Epcot features cultures, food, space, mother nature, festivals, and even the future. I came to Epcot to eat and drink! The plan for the day was to ride all the rides we wanted to and then eat all the food and drink we could.

I rode Soarin’ Around the World and Living with the Land first. Soarin’ is a must. It was fun seeing some of my favorite travel destinations from above. Living with the Land was a bit more interesting and not as expected. The first part of the ride is a little outdated but then turns extremally interesting as you make your way through the ride. Complete educational experience and a look inside Disney.

Mission: Space was up next. You can choose how intense of a ride you want. The Orange mission is more intense than the Green mission. Tim and I choose the Orange mission and quickly made friends with a family with a little girl and two teens in line. There was a number of warnings that this ride was intense and you were free to exit should you decide you didn’t want to ride. We joked with this family about all the warnings. The intensity was no joke. If you do not like tight spaces or being tossed around, this is not the ride for you. The G forces as you “leave” earth were incredible. Luckily that subsided after a minute or so. Our mission team was totally into it and we had a ton of laughs as we shouted out orders to one another. A prime example of letting loose, acting like a kid, and having fun.

Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure is the newest ride at Epcot. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a chance to ride it as it was down most of the day or had a 2 hour wait when it was running. I recommend buying the individual lightning lane first thing in the morning if you want to ride this ride with a shorter line.

Now for the yummy stuff….

We made a quick stop at Club Cool to try sodas from around the world before heading to the World Showcase. Tim is not a soda drinker, but I convinced him to grab a cup and try the unique flavors. There were approximately eight different sodas from around the world. I had been here before and knew there was one that is absolutely disgusting (I’m not going to tell you which one). I started with that one (I secretly skipped it) and had Tim start on the other end. When he made his way to the last one I stepped back to enjoy his reaction. Needless to say he was not happy when he figured out what I had done.

The Festival of Arts was going on while I was there so there were some extra food vendors set up around the World Showcase. Here is what we ate from the various food vendors in the World Showcase:

Refreshment Port- Gnocchi Poutine with red wine-braised beef, cheese curds, basil, and burrata
Vibrante & Vívido- House-made Chorizo and Potato Empanada with turmeric aïoli and annatto aïoli and Passion Fruit Mousse with Dragon Fruit Jam and Passion Fruit Daiquiri
Goshiki- Japan- Chicken Kushiage: Breaded and fried chicken with yum yum sauce and vegetables and Sushi Donut: Donut-shaped sushi featuring salmon, tuna, shrimp, cucumber, and sesame seed over a decorated plate of wasabi aïoli, sriracha, and eel sauce and Sake in a traditional personalized wooden cup
L’Arte di Mangiare- Italy - Arancini: Fried risotto balls stuffed with braised-beef and served with pomodoro sauce

My favorite beverage of the day was this violet sake from the Kabuki Café in Japan. The line was very long, but so worth it. I am glad I purchased two, one for Tim and one for me, because after trying it there was no sharing.

We had a late afternoon reservation at the Space 220 Lounge for some cocktails and flight bites. This experience was super fun. You check in with the cast member and are given a boarding pass. The cast member escorts you into the space elevator that is about to take you 220 miles above earth to the Centauri Space Station. As the elevator shoots into the sky you can watch below as the ground disappears and watch above as the space station comes int o view. Once inside you are greeted with this view of earth.

Since we had just eaten our way around the world, we just ordered cocktails and enjoyed the view. I ordered the Nebula (Maker’s Mark, Pineapple, Honey, Passion Fruit, Angostura Bitters, Moon Dust) while Tim ordered The Big Tang (Avion Silver, Grand Marnier, Tang-Infused Agave Nectar, Grapefruit, Strawberry, Served with Astronaut Ice Cream). We definitely have our go to types of beverages.

Our last stop of the day was in France at La Crêperie de Paris. This table service restaurant specializes in savory galettes and sweet crêpes. I was really looking forward to this stop, but it ended up being my least favorite. I think a bunch of things factored into this. I was tired, they were very busy, service was slow, a glass got broken near us all causing a very hectic meal. I had the potato leek soup and the Classique (Ham, Egg, Swiss Cheese) while Tim tried the Savoyarde (Raclette Cheese, Caramelized Onions, Bacon, Imported Bayonne Ham). The soup was excellent.

Epcot is probably my favorite of the four parks. This park is the most “grown up” but that doesn’t mean a family can’t have a great time here. While there are a number of character meetings and some fun rides, you won’t find attractions for smaller children like you do at Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios. Most of this park is focused around the culture and food from around the world (or future world). Epcot is a great place to learn about the world.