What is the draw of Epcot?

[Tink#64]

Epcot is my favorite park! A family of four, my boys have enjoyed Epcot since they were 4 & 6! Now as teens, they ask as soon as we arrive in WDW which days we'll be in Epcot! This is also the favored park of my 36 year old brother (he visited the year it opened!) & my 70 year old mother!

There's just so much to experience here, we always split it up into two days, one day park opening arrival for the Future World Section, staying until about 2 - 3 pm & a seperate day with a mid afternoon arrival staying for the nightime spectacular - "IllumiNations: A Reflection Of Earth" culmination at 9 PM, which, btw, is my absolute WDW night time event! We enjoy all of FW, with Test Track & Soarin as our fav's, but just have to throw in there "Journey Into Your Imagination With Figment" - silly but still fun to us! And every single visit to Epcot - we HAVE to stop in at Club Cool for taste testing all those soda's from various countries! The watermelon beverage from China is my fav! Be sure to try Beverly! I love all of the grounds of Epcot, the landscaping, the topiaries are just awesome, the music, the performers - The Jammitors are so cool! If you don't know what they are - do a search - just fun!

Our second Epcot day is all about The WS, wow what a great relaxing day, but the sights & sounds are just so very cool! We thoroughly enjoy shopping, snacking & drinking our way "Around The World"! I think this is one of everyone's favorite Disney days for sure! Visiting all the various countries' pavillions & talking with the cast members that work there - all of whom are from that country, wow - always so interesting & neat! There's too much to do it all in one day so every trip we pick a different show that we've not seen, but we always have to ride the boat rides in Mexico & The Maelstrom in Norway is fun, fun! After we've made our way around the lagoon & seen "The World" we pick our spot for the nightime fireworks show over the lagoon. But this is no run of the mill fireworks display, this is AWESOME! What a show! And the music score - wow! I have one part of the score as my ringtone on my cell phone!

I had not even planned to visit Epcot during our first visit when my boys were only 4 & 6, (I thought the kids would be bored!) but my husband & 6 yr old insisted that they wanted to go & I'm so glad that i listened to them!It's hard to put into words the unique magic of Epcot, the unique atmosphere & design, educational & fun at the same time all mixed into a lushly landscaped park, Epcot is definitely enjoyed by all in our family!

[texas211]

Don't forget about Living w/ the Land and Spaceship earth..

I have to admit, the science is kinda lost w/o some of the old pavilions or attractions (horizons, cranium command, old Journey, World of Motion) so its not really the science motif. But for me, its the nostalgia of what it was, with a few new'ish fun rides (TT and Soarin) and as an adult I enjoy the World Showcase more (Mex, Norway, Japan, Germany and America) being our favorites.

SO its an acquired taste like Scotch or Cigars. BUt like those, something to be appreciated for what it is.

[lawgirl]

I think it totally depends on your personality and interests! Epcot has always been our favorite park, but we've always been really interested in science, learning, and international studies. And my undergrad is in History and Art History, so I love SSE...it's my favorite ride in all of WDW. I could ride it 15 times and not get tired of it! My mom grew up on a farm, so we all love The Land pavillion, and my dad grew up scuba diving, so he love The Living Seas. I also love the background on all the different countries, and we LOVE the food. To us there is nothing better than strolling around the world at dusk, sampling different foods and wine, and learning something!

But, it's definitely a personal thing. If you don't like it, then don't waste time there! You gotta do what you love

[azcavalier]

I suspect for some who love Epcot it's more that they love what Epcot used to be as much as it is they love what's there now.

I enjoy the overall atmosphere of Epcot more than any other park ... even MK. For some reason the landscaping, the architecture, the background music, the fountains ... it all comes together for me. I honestly could spend an entire trip just wandering around Epcot, people watching, and soaking up the atmosphere and that would be enough for me.

But the truth is, from an attractions standpoint, it's really gone downhill. Future World is a bare shadow of what it once was and WS has never really had that many attractions to begin with. Although I personally love Impressions De France, American Adventure, and any time spent in the post-show area of the Maelstrom shopping in the Helly Hansen store.

Epcot has certainly become my favorite park, and I don't know if I can put my finger on why it is. It's not what it once was....as it really hasn't changed much since we started coming to WDW ten years ago. All of those nostalgic rides, such as Horizons, Dreamfinder, etc, were already gone. I love it for what it currently is. SSE and Soarin' are some of my favorite attractions in all of WDW. But it's not the attractions, per se, it's just everything about the park. I love the soundtrack to Future World. I love the architecture of both parts of the park. I love all of the WS pavilions, and the culinary options. The performers in the WS are also great. Epcot just speaks to me, individually.

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

Personally I love Epcot. My favorite part is WS...it has great food, unique shopping and is like a permanent world's fair. I really love the atmosphere, to me the pace at every other land in Disney is so fast like you are trying to run from ride to ride but in WS its more about relaxing and soaking up the culture.

[Lizzie]

I have seen illuminations. Though I think this I have had the hardest time finding a good spot to watch this show.

[2Epcot]

It's a matter of personal taste, I think. I could happily spend days in World Showcase. I love sampling the food and drink, and spending time catching the vibe of each country, people-watching, taking in the shows and performance events in each country. I also love Future World, even just walking around and taking it all in. If you don't get the appeal and you're more attraction-oriented, that's cool. Some of us love different things.

EPCOT is totally a required taste! If you're not into the whole learning/science part of Disney, and the countries aren't up you're alley, then this is definitely not the park for you. I'm a nerd, and therefore EPCOT is my favorite park, but many people could take it or leave it!

I suspect for some who love Epcot it's more that they love what Epcot used to be as much as it is they love what's there now.

I enjoy the overall atmosphere of Epcot more than any other park ... even MK. For some reason the landscaping, the architecture, the background music, the fountains ... it all comes together for me. I honestly could spend an entire trip just wandering around Epcot, people watching, and soaking up the atmosphere and that would be enough for me.

But the truth is, from an attractions standpoint, it's really gone downhill. Future World is a bare shadow of what it once was and WS has never really had that many attractions to begin with.

I agree with all these statements. Epcot has been my favorite park since we first went in 1985. Though as Ian said, so much has changed since then.

Epcot is always a two day park for us, on every trip. For those who are only into rides, I can see how Epcot could be boring, but Epcot has always been so much more for us.

Epcot is still my favorite WDW park ... Probably the main thing that keeps me coming back to FL, Other wise, I'd just enjoy the Disneyland Resort.

[Tygger7]

Best relaxing spot for Illuminations: Rose & Crown. Book dinner (right at the 180 day mark) for 7:30pm or later. If you don't get seated outside, they still have a private area where you can stand. It's one of our favorite places to eat.

For us, it's just the whole, overall "vibe" of Epcot that we love. We end up eating most of our meals there, and it's just very relaxing. I could spend the whole day and never get on one ride and be perfectly content. We love WS and especially the performers at each country. Epcot also seems to handle the crowds the best of all the parks...no idea why, but it does. Been going since 1983 and while I miss some of the old attractions, I still have a deep love of current Epcot.

[puck292]

1. Food 2. Soarin. 3. TestTrack....my family's favorite park!