Epcot: Thrillography's Great Floridian Expedition Trip Report - Part VI

Okay, guys!

I know this is the one that most of you WDW nuts are most interested in! You've waited long enough!

  

Where has the magical Monorail taken us on this day? :}

EPCOT CENTER! 

Behold: an abridged history of mankind housed inside a geodesic sphere. 

First stop: The Land Pavilion!

Brand new Soarin'!

Love the new film. Last time I was here, there was no Soarin' to speak of.

In fact, I have a very limited recollection of this park. I remember the World Showcase and Test Track. That's it. 

So this was really like seeing Future World for the first time! It's beautiful!

Time to fall back in love with Test Track!

All this make-your-own-car stuff is new. I think it's neat. :}

*EXCITED*

Mom, dad, and Erin seem to be having mixed emotions. 

I'm having happy emotions. Mike isn't having any emotions at all. 

Space Ship Earth time. :}

Epcot's signature Onimover dark ride was closed on my visit in 1999 because it maimed someone a few weeks prior.

Having been rehabilitated from its bloodthirsty behavior of 1999, Spaceship Earth is here to entertain guests without the nagging threat of bodily harm.

I really loved the ride. I'd put it right up there with Pirates. 

Nice visuals in the finale.

I can't believe that when Epcot opened it was nothing but Omnimover rides and walk-thru exhibits. Probably not the best idea in retrospect.

The art store has some pretty neat miniatures. :}

Next up is Journey to Imagination with Figment! Like Spaceship Earth, Journey to Imagination was closed during my last visit, only this time for routine maintenance. 

And, like all of the attractions in Future World, Journey Into Imagination has changed quite a bit over the years to help ensure long-term appeal. However, without any real prior understanding of any of these rides, these changes are totally lost on me.

Awww...this is charmingly dated.

Everyone is excited about meeting Figment!

It was quickly apparent to me that Figment is my spirit animal. 

He really has a knack for inciting chaos, but he's just so cute you can't stay mad a him. :}

Love the upside-down room. Classic Disney stuff. 

Every Epcot pavilion opened with a sponsor that would help fund the attraction in exchange for advertising. A majority of Epcot ride sponsorships have ended, for a variety of reasons. Journey Into Imagination had been sponsored by Kodak for almost three decades, but now operates sponsor-less like most attractions here.

The Seas with Nemo and Friends was once sponsored by United Technologies. Now it's sponsored by this dolphin. :}

I love when people on rides are camera ready! x}

After a delightful "clamobile" voyage with Nemo and his friends, the rest of The Seas is yours to explore!

Emma loves the fishies. 

Look at this cuttlefish. Look. 

"Hey Bob! Did you hear about the dolphin who sank that tuna fisherman and his crew? The dolphin said it was an accident, but the fisherman said he did it on porpise. Get it? On porpise!"

"Steve, can you not?"

What amazing colors. :}

Emma found a lot of satisfaction in driving my yellow car around in the Test Track pavilion even though she couldn't see it. 

Test Track is one of few Epcot attractions that has managed to keep a sponsor. Not only does Chevrolet sponsor the attraction, but one of the exhibits is a functioning floor show where you can legit buy yourself a new Chevy. You can even get package pick-up and have it sent to your hotel room.

Test Track (formerly World of Motion) is the only Epcot attraction that has kept its sponsor for its entire existence. General Motors sponsored the pavilion from the time it opened until its closure in 1996, during which the original Omnimover dark ride was replaced with Test Track. GM remained the advertised sponsor until Test Track's major thematic overhaul in 2012, after which GM continued their sponsorship through Chevy.

Here we have Future World pavilion #3 that was closed on my visit. 

Of course, in 1999 there was nothing here to speak of. The cult classic Horizons dark ride had been demolished at the beginning of 1999, and its replacement had yet to take shape. 

To me, Mission Space reads as Epcot's last attempt at an attraction designed to invoke an look into the future (albeit an idealistic one). The original Tomorrowland and (to an even greater extent) the original EPCOT Center were all about the thrilling promise of that which is yet to come. By the time the 90s came around, taking a wild guess at the future had become considerably less appealing to the zeitgeist than retro sci-fi thrills with Disney flair.

Mission: Space is nauseating, uncomfortable, and bewildering. Methinks in a few years it will close for a much-needed atmospheric redevelopment, during which it will exchange its real-world-future impressions for some space fantasy IP. I humbly suggest a WALL•E theme. :}

Here we have Future World's weakest links. On the left is Universe of Energy, a forty-five minute commitment to hearing what Ellen DeGeneres and Bill Nye the Science Guy have to say about renewable energy. On the right we have what's left of the last pavilion to grace Future World (1989's Wonders of Life pavilion), which has been serving a seasonal event space since 2007. 

Epcot's Future World has seen a lot of ups and downs. It's far and away from the original sponsor-laden, world-of-tomorrow concept, but working appropriate Disney brand IP into existing rides (a la The Seas with Nemo and a few more attractions we'll see today) is a smart way to go. Reinvest in old attractions while reinvesting into the brands at the same time.

Now we turn our attention to the main reason we're here: The World Showcase and the 2016 Food and Wine Festival!

Delicious food and booze from around the world await!

The plan was to hit as many pavilions as possible before the rain. I know it doesn't look like rain right now, but it will. 

Starting clockwise, the first pavilions we encounter are Mexico and Norway.

We'll be taking a closer look at these countries in a bit. :}

Who's up for China!?

Pork buns and bubble tea await!

With two resorts located in the Chinese subcontinent, the China pavilion at Epcot is now more significant than ever. There's even a preview center for those curious about Shanghai Disneyland.

I remember a few of the World Showcase pavilions from 1999, this one in particular. 

Amazing meaty chow in Africa!

And now for the pavilion of my favorite country! It's Germany!

I love Christmas trees, sugar, carbohydrates, roller coasters, beer, and men over 6ft. Germany has all of these things and more!

There's also a mini train village!

:>

Germany was supposed to have a Rhine River-themed boat ride, but it was canned along with most of the Phase II stuff for Epcot. The mini train will have to suffice. 

Cannoli time! IAfter having been to Venice for the first time last month, I must say that the Epcot version is much cleaner. :}

A view of Spaceship Earth from the Venetian canals.

The Italy pavilion was also supposed to have a indoor boat ride.  The land set aside for it was eventually used for a restaurant, which is a pretty good consolation if you ask me.

The rain commeth! Good thing we have the Mexico pavilion to hide in. :}

Almost the entire Mexico pavilion is enclosed. It's perfect for rainy times like these!

WDW may not have Blue Bayou for their Pirates ride to wrap around, but the Mexico pavilion has a similar feel. And the boat ride is so cute!

Time for the Gran Fiesta Tour, Starring the Three Caballeros!

(formerly a boat ride about Mexico that lacked any Disney IP)

O

The Gran Fiesta Tour is basically "it's a mexican world after all" and I am living for it.

This delightful ride makes me extra mad that Epcot's other planned boat rides did not come to fruition. x}

Other rides have hidden Mickeys. This ride has a hidden Donald. :}

Such a fun ride! Emma demanded we rode twice. No complaints here.

So the rest of the day ended up being a washout, but the good news is our Frozen Ever After FastPasses were now good anytime through the end of the month!

While Erin was waiting in line at Guest Services to inquire about the FastPasses, I took some Spaceship Earth pictures.

Needed a new laptop background.

Lightning struck behind the orb and illuminated the sky. :}

Goodnight Epcot <3

Tomorrow is our busiest day yet! We'll be getting to Magic Kingdom at rope drop and staying for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party!

Celebrate Halloween with Thrillography! It's gonna be spooky! x}