Around the World in 4.5 Hours (Our Journey through Epcot)

Okay, so we've been back from Disney World almost a week, and I've only blogged about our enchanted trip through the Magic Kingdom so far. Today will be an exciting journey through Epcot.

There are two parts to Epcot - the World Showcase & Future World. My favorite section is the World Showcase. The second night we were at Disney, we spent the entire evening wandering through the pavilions representing different countries. We capped the night off with IllumiNations, a fireworks show on the lagoon.

We started our journey in Great Britain, where I thought it would be fun to speak in the accent of the native country we were "visiting." (Until we left Great Britain and I didn't know what any of the other accents were... heh.)

I might have gotten trapped in a telephone booth.

Mary Poppins was handing out autographs. Just now noticed those two girls are twins! Funny.

We then moseyed on over to Mexico, where we enjoyed some sombrero-wearing and a nifty boat ride starring the Mexican version of Donald Duck.

Next was Morroco... we tried on more hats.

And Japan...

And Germany. 

We finally made it to Italy, where we had dinner reservations at Via Napoli.

Via Napoli is modeled after the Italian city of Naples, with its authentic cuisine, high-vaulted ceilings, and open-air atmosphere.

This restaurant was by far my favorite out of all the restaurants we visited all week. We ordered some sangria, pizza, and salad. The pizza is made with flour imported from southern Italy (the real deal!) and handmade mozzarella, and is fired in one of three wood-burning ovens.

The three ovens are named after the three active volcanoes in Italy - Etna, Vesuvio, and Stromboli. 

We chose the Quattro Formaggio pizza, which came with four toppings: artichokes, eggplant, mushrooms, and ham, each in their own corner of the pizza.

The pizza was doughy and delicious, not too heavy or greasy at all! My favorite was the eggplant. If this is any indication of what the food in Italy is like, I am placing Italy on my "must go visit someday" list.

After our delicious dinner, we headed to our last country of the evening - France.

If you go to Epcot, you must go to France for dessert. You must.

Most particularly the Boulangerie Patisserie. 

Check out that dessert counter!

We chose the Napolean and Chocolate Eclair.

I had never had a Napolean in my life, but it was so delicious! Layers of vanilla cream pudding with a crispy puff pastry. The chocolate eclair was stuffed with a wonderful chocolate pudding, but the Napolean stole my heart. (And it wasn't even chocolate! Who am I becoming?)

We settled in with our dessert to watch the IllumiNations show, which was fabulous. Think 4th of July X10.

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We came back to Epcot a different morning for the Future World section. There were a few rides that we wanted to do, but we knew we'd have to get there early.


We actually ended up arriving before the park opened. We walked over that morning, and the entrance from the hotels actually snakes in from the back of the park. We got to see Mickey & his crew "officially" open the park!

And then rush along with the masses of people to the main event: Soarin'.

All these people were racing to the same ride! It was a bit chaotic.

If you do one ride at Epcot, you must do Soarin'. You have to get there early though, the Fast Passes will run out. Or you could wait for 2+ hours, which wouldn't be much fun.

It simulates a hang glider tour over California. You are in a seat that raises up, and your feet are dangling in the air. Video plays on a huge screen in front of you and it seems like you're soaring over Lake Tahoe, Napa Valley, even the Golden Gate bridge. You travel through golf courses and orange groves, where you can even smell the oranges. When you're flying over the ocean, it almost seems as if the water will splash you.

It felt so real! We just loved it.


The other big ride we did in Epcot was Test Track.

It takes you through a simulation of testing procedures that are used by General Motors to ensure that vehicles are safe. Anti-lock braking, hill climbs, suspension tests, and a high speed turn are all parts of the ride. It was fun, but probably more "thrilling" for little kids.

That was all that was super-exciting in the Future World. Personally, I had a lot more fun touring the World Showcase, but I think my Business Man (and young people) would enjoy Future World the most.

Au revoir! 




Other Disney World reviews:

• Magic Kingdom