Epcot

Amusement park in the United States
Epcot
Location
Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA
Status Operating
Opened October 1, 1982
Owner The Walt Disney Company
Operator Disney Parks, Experiences and Products
General manager Melissa Valiquette (vice-president)
Operating season Year-round
Previous names EPCOT Center, Epcot 94', Epcot 95'
Area 305 acres (123 ha)

Epcot is one of four theme parks located within Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, USA. The name is an acronym for "Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow". The park was originally a planned city of the future as visioned at Walt Disney. However, the project was cancelled after Walt's death in December 1966 as Disney thought that it would be impossible to run a city without his guidance. In the early 70's, after Magic Kingdom opened, Disney was planning to turn Walt's dream into a second park for Walt Disney World. The park opened as EPCOT Center on October 1, 1982. In the mid-90's the name was changed to "Epcot". The park is currently the 4th most visited theme park in North America, and the 7th most visited theme park in the world.

Attractions

Roller Coasters

Name Location Manufacturer Type Opened Status
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind World Discovery Vekoma Enclosed
Spinning
May 27, 2022 Operating

Attractions

Name Location Manufacturer Type Opened Status
American Adventure
The American Adventure - World Showcase
WED Enterprises Theater October 1, 1982 Operating
Canada: Far & Wide
Formally O Canada!
Canada - World Showcase
WED Enterprises Circle Vision 360° January 17, 2020 Operating
Frozen Ever After
Formally Maelstrom
Norway - World Showcase
Intamin Reversing Log Flume Dark Ride June 21, 2016
July 5, 1988 - October 5, 2014
Operating
Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros
Formally El Rio Del Tiempo
Mexico - World Showcase
Unknown Boat Canal April 6, 2007
October 1982 - January 2, 2007
Operating
ImageWorks: The What If Labs Imagination - World Celebration WED Enterprises Interactive Exhibit October 1, 1982 Operating
Journey Into Imagination With Figment
Formally Journey Into YOUR Imagination
Imagination - World Celebration Unknown Dark Ride March 5, 1983 - October 10, 1998 & June 2, 2002 -
October 1, 1999 - October 8, 2001
Operating
Journey Of Water, Inspired by Moanna World Nature Unknown Interactive walk through garden 2021 Under construction
Living With The Land The Land - World Nature WED Enterprises Hybrid dark ride/greenhouse tour October 1, 1982 Operating
Mission: Space World Discovery Unknown Simulator August 15, 2003 Operating
Reflections Of China
Formally The Wonders Of China
China - World Showcase
WED Enterprises Circle Vision 360° May 22, 2003
October 1, 1982 - March 25, 2003
Operating
Remy's Ratatouille Adventure
France - World Showcase
Unknown Trackless Dark Ride June 2020 Under construction
Soarin' Around The World
Formally Soarin' Over California
The Land - World Nature Dynamic Structures Flying Theatre June 17, 2016
February 8, 2001 - June 15, 2016
Operating
Spaceship Earth World Celebration Unknown Omnimover October 1, 1982 Operating
Test Track World Discovery Dynamic Structures Slot Car March 17, 1999 - April 15, 2012 & December 6, 2012 - Operating
The Seas With Nemo & Friends The Seas - World Nature Montgommery Watson Omnimover January 4, 2007 Operating
Turtle Talk With Crush The Seas - World Nature Unknown Interactive Theatre November 16, 2004 Operating

Epcot Areas

World Celebration

Summary

Name Theme Designer Opened Status Sponser
Spaceship Earth Remembering the past, Looking to the future Walt Disney Imagineering October 1, 1982 Operating
Bell System (1982-1984) AT&T (1984-2004) Siemens (2005-2017)
Imagination Pavilion Underwater exploration base WED Enterprises October 1, 1982 Operating
Kodak (1982-2010)
World Celebration (Festival) Pavilion Walt Disney Imagineering 2021 Under construction


SpaceShip Earth

Spaceship Earth is a geodesic sphere that serves as the symbolic structure of Epcot, a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. It is also the name of the dark ride attraction that is housed within the sphere that takes guests on a time machine-themed experience.

The 15-minute dark ride demonstrates to guests how advancements in human communication have helped to create the future one step at a time. Passengers journey back in time to witness the origins of prehistoric man, then travel forward in time to witness important breakthroughs in communication throughout history—from the invention of the alphabet to the creation of the printing press to today's modern communication advancements, including telecommunication and mass communication. At the conclusion of the ride, passengers have the chance to design their own future using touch screens that are embedded into the ride cars

Imagination Pavilion

Imagination! (formerly The Journey Into Imagination) is a pavilion on the western side of Future World at Epcot, a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. Kodak was the former title sponsor of the pavilion.

Imagination! is located in Future World West, which is planned to be re-designated World Celebration.

Attractions

  • Journey Into Imagination With Figment
  • ImageWorks: The What If Labs

Shops

  • ImageWorks

Festival Pavilion

World Nature

Summary

Name Theme Designer Opened Status Sponser
The Land Human interaction with the Earth WED Enterprises October 1, 1982 Operating
Kraft 1982-1993 Nestle 1993-2009
The Seas Underwater exploration base Walt Disney Imagineering June 15, 1986 Operating
Journey Of Water, Inspired by Moanna Moanna Walt Disney Imagineering 2021 Under construction

The Land Pavilion

The Land is a pavilion that sits on the western side of Future World at Epcot, a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. The pavilion is dedicated to human interaction with the Earth, focusing on agriculture and travel. It opened on October 1, 1982, as part of the Phase I features for the grand opening of what was then known as EPCOT Center. "The Land" dedicated to human interaction with the land itself. It explores how humans can both use the land for their benefit, and how they can also destroy it. Future Technology in better preserving the land is also explored in the pavilion, along with a focus on the celebration of the land itself. The Land is located in Future World West, which is planned to be re-designated World Nature.

Attractions

  • Soarin' Around The World
  • Living With The Land

Food

  • Garden Grill Restaurant (Sit Down)
  • Sunshine Seasons (Quick Service)
  • The Land Cart (Cart)

Meet & Greets

  • Mickey Mouse (Garden Grill Restaurant)
  • Pluto (Garden Grill Restaurant)
  • Chip (Garden Grill Restaurant)
  • Dale (Garden Grill Restaurant)

The Seas Pavilion

The Seas with Nemo & Friends (formerly The Living Seas) is an aquarium and attached dark ride attraction located on the western side of Future World at Epcot, a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. The pavilion is themed as an underwater exploration base called SeaBase Alpha, with several exhibits devoted to oceanic study. The pavilion opened in 1986, but had been planned as part of the park since its opening in 1982.

The Seas with Nemo & Friends is located in Future World West, which is planned to be re-designated World Nature.

Attractions

  • The Seas With Nemo & Friends
  • Turtle Talk With Crush

Dining

  • Coral Reef Resturant

Shop

  • Gift Shop

Journey Of Water, Inspired by Moanna

Journey of Water Inspired by Moana is an upcoming walkthrough Epcot attraction inspired by the animated film, Moana.

It is planned to open in 2021 as an interactive walk through garden.

Summary - Journey of Water is a garden featuring interactive fountains and other water features leading from the current Innoventions plaza (replacing much of Innoventions west) down to The Seas with Nemo & Friends. Anchored by a massive topiary of Tefiti, Journey of Water serves as whimsical exploration of the water cycle and how it sustains our world.

World Discovery

Summary

Name Theme Designer Opened Status Sponser
Test Track Automobile engineering Walt Disney Imagineering March 17, 1999 - April 15, 2012 & December 6, 2012 Operating Chevrolet
Mission: Space Mission to Mars / Mission around the Earth Walt Disney Imagineering August 15, 2003 Operating
Hewlett Packard (2003-2015)
Journey Of Water, Inspired by Moana Moana Walt Disney Imagineering 2021 Under construction

Test Track

Test Track is a high-speed slot car dark ride on the eastern side of Future World at Epcot, a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. The ride is a simulated excursion through the rigorous testing procedures that General Motors uses to evaluate its concept cars, culminating in a high-speed drive around the exterior of the attraction.

The attraction soft-opened to the public on December 19, 1998, after a long delay due to problems revealed during testing and to changes in design. As a result, the attraction officially opened on March 17, 1999. Test Track replaced the World of Motion ride.

Originally, guests rode in "test vehicles" in a GM "testing facility" through a series of assessments to illustrate how automobile prototype evaluations were conducted. The highlight of the attraction is a speed trial on a track around the exterior of the building at a top speed of 64.9 miles per hour (104.4 km/h) making it the fastest Disney theme park attraction ever built.

Test Track closed for refurbishment on April 15, 2012, and re-opened on December 6, 2012. It is now sponsored by the Chevrolet brand instead of General Motors as a whole. Guests now design their own car in the Chevrolet Design Studio. Then they board a "Sim-Car" and are taken through the "digital" testing ground of the "SimTrack". Throughout the ride, guests see how their designs performed in each test. After the ride, guests can see how their car did overall, film a commercial, race their designs, and have a picture taken with their own virtually designed vehicle with a chosen backdrop in the background.

Test Track is located in Future World East, which is planned to be re-designated World Discovery. It is also the fastest ride at Walt Disney World, going 8 mph fastest than it's closest competitor.

Mission: Space

Mission: Space is a space-themed pavilion and attached centrifugal motion simulator attraction located on the eastern side of Future World at Epcot, a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. The attraction simulates what an astronaut might experience aboard a spacecraft on a mission to Mars, from the higher g-force of liftoff to the speculative hypersleep. The pavilion includes a gift shop titled Mission Space: Cargo Bay, an interactive children's play area called the Advanced Training Lab, and an upcoming restaurant titled Space 220.

Mission: SPACE is located in Future World East, which is planned to be re-designated World Discovery.

Attractions

  • Mission Space: Green Mission
  • Mission Space: Orange Mission

Food

  • Space 220

Shop

  • Mission Space: Cargo Bay

Play Area

  • Advanced Training Lab

Guardians Of The Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is an upcoming enclosed roller coaster attraction under construction at Epcot. It will be manufactured by Vekoma. Based on the Marvel Studios film Guardians of the Galaxy, it will be the first attraction at Walt Disney World based on a Marvel Comics property. It will replace the Universe of Energy attraction, which closed on August 13, 2017.

Play Pavilion

Play! is a pavilion scheduled to open at Epcot in Summer 2021. It will be built in the former Wonders of Life pavilion and will be themed like an interactive city in which guests will be able to interact with their favorite Disney characters

Rumored Areas

  • Animation Academy (Guests will learn how to draw Disney characters under the direction of Edna Mode)
  • Hotel Heist (An interactive game hosted by Nick and Judy from Zootopia)
  • Arcade

Rumored Meet & Greets

  • Wreck-It-Ralph
  • Vanellope
  • Joy
  • Sadness
  • Baymax

World Showcase

Summary

Name Opened Status Theme Sponser
Mexico
October 1, 1982 Operating Mexican Village • Chichen Itza
Norway
June 3, 1988 Operating Norweigian Village
China
October 1, 1982 Operating Ancient Chinese City
Germany
October 1, 1982 Operating German Village Werther's Original
Italy
October 1, 1982 Operating Venice
The American Adventure
October 1, 1982 Operating Colonial American Town
Japan
October 1, 1982 Operating Horyu-ji TempleImperial PalaceHimeji CastleItsukushima Shrine Mitsukoshi
Morocco
September 7, 1984 Operating Moroccan Village Kingdom Of Morocco
France
October 1, 1982 Operating Paris
United Kingdom
October 1, 1982 Operating English Village Bass Brewery
Canada
October 1, 1982 Operating Canadian Countryside

Mexico

The Mexico Pavilion is a Mexican-themed pavilion that is part of the World Showcase, within Epcot at the Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, USA. Its location is next to the Norway pavilion.

Attractions

  • The Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros

Food

  • San Angel Inn (Sit Down)
  • La Hacienda de San Angel (Sit Down)
  • Cantina de San Ángel (Quick Service)
  • La Cava del Tequila (Bar)
  • Choza de Margarita (Bar)

Shops

  • Plaza de Los Amigos

Gallery

  • Mexican Folk Art Gallery

Meet & Greets

  • Donald Duck

Norway

The Norway Pavilion is a Norwegian-themed pavilion that is part of the World Showcase, within Epcot at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, United States. Its location is between the Mexican and Chinese pavilions.

Attractions

  • Frozen Ever After
  • Anna & Elsa's Royal Sommerhus

Food

  • Akershus Royal Banquet Hall (Disney Princess Character Dining) [Sit Down]
  • Kringla Bakeri og Kafe (Quick Service)

Shops

  • The Puffin's Roost
  • The Wandering Reindeer

Gallery

  • Stave Church Gallery (An exhibit on Norwegian culture and Norse mythology)

Meet & Greets

  • Anna (Royal Sommerhus)
  • Elsa (Royal Sommerhus)
  • Ariel (Akershus Royal Banquet Hall) [Not Always Guaranteed]
  • Aurora (Akershus Royal Banquet Hall) [Not Always Guaranteed]
  • Belle (Akershus Royal Banquet Hall) [Not Always Guaranteed]
  • Cinderella (Akershus Royal Banquet Hall) [Not Always Guaranteed]
  • Jasmine (Akershus Royal Banquet Hall) [Not Always Guaranteed]
  • Mulan (Akershus Royal Banquet Hall) [Not Always Guaranteed]
  • Mary Poppins (Akershus Royal Banquet Hall) [Not Always Guaranteed]
  • Snow White (Akershus Royal Banquet Hall) [Not Always Guaranteed]

China

The China Pavilion is a Chinese-themed pavilion that is part of the World Showcase within Epcot at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, United States. Its location is between the Norwegian and German pavilions.

Attractions

  • Reflections Of China

Food

  • Nine Dragons Resturant (Sit Down)
  • Lotus Blossom Cafe (Quick Service)

Shops

  • Good Fortune Gifts
  • House of Good Fortune

Live Entertainment

  • Dragon Legend Acrobats hA team of young acrobats who perform feats in the outdoor courtyard)

Meet & Greets

  • Mulan
  • Mushu
  • Captain Li Shang

Germany

The Germany Pavilion is a German-themed pavilion that is part of the World Showcase, within Epcot at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, United States. Its location is between the Chinese and Italian pavilions.

Food

  • Biergarten Resturant (Sit Down)
  • Sommerfest (Quick Service)

Shops

  • Das Kaufhaus
  • Der Teddybär
  • Die Weihnachtsecke
  • Karamell-Küche
  • Volkskunst
  • Weinkeller

Meet & Greets

  • Snow White

Italy

The Italy Pavilion is an Italian-themed pavilion that is part of the World Showcase, within Epcot at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, United States. Its location is between the German pavilion and The American Adventure.

Food

  • Tutto Italia Ristorante's (Sit Down)
  • Via Napoli Pizzeria e Ristorante's (Sit Down & Quick Service Window)
  • Tutto Gusto (Wine Bar)

Shops

  • Il Bel Cristallo
  • La Bottega Italiana
  • Enoteca Castello
  • La Gemma Elegante

Live Entertainment

  • Sergio (A comedic juggler)
  • Sbandieratori di Sansepolcro (a flag throwing show performed by authentic artists from Sansepolcro, Italy)

Meet & Greets

  • Pinocchio

American Adventure

The American Adventure is the host pavilion of the World Showcase within Epcot at Walt Disney World in Bay Lake, Florida, United States. It is also the name of the Colonial American-themed pavilion's main attraction, an Audio-Animatronics stage show of American history. It is located between the Italian and Japanese pavilions.

Attractions

  • The American Adventure

Food

  • Regal Eagle Smokehouse (Quick Service)

Gallery

  • American Heritage Gallery

Japan

The Japan Pavilion is a Japanese-themed pavilion that is part of the World Showcase, within Epcot at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, United States. Its location is between The American Adventure and Morocco Pavilions.

Food

  • Teppan Edo (Sit Down)
  • Tokyo Dinning (Sit Down)
  • Takumi Tei (Sit Down)
  • Katsura Grill (Quick Service)
  • Kabuki Cafe (Quick Service)
  • Garden House (Sake Bar)

Shops

  • Mitsukoshi

Live Entertainment

  • Matsuriza (A traditional Taiko drummers and a Japanese Storytellers)

Gallery

  • Bijutsu-kan Gallery

Morocco

The Morocco Pavilion is a Moroccan-themed pavilion that is part of the World Showcase, within Epcot at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, United States. It was the first expansion pavilion to be added to World Showcase, opening on September 7, 1984.

Food

  • Restaurant Marrakesh (Sit Down)
  • Spice Road Table (Sit Down)
  • Tangierine Cafe (Quick Service)

Shops

  • Tangier Trades
  • Brass Baazar
  • Outdoor Baazar
  • Medina Arts
  • Casablanca Carpets
  • Souk-Al-Magreb

Gallery

  • Gallery Of Arts & History

Meet & Greets

  • Aladdin
  • Jasmine

France

The France Pavilion is a French-themed pavilion that is part of the World Showcase within Epcot at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, United States. Its location is between the Moroccan and UK pavilions.

Attractions

  • Remy's Ratatouille Adventure
  • Impressions de France
  • Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along

Food

  • Monsieur Paul (Sit Down)
  • Les Creperie de France (Sit Down & Quick Service Window)
  • Les Chefs de France (Quick Service)
  • Boulangerie Pâtisserie des Halles (Quick Service)

Shops

  • Souvenirs de France
  • La Signature
  • Le Vins de France
  • Plume et Palette

Meet & Greets

  • Belle
  • Aurora

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom Pavilion is a British-themed pavilion that is part of the World Showcase, within Epcot at Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida, United States. The pavilion represents the four countries of the United Kingdom; England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Its location is between the French and Canadian pavilions.

Attractions

  • Unknown Mary Poppins Attraction

Food

  • Rose & Crown Pub & Dining Room (Sit Down)
  • Yorkshire County Fish Shop (Quick Service)

Shops

  • The Toy Soldier
  • The Crown and Crest
  • HRC
  • Sportsman's Shoppe
  • The Tea Caddy
  • The UK Cart

Live Entertainment

  • British Revolution (A band playing British rock music from the 1960s through 1990s)
  • The Hat Lady (The piano player in the Rose & Crown)

Meet & Greets

  • Mary Poppins
  • Alice

Canada

The Canada Pavilion is a Canadian-themed pavilion that is part of World Showcase within Epcot at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, United States. Its location is next to the United Kingdom pavilion.

Attractions

  • Canada: Far & Wide

Food

  • Le Cellier Steakhouse (Sit Down)
  • Popcorn Cart (Cart)

Shops

  • Northwest Mercantile
  • The Wood Cart

Live Entertainment

  • Canadian Holiday Voyagers
  • Alberta Bound (A performance of Canadian country, folk and popular music)

External links

  • Epcot on the Roller Coaster DataBase.


Amusement parks operated by Disney