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Future
World is open from
9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
World
Showcase is open
11 a.m to 9 p.m.
IllumiNations
Nightly at 9 p.m.
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To all who come to this place of joy, hope and friendship, welcome.
Epcot Center is inspired by Walt Disney's creative genius. Here, human
achievements are celebrated through imagination, the wonders of enterprise,
and concepts of a future that promises new and exciting benefits for
all.
May Epcot Center entertain, inform and inspire. And, above all, may
it instill a new sense of belief and pride in man's ability to shape
a world that offers hope to people everywhere. (Dedication Plaque)
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On October
1, 1979 ground broke for the second Theme Park at Walt Disney World. Three
years and $1.4 billion later, on October 1, 1982, Epcot Center opened
at the Walt Disney World resort. The new Experimental Prototype City of
Tomorrow was connected via monorail to the familiar Magic Kingdom theme
park.
It was
Walt's Dream to have a self-contained city reside here... unfortunately
he passed away before it could be built. The Walt Disney Company created
a theme park which incorporated Walt's love for World's Fairs and the
promise of the future!
Epcot
has come along way since the early days. On October 1, 2007, Epcot
celebrated it's 25th Anniversary!
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OVERVIEW
Welcome to
Epcot, a theme park design to both entertain and educate. Epcot is twice
the size of the Magic Kingdom, so be prepared to walk. You really
won't be able to see it all in one day, so if that's all the time you
have, plan carefully.
The 9,000
space parking lot rarely fills. Trams take you to the main entrance
of Epcot where you enter the turnstiles and find yourself right in front
of Spaceship Earth.
Epcot is
made up of Future World and World Showcase. Future World
is where you can experience the past and future of technology advancements.
World Showcase highlights the art, architecture and culture of the countries
that surround the World Showcase Lagoon.
Epcot is
open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Most of Future World remains open
until 7 p.m.; World Showcase opens at 11 a.m. and remains open until 9
p.m. IllumiNations is shown nightly, at closing, around the World
Showcase Lagoon. On busy holidays (4th of July, Christmas, Easter) Epcot
may remain open until 10 p.m. or later.
Ever wonder
what EPCOT stands for? The official answer is Experimental Prototype Community
of Tomorrow. Epcot visitors and cast members have other answers: Every
Person Comes Out Tired, Employee Paychecks Come Out Tuesday, and so on.
What's
New?
The
Sum of All Thrills
- Innoventions - "Sum
of all Thrills" allows guests to custom-design their own roller
coaster, bobsled, or jet plane experience, then ride it. Some of you might
remember a similar attraction at Disney Quest called CyberSpace Mountain,
but I can assure you, this is far more elaborate. Before riding, you
might want to check out the warning sign and the test chairs to make sure
you'll fit. Opened October 2009
What's
Coming?
Epcot's
Flower & Garden Festival --
March 3 - May 16, 2010
Epcot
International Food and Wine Festival
- October 1 through November 14, 2010.
What's
Going - Going - Gone...
A
wide variety of sources were used to obtain the Epcot information found
on AllEars.net including: Fact Sheets obtained from the former Discovery
Center at Epcot, Discussions with Cast Members, various Epcot Center and
Epcot Guidemaps, "Walt Disney Imagineering" by the Imagineers,
"WDW 20 Magical Years" by The Walt Disney Company, Disney A
to Z The Official Encyclopedia (Dave Smith), The Imagineering Field Guide
to Epcot, Eyes and Ears (WDW cast newspapers) and "The Art and Science
of Gardening at WDW" 1984 a WDW Production.
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