Travel to Epcot in 2020 is still magical
Photo Credit: @witytravels on Instagram
We are blessed to live in Florida. We are only a few hours drive away from the Most Magical Place on Earth.
The History
E.P.C.O.T. stands for "Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow" and originally was designed to host residential areas, schools and a transportation system that would connect the community. After Walt Disney died in 1966, EPCOT the theme park came to life and in the 1970s construction began for it the second theme park in Walt Disney World next to the Magic Kingdom. In 1982 the park opened as the EPCOT Center, and in 1994 the park was renamed to Epcot.
The Park
Epcot has two main areas: Future World and World Showcase. Future World hosts Mission: Space which a thrilling motion simulator that recreates a Space Flight and gives you the rush of flying into outer space. Test Track allows you to design a concept car and take it on a test drive. Imagination is so fun! It is a place where fun meets creativity. There is Journey into Imagination with Figment and the Disney-Pixar Short Film Festival.
The Land teaches us about all the incredible goals we can accomplish by mixing technology with our world. This combination leads to innovation that helps grow plants and food. Living with the Land is a boat tour where you cruise past greenhouses and learn about the capabilities of farming. Soarin' Around the World is a flight simulator where you can hang glide over the wonders of the world.
Photo Credit: @witytravels on Instagram
The Seas with Nemo & Friends hosts an Omnimover attraction, Turtle Talk with Crush, and an aquarium. The SeaBase aquarium is an incredible bonus that does not require an additional admission ticket. It has over 4,000 sea creatures including turtles, dolphins, rays, and sharks. There is also Caribbean coral reef.
The Celebration
We all have grandiose plans for our 30th birthday. Some want to rent a yacht. Some want to rent a luxury penthouse. Whatever your plans may have been for a huge celebration in 2020 most likely was altered. We are fortunate enough that Katy's birthday celebration "settled" to being a trip to Walt Disney World.
No birthday celebration at Disney is complete without a birthday pin. Yes, you can get a birthday pin on eBay, but if you can actually make it out to the parks, then you can get one for free! Heck, you can get a pin from guest relations for a first visit, marriage, or even a general celebration.
Wearing your birthday pin around the park (as long as it is visible) almost guarantees to get a "Happy Birthday" greeting from at least one cast member or character. Katy got a "Happy Birthday" from Elsa. How cool is that? Plus you may be able to get a free desert at a restaurant.
We mentioned the highlights of Future World. The other part of Epcot is of course World Showcase. You may not have the funds to travel the world. No worries! Disney World brings to you many of the major world counties all in one place. Countries include Canada, United Kingdom, France, Morocco, Japan, Italy and Mexico. Each section has buildings, food, and ambiance inspired by the country.
The Food
There are also festivals that line up perfectly with Epcot's around the world theme such a "Food and Wine" and "Flower and Garden." We went for the the Food and Wine Festival and had an amazing time eating around the world.
Photo Credit: @witytravels on Instagram
In addition to the pillar world pavilions, there are also smaller pavilions and kiosks. One of them is the African Outpost. We love this one because they offer spices that provide a kick of flavor that may not be present at the other country pavillions. When we went we tried the Spicy Kenyan Vegan Corn and White Beans. They were served with pigeon peas, quinoa, ancient grains medley and kachumbari slaw. Wonderful spices and packed tons of flavor.
To be fair, Morocco also holds it's own. There we tried the Spicy Hummus Fries. These vegan fries are topped with cucumber, tomatoes, onions, tzatziki sauce and chipotle sauce.
We also loved the Earth Eats kiosk that was hosted by Impossible. Impossible first entered my radar when they teamed with Burger King to create the Impossible Whopper. All the deliciousness of the Whopper sandwich with none of the meat. They use heme from the roots of soy plants to mimic the texture and color of ground beef. It really looks like a less than well done cooked burger.
Earth Eats had a Farmhouse Meatball (which looked more like a meatball taco) and a Burger Slider. The Meatball was served on lentil bread, and was topped with spinach, vegetables, and creamy herb dressing. The Burger Slider was served on a sesame seed bun and was topped with wasabi cream and a spicy asian slaw.
The main event of deserts for us is back in the Odyssey Events Pavilion. Here they had Liquid Nitro Chocolate Cake pops! They bring these to life right in front of your eyes. They take the cake pop. They dip it in a soup cooker filled with liquid chocolate. Then they roll it around in toppings such as Twix pieces or M&M's. Then right before they hand it to you they dunk them in Nitrogen. So delicious. But, be warned. They are also freezing cold!
Check out our Epcot video on YouTube:
Thanks for reading our blog! We had an amazing time at Epcot and we hope that you will as well the next time you visit. We are WITY TRAVELS.
What could possibly be next?
Find out by following us on social media.
We are @witytravels on:
Instagram
Twitter
TikTok
SnapChat
Pinterest
Follow us on Facebook @witytravelstheworld
Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and find out more about us at witytravels.com