Things Only Disney Pros Know about EPCOT
Sure, you know where to go at EPCOT when you want a thrill ride (Test Track) or boat ride (Frozen Ever After).
You’ve even familiar with some of the shows at this park. Still, I’m willing to bet that there’s plenty of stuff here that you’ve never done.
Here are eight things that only the Disney Pros know to do at EPCOT.
Celebrate Thor
The Stave Church Gallery at the Norway pavilion harbors a secret. Sure, you’ll notice the statues outside the building, but have you ever gone inside?
Those Disney pros who enter here get to live out their favorite Marvel fantasies in a strange way.
The interior of this building chronicles the remarkable ideas of Norse mythology, including the Allfather, Odin, and his sons.
You know these two as Thor and Loki. Yeah. There’s nothing that officials ties into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, though.
Instead, this is a very straightforward art installation of what Norse Vikings believed back in the day. You’ll learn a lot here and have fun doing it!
Dine in Outer Space
Okay, this one’s new, but it still qualifies. In September of 2021, Disney finally introduced Space 220, the long-anticipated restaurant.
This place comes with one of the best immersive themes of any Disney restaurant ever. And that’s not hyperbole.
When you dine here, Imagineers create the illusion that you leave the planet via a Stellarvator, Disney’s name for a space elevator.
This device transports you 220 miles into orbit, a space almost as far away from Earth as the International Space Station.
Imagineers created two gripping design elements to set the mood for Space 220.
First, when you enter the room that hosts the Stellarvator, you’ll feel a bit like you’re in the Stretching Room of the Haunted Mansion.
All the action takes place above and below you, as projection technology shows objects on Earth disappearing from your view.
Simultaneously, you can watch the sky as your ride carries you to the space station hosting your meal.
Later, you’ll pass a room where everything is spinning just like it would in outer space.
Then, when you sit down for your meal, you’ll enjoy an out-of-this-world view that includes an astronaut space-walking his dog. Yes, I’m serious.
The Disney pros have already rushed to dine here. You should go next!
Enjoy Pixar’s Quick Hits
Have you ever wandered around the side of Journey into Imagination with Figment? There’s a second attraction in the Imagination! pavilion, I swear!
You should discover it, too, because it’ll make your heart sing. EPCOT calls this show, Disney & Pixar Film Festival. No, you won’t spend two hours here, though.
Instead, you’ll discover some of Disney and Pixar’s best short films, the animated classics we love, some of which have won Academy Awards.
The current lineup includes Pixar’s Piper, Disney’s Get a Horse, and Pixar’s Feast.
I say in complete sincerity that I think Feast is the best thing that Pixar has ever done, and you can watch it the next time you visit EPCOT! So why wouldn’t you do that?
Meet Donald Duck and Friends
Okay, EPCOT doesn’t have many rides, but one of them somehow flies under the radar anyway.
Tucked away in the back of the Mexico pavilion, you’ll find the least heralded attraction at EPCOT, Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros.
Everyone describes this ride the same way, as the inspiration is unmistakable.
Imagineers crafted an It’s a Small World clone, albeit with only one country represented. So, everything here ties back to Mexico in some capacity.
Also, Donald Duck and his amigos in the Three Caballeros appear on digital projection screens. They’re animated characters interacting with live-action people.
The comic hijinks on display are hysterical, and I always giggle when a restaurant chef shows Donald that he’s serving a plate of duck.
Sing the Beauty and the Beast Soundtrack
The France pavilion recently added a new attraction, although its arrival kinda got outshined by the pandemic.
The place was open less than two months when Walt Disney World closed. Since then, people have fixated more on what’s not open than what is.
Meanwhile, the new stuff has gotten lost in the shuffle a bit.
So, only Disney pros are aware of this delightful retelling of Beauty and the Beast from Lefou’s perspective.
Gaston’s loyal assistant apparently proved more integral to the plot than we’d previously known.
Yes, this delightful singalong experience messes with canon a bit, but nobody cares because we get to sing!
Classic songs from the movie like Be Our Guest, Something There, Gaston, and the title track quickly play during this 10-minute show!
Whenever we need a relaxing time and a big smile, Disney pros watch Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along!
Spend Time at the BoardWalk
For the longest time, the International Gateway counted as one of the best hidden gems at Walt Disney World.
The only people who knew about it were the folks staying at Disney’s Beach Club Resort and Disney’s BoardWalk Inn.
Well, the Disney Skyliner has changed some stuff, but Disney’s BoardWalk remains a place that is mainly for park pros.
The lack of crowds during the pandemic reinforces this notion, although some closures have also played a factor.
At the BoardWalk, you’ll discover a mini-Disney Springs area with shipping and dining. Plus, you’ll find live entertainment sometimes!
To get here, all you have to do is keep walking past the United Kingdom pavilion if you’re arriving from the Future World part.
Those of you heading there from the France pavilion will simply turn left and walk toward the gondolas in the sky. Thus, you cannot get lost.
By the way, the BoardWalk even has a nightclub when you feel like dancing!
Visit the Temple of Heaven
For whatever reason, many guests take the architecture of the World Showcase for granted.
Sure, the Eiffel Tower dazzles, and people admire the Mexico pavilion’s temple design from a distance.
However, arguably the most impressive design feat at the park – excluding Spaceship Earth – is the Temple of Heaven at the China pavilion.
You know this place as where you enter to watch Reflections of China. But have you ever looked up when you walk into the building?
Disney recreates a design from 15th century China (!) that is authentic to the Ming Dynasty origins of the actual Temple of Heaven in Beijing.
This place is utterly spectacular, but only Disney pros take the time to admire its brilliance.
Win the Space Race
I’ve previously mentioned that I’m not the biggest fan of Mission: SPACE.
As a NASA fan, I admire the engineering feat and relish the rare opportunity to experience gravity changes, even if I find the ride kinda basic.
Still, there IS something I adore at Mission: SPACE, and that’s the Mission: Space Race in the Advanced Training Lab.
In this game, you’re trying to guide two spaceships back to Earth. Along the way, you’ll face some space-based tasks akin to Among Us chores.
Theoretically, the Advanced Training Lab is a playground, but I always notice adults playing Mission: Space Race.