Estimated reading time: 12 minutes
Here is my follow up to the blog post about my trip to Downtown Orlando. My Dad and I chose EPCOT because my Dad wanted to ride Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. EPCOT is my favorite Disney Park because it played a huge role in my interest in geography and travel. Keep reading to learn about my ranking of the World Showcase Pavilions.
Table of contents
Future World
Obviously, when you first arrive at EPCOT, you enter through Future World (now known as World Celebration, World Discovery, and World Nature). From my last trip to Disney World, I came to the conclusion that most of the rides in this section of the park are pretty boring. Still, I rode on Test Track, watched a couple of animated shorts at the Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival, and tried some sodas from around the world at Club Cool. My father and sister enjoyed Cosmic Rewind, but told me to give a warning about long lines.
World Showcase
But let’s turn now to the true focus of this blog post-the World Showcase. I recommend exploring the World Showcase when EPCOT opens to beat the afternoon crowds.
Morocco Pavilion
Morocco turned out to be my favorite pavilion with its impressive detail and lots of twists and turns that I enjoyed exploring. It made me seriously consider putting Morocco on my bucket list.
If you want to cool off in the middle of a hot Florida afternoon, I recommend Spice Road Table, as the covered patio is freezing and has hurricane force winds constantly blowing. I tried the Chicken Bastilla, a bizarre dish which is essentially a savory baklava (including an omelet that’s not mentioned) that is covered in powdered sugar.
China Pavilion
China came in as my second favorite pavilion. Although the 360-degree movie showed its age, I loved seeing the amount of detail in the Temple of Heaven replica.
Canada Pavilion
Canada comes in 3rd place; I really enjoyed exploring the manufactured nature. There was much of the pavilion that I had no memory of seeing before, so it was fun discovering new things.
For dinner, we ate at Le Cellier, which has amazing steaks and cheddar cheese soup. Our reservation was close to closing time, so we ended up closing the park. Our waitress came from Canada, and we learned from her that international employees are contracted to work at the Disney Parks for a year.
Japan Pavilion
Japan came in as my number 4 favorite pavilion. I have always been interested in Japan so it would always rank high. They have the most food related shopping, which I can appreciate. My sister recommends the sushi.
United Kingdom Pavilion
In No.5 is the United Kingdom Pavilion. I enjoyed wandering around the back courtyard area, which I also had zero memory of seeing before this trip.
The Other Pavilions
The final pavilion rankings are as follows: Mexico, France, Norway & Germany (tied), and Italy. Mexico’s indoor pavilion makes it unique; by contrast, Italy doesn’t have much going for it and it only sold high-end goods. While in France, be prepared to wait in line at Les Halles for good pastries and bread.
The American Adventure pavilion is hard to rank. From a photographic point of view, the pavilion is in last place because it’s only one building. However, The American Adventure attraction makes it one of the top pavilions in EPCOT. After many vacations of passing it by, I finally managed to actually get inside and experience it for myself. It’s a marvel how they managed to fit all the various aminatronics and set pieces on that stage.
Conclusion
I’ve always enjoyed the World Showcase because it’s a fun way to experience different cultures. I experienced different cultures by going through the many different pavilions buying different candies and chips. I also enjoyed focusing less on doing all the rides and attractions and instead allowing myself time to see places I’ve never been to before. So next time you are at EPCOT (or another theme park) consider taking time to look at it from a different perspective-you might like what you see.