EPCOT's Future World East - Exploring the "World", One "Land" at a Time!

We continue our exploration in EPCOT. Although the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow didn't turn out quite the way Walt envisioned it, it is still a very innovative park. Like having two parks in one, there is Future World with it's dedication to technology and advancement and World Showcase which celebrates some of the most interesting counties in the world. On a side note: I took this photo in 2006. The wand and sign were added for the millennium celebration in 2000 and removed in 2007. Do you prefer the sphere with or without it?

Often referred to as a "permanent World's Fair", EPCOT Center was originally planned by Walt Disney to be a real working city. It would be a constantly changing working community showcasing new developments in American industry and research. It was to have been built in the shape of a circle, with businesses and commercial areas at its center, community buildings schools and recreational areas around it, and residential areas around the perimeter. After Disney's death, the company decided it did not want to be in the business of running a city. So, ideas were explored to turn his vision into another park. The original plans showed indecision over the park's purpose. Some Imagineers wanted it to represent the cutting edge of technology, while others wanted it to showcase international cultures and customs. At one point, a model of the futuristic park was pushed against a model of the World's Fair international theme and the two were combined creating the EPCOT we have today. It's like two parks in one!

As you enter the park, you pass through Leave a Legacy Plaza. This program began in 1999 as part of the millennium celebration. It allowed guests to have a digital photo etched on steel plates that were mounted on the plaza megaliths. The program was discontinues in 2007 and over a half million plates are displayed. Side note: yes, I am still kicking myself that we didn't do this when we had the chance!

Serving as the icon for EPCOT, Spaceship Earth is actually a ride! This 15 minute ride uses an Omnimover to take you on a journey through historic breakthroughs in communication. This time-travel experience takes you from the time of cavemen through the invention of the alphabet, telegraph, and telephone all the way through the present-day computers. You can also use the touch screen to answer questions and create your own future. At the end of the ride, you can email the future you created to friends and family back home. It also makes a cute keepsake to print out once you get home.

Universe of Energy is home to Ellen's Energy Adventure. This indoor dark rides takes you on a 45-minute journey through multiple theaters as you explore the dinosaur era and learn all about past, present and future energy sources. It's also a popular attraction for a nice air-conditioned cooldown on a hot day.

Mission Space is a motion-simulated thrill ride that shows guests how it feels to be an astronaut. Each member of your "flight crew" will be assigned a task to attain liftoff and take your mission to Mars! This is a highly intense ride with many signs posted throughout. Due to the intensity of the ride, which caused multiple trips to the hospital and even two deaths related to pre-existing conditions, a tamer version (green team) was offered in 2006 where the centrifuge does not spin. This is the first time Disney has offered two different versions of a ride. For those with a healthy, strong constitution, this ride is probably one of the most closely related experiences to an actual liftoff. But those on the green team will also get a thrilling experience which I personally feel still leaves you a bit queasy! 

Test Track takes you on a simulated excursion through rigorous testing procedures that General Motors uses to evaluate its vehicles. The main attraction is that it takes you on a speed trial test at a maximum speed of 65 miles per hour, making it the fastest attraction at WDW. If you haven't been on it lately, you are in for a surprise as a major refurbishment changed some of the ride which reopened in December 2012. Guests now entering Test Track are led into Chevrolet's Design Studio where they are given an RFID card and then learn how to design a car. Then they enter the "Sim Car" they designed with the use of the RFID card to put their design to the test.

The Sum of all Thrills presented by Raytheon is the first ever ride in Innoventions. It lets park guests design their own thrill ride using mathematical tools, an innovative touch screen and a robotic simulator. Once designed, guests climb aboard their customized design in a 4D robotic simulator that uses sight, sound and movement to give them a realistic experience.

Stop by the recruitment center at Odyssey Bridge (or several other starting points throughout EPCOT) and pick up your interactive handheld device and assignment to play the Phineas and Ferb Agent P's World Showcase Adventure. This self-guided adventure takes you through World Showcase finding clues to help Agent P defeat the evil Dr. Doofenshmirtz's plans. Each mission takes between 30 and 45 minutes and you can return to different pavilions to play a different mission.

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