Are you someone who doesn’t like headliner attractions, such as Frozen Ever After, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, or Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind? Do you just want to stroll, eat, and drink through 11 different countries in EPCOT over the course of the day? Did you plan a trip during the rainy and humid months of Florida? This post is for you.
We will take you around the EPCOT World Showcase, and show you some of the hidden attractions you may not know about. To that point I won’t claim to show you everything, as EPCOT World Showcase is huge, and offers so much for you to slowly discover in the 11 countries. We will however give you thoughts on each of the 11 pavilions you will come across.
For all intents and purposes, we are going to start with Mexico which is on the left side of the World Showcase assuming you are approaching from the front of the park. You can start with Canada if you like. Also noteworthy is we are skipping the entire front of the park which offers a lot of things to explore, but are a different flavor from what the World Showcase has to offer.
Before heading into the World Showcase, we suggest going on Spaceship Earth while you are in the front of the park. Spaceship Earth is the right of passage attraction of EPCOT. Growing up I always dreamed of going on it, and that feeling still sticks with me whenever I walk by. Then, Journey into Imagination featuring Figment! If you have a lot of time you can wander into The Land. Which features the 15 minute mellow attraction Living with the Land which we suggest doing.
EPCOT World Showcase
As we start our journey around the World Showcase, we want to offer up a couple of thoughts about this article. If you happen to be visiting Central Florida during the summer, it rains a lot here. You will need to be ready to seek shelter for the off and on 20 minute rain showers, and we mean showers!!! They move quickly most of the times, and you can wait them out.
Use the suggestions below to seek shelter during these showers. Each of the country pavilions offer indoor exhibits to look at while the rain is pouring down. Also while we are talking about rain you can click on recommended items for purchase from Amazon, and we might even get a small cut! This doesn’t effect your prices at all.
First item we suggest is a pack of ponchos from Amazon. While the parks do sell these, you will pay a lot more than 12.99 for them, so grab those ahead and bring them with you. They aren’t stylish by all means, but they do the trick for 20 minutes while everyone around you scrambles to buy the ponchos in park.
Another item we bought that helps with the Florida heat are cooling towels on Amazon, now I wont say which site, but another Disney tourist blog showed off these little beauties on their site, and we couldn’t agree more, they are great in the Florida heat! Finally these fans have come on strong lately, and they surprised us at how effective they are as well in the heat.
Mexico
First stop is the Mexico Pavilion. Mexico is home to lush landscapes, and a pyramid you can go inside to explore! During the Florida heat it is a great escape, and very cool inside the pyramid. While you are in there you can browse through the local Mexican market . Also you will find a sit down restaurant San Angel Inn Restaurante. Most times you need reservations, but you can always ask if they have openings. Also there is a mellow attraction inside the pyramid themed after The Three Caballeros. The dark setting inside really feels good on a hot summer day.
Norway
Norway is your next stop on the journey around world showcase. Now this pavilion really only offers a couple of things, but is home to Frozen Ever After. If you need somewhere to escape the rain your best spot is the gift shop on the left of the Frozen entrance. If you are feeling adventurous, and the line is inside the building you can always wait for the attraction. Frozen Ever After is a water attraction with a bit of going backwards and a drop, so it isn’t mellow by any means. That’s not to say it is a thrill ride attraction either, however your miles may vary.
China
The China Pavilion is home to a big shop, and also a nice 12 minute 360 degree movie called Reflections of China. We highly recommend watching it, however be warned there is no seating which we find odd. There is a lot of shade, AC, and shelter from the rain and heat in this pavilion. Even on a normal day we suggest you wander in and experience all this pavilion has to offer. There is even a nice display of items from Shanghai Disneyland!
Germany
The walk from the China to Germany Pavilion is a bit lengthy, so watch those skies for rain before you set out. Once you get to Germany, you are met with more stores and quick bite restaurants, and naturally a biergarten! The Germany Pavilion has a lot of hidden little treats to try in it. We are partial to the Karamell-Kuche! You can even mobile order your treats in advance! If you can score a reservation for the Biergarten restaurant, you won’t be disappointed!
Italy
Like the Germany Pavilion, the Italy one concentrates more on food and treats. The pavilion itself is rather large but it is dominated by outdoor displays more than indoor ones. If you are hungry, there is no shortage of good food here, and especially pizza! You can grab a quick slice in the back, or grab a reservation at Via Napoli Ristorante e Pizzeria!
America
This marks the halfway point for your trip around EPCOT World Showcase. The American Pavilion plays host to an awesome indoor show, and it will also leave you feeling patriotic in the process! While you are in American Pavilion, you will find BBQ, and our favorite funnel cakes! You can easily spend a lot of time in the American Pavilion and escape the heat, or rain. On many evenings you will even be able to catch the free live entertainment on the stage in the front of the pavilion, however if you want a seat you will need to line up. Luckily you can hear and even see most of the show without too much hassle of camping out.
Japan
The Japan Pavilion has a great mix to it, and feels so alive with energy if you are lucky enough to catch the Matsuriza drumming show. There is a sign in the front of the pavilion that has the show times on it, or you can ask a cast member. Wandering through the pavilion you are treated to amazing gardens with Bonsai trees! Who doesn’t love Bonsai trees? The store in Japan is full of fun pop culture and ancient Japanese cultural trinkets, and there is even a Kawaii exhibit which is Japan’s “cute culture”. There are a lot of picture spots in this pavilion.
Morocco
The Morocco Pavilion is our least favorite pavilion, however it is cool to picture. The little market in the front has a great vibe to it, but wandering deep into the pavilion doesn’t really yield any rewards. You won’t find too many areas to hide away from the rain either, but the food in the area is very good!
France
This is one of the bigger pavilions. France offer a lot of great food, scenery, and attractions! The picturesque France Pavilion can definitely eat up a lot of time, and provides a lot of opportunity to escape the summer elements. Speaking of eating, you really should grab a pastry from Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie. With so much to offer you cant go wrong with a stop in for snacks.
We do highly recommend the movie Impressions de France. Not only is it inside an air conditioned theater, but it is very good too! Coming in at 18 minutes, it is a good break from the outside. The only downfall is you can only catch this movie after 6:30pm, and the Beauty and the Beast Sing along is a huge miss. Also as mentioned before, Remy’s attraction is also in this pavilion. If only each pavilion had this much love, but I guess France is home to the city of love after all!
England
Traveling between France, and England is a long journey, however you do pass the second EPCOT entrance which also plays host to the Skyliner station. If you are ambitious, you can always exit the park and hop over to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, but for the purpose of this article we will continue onto England.
As expected, you can find a pub in England that serves fish and chips. We aren’t fans of the fish and chips, but I do enjoy the pub for a brew! England as a pavilion has a good array of stores to browse, and a beautiful courtyard in the back of it that you should explore, and bonus points if you find Danny Torrance. This pavilion really needs an attraction. One was announced themed after Mary Poppins, but for now that is on hold.
Canada
Last on our journey is Canada which offers a lot to look at, but the pavilion itself is quite interesting to traverse. This pavilion is probably the most scenic in our opinion. From the gardens near Le Cellier to the wonderful rocks, and waterfall that are located where Canada Far and Wide is located. Speaking of that, Canada Far and Wide is a 12 minute 360 degree movie that offers you a great escape from the elements. Also while in Canada, you will smell that wonderful maple flavored popcorn from the cart in the front of the pavilion. We love that stuff, but don’t take my word for it go get your own!
Conclusion on EPCOT World Showcase
Well if you are still with us you made it around the EPCOT World Showcase! Congrats on this achievement, but when you attempt it in real life, it will take you the better part of your day. As you can see there is a lot to do in EPCOT. We just scratched the surface on what you can see in EPCOT. EPCOT is a massive theme park, and deserves a lot of your time. You can go from awesome thrill ride attractions to sit, and chill ones. EPCOT has something to offer for everyone.
How do you EPCOT? Do you just go after the thrills, or do you savor the flavor and try to take it all in. Let us know in the comments!
This great. Looking forward to it all.
Thanks for the great information.