Walt Disney World With Kids (Fodor's, 2012) - Fodor's [74]
A mother of two from Illinois wrote, “Please stress how great the World Showcase performers are. We got wonderful pictures of our children with the comedy performers, and the Chinese acrobats were so good that we went back for another show. You don’t hear much about the live entertainment in the World Showcase, but we found it to be the highlight of our day at Epcot.”
Kim Possible
Want to save the world—or at least make the World Showcase more appealing to your kids? The Kidcot Fun Stops give preschoolers a reason to explore the World Showcase, and older siblings also have an inducement: a high-tech mission called the Kim Possible Adventure.
It works like this: in the morning, as you’re passing through Future World, you’ll see the Kim Possible booths (one inside of Innoventions East, the other on the bridge into the World Showcase Plaza). If you’d like to go on a mission, stop by and pick up a free ticket. You’ll be directed to a second booth inside one of the World Showcase countries, and there you’ll be given a cell phone and mission information. As you follow the clues into specific sections of the park, your phone will periodically ring and vibrate, giving you updated information and directing you to the next location.
Although the complicated plot lines seem to confuse adults, kids catch on fast and enjoy the chase. The fact that the game leads them through every nook and cranny of an Epcot country is a bonus. It takes about 30 minutes to play, and if they have fun, they can go on another mission in a different country.
IllumiNations
This display of lasers, fireworks, syncopated fountains, and stirring music is a real-life fantasia and an unsurpassed Disney World classic. Very popular, very crowded, and the perfect way to end an Epcot day, IllumiNations takes place over the World Showcase lagoon at the 9 PM closing time. If you watch from the Mexico or Canada pavilions, you’ll be able to beat the crowd to the exits afterward. Guests staying at the Yacht and Beach Clubs, or the BoardWalk, Swan, or Dolphin resorts, and thus leaving via the “back-door” exit, can watch from the bridge between the United Kingdom and France pavilions.
Insider’s Secret
IllumiNations produces a lot of smoke. Before you select your vantage point, note which way the wind is blowing. If you have a pleasant breeze in your face now, you can be sure you’ll catch the full brunt of the smoke during the show.
Shopping
You’ll see things in Epcot that aren’t available anywhere else in Disney World: German wines, Chinese silk robes, Mexican piñatas, Norwegian sweaters, and English teas are all within strolling distance of each other. Once you’ve made your purchases, either have them sent to Package Pick-Up near the front gate and retrieve them as you exit or, if you’re staying on-site, have them delivered to your hotel. Both services are free.
Epcot International Food & Wine Festival
Dining your way around the World Showcase is always a treat, but it gets even better during one of the park’s premier special events, the annual Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. It runs for approximately eight weeks, from late September through November. You can get exact dates and information by calling 407/WDW–FEST.
Open-air booths serving the food, wine, and beer of more than 60 nations are set up around the World Showcase, offering everything from New Zealand lamb chops to Bavarian strudel. The sample-size servings range from $1.50 to $4.50 so you can happily nosh your way around the world, indulging in WDW’s biggest buffet. If you want to learn more about what you’re eating and drinking, cooking demonstrations and wine tastings are scheduled daily and are usually free.
True foodies and wine enthusiasts should consider one of the special-event dinners. The Party for the Senses, Winemaker Dinners, and Reserve Dinners are very heady events, held in secluded glamour points all around Disney property, and they sell out weeks in advance. Call 407/WDW–FEST for a list of participants, dates, prices, and reservations.