Showing posts with label Epcot. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Epcot. Show all posts

Canada in World Showcase, Epcot park in Walt Disney World

The Canada pavilion is designed to remind the guest of the Canadian outdoors. The pavilion is decorated with a canyon, a waterfall, gardens, a pool with fountains, and totem poles. The pavilion has 3 native totem poles, up to 30' in height. Two of the three are made out of fiberglass, and one is carved out of wood.



The mountains, Indian wood carvings, and the "fake" hotel all represent various regions of Canada.

The Victoria Gardens which are adjacent to the Hotel du Canada are inspired by the Butchart Gardens near Victoria, British Columbia. The gardens are the largest (and most labour intensive) of all the national pavilions.

The Hotel du Canada features a 19th-century chateau-style design. Around the base of the hotel is a village-like atmosphere evoking the Maritime Provinces.

Prior to the construction of the Canadian pavilion, the Walt Disney corporation sought financial support for the attraction from the Canadian government. The company wanted the Federal government to fund the cost of building the attraction, in return the government would have input into the design and layout. The Canadian government was concerned about the stereotype of Canada that Disney wanted (i.e., lumberjacks). Funding was refused, and Disney threatened to pull the exhibit, but ultimately did not.



References:

http://wikitravel.org/en/Epcot
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_(Epcot)
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/epcot/attractions/canada-pavilion/
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/le-cellier-steakhouse/
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/epcot/entertainment/off-kilter/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epcot
http://wikitravel.org/en/Epcot
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Experimental_Prototype_Community_of_Tomorrow_(concept)
http://wikitravel.org/en/Image:Map_-_Walt_Disney_World_-_Epcot_-_park.png

Related:

Disney Parks After Dark: Sunset at Epcot’s Canada Pavilion http://buff.ly/1L9HRFS
A Guide To Drinking Around The World at Disney's Epcot http://buff.ly/1RlE4ZH

United Kingdom in World Showcase, Epcot park in Walt Disney World

The United Kingdom Pavilion was designed to look like a typical British village.

This pavilion's street contains one building for each century of British history. The largest structure, a recreation of the royal Hampton Court Palace in southwest London, is a patchwork of different periods' architecture. The little thatched roof house is a model of Anne Hathaway’s cottage in Stratford-upon-Avon. Anne was the wife of William Shakespeare. There is also a traditional hedge maze, modelled after the the Somerleyton Hall Maze in Lowestoft, which dates back to 1846. Don't forget to get a photo of yourself in front of the iconic red British phone booths.



The shops sell British items, such as tea, toys, clothing and Beatles merchandise. There is also a Beatles tribute band called "The British Invasion" that performs regularly in the Pavilion.

The Rose & Crown Pub and Dining Room serves traditional British food, as well as beer and ale. The indoor section resembles a pub, while the outdoor seating is located on a patio overlooking the lagoon. Dishes include Potato and Leek Soup, Bangers and Mash, Fish and Chips, and Baileys Irish Cream Irish Coffee Trifle.

Yorkshire County Fish Shop is a quick service fish and chip counter restaurant that serves only fish, chips, and shortbread. Drinks, including Bass Ale and Harp Lager, are available. Seating is outdoors only. Yorkshire is very rarely referred to as "Yorkshire County", despite being a county, because "shire" and "county" are synonymous in the UK.

There is a sport shop selling British sport equipment, including Chelsea F.C. and Liverpool F.C. shirts.



References:

http://wikitravel.org/en/Epcot

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom_(Epcot)

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/epcot/attractions/united-kingdom-pavilion/

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/rose-and-crown-dining-room/

A Guide To Drinking Around The World at Disney's Epcot http://buff.ly/1RlE4ZH

France in World Showcase, Epcot park in Walt Disney World

The France pavilion is themed to look like a Paris neighborhood with a pool and fountains and with a view of the Eiffel Tower in the distance.



The French pavilion re-creates a Parisian street scene, complete with a miniature Eiffel Tower that uses forced perspective to appear as if it's off in the distance. In fact, the "tower" is attached on the roof of a building.

The pavilion features many of the typical Parisian sights—a sidewalk cafe, fountains, and distinctive architecture.

The pavilion features "Impressions de France", a panoramic movie which visits France's cities and historical structures.
It includes two French restaurants, the Bistro de Paris and Les Chefs de France, and a bakery, the Boulangerie Patisserie.

Belle, Beast, and Gaston from Disney's "Beauty and the Beast" make appearances at the France Pavilion.



References:

http://wikitravel.org/en/Epcot

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France_(Epcot)

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/epcot/attractions/france-pavilion/

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/epcot/attractions/impressions-de-france/

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/les-chefs-de-france/

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/akershus/

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/epcot/entertainment/serveur-amusant/

A Guide To Drinking Around The World at Disney's Epcot http://buff.ly/1RlE4ZH

Morocco in World Showcase, Epcot park in Walt Disney World

The Moroccan Pavilion, designed to look like a Moroccan city with a realistic Minaret, features the only pavilion in which the country's government aided in the design. King Hassan II sent Moroccan artisans to design and create the many mosaics. The government also sponsors the pavilion, while a corporation holds sponsoring rights on every other pavilion.



The minaret (or tower) towering over the area is a recreation of the unique Koutoubia Minaret in Marrakech.

The Fez House shows guests the typical Moroccan house. Inside the pavilion, North African plants including citrus trees, date palms, and olive trees, and fountains.

There is also a replica of the Nejjarine fountain in Fez, a very intricate mosaic fountain. Also from Fez, the evenly-tiled Bab Boujouloud gate marks the border between the old town (the Medina) and the new town. Inside the Medina, there is a bustling market place, or bazaar. Six shops adorn the pavilion, selling patrons everything from rugs to leather goods, and traditional Moroccan clothing.

The courtyard plays hosts to entertainment, including a belly dancing show in the evening.

Restaurant Marrakesh, along with the Moorish Cafe, serve Moroccan fare, including roast lamb in Tajine, couscous, and Harira soup.



References:

Discover Morocco at Epcot – No Passport Needed « Disney Parks Blog http://bit.ly/PW2iP7

http://wikitravel.org/en/Epcot

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morocco_(Epcot)

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/epcot/attractions/morocco-pavilion/

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/restaurant-marrakesh/

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/epcot/entertainment/mo-rockin/

36 Hours in Marrakesh, Morocco - NYTimes.com, http://goo.gl/p3PE0

A Guide To Drinking Around The World at Disney's Epcot http://buff.ly/1RlE4ZH

Japan in World Showcase, Epcot park in Walt Disney World

The Japan pavilion is made up of buildings surrounding a courtyard. The entrance to the courtyard features a Japanese Pagoda.



Start your visit by walking through the Torii gate. In Japan you walk through these gates before entering a Shinto shrine, to mark the passing into the spiritual world. The five-story Goju-no-to Pagoda was inspired by the Horyuji Temple in Nara, Japan's ancient capital.

At the end of the courtyard is the gate to a Japanese castle, including a moat, which leads into a display of Japanese culture.

Mitsukoshi, Japan's 325-year-old retail giant has only one location in North America, and this is it. Toys, cosmetics, clothing, housewares, and even food—everything you'd expect from a department store, all imported from Japan.

Many attractions have been proposed for the pavilion and one show building was built, but left unused.



References:

http://wikitravel.org/en/Epcot

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_(Epcot)

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/epcot/attractions/japan-pavilion/

A Guide To Drinking Around The World at Disney's Epcot http://buff.ly/1RlE4ZH

The American Adventure in World Showcase, Epcot park in Walt Disney World

The United States of America pavilion is housed in a building inspired by the colonial period of the 18th century.

The pavilion's main attraction is an Audio-Animatronics stage show of American history.



America Gardens Theater is across from the main building, on the shores of the lagoon.

The Liberty Inn Restaurant serves American fare like cheeseburgers and BBQ, and the kiosk just outside the pavilion offers delicious funnel cakes.



References:

http://wikitravel.org/en/Epcot

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_American_Adventure

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/epcot/attractions/american-adventure-pavilion/

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/liberty-inn/

A Guide To Drinking Around The World at Disney's Epcot http://buff.ly/1RlE4ZH

Italy in World Showcase, Epcot park in Walt Disney World

The Italian Pavilion features a plaza surrounded by a collection of buildings evocative of Venetian, Florentine, and Roman architecture.

There is a scaled-down replica of St. Mark's Square in Venice, with a bell tower (one-fifth scale).



Venetian architecture is represented by a re-creation of St Mark's Campanile (bell tower) and a replica of the Doge's Palace.

The original Doge's Palace makes heavy use of marble; Disney recreated the effect with fiberglass. In addition to the Venetian architecture, a stucco building with tile roof represents Tuscany.

The pavilion's design is inspired by other hallmarks of Italian architecture, such as the Neptune Fountain (reminiscent of Rome's Trevi Fountain) and the Il Bel Cristallo shop (meant to resemble the exterior of the Sistine Chapel).

Musicians, clowns and acting troupes often appear in the piazza throughout the day.

There are small shops selling Italian goods, such as candy and wine.

Via Napoli restaurant

A restaurant by the name of Via Napoli opened under the Patina Restaurant Group in 2010, and brought the pavilion its long-awaited completion (it was supposed to have gondola rides at the back of the area). Via Napoli features Florentine architecture and authentic Neapolitan cuisine.

The pizza is thin crust original and is delicious. The restaurant focuses on wood-fired pizza in the traditional Neapolitan style—right down to the hand-made mozzarella, and the flour imported straight from Naples. Via Napoli's three wood burning ovens pay tribute to the three active volcanoes in Italy: Etna, Vesuvio, and Stromboli. To do this, each of the three ovens are sculpted in the shape of the face of the god that their corresponding volcano is named after.

The long communal table in the center of the room was built in Florence and features hand painted tiles depicting iconic monuments in Italy. Other notable features of Via Napoli are its high and vaulted ceilings, imported ceramics and blown glass, and the abundance of windows that flood the establishment with natural light.

References:

http://wikitravel.org/en/Epcot

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italy_(Epcot)

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/epcot/attractions/italy-pavilion/

A Guide To Drinking Around The World at Disney's Epcot http://buff.ly/1RlE4ZH

Germany in World Showcase, Epcot park in Walt Disney World

The Germany Pavilion is designed to look like a German town, but with architecture from different eras and regions. Germany is a federation of 16 states, with distinct culture and identity. The architecture of the German pavilion reflects styles from various regions of the country; for example, the Biergarten restaurant is Bavarian, but the statue of St. George slaying the dragon represents the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, commissioned in 1869 by King Ludwig II, was the inspiration for Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle.



The Platz (square) is decorated with a statue of St. George and the Dragon and a clock tower.

The Biergarten, at the rear of the courtyard, sells traditional German food. Biergarten Restaurant is a buffet restaurant designed to look as though Oktoberfest is being celebrated there. Schnitzel, strudel and beer offer a taste of Bavaria. It features live entertainment and beer served in one liter steins. The dining hall was supposed to be the the entrance area for the never built boat cruise down the Rhine (Germany did not fund it).

Sommerfest is a quick-service restaurant

The pavilion has numerous small shops selling German goods, including dolls and cuckoo clocks.

Karamell-Küche (Caramel Kitchen) is a sweets shop specializes in caramel concoctions of every sort, from caramel corn to caramel fudge. Operated by Storck, makers of Werther's caramels, this is the only standalone Werther's retail location in the world.

The area near the pavilion (next to the restrooms) is decorated by an extensive model village with working model trains.



References:

http://wikitravel.org/en/Epcot
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germany_(Epcot)
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/epcot/attractions/germany-pavilion/
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/biergarten-restaurant/
http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/epcot/entertainment/oktoberfest-musikanten/
Celebrate Oktoberfest All Year Long at Epcot’s Biergarten « Disney Parks Blog http://buff.ly/P4HfF1
A Guide To Drinking Around The World at Disney's Epcot http://buff.ly/1RlE4ZH

China in World Showcase, Epcot park in Walt Disney World

Walk through the large Paifang gate. These type of gates were used in China to mark entry into a new division, and this one is a replica of one in Beijing's summer palace. The courtyard is dominated by a recreation of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing; it was used by the emperors to pray for a good harvest. The 12 columns supporting the roof represent the 12 months of the Chinese year, and the four columns in the center represent the four seasons.



The courtyard is bordered by shops selling Chinese merchandise, and two Chinese restaurants. The pavilion is decorated with ponds, crossed by bridges. The Chinese garden is one of the most peaceful spots in Epcot.

Reflections of China is a Circle-Vision 360, 13-minute travel movie of China's most well-known sights, from Shanghai and Inner Mongolia, to the Forbidden City and the Great Wall of China.

Chinese acrobats perform frequently in the pavilion.

Nine Dragons is a full-service gourmet Chinese restaurant featuring traditional Chinese fare, such as two-course Peking duck.

Lotus Blossom Cafe is a quick-service restaurant serving an assortment of Chinese dishes.



References:

http://wikitravel.org/en/Epcot

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China_(Epcot)

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/epcot/attractions/china-pavilion/

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/epcot/attractions/reflections-of-china/

A Guide To Drinking Around The World at Disney's Epcot http://buff.ly/1RlE4ZH

Norway in World Showcase, Epcot park in Walt Disney World

This area is built as a square representing a Norwegian town or village. The fortress-like restaurant is modeled and named after the Akershus fortress in Oslo, guarding the sea approach to the city.

The wooden church is a replica of the traditional Stave Church in Gol in Western Norway, dating back to 1212; the original is one of very few surviving ancient wooden churches left in the world.



A mock-up of a Viking longboat sits outside and serves as a playground for kids.

The shops are decorated with large wooden trolls and sell assorted Norwegian goods, including clothing, candy, and statuettes of Norse gods and trolls. The courtyard of the pavilion contains the entrance to Maelstrom, a boat ride into Norway's past and present.

Maelstrom ride is a Viking boat with Vikings, cursing trolls and oil platforms. The ships are modeled after those sailed by Eric The Red, who colonized Greenland and was central to the Vikings' discovery of North America, 5 centuries before Christopher Columbus.

Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe is a bakery, featuring assorted Norwegian pastries, such as cream horns and open-faced salmon sandwiches.

The Norway pavilion is the most recent nation to be added to World Showcase. It opened in 1988.

The original idea was to create a Nordic Pavilion that would combine elements from various countries into one exhibit. Three countries were consulted, but it finally ended up with investors from Norway raising the US$30 million required to create an exclusive national pavilion. Disney contributed the other one-third of the construction cost. In 1992, the investors sold their stake to Disney.



References:

http://wikitravel.org/en/Epcot

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norway_(Epcot)

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/epcot/attractions/norway-pavilion/

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/epcot/attractions/maelstrom/

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/dining/akershus/

A Guide To Drinking Around The World at Disney's Epcot http://buff.ly/1RlE4ZH

Epcot park in Walt Disney World

The Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow (EPCOT) was a concept developed by Walt Disney near the end of his lifetime.

Epcot is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort, located near Orlando, Florida. The park is dedicated to international culture and technological innovation.



Lagoon

World Showcase Lagoon is a man-made lake located in the center of World Showcase. "FriendShip" boats transport guests from Future World to the opposite end of World Showcase. The World Showcase Lagoon has a circumference of roughly a mile. To make a long trip short, there are FriendShip ferries that traverse the lagoon.

Epcot might be the easiest of the parks to get around, because it is "open" and spacious. The spaciousness has a drawback, though; because the pavilions are spread out, it can be a long walk from one side of the park to the other. Spaceship Earth is visible from anywhere in the park and provides a convenient orientation landmark. Epcot is considerably less crowded than Magic Kingdom.

The International Gateway, Epcot's "back entrance", is between France and the United Kingdom; exit here to get to the BoardWalk, or to Disney's Hollywood Studios.

World Showcase

World Showcase contains pavilions representing 11 countries (and opens at 11 AM). In clockwise order, the pavilions are:

- Mexico
- Norway
- China
- Germany
- Italy
- The American Adventure
- Japan
- Morocco
- France
- United Kingdom
- Canada

Epcot is sometimes likened to a "permanent world's fair". Epcot is also described an "educational park" and is perhaps the most cerebral of the four theme parks. Just outside Epcot's International Gateway is Disney's BoardWalk, a nightlife and shopping area themed as a mid-Atlantic beach community.

Norway and Morocco were not present at the park's opening, and were added later. These two are now the first areas that are encountered on the left of the port of entry.

Pavilions for Australia, Russia, Spain, Venezuela, United Arab Emirates, and Israel never made it past the planning phase.

World Showcase features 11 different countries, focusing on authentic food and merchandise, each one hosted by citizens of that country.

Unlike the Magic Kingdom, which does not serve alcohol, many stores and restaurants in the World Showcase do serve or sell alcoholic beverages from their respective countries, and beer is sold at refreshment stands throughout the park. Some Epcot visitors enjoy an unofficial adventure known as "Drinking Around the World": sampling a local libation in each of the eleven pavilions.

Every pavilion is full of authentic merchandise imported from the host countries. For example, German cuckoo clocks, British toys, Canadian maple syrup, Japanese kimonos, Chinese furniture, Mexican leathers, Italian and French wines, etc.

The racks are full of products normally available only overseas, including many handcrafted by native artisans. There are few places in the world that you could find goods from so many countries in such close proximity.

World Showcase is the back area of the park, with pavilions representing eleven countries from around the world, all themed with architecture, food, drink and culture to match. Most of the pavilions have a ride or a film (or both) designed to highlight the nation's attractions, but the real attractions are sampling the authentic food, conversing with the cast members who come from each nation, and browsing the imported goods.

Related reading:

What’s Your Favorite Dish? Trying All 29 Marketplaces in One Day at the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival http://bit.ly/VSQpf3
AllEars.Net - The Unofficial Disney Vacation Planning Guide http://bit.ly/XyyLJk
A Guide To Drinking Around The World at Disney's Epcot http://buff.ly/1RlE4ZH
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