There is a lot to love about Walt Disney World, but I would have to say that for my family, our “favorite” thing is probably Epcot’s World Showcase. Not any particular attractions in here, just basically the entire place. 🙂
If I could live here, I would and here’s why…..
Little kids DO like this place!
I realize that many people, especially those with young children steer clear of World Showcase (and Epcot in general) because it is “boring”. OK. I get that. And admittedly, with just adults, our perspective does skew a bit older than those of you with little ones.
But I have to say that we have been in love with World Showcase since we took our first family trip to Disney World, when our daughter was 7. And I think she loved it more than any of us!
We found World Showcase on that trip to be a place that made our imaginations soar, where we could pretend we were literally traveling around the world, sampling food, and art, and stories, and architecture. We “visited” each of these far-off places, and made a game of it with our daughter to try to find out something cool about each place.
And she always came away with a nugget or two that she happily shared with us, as we journeyed on to the next country. Funny thing, the kid was learning stuff…but she didn’t realize it, she just thought she was having fun.
You can learn a lot about a country by shopping…
Part of the learning – and fun – came through shopping. Who knew? 🙂
We encouraged our daughter to always get a souvenir from each country, always something small. And she could tell you, to this day, which country each item came from. In fact, as years went on and we began to visit Disney more frequently, she would plan ahead of time what she wanted to get from certain countries. She – and we – learned quite a bit about the countries of the World Showcase just by shopping lol!
In fact, there was one year when we visited Disney right after Christmas, where Santa left a bit less under the tree, and instead gave everyone a Disney gift card to go shopping on our trip, in any way we wanted. Oh rapture! I think we all had a grand time shopping around the world, and we quickly learned in which countries our “dollars” went further. Talk about an education! 🙂
There is really nothing better than eating your way around the world
World Showcase is a foodie’s delight. In fact, the highlight of planning each trip for our family is probably when we sit down and discuss which ADRs (Advanced Dining Reservations) we are going to make for our next trip. Several nights are always in World Showcase, primarily because we really love to eat there! We take this planning extremely seriously: “When was the last time we ate at Le Cellier?” “Le Chefs de France has such great desserts!” “What about the Biergarten, I would love to try the sausages again!”
Such negotiations….You would think we were the U.N. the way everyone bargains and lobbies for their favorite country.
And if I am going to talk about food in World Showcase, I have to mention the Food and Wine Festival held there each fall. I have had the pleasure of visiting during the Festival several times and oh-my-goodness! Honestly, I never truly realized just how much FUN food can really be. Seriously. It’s the best. (And if you can’t travel during the fall, no worries: Disney offers tons of fabulous food items during the Festival of the Holidays, Festival of the Arts, and Flower and Garden Festival – so almost year round now. Want to sample food from around the world at a Festival? Chances are good, Epcot’s got you covered.)
Take time to talk to folks
This is perhaps my favorite part of World Showcase – the people. And by people, I mean the wonderful Cast Members from all over the world, who move to the US for a period of time to work, representing their country at Walt Disney World.
They are a wonderful and amazing collection of folks, each taking great pride in their country, and each very happy to talk about their country!
We have been delighted to meet so many amazing young people and always try to take the time to ask as many as we can, to tell us a little about where they are from. Interestingly, they are usually quite surprised that we do this, but it is a beautiful thing to see the love that each one holds for their own country, customs, and culture.
Please. The next time you visit World Showcase, ask some of these castmembers about their country. You will be so glad you did.
It IS a small world after all
Without a doubt, this place is THE Must-See for us on every trip: for the food, for the education, for the fun, and for the wonderful way that we learn about our world. It’s amazing. Don’t miss it.
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