and Mission: SPACE) didn't begin until the afternoon, so we had some time to go on other attractions and have lunch at a leisurely pace before our true schedule began. Our very first attraction was Test Track. It was the first one we saw as we entered Epcot, and I knew (based on reading reviews of all the rides) that Lewie would love it. There was a 60 minute wait, but we arrived bright-eyed, motivated, and ready to conquer the world.
In the line, we had fun looking at futuristic cars and pictures of what cities are expected to look like in the future. To be honest, I winced at the industrial looking cities that seemed to smother Mother Nature. I wasn't alone; Lewie took one look at one of the pictures and said, "I hope they don't really end up looking like that!" That's my National Park, nature loving boy!!
When our wait was up, we were lead into a sci-fi looking lab where the three of us had a computer to design our own car. Did we want to design the car for efficiency, power, responsiveness, or capability? My vote for efficiency lost out. Both my "boys," chose speed over efficiency, and when the car was complete, it was a gas guzzling, high powered, sporty race car (totally designed by Lewie).
Once we were satisfied with our car design, we were lead to the "test track" where we could "test drive" our car and later receive a review of how it performed. Never being on this ride before, I was a little intimidated. Was it going to feel like a roller coaster? How fast were we going to go? Swerving around in the darkness with quick stops certainly built up the feeling of intensity. Then, the next thing we knew, we were out in the open air going at top speed (65 mph), which certainly felt faster! It was a quick 4 minute ride, but it certainly delivered. As we exited through the gift shop (what a surprise), Lewie found a machine that allowed him to create a plastic card keepsake of his special car design. It was probably the best $5 I ever spent. Lewie was so excited to get it, and now, (almost a month later) he's still so eager to show everyone his car design.
Our next attraction was a 13.5 minute boat ride called Living with the Land. The ride took us through different landscapes and then opened up to a greenhouse where researchers are developing efficient ways to grow crops using minimal resources. The goal, of course, is to create a sustainable way to feed our 7.7 billion people on Earth and counting. (This ride was recommended as one of the top attractions at Epcot by multiple Disney bloggers.)
After Living with the Land, it was time for lunch. We headed to the World Showcase and decided to go to Mexico. Unadventurous Lewie settled on some mac and cheese, but Lew and I sampled some Mexican cuisine along with a Margarita for him and a Sangria for me. One drink was all it took for me. The next ride, The Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros, was a bit more cheery and fun with a buzz. There was no wait for the ride at all, and I was amazed at how beautifully Epcot was able to recreate the Mayan Temple, Chichen Itza. (This was definitely a ride I went on back in 1986; of course, now it felt more amazing than I remembered.)
Unfortunately, time didn't permit us to spend a lot of time at the World Showcase, but we did get a chance to walk around and see most of the elegant structures (pavilions) such as Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, China, and Norway. There were funny street performers in France climbing a tall stack of dining chairs along with juggling wine bottles; a fun "drum station" near Morocco; and some good German beer (Big Lew could tell you more about that).
We did wait 15 minutes for The American Adventure Show, which was a 26 minute historical attraction with life-like animatronics of Ben Franklin, Mark Twain, and others. I loved how it captured our nation's history--both good and bad. We saw famous and obscure American heroes like Susan B. Anthony, Martin Luther King, Jr., and John Muir (to name a few). In all honesty, it was awesome! Plus, during our wait, we had the privilege of listening to a choir (dressed in vintage colonial attire) singing Christmas carols. It definitely put us into the holiday mood!
Finally, the time had come to enjoy our three FastPass+ attractions all right in a row. The first was Soarin' around the World, followed by Spaceship Earth, and then Mission: Space. My favorites were in that order, too. Soarin' around the World was AMAZING. We were suspended 45 feet in the air by a hang-glider type contraption in front of a giant IMAX screen. Just like the name suggests, we felt like we were flying over all sorts of beautiful landscapes, such as The Great Wall of China, the plains of Africa, the oceans of Fiji, and the Grand Canyon. If there wasn't such a long wait, I would have gone on it again. The six minute ride went by way too fast!!!
Spaceship Earth was around in 1986 and just as I remembered it. The attraction, inside the famous iconic Epcot structure, explores the human quest...from our first days on Earth all the way to current times and current inventions. The show has multiple animatronics, showing people achieving amazing feats--both physically and mentally. The best scene is the end where we are placed in outer space looking admiringly at our beautiful blue planet. To my surprise, this was Lewie's favorite ride. I had no idea until he told me at the end of the day. For me, it was probably my second, right after Soarin'.
The final FastPass+ ride, Mission: Space, has two options. You can choose either the high intensity Orange Mission to Mars ride or the calmer Green Mission around Earth. At 7:30 p.m., the wait-times weren't that long, so I suggested we start with the Green Mission and then move to the Orange Mission. The Green Mission made us feel like we were in a spaceship ready for take off. It simulates an actual launch and made us feel like we were in space viewing Earth. The feeling from the launch, in my mind, was pretty intense, but my two Lews told me the feeling was nothing like that of the Orange Mission. Both were amazed by this simulation, which actually made them feel weightless during the launch, and both came out looking a bit ragged. They didn't vomit, but their stomachs didn't feel well either.
Our final hour was spent waiting for the great laser light display that was to start at 10 p.m. Rides were easy to get onto now, so we went to the Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival (I highly recommend it), Turtle Talk with Crush, and then The Seas with Nemo & Friends Attraction. We enjoyed it all, but we had run out of steam. Every step was somewhat painful now, and it was past Little Lewie's bedtime--the yawning never stopped. In hindsight, I realized that this was a really long day for all of us, and we would be smart not to repeat it at other parks. The light show, of course, was spectacular, complete with fireworks, lasers, and Christmas lights. (There were even people in small boats dragging beautifully colored kites,which lit up the sky behind them.) There were no regrets staying to see the majestic show, but oh how the complaining continued as we walked to the car--my back, my feet, my knees! (You didn't hear this complaining from me--just sayin'--but I was tired, too.)
Epcot was just the beginning of a magical trip for us, but I have to say, it's still my favorite after all these years. There's something about the celebration of human achievement. I definitely want to come back when they have their famous International Food and Wine Festival, which runs from late August/September into mid November. This is definitely worthy of a bucket list item.
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I love Epcot!
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