Around the World in 8 Hours

Selecting my favorite Disney park is difficult because there are things I love at each of them. I worked at Animal Kingdom so it’s special to me; Hollywood Studios has my favorite thrill rides; and I don’t feel like I’ve truly arrived at Disney World until I see Cinderella Castle at Magic Kingdom. But when it comes to fun for the adults, Epcot is the clear winner!

Food
First and foremost, Epcot had the best options for food. You have the option of international cuisine, from Canadian poutine to Japanese hibachi. Disney strives to give an authentic experience, even importing water from Naples to make sure the pizza tastes the way it would if you went to Italy. You also have the opportunity to dine with Mickey and friends at Garden Grill or enjoy an underwater view at Coral Reef, if that’s more your speed. My mouth is watering just talking about it.

Atmosphere

Each of the parks has subtle differences in atmosphere.  Epcot is all about discovery.  As you walk around Epcot, the focus is more on exploring the environment and trying new things. One of my favorite things about the World Showcase is each pavilion employs individuals from the host country.  I love to ask them about their experiences and learn about them and their culture.  For example, the Morocco pavilion’s stunning tile work includes purposeful mistakes because their religious believes that nothing man-made should be perfect.  While not as educational as the park once was, opportunities to learn and expand your horizons still abound at Epcot.

Epcot is home to two of my favorite events at Walt Disney World:

The Flower and Garden Festival in the Spring gives guests a chance to learn about horticulture from around the world, talk to experts about various gardening techniques, and more.  Also, visually stunning floral arrangements can be found throughout the park, from character topiaries to flowers planted in the shape of a giant hidden Mickey.

The International Food and Wine Festival plays host to culinary adventures each fall. Throughout the park, kiosks offer bite-sized tastes of favorite foods and drinks from over twenty regions of the world, like escargot from France, lamb from Australia, even haggis from Scotland (if you’re feeling really adventurous).  My husband and I like to share items so we get to taste more of the offerings from each location.  The Food and Wine Festival also offers seminars on different, food and beverage related topics like how chocolate is made or the appropriate win pairings for different entrees.  What a tasty way to learn!

Drinking Around the World
While other activities at Epcot may appeal to people of all ages, this one is strictly for the 21 and up crowd.  The World Showcase offers a glimpse into 11 regions of the world, each offering a variety of alcoholic beverages, in addition to their food choices.  Drinking Around the World is a popular activity where people try to imbibe a drink from each of the countries.  There are different techniques, but most seem to recommend starting in Mexico and continuing clockwise around the World Showcase. I tried it once, but it was pretty hot out and I didn’t want to end up miserable so I only tried three drinks.  If you do want to take this on, I recommend pacing yourself and mixing some food in with your beverages.  You don’t want to get permanently banned from Disney World for climbing the pyramid in Mexico!

Which park is your favorite? Comment below!

Never Grow Up!
Miranda