EPCOT

EPCOT (Experimental Prototype Community Of Tomorrow) Is a sort of unique theme park where a certain amount of the attractions are educational based. It is almost two theme parks in one with the scientific Future World and the cultural World Showcase.

Future World

Spaceship Earth. This is the part that contains the huge globe and within that globe is a ride that utilises all of that space. It is a continuous ride where you find yourself in a carriage that takes you on a journey through the ages of communication, starting in the Stone Age with wall paintings to the latest video conferencing technology. The ride is narrated throughout by Dame Judy Dench. The wait for this ride is rarely long. The ride is sponsored by AT & T

There are two other attractions close to Spaceship Earth, Innovations East and West, these are crammed with all sorts of fun, scientific exhibits. From the latest type of computer to the latest games for your playstation. One nice thing in here is a facility to email a photo of yourself to a friend back home.

Mission: SPACE is a motion simulator thrill ride at Epcot. It simulates what an astronaut might experience aboard a spacecraft on a mission to Mars, from the higher g-force of blastoff to the speculative hypersleep. It does carry a warning to sufferers of motion sickness. Before boarding the simulators, each rider is assigned an on-board role (navigator, pilot, commander or engineer) and given two tasks to perform during the mission (pressing a specific button when told). For example, one of the commander's buttons initiates the rocket's first-stage separation, and the other activates manual flight control. The spacecraft's on-board self-automated pilot will perform each task if the rider does not respond to his or her prompt from Mission Control or if there is no one to perform the task. Also featured are various labelled buttons and switches which the rider may play with but do nothing; they are only there to add to the realism aspect of the ride.

Next to that is Test Track, sponsored by General Motors. This is a great attraction that puts you in a car that undergoes various forms of testing. As you enter the queue in the welcome center you are shown all kinds of tests performed on cars and parts before they are released. The line winds past tests for tyres, car doors and an area for crash test dummies. The ride culminates in a high speed test, clocking almost 65mph.

Over on the West side of the park as you enter is the Land and Seas pavilions. This is where you can see the attractions the Seas Living with Nemo, Soarin and Circle of life. Soarin is the new attraction here that does have quite a long queue so my advice is to get a fast pass for this as soon as you enter the park.

Next to that is the pavilion called Imagination! And it has several attractions including Journey into imagination with Figment, the Institute had five labs based on the five human senses: Sight, Sound, Smell, Touch and Taste. Dr. Nigel Channing invites you to the Institute's open house. Figment tags along to Channing's dismay and causes mischief along the way. Honey I shrunk the audience. This a great 3D show for all the family. Viewers enter the Imagination Institute's theatre for the Inventor of the Year Award Ceremony, in which professor Wayne Szalinski is receiving the award. Attendees are asked to don their "safety goggles" in preparation for the scientific demonstrations. The show opens with the crew of the show searching for Wayne, when he suddenly flies on stage miniaturized and in a transportation device called a Hoverpod. Then all sorts of things go wrong.

World Showcase

This is the part of Epcot that surrounds the lake and is lines with different countries of the world. Currently these are the countries on show Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Italy, The American Adventure, Japan, Morocco, France, United Kingdom and Canada

Each country has cast members from that country along with cultural entertainment, food and shops selling products from those countries. The lake has 2 boats making crossings from the Showcase Plaza to Germany and Morocco.

Probably one of the best attractions in Orlando is the nightly display of fireworks around the lake called IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth. This 13 minute display will amaze you using Fire and Water fountains, lasers, fireworks and music. It was initially created for the Millennium and using a globe as centrepiece showing projections of different countries of the world at the end the globe opens like the petals of a flower and a 20th torch rises to be lit to join the other 19 around the lake, culminating in a finale of song and fireworks! Moving stuff.

Epcot Map