Episode 32
Epcot Experiences: A Comprehensive Grading of Attractions
In this podcast episode, we meticulously assign letter grades to the various rides and attractions at Epcot Center, thereby providing listeners with a comprehensive evaluation of this esteemed theme park. Epcot, which first opened its doors in 1982, was initially perceived as less appealing to younger audiences, characterized by its educational rides focused on energy and transportation. However, we explore the evolution of Epcot, noting the introduction of more engaging attractions that cater to both adults and families, such as the World Showcase and numerous culinary festivals. Throughout our discussion, we reflect on our personal experiences and preferences, elucidating which attractions resonate most deeply with us and why. Join us as we navigate through Epcot's offerings, sharing insights that may inform your future visits to this iconic destination.
Takeaways:
- The podcast discusses the grading system for attractions at Epcot, emphasizing a detailed analysis of each ride.
- Listeners are informed about the historical context of Epcot and its evolution since opening in 1982.
- The conversation highlights the differences in attractions between Epcot and other parks, such as Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios.
- The hosts express their personal preferences regarding Epcot attractions, revealing varied opinions on their experiences.
- An important focus is placed on the adult-oriented experiences available at Epcot, including food and beverage offerings.
- The podcast concludes with a call for listener engagement, inviting feedback and suggestions for future episodes.
Transcript
Foreigns and Wishes podcast.
Speaker A:Tony Desiri alongside Lauren Mallard from All the Magic Travel and Last podcast.
Speaker A:We gave letter grades to the rides and attractions at the Magic Kingdom, and we are continuing to do that as schools are starting to open up around the country.
Speaker A: y World complex opening up in: Speaker A:And as Lauren and I have talked about a number of times, if you go back in the history of center, it wasn't really the most desirable place for young people back in the early 80s.
Speaker A:A lot of educational rides and sort of teaching people about energy and transportation.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And they've gone a little bit away from that now.
Speaker A:Some of the better attractions can be located at Epcot, as well as adult experiences such as seeing the World Showcase and participating in some of the beverages at the World Showcase, as well as food, a lot of other festivals that go on there as well.
Speaker A:So we thought we would go back and do the same thing, letter grades for the rides and attraction at Epcot.
Speaker A:Before we do that, if you were going.
Speaker A:If you couldn't go to Magic Kingdom, where is Epcot on your tier of parks?
Speaker A:Of the four?
Speaker B:That's interesting.
Speaker B:Even taking my kids out of it, I still think that it's going to be third or fourth on my list.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I'm not a huge Epcot fan.
Speaker B:I love to eat at Epcot, but aside from that, there are no attractions that I just are like, must dos for me.
Speaker A:It's funny because a few years ago I would have.
Speaker A:I. Pepcot was number two for me.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker A:But I think you and I, when talking about when we were given our primers for the parks.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:When we talked about Hollywood Studios and we were saying, pound for pound, that's the best park for the better attractions at the park.
Speaker A:Not necessarily nostalgic attractions, but pound for pound, some of the better attractions in the Walt Disney World complex are at located Hollywood Studios.
Speaker A:Epcot's fallen down to three for me.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And I think, honestly, with the size of Epcot, too, it's just so overwhelming.
Speaker B:If it's hot or if it's raining, there's just not a lot of respite from the weather.
Speaker B:And so thinking about being there all day and having to conquer that park, it's just.
Speaker B:It doesn't excite me a lot.
Speaker B:I do love Epcot.
Speaker B:That being said, it doesn't excite me as much as the other parks.
Speaker A:When we were there last year we got through some pixie dust magic.
Speaker A:We got some VIP seating for the fireworks right outside of Italy, right that little right up by the water, right outside the Italy pavilion.
Speaker A:But it was at the end of the night, so the fireworks are going off and blah, blah.
Speaker A:And we had parked in the lot.
Speaker A:And when you're there and you've had a long day at Epcot and you're thinking about that walk, I gotta get there and the ball looks small and you're so far away, the magnitude of how big that park is does hit you like at the night.
Speaker A:If you're caught on the far end and you're parked in the regular lot, you're not going to the resort, you're not catching the back entrance.
Speaker A:It is a daunting task when you feed a burning.
Speaker A: oned earlier, I went there in: Speaker A:And I remember my brother and I were excited.
Speaker A:But then we, there was nothing there, There was nothing to thrill us.
Speaker A:We were young kids, we liked roller coasters, we like fast rides, we liked excitement, a lot of education.
Speaker A:But they really changed it around.
Speaker A:Now some really, really cool rides are at Epcot Center.
Speaker A:We're going to start though with the classic.
Speaker A:So let's get this one out of the way.
Speaker A:This is the first thing people gravitate towards, even though I advise them never to do it, is Spaceship Earth.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:On this I gave it a B minus.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker A:And I know you and I have criticized this before because it needs an update.
Speaker B:It does, yeah.
Speaker B:You know, I think I would probably agree with that.
Speaker B:I actually was going to go down a little bit further to a C for this one.
Speaker B:You know, I don't hate this, this storyline and going through it and I don't hate the fact that they haven't updated that part of it necessarily.
Speaker B:But the ride vehicle itself, the, the just the, the, the motion of it just needs to be updated and we need to feel that move maybe a little bit faster so that you can kind of just enjoy the attraction.
Speaker A:When we talk about a slow moving dark ride, we are slow moving.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:And granted, I know it's going up to eventually come back down, but it is a very slow moving ride.
Speaker A:And like anything else, when you're talking history, when you're giving a history lesson, history comes faster than you think.
Speaker A:And so this is an attraction that talks about communication.
Speaker A:If you've never been on it, it's a educational ride and it does the early how the Alphabet was made, how papyrus was used to write down history.
Speaker A:But then in a blink of an eye, it just skips over Computers.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And then one day, we're all on computers, and then that's the end of the ride.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:And even those computers, we haven't gotten past the big, giant Cub computer.
Speaker A:Exactly.
Speaker B:That is now the future of the world.
Speaker B:And so, you know, we.
Speaker B:We need to.
Speaker B:We need to come on into the 21st century.
Speaker A:So, like, Carousel of Progress.
Speaker A:You can't just say, and here we are, because we're not there.
Speaker A:Like, what they're showing is not.
Speaker A:That's.
Speaker A:That's close to 40 years, over 40 years ago.
Speaker A:Nevertheless, it has some of the best animatronics in the park because of the different historical aspects of it.
Speaker A:I mean, you're getting Michelangelo painting on the ceiling.
Speaker A:There's some really, really cool animatronics in it.
Speaker A:But it is to relax, get some inside to say, you did the ball.
Speaker A:Yeah, that's pretty much it.
Speaker B:I think the most common misconception for people that do no research before they go is they think that's going to be a roller coaster.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:Really cool ride.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:And in that regard, they're really disappointed, I think.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker A:Let's go to Mission Space.
Speaker A:I. I always said, and I think you and I talked about this before, anytime a ride goes out, all of a sudden people are screaming.
Speaker A:I used to like that.
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker A:This.
Speaker A:This.
Speaker A:This is Mission Space.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And to be Horizons.
Speaker A:And people loved Horizons.
Speaker A:You can see people in shirts in the park.
Speaker A:There's a fan club.
Speaker A:They've did.
Speaker A:It was like a website dedicated to good old Horizons.
Speaker A:So back.
Speaker A:Back 20 years ago, they created a ride that simulates taking off.
Speaker A:There's a green version, an orange version.
Speaker A:I gave it A C. When 20 years ago, I gave it an A. I would have given it an A.
Speaker B:Really?
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:I can't do this ride now.
Speaker B:You know, I think it's funny.
Speaker B:I think there was a point in time that Chris liked this ride.
Speaker B:Also.
Speaker B:I have to give it an N A, because I will not ride it, nor could I ever write it.
Speaker B:But that being said, I think if I were to ever write it, I would give it a big fat F. Yeah, probably.
Speaker A:It's.
Speaker A:It affects me now, as I'm older, more than it did.
Speaker A:I mean, I can remember riding it with Chris when he was younger, like five or six times.
Speaker A:I mean, the feeling of launch is still really cool.
Speaker A:Like, it's just an explosive feeling.
Speaker A:The weightlessness.
Speaker A:If you're on the orange is great.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:But here's where it gets tricky.
Speaker A:If anybody gets off that ride and goes, wow, I wonder how they did that.
Speaker A:Don't do the research on it because you may not want to ride it again.
Speaker A:No.
Speaker A:They're putting you in a capsule and spitting it.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:You know, have you seen those memes that have.
Speaker B:They go around from time to time about how, you know, we have to question our parents for what they did to us when we were kids.
Speaker B:And it's got pictures of the kids that are crawling the walls in the centrifuge at the fair.
Speaker B:And essentially that's what this is.
Speaker B:And I rode the centrifuge one time, and that can't do that again.
Speaker A:That's.
Speaker A:That's enough.
Speaker A:All right, let's go to Soren.
Speaker A:I think this gets an A from.
Speaker A:From pretty much everybody that rides it.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker B:This one is an A for me.
Speaker B:Every time I can ride it and never get it, never get tired.
Speaker A:It's wonderful.
Speaker A:It's just a great experience.
Speaker A:I think the music, the smells, the.
Speaker A:The overall feeling.
Speaker A:You're d. Your feet are dangling.
Speaker A:It's a ride that.
Speaker A:I think Lori had a bad experience on the one in California years ago, and she won't ride it.
Speaker A:And I get.
Speaker A:I get so sad because I'm telling her, like, it's so fun.
Speaker A:You don feel it's.
Speaker A:It doesn't if you.
Speaker A:If you have a fear of heights.
Speaker A:I mean, I can't speak for that.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:But I.
Speaker A:It never feels like you're.
Speaker A:You should have a fear of heights on the thing.
Speaker A:It's pretty self control.
Speaker B:And I'll even say, too.
Speaker B:I used to get nervous before I wrote it because of the warnings for motion sickness or for all the things because I thought, well, I get motion sick.
Speaker B:You know, I don't want to ride this ride.
Speaker B:But really, once I wrote it and realized, like, that really isn't an issue.
Speaker B:It may be for some people.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:But for me, this was a simple one that if I feel anything at all, I can close my eyes and there's no difference.
Speaker A:It's so.
Speaker A:It's.
Speaker A:And it's beautifully filmed.
Speaker A:I mean, it's.
Speaker A:It's.
Speaker A:It's.
Speaker A:It used to be a Soarin over California.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:They changed to Soarin around the world.
Speaker A:And it really hits.
Speaker A:It really hits the mark.
Speaker A:This is.
Speaker A:This has been.
Speaker A:This has been a fantastic attraction since its inception.
Speaker A:Living with the land, Staying in that same pavilion.
Speaker A:What would you give?
Speaker A:Living with the land?
Speaker B:I love this ride.
Speaker A:I do, too.
Speaker B:I really do.
Speaker B:And I do think it might be a little bit too long.
Speaker B:Song.
Speaker B:I don't love the beginning part of it.
Speaker B:I just kind of like to go through the greenhouses and see everything.
Speaker B:But, you know, I'm gonna give it a B plus because I still make my kids go on it.
Speaker B:They actually.
Speaker B:I think they somewhat enjoy it when they're on there.
Speaker B:So I think it's worth doing.
Speaker A:Yeah, I gave it a B plus as well.
Speaker A:It.
Speaker A:Here's the thing about it.
Speaker A:It doesn't try to be something and it can't.
Speaker A:That.
Speaker A:It can't be.
Speaker A:I think that there are some rides that they're labeled thrill rides and they're not as thrilling or they're like we just mentioned, they're a little outdated.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:This doesn't try to pretend to be anything.
Speaker A:It's a boat R. They go, and you want to know how we get all this food?
Speaker A:Here's how we get all this food.
Speaker A:And we're coming up with innovative ways to do it.
Speaker A:Boom.
Speaker A:Here it is.
Speaker A:We're giving you an inside look at what we're doing here.
Speaker A:And I don't think it tries to do anything else.
Speaker A:Be beyond that.
Speaker B:Agree.
Speaker A:And it's.
Speaker A:It's a relaxing, fun, just boat ride.
Speaker A:It's very.
Speaker A:It's a great way to rest your feet.
Speaker A:It's.
Speaker A:You're right.
Speaker A:It's long.
Speaker A:Kids might get a little antsy on it.
Speaker A:It does it.
Speaker A:It tends to appeal to the adult rather than the child.
Speaker A:But still.
Speaker A:Journey into imagination with figment.
Speaker B:This one has.
Speaker B:You know, it's.
Speaker A:I don't think I've written this in 15 years.
Speaker B:So I didn't write it for a number of years.
Speaker B:And then I wrote it for the first time again a couple years ago with Cora.
Speaker B:And it is still a cute ride.
Speaker B:I.
Speaker B:It's had its ups and downs.
Speaker B:Figment obviously has a cult following these days, and I think that there's part of that, but I think there's so much more they could do with this ride and with the attraction as a whole.
Speaker B:And so I'm gonna give it a B minus for that reason.
Speaker A:I watched a YouTube video on the history of this ride, and only there was some because of the figment aspect of it.
Speaker A:He was going to be.
Speaker A:And I guess it went away.
Speaker A:He kind of was like he was going to be the character for Epcot back when it opened.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And there was.
Speaker A:When it first opened, it was a much longer ride.
Speaker A:It was sponsored by Kodak, the dream catcher.
Speaker A:It was a really advanced ride.
Speaker A:Budget cuts trimmed it and trimmed it and trimmed it and.
Speaker A:And the way the YouTuber was kind of describing it was like, imagine if you took the Haunted Mansion and you just went.
Speaker A:It's just now the graveyard.
Speaker A:Like the first part is gone.
Speaker A:It's just the great.
Speaker A:It's just from the ballroom in we may add a couple of things on the cheap.
Speaker A:Like that's the way he put it.
Speaker A:He said, look, this used to be a really great ride in the 80s and then budget cuts made it shorter and they really never figured out what exactly what they want to do.
Speaker B:That makes sense.
Speaker A:It does make sense.
Speaker A:And again, you're right about figment.
Speaker A:Those, those four hour popcorn bucket lines were real.
Speaker B:Yeah, I'm glad I didn't stand in that.
Speaker A:But yeah, it's.
Speaker A:It's not one that I run to do it.
Speaker A:If you're tr.
Speaker A:If you, if you're just going, you've never been there before.
Speaker A:You want to do everything, do it.
Speaker A:I. I'm not going to say you're going to be mad about it, but I just think you'll be like, yeah, yeah, it could have been better.
Speaker A:The seas with Nemo and Friends.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:You know, I kind of feel a little bit the same about this one.
Speaker B:This is one that we do every time that we're there.
Speaker B:It's a ride vehicle like the one that said Little Mermaid.
Speaker B:However, I like the Little Merma made attraction a whole lot better than this one.
Speaker B:I think that they kind of took some shortcuts with showing the film as a part of the attraction.
Speaker B:And I think there's a little more that they could have done.
Speaker B:But as a whole, in the aquarium, having this in there I think is a.
Speaker B:Is having good to have that IP in there.
Speaker A:I agree.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker B:And so I'm gonna give it a.
Speaker A:B. I agreed completely.
Speaker A:Disneyland's version of this ride is in the submarines that are no longer at Magic Kingdom.
Speaker A:So I think they just kind of took the same technology.
Speaker A:But I'm with you.
Speaker A:It seems like you're kind of cheaping out on this when you're just using film.
Speaker A:But nevertheless, it goes with the theming.
Speaker A:And again, I think it goes back to the idea of, okay, look, these may not be the best rides, but they're at least something.
Speaker A:If we want to keep the educational aspect of this part.
Speaker A:We're not taking kids and showing them fish.
Speaker A:We're actually.
Speaker A:There's a ride here too.
Speaker A:Let's ride the ride.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And kind of like what SeaWorld does yeah.
Speaker A:All right, let's just go to the new one.
Speaker A:Cosmic Rewind.
Speaker A:Guardians of the Galaxy.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:You know, you tell me more about your experience because you told me you wrote it, but you don't write it anymore.
Speaker B:No, I wrote it one time.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:And, you know, when I first was psyching myself up to ride it, I thought I was going to be totally fine.
Speaker B:It was going to.
Speaker B:You know, they're like, oh, if you can do Space Mountain, you can do this one.
Speaker B:And I was like, okay, it's going to be great.
Speaker B:And then I'm standing in line because Chris and the kids had ridden it already, and they're like.
Speaker B:Chris is like, it's pretty intense.
Speaker B:And I could just feel my blood pressure just rising because I'm just thinking.
Speaker B:And so we get in the ride vehicle and I'm sitting next to Lily, and we start off.
Speaker B:And I'm asking her the whole time because, you know, it starts off just kind of tame, right?
Speaker B:And I'm like, okay, when are we getting.
Speaker B:When is it going to start?
Speaker B:And she's like, it's going to start in a minute.
Speaker B:It's going to start in a minute.
Speaker B:Well, then that launch happens, and spoiler alert, it's a backwards launch.
Speaker B:I didn't love that part.
Speaker B:But then we're going through, and I remember nothing about the ride because the music is playing, and all I can remember is looking at Lily and I just kept saying, is it almost over?
Speaker B:Is it almost over?
Speaker B:And she's going, no.
Speaker B:This is so fun.
Speaker B:And I was just so thankful.
Speaker B:I told Chris after it was over, I was like, oh, I'm just so glad they were blowing that fan in my face.
Speaker B:He was like, they weren't blowing a fan in your face.
Speaker B:You were just moving on a roller coaster.
Speaker B:But, yeah, so it was a little bit much for me and my motion sickness, but it was.
Speaker B:If I were a roller coaster lover, I would have to give this one.
Speaker A:An A. Yeah, I gave it an A.
Speaker A:Plus, I think that they really knocked it out of the park.
Speaker A:And it replaced energy with Ellen.
Speaker A:Just a big, big space that wasn't really worth going to see.
Speaker A:So they really took care of that area very much.
Speaker A:Needed again, just the infusion of more IP in Epcot.
Speaker A:Yeah, they wanted something different.
Speaker A:They got it different.
Speaker A:We.
Speaker A:When Lori and I went last year, we were granted a lightning lane pass I recommended.
Speaker A:I did stand in line with my parents when we kind of went down there a few weeks ago.
Speaker A:It was a long, long wait.
Speaker A:It was.
Speaker A:It was that one of the sides broke down.
Speaker A:So they were only running one of the roller coasters.
Speaker A:But I recommend getting one of those because for that ride, it's.
Speaker A:It's worth it and won't save.
Speaker A:Save you a few hours.
Speaker A:Frozen.
Speaker A:This replaced Maelstrom, as I mentioned before.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:No one seemed to be a fan of Maelstrom until they took it down, and then here come the fans going, no, I actually like that.
Speaker B:That's right.
Speaker A:Only reason I went to Epcot was to ride Maelstrom.
Speaker B:No, I think this was a really good move, actually put a little bit more of the.
Speaker B:The Kid things in the World showcase.
Speaker B:I love this ride.
Speaker B:I'm gonna give it an A.
Speaker A:Me too.
Speaker A:I gave it an A. I thought it was well themed.
Speaker A:Yeah, I. I liked the mechanism of Maelstrom.
Speaker A:I like the kind of the log boats and how they went.
Speaker B:Yeah, they kept all that.
Speaker A:And they kept all that.
Speaker A:They just replaced it with, you know, they just kind of took out the trolls and had it.
Speaker A:They did keep a troll or two, I think.
Speaker B:Yes, they did.
Speaker A:Yeah, they did.
Speaker A:So they.
Speaker A:They kind of kept somewhat of the.
Speaker A:Of the Norway theme in that ride.
Speaker A:But I'm with you.
Speaker A:I. I think that from a business standpoint, this is the kind of stuff that they have to do because it.
Speaker A:It.
Speaker A:The kids are attracted to the ip.
Speaker A:That's.
Speaker A:That's the way you're gonna get mom and dads to get attracted to the ip.
Speaker A:And they did a great job.
Speaker A:And by the way, and I argued this out, because I do have a friend of mine who doesn't like this aspect of Epcot.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A: ie and you have to go back to: Speaker B:Huge.
Speaker A:I mean, people went back two or three times with their kids to see it.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:If you're Disney and you're sitting on that, you don't do anything with it other than maybe a meet and greet.
Speaker A:You're silly.
Speaker A:That's silly.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker A:You got to take advantage of that.
Speaker A:Remy's Ratatouille Adventure.
Speaker A:This was.
Speaker A:I gave this a B plus, not an A. I think it's great.
Speaker A:I love it.
Speaker A:I don't know why I'm not giving it an A. I don't know why.
Speaker A:It's.
Speaker A:It's A.
Speaker A:It's a good ride.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:I don't know if it's my very favorite.
Speaker B:Yeah, I would agree.
Speaker B:No, absolutely.
Speaker B:I think I agree with all of that.
Speaker B:I was gonna give it an A minus.
Speaker A:Okay.
Speaker B:Just because we're around the.
Speaker A:Around the same.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:It's not one that I feel like I have to do every time.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:But because there's whole lot in Epcot that I love, it tends to be on my.
Speaker B:Must do.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:Sure.
Speaker A:If.
Speaker B:If I took this ride and put it at Hollywood Studios or put it at Magic Kingdom, do I think I would ride it every time?
Speaker B:Probably not.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:But I like the magnetic Ride vehicle.
Speaker B:I think it's fun.
Speaker B:I do have to take my glasses off and close my eyes in this one because it's a little much for me, but it's a fun ride.
Speaker A:The magnetic.
Speaker A:The magnetic one is the best.
Speaker B:That.
Speaker A:That's a new technology that they've got to start embracing.
Speaker B:Oh, absolutely.
Speaker A:In terms of redoing some rides.
Speaker A:Again, easy for me to go.
Speaker A:I'm not in charge of the budget.
Speaker A:And I'm going to say that again because I'm not in charge of the budget and I understand real estate.
Speaker A:You only have what you have.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:I hate this queue.
Speaker A:I hate it.
Speaker B:I've never stood in the full cue here.
Speaker A:It's.
Speaker A:It's too claustrophobic.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker A:It's way too claustrophobic.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Outdoors is fine.
Speaker A:You're underneath the awning.
Speaker A:You're not.
Speaker A:The sun's not beating down on you.
Speaker A:There are some fans.
Speaker A:But once you get in, it's just narrow quarter.
Speaker A:Leading in a narrow quarter.
Speaker A:I know why they're doing it.
Speaker A:People don't like going into a room and seeing 14 different things.
Speaker A:I understand that.
Speaker A:And you always want people to feel like they're right.
Speaker A:Right around the corner is where the ride is.
Speaker A:Get it?
Speaker A:But, man, it is packed in there and everyone's just crowded in this quarter.
Speaker A:Don't get the lightning lane for this.
Speaker A:Try to avoid that as much as possible.
Speaker A:It's.
Speaker A:I just.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:Grand Fiesta tour.
Speaker B:Oh, we know where you're going with this.
Speaker A:Why do I like this ride so much?
Speaker A:I don't know.
Speaker A:I love it.
Speaker A:I absolutely love it.
Speaker A:I, I, I want to write it twice and I'm there.
Speaker A:I love it.
Speaker A:I love the music.
Speaker A:I'm petrified that they'll change it into a coco ride.
Speaker A:I know that's what they're going to do when it opens up at Disneyland.
Speaker A:It'll be the exact same layout you watch.
Speaker A:I don't know why I love it.
Speaker A:I, I think, I think I tried to.
Speaker A:I was talking to Lori about this and I think it goes back to the first time I was at Epcot.
Speaker A:I thought it was pretty cool when it didn't have all of that.
Speaker A:It was just.
Speaker A:Just a boat ride through Mexico.
Speaker A:Just like, it's Mexico.
Speaker A:Take a look.
Speaker A:And then when they added it, I think the music added something I like.
Speaker A:Even though the restaurant gets terrible reviews, I love the aspect that there's a restaurant and this volcano.
Speaker A:I think the atmosphere is really cool.
Speaker B:I agree.
Speaker B:You know, I. I don't think I'm gonna give it.
Speaker B:I'm sure you're.
Speaker B:You're giving it.
Speaker A:I gave it an A. Yeah.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker B:I probably am not gonna give it as high a grade as you will, but I do love it, and I think every time we go through it, my kids are laughing because it's funny.
Speaker B:It's fun to watch Donald and see where he's gonna be.
Speaker B:And it might could be one or two rooms shorter than it is.
Speaker A:Yeah, I think so.
Speaker B:And so maybe we'll give it a B plus for that.
Speaker A:It's got pretty cool animatronics at the end.
Speaker A:There's really nothing during the ride, but it's one where the.
Speaker A:The video works.
Speaker A:I mean, we.
Speaker A:Yeah, I agree.
Speaker A:They.
Speaker A:You can get cheap with video on an attraction, but it works because the story and the music and the.
Speaker A:And you.
Speaker A:And the.
Speaker A:Is funny, and you're following the story as you're kind of going around.
Speaker A:So I gave that.
Speaker A:I gave that an a.
Speaker A:Now.
Speaker A:Turtle talk with Crush.
Speaker A:While not a ride, this is kind of like Monsters, Inc.
Speaker A:Laugh for.
Speaker A:They have somebody in the background talking to the kids.
Speaker A:Do you find this a good place to take a break?
Speaker A:Did your kids.
Speaker A:Did your kids like, this is it?
Speaker B:So we have not done this ride since Graham was a baby, Probably.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:One that we stopped for.
Speaker B:However, it always seems to kind of have a longer wait, or if it's one that you're trying to get a lightning lane for, you have to wait a little bit for it.
Speaker B:And I don't know if people.
Speaker B:People love it or if they're just using it as a filler, but we never stop for this one.
Speaker B:And so for that reason, I'm gonna give it a C minus.
Speaker A:I. I gave it a C. I don't even remember it.
Speaker A: ily reunion back in the early: Speaker A:I think that's the last time I did this.
Speaker A:I certainly didn't do it when he was.
Speaker B:I think they can reimagine this.
Speaker A:Yeah, I think so, too.
Speaker A:Journey of Water with Moana.
Speaker A:I actually like this.
Speaker A:I thought this was a pretty cool walk.
Speaker A:I didn't.
Speaker A:It Was okay.
Speaker A:I had expectations that weren't really met.
Speaker A:I thought it would be better.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Because it was such a big deal when they were making it.
Speaker A:But when I saw what they did, I was like, I don't mind this.
Speaker A:Yeah, this is pretty nice little walk.
Speaker B:Yeah, I kind of agree with, with your points there.
Speaker B:About what?
Speaker B:Like trying to see if it was going to be something a little bigger than it was.
Speaker B:But my kids love this.
Speaker B:They asked to go in it every time we're there and it really is fun.
Speaker B:So I'm gonna give it an A. Yeah.
Speaker A:All right.
Speaker A:I gave it a B.
Speaker A:Now what about the films in World Showcase?
Speaker A:Do you do any of the films?
Speaker A:Do you want to take your kid and Watch Canada for 20 minutes?
Speaker B:No, I haven't watched the Canada film since I was a kid.
Speaker A:I think they've changed it since the last time.
Speaker B:I think they have.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:I also haven't been in Impressions to France, but I think that's been switched over to a Beauty and the Beast.
Speaker B:Sing along at least part of the day.
Speaker B:I believe they're still showing Impressions to France at the evening times.
Speaker B:Maybe we haven't done this one either.
Speaker B:We don't stop for the shows.
Speaker B:We probably the only one that I do stop for and this isn't even really an attraction.
Speaker B:This is just catch the different showtimes.
Speaker B:But I love the Voices of Liberty.
Speaker A:Oh right.
Speaker B:And the USA Pavilion.
Speaker B:So you can go inside in the, I think it's like a rotunda that you go in and it's air conditioned which is really nice.
Speaker B:And they'll do like a 15 minute show and they have the most beautiful voices.
Speaker B:They sing a cappella and they're singing patriotic songs and it's just, just, it's, I love it every time.
Speaker A:So what about the show?
Speaker A:The actual show?
Speaker B:Yeah, we don't stop for that.
Speaker A:No, I, we, we did it a couple of weeks ago last month.
Speaker A:We did it just to catch a break from the heat.
Speaker A:It was really, it was a hot July day and it was nice 20 something minutes.
Speaker A:But I, I, I see it now through the lens of like having kids and being like they're not sitting through this.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Like they are not going to make it for 20 minutes unless you tell them it's nap time.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker A:And but other than that, I just can't imagine a 7, 8 year old wanting to sit through a history of the United States even if it's done in an animatronic fashion.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:But it is well done.
Speaker A:It is, you know, you Pretty.
Speaker A:It's a pretty good.
Speaker A:Pretty good show and a good chance to get away.
Speaker A:What about some adult things to do at World Showcase?
Speaker A:Whether it's drinking around the world or.
Speaker A:I. I know it's.
Speaker A:I know when you go, you bring your kids.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Is it hard to stop and watch the Italian Juggler or the drum show at Japan or little things like that?
Speaker B:Actually, you know, those things, they seem to be interesting to the kids.
Speaker B:When we see those happening.
Speaker B:I really like the mariachi band Mexico, or we'll stop and, like, in front of Japan when they do the acrobats or whatever it is that they're doing that's right there.
Speaker B:I think those are great.
Speaker B:I like those more so than something that I'm gonna have to go and wait and sit and wait for the show.
Speaker A:Yeah, I'm with you.
Speaker A:I'm with you.
Speaker A:I. I always wish I spend more time at the World Showcase, but then when I'm in the World Showcase, I don't find myself wanting to stay.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:Long.
Speaker A:Like, I kind of go into a store, I look around and.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker B:And then I move on.
Speaker A:I move on.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And then I.
Speaker A:And then when.
Speaker A:It's only when I'm home and reflecting or thinking about the next time I'm down, they're like, oh, you know, we really should spend time in Morocco.
Speaker A:And I go, why?
Speaker A:Why would I spend all.
Speaker A:Why?
Speaker B:Sure.
Speaker A:Other than looking through the shops, why would I spend time in Morocco?
Speaker B:That makes sense.
Speaker B:I mean, I do love.
Speaker B:I like to check out each of the stores because there are some cool things at each of them.
Speaker B:One tip that I'll have is if you are gonna go to Epcot and you want to go and just kind of leisurely stroll the World Showcase, avoid the weekends, avoid the evening.
Speaker B:I.
Speaker B:There's nothing I hate more than walking through Epcot and feeling like I. I can't see five feet in front of me because it's so crowded.
Speaker B:And if I see.
Speaker B:If I see the shirts that are drinking around the world, more power to them, that's great.
Speaker B:But I'm trying to avoid that too, because it's like, it just gets so rowdy and so chaotic at times.
Speaker B:And so if you're really wanting to go and kind of have a leisurely stroll, the earlier in the day the better, before it gets super crowded.
Speaker A:Absolutely.
Speaker A:And I. I agree with you completely.
Speaker A:This is a park that locals will go to at night because it's got some great dining options.
Speaker A:So if you're a pass holder and you decide, you know, It's Saturday.
Speaker A:Let's go down there, walk around, get some beverages.
Speaker A:Let's go eat at Nine Dragons or whatever.
Speaker A:It's, it's a place that a lot of locals will do at the last minute, you know, being like, all right, we did our errands, let's go to Epcot for a few.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And so it is really crowded, especially during festival time.
Speaker B:Oh yeah.
Speaker A:If you're going down in your vacation during festival time, I don't care what festival it is, do not book your Epcot trip for a week.
Speaker B:It is, that is another wall to wall people.
Speaker A:It's wall.
Speaker A:No matter what the crowd calendar will tell you, it's going to be really busy on Saturday Fridays and Saturdays especially, and even Sundays on the weekends.
Speaker A:Because that's what Lori and I did last time.
Speaker A:We ended up going on a Saturday and it was as if it was a holiday.
Speaker A:It was jam packed.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And the whole week, the, you know, the late days leading up to we're not busy.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker A:And then that was super busy.
Speaker B:Crazy.
Speaker A:So.
Speaker A:But overall, that is our letter grades for Epcot.
Speaker A:Our next podcast, we're going to combine Animal Kingdom and Hollywood Studios.
Speaker A:It Animal Kingdom.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:I could probably use a few more attractions.
Speaker A:We'll do that.
Speaker A:So those are our letter grades for the rides at Epcot Center.
Speaker A:If you have any questions or comments and you'd like to reach us, you can reach Lauren at laurenallthemagictravel.com you can hit me up at travelwithtonydmail.com be sure to subscribe.
Speaker A:Leave us a five star review if you like this podcast.
Speaker A:And we thank you all for listening to Wands and Wishes.
Speaker A:Sam.
