Understandably, Epcot doesnt have any coasters, but it is still a theme park and is thus desrving of a TR. Anyway, it was my first stop in Central Florida and my first trip to the park.
Got to the park at about 12:30pm, with virtually NO crowds. There was a slight drizzle and the threat of much harder rain so me and sis opted to start the day with Test Track. It was mildly thrilling, and might have been educational to some, but since I used to work for GM and have actually visited the Milford Proving Grounds the material was somewhat old hat for me.
Next we checked out the "Body Wars" simulator. If anyone has ever seen the old 1960's movie "Fantastic Voyage" or the more current movie "InnerSpace" then you know exactly what this ride is like. The movie was fun, even though I'm not too big on simulators.
About this time, we decided to get something to eat. After walking all around the "World Showcase" area, we decided to hit the buffet in Norway. What a feast! What a gorge! All you can eat for ten bucks! I have to give my compliments to the food there. Notable standouts were the meatballs and the sweetest red cabbage I've ever had. I also ended up having a chocolate mousse dessert that they made in the shape of an old viking ship (what a Disney-esque touch). I even took a picture of our waiter and a female cast member (Ole and Marianne) in there traditional Norwegian garb.
From there we saw the Universe of Energy show/ride. Once again, some of the educational aspect was lost on me due to my highly technical background, but for at least part of the ride there was a sort of dark-ride feel (and I adore dark rides). Though admittedly, I was suprised to see Ellen DeGeneres in a Disney production.
Moving on we took in the "Honey, I Shrunk the Audience" show. I thought the show itself was neat though a little short. There was one part that really startled me (bull...it freaked me out). For those of you who havent seen it, I wont spoil it. Suffice to say I have a thing against rodents!
That is pretty much the extent of the "thrill" rides in Epcot. We also took in several of the 'educational' show/rides like communications in Spaceship Earth (another dark-esque ride), the Living Seas attraction and several items in "the Land" area including a cheesy parody of several '80's songs in a show called "Food Rocks" (note: I really enjoyed this show).
We were pretty much just trying to waste time till the park closed to see the fireworks show "Illuminations". We decided to see a show "O Canada", a film in 360 degrees. The ride op warned that it might feel like we were moving, though we would be stationary for the entire film. Whatever actually happend, I and my sis felt like throwing up after the show. The film itself was actually pretty boring, but the format was really nausea inducing to us. NEVER AGAIN!
About this time it started raining pretty hard and it was still an hour and a half till the fireworks show. We just decided to pick up some souvieners and then bail, as there really was nothing else there to do (Test Track was closed due to the rain).
All in all, I liked Epcot. It is a good "contra-themepark". That is to say they dont have an emphasis on thrills but rather edu-tainment. I wont go back there though unless I have a park hopper pass as I dont think it is worth a single day's admission (BTW: sis & I had half price tickets). Though if I had a park hopper, I would go to Epcot just to eat!
lata,
jeremy
Nice TR. I haven't been to Epcot in years but might have to hit it again next time I am in Florida :)
Having visited WDW last August and being from New Zealand, Epcot was a funny place amongst the collection of other Disney Parks there. I had a good laugh when I was at the Millenium Village to see Kiwi cast members speaking about my country. And they seemed as shocked as me to find another Kiwi amongst the predominatly American and European crowd. Again another quality TR! Look forward to reading the rest.
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If Lifes a Rollercoaster, I want a Flawless
Excellent TR! I hope to visit there in the next year or two.
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The kid formally known as Al!! :)
