Everything's Better At Night! Magic Kingdom Edition

Everything's better at night at the Walt Disney World Resort. OK maybe not parasailing, but that might be it. Night has always been my favorite time to visit the parks whether that be because of the fireworks, parades, colder temperatures, short lines, it's all good.

Walt Disney's favorite time to go to the park was at night. He felt it was more magical and wanted guests to leave the park feeling special. He also wanted fireworks to end the day, they were to be a "Kiss Goodnight".

For those of us taking family vacations to WDW on a yearly basis, do you remember when you had to go back to the room to sleep while the adults went to E-ride nights (now in the forms of Disney After Hours, Extra Magic Hours)? I remember, I couldn't wait to be old enough to stay out late.

Fast forward to now, some 20 years later, I try to spend every single moment I can at the parks, even after close. For some that I have vacationed with, it is perhaps too much. In my experience, It's never too much.

Here are my favorite things to do at nighttime at the Magic Kingdom.

1. Visit Main Street U.S.A.

Main Street U.S.A. at night is gorgeous, even when exterior renovations are happening to some of the buildings, Main Street lights up the night while you are walking in/out of the park. Music from the turn of the century, that's the 20th century of course, plays as you enter the gateway to our 6 themed lands of the Magic Kingdom. Listen to some Main St. music!

This actually may be my favorite land in all the Magic Kingdom. You've got your Confectionery which has the best sweets in the park, but unfortunately no longer has a choose your own taffy (Disneyland still lets you though!)

Or possibly the best "souvenir shop"in any of the parks, the Emporium, which honestly doesn't really say much because they all have pretty much the same merchandise, but still looks cool and has awesome scenes from Disney classics in its windows.

Definitely my favorite and most visited quick-service restaurant, Casey's Corner. A hot dog lovers paradise!

Opposite of Casey's is the Plaza Inn Restaurant and the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor. I've actually never eaten at the Plaza Inn Restaurant, but I have had many ice cream cones and sundaes from the ice cream parlor and they are great. Expect to wait a little longer at night though.

There is also the Main Street Bakery, which is great if you love Starbucks. As of 2012, Starbucks has a location in each one of the US parks (not the water parks). That means the Main Street Bakery no longer sells Nestle coffee, or specialty baked goods like the cinnamon rolls which are now at Gaston's Tavern. But if you want a quad venti carmel macchiato with a slow roasted ham and swiss, you know where to go.

 And you can even meet a really cool talking Mickey Mouse in Town Square. Visit during Extra Magic Hours, there is hardly any wait.

2. Significantly less wait times.

Especially during Extra Magic Hours, your wait times are going to be cut by about 75%-90%.

What would normally be a 25 minute wait (depending on the time, and time of the year) will be a 8 minute wait.

If you are really into stats and wait times, give TouringPlans.com a look, it's pretty great. You can see what wait times are projected at for your next vacation, and even historically because you have nothing better to do like me!

You can get your own boat!

It's a Small World! (this one was at Disney After Hours)

Fun fact: Space Mountain was built outside the perimeter of the Walt Disney World Railroad, so in order to reach the ride you must walk underneath the tracks.

3. Different ride experiences at night.

Obviously not every ride has a different experience at night, but some are a lot more fun when the sun is down.

Big Thunder Mountain at night is a pretty different experience at night. Be sure to ride it both during the day and at night. In the dark is pretty fun, obviously you can hardly see anything which makes this wild ride, even crazier. I actually think Disney has toned down the lighting on the "Mountain" itself sometime within the last year.

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is cool at night too, but really doesn't change anything. Unless you ride it when its pouring rain, that makes this very tight squeeze interesting to say the least.

Splash Mountain is such a great ride day or night. In fact it is my favorite ride in the Magic Kingdom when all the effects, audio and Audio Animatronics are working (it maybe my favorite ride in all of Walt Disney World), especially on a hot Florida afternoon. Usually crowds tend to avoid this water ride at the end of the night, which gives you a great time to experience free falling into the briar patch at night. Be warned it may be chilly at night, and you may want to bring spare clothes (and socks), or just avoid sitting in the front. 

4. Wishes and Celebrate the Magic!

Wishes is probably the most underrated fireworks show at Walt Disney World. Or it is for me anyway. When I am planning a vacation Wishes is probably the first nighttime show to go on my itinerary, not because it's bad, no it's because it hasn't changed since 2003. I KNOW THAT FANTASMIC AND ILLUMINATIONS HAVE BEEN AROUND LONGER, but hear me out. The Magic Kingdom's fireworks usually revolve around Disney movies, which there have been a lot of since 2003. I think there is a lot of potential for a revised Wishes, not necessarily a whole new show because Wishes has become a classic.

Wishes really upped the ante from the historic Fantasy in the Sky fireworks which had played for 32 years. Be warned, if you are at the Magic Kingdom on a busy day, you will more than likely be herded into groups to watch the show. I do not have any really tips to avoid such madness. If you are planning to stay in the park after fireworks, watch Celebrate the Magic and Wishes from Main Street and be prepared to book it towards the Tomorrowland Terrace if you're going to Tomorrowland or Fantasyland, or  the Crystal Palace if you're going to Adventureland, Frontierland, or Liberty Square.

 Also check out Celebrate the Magic which is an awesome castle projection show. It incorporates all  the new classics as well!

5. The freaking castle

I feel like I don't actually have to say anything about this.

B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L

Don't mind the scrim!

Finished product of the Hub redevelopment.

6. Holidays at night (Seasonal)

The Holidays are a special time in the Magic Kingdom! Fall is the best time to visit the Magic Kingdom, and Walt Disney World in general (try to avoid the actually holidays if you hate crowds). During both Halloween and Christmas the park looks amazing for both morning and night, but it's especially magical at night.

Main Street Station looking very festive 

This is the 2014 - present Christmas decorations for Main Street!

And of course the castle in it's icicle glory!

It's really spectacular to see in person.

And Mickey's Once Upon a Christmastime Parade is wonderful. If you love Christmas you'll love this parade and Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. Not only do you get to enjoy the park with  less crowds, you get to experience Christmas Disney style. Real snow falling on Main Street, free cookies and cocoa and special Christmas time shows and character meet and greets.

But my favorite ticketed event and just plain time in the Magic Kingdom is the Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. On these nights, adults can ware costumes and trick or treat in the park along with their kids. If you don't have kids, no worries the party is for all ages, and A LOT of groups with no kids go. 

For example:

This is by far the most fun I've ever had in the Magic Kingdom (and that's saying something).

Do not miss Mickey's Boo To You Halloween Parade! It is the best parade on property (Spectromagic formerly held the title for me) and very popular so remember to get your place extra early.

HalloWishes and Holiday Wishes makes use of the Magic Kingdom's perimeter fireworks which can be seen from as far away as the parking lot! Seriously both are terrific and are only rivaled by Symphony in the Stars at Hollywood Studios and IllumiNations at Epcot.

(photo credit: disneyworld/go)

Test Track- A thoughtful review

Test Track was the first thrill ride I rode in Walt Disney World. I had probably been to WDW at least 7 times before I had attempted anything too "wild". I was definitely hesitant of anything wilder than Pirates of the Caribbean (I was known to wait in line for Star Tours to see my favorite characters from my favorite movie and take the chicken exit). I have come a long way from that kid who was scared of anything remotely intimidating. I have finally conquered everything at Walt Disney World, and Test Track was a huge part of that!

Lets take a quick look back at the history of Test Track, how it became to be, and the differences between the original Test Track and the re-imagined Test Track (2012). Epcot's first major thrill ride since Body Wars opened in 1989. I remember waiting something like 200 minutes for this ride when I was a kid, which if you go on a busy day you can still see the upwards of 200 minutes.


I feel that I must mention World of Motion first before proceeding. I spent a bunch of time in Epcot Center as a kid, but never rode World of Motion.

World of Motion was one of  Epcot Center's opening day attractions. It operated from October 1st, 1982 through January 2nd, 1996 and took guests on a journey through the past present and future of transportation. GM (which includes Chevrolet) has been one of the most consistent sponsors of an attraction in Walt Disney World. They have sponsored the ride in the World of Motion building for 39 years, from 1977- present (now as Chevrolet) which is currently the second longest running sponsor currently next to Dole.

Legend has it, on the very last ride through for Disney and GM execs, the ride faulted (broke down) and they were evacuated to the exit. Once World of Motion was closed, it was gutted of all of the show scenes and animatronics. Test Track would still use the building, in fact the ride track was very similar to World of Motion's. 

It was announced that World of Motion would be closing, and that a high speed thrill ride, Test Track, would take it's place. The new ride would invite guests to GM's newest test facility right here in Epcot.

When Test Track was announced in 1994, the approximate date to open was Spring 1997, which was optimistic to put it mildly. There were many delays with Test Track. At the time it was the most sophisticated ride vehicle ever devised, having 3 on-board computers which made programming everything from the speed of each turn, to when the brakes needed to be applied all that more difficult. The prototype vehicles were constructed in Glendale and sent to Orlando as soon as they were finished. Disney was only able to complete 4 or 5 cars before the track was finished, which meant WDI and Epcot operations would only be able to test the ride with 4 or 5  as opposed to 29 cars at a time which is what Epcot would be running on a daily basis.

(photo credit: Park Pics)

Because of all the delays to Test Track, Horizons (1983-1999) was actually reopened to guests (seasonally) in 1995 -1999. Once Test Track opened, that meant the end for the beloved Epcot Center attraction.

After multiple delays, Test Track soft-opened to the public December 19, 1998 after a long delay the attraction officially opened on March 17, 1999 just under 2 years after it's original opening date.

Test Track (1998)

The experience was like none other. The story was that we were exploring what goes into testing a vehicle to make it ready for the road. 

The queue line had so much going on, there were multiple crash dummy tests, along with wear and tear tests. As a teen I thought this line was so cool, however once I look back at it I know that I would be annoyed to death by the repetitive music, which was made to sound like you were in a garage and all the instruments were tools. It sounds cool at first, but wait until you've waited 160 minutes in the this line with the same one song playing. 

Anyways once you get to the front of the line, you were herded into a pre-show theater. It was actually pretty entertaining. Basically two GM engineers banter back and forth on what test to put you through. They decide: rough road test, ABS test, weather conditioning, handling test, and finally the barrier/speed test.

Once the pre-show is done the doors opposite the one you entered through swing open. This was probably one of the more complicated lines. This is where the single rider/fastpass combined and formed two lines with the stand-by guests. The ride vehicle held 2 rows of 3 guests, which often creates vehicles of an odd number of guests, which is why the single rider line was introduced.
(FUN FACT: Test Track was the first ride that experimented with the single ride line.) 

Once we were seated and buckled in, we proceeded up the spiral ramp to the seat belt check. From there we started the tests off with a 3 story hill climb followed by the rough road test, which was a series of different blocks and bricks that you ran over to test the suspension. Next was the ABS (Anti-lock Brakes) test. First the vehicle tries to make a sharp turn without ABS engaged, which makes the car veer off course. Then we tried the same test again but with the ABS activated, which meant instead of being flung around we would be slowed down to an appropriate speed to make the turn. Lame.

That brought us to the environmental chambers which included the Heat Chamber, the Cold Chamber and the Corrosive Chamber.

The first two chambers are pretty self explanatory, however I had really no idea as a young teen what corrosive meant. "Did you remember to turn off those robots?" I kinda assumed as a kid that meant something bad. I didn't expect that the if we really were in a test facility, we would have been sprayed with acid and our face would start to melt.

After being sprayed with some what I presume to be fake acid, we were whisked up some rolling hills to test the vehicles handling. This test was intended to measure lateral G forces, which basically meant we were going to take this small turns at increasing speeds as we climbed this hill. Once we got to the top we entered a pitch black tunnel and our headlights turn off. I remember the first time I rode it, and thought "hmm, this is weird, why do we have our lights off". Well it turns out that there is a semi truck coming at us from the other side of the tunnel, and we narrowly escape.

As we turn the corner and shake off a little thrill, we see a smashed up SUV from 1997, which can only mean one thing: THE BARRIER TEST. I personally think this is the best part of the original Test Track by far. The lights come up and we start accelerating towards the barrier, a quick flash for the ride photo and very quickly the barrier doors open to the outer track.

We hit a banked turn and begin to curve around into a straight away which is where our car accelerated to 64.9 MPH and did the loop around the building.

Once we slowed down, they showed us our heat signatures, which to this day I think was pretty unnecessary, but looked pretty cool. The GM crew thanks us for riding, and invite us back anytime!

The ride was a hit, and the success opened the door for future thrill rides at Epcot. Some may think of this as the start of the decline of Epcot, however at this point Horizons was put into seasonal operation, and the Universe of Energy got a update, with the then and amazingly still relevant Ellen DeGeneres. For me the "dark age" of Epcot started in 1998 when my favorite childhood ride Journey Into Imagination was closed to undergo what I believe to be the worst and saddest renovation of any Disney ride. But that is a whole other blog post.

After 13 or so years, Test Track was in need of a refurbishment. Many of the elements in Test Track were becoming dated; ABS was standard in pretty much every car since 1998, the pre-show videos were being shown on standard definition televisions, and every car shown in the pre-show was from 1998 or earlier.

During this time General Motors had second contract with Disney was coming to an end. The GM company was failing and was eventually saved by a controversial federal loan. GM still thought that Test Track was an opportunity to showcase their cars to the public and introduce them to the latest products. Some thought that this was silly since the company had just been saved from bankruptcy, however they decided to renew with Disney, this time under the Chevrolet name instead of the entire GM brand. I never really thought about it until writing this post, but I think it was actually a pretty good idea. I have never visited a Chevy lot, but I visit Epcot a lot. In the year 2014, Epcot had an approximate 11.45 million visitors that year, which meant a good percentage of those people rode test track. I was never old enough to even think about buying a brand new car during the GM days, but now that I'm in my mid-20's I stopping in to take a look at all the new Chevy product, and I can imagine that a lot of people do as well.

Anyways, Test Track was scheduled to go through a rehab for the better part of 2012. In this Rehab, the track would remain the same, but the experience would change. First off, Chevrolet became the sponsor instead of the entire GM brand. The cars would stay the same except for the look of the cars. Basically the whole ride was given a re-skin. Now riders would make their own Chevrolet sim-car to test on the sim-track. This meant guest would now be given a certain amount of time to design, create and color their car.

Test Track (2012)

Test Track re-opened on December 6th, 2012. The design of the cars and the queue line was made to look futuristic, even more futuristic than today, that way we wouldn't have to worry about a renovation anytime soon. In addition to making your own car, the queue line got a upgrade as well. Gone was the garage feel, now it portrays a Chevrolet design studio which showcases all the new ideas and concepts for the future. Now there is a full soundtrack created for the queue line, and sound effects and musical cues for the ride written by Paul Leonard-Morgan. I think the musical cues and sound effects add so much to the overall experience of the ride.

Instead of being herded into a small room, we are put into groups of 1-6 people (depends on your group, and herded into a large room. This room contains kiosks to make, create and design your sim-car. Each group is assigned a kiosk, from there you start by choosing a smart car, a truck, or a sports car. When you choose you car, you are then able to draw the approximate line or shape the car will have. Based on the length, width, line (of the car), as well as accessories and wheel width, your car will be rated on capability, efficiency, responsiveness, and power.

Depending on the type of car and all the other variables, you could make a car that has great power, but lacks in the rest of the categories. Not until recently did I realize that you  were supposed to get a pretty level car and get all your ratings near the 50-60 mark. Once your 4 minutes is up, you can scan your magic band or RFID card and continue to the loading area.

You actually don't have to wait to make a car. If you would rather single rider it, they have pre-selected cars for you that you can test.

The loading process is pretty much the same, the only thing that has actually changed is there is a place where you can scan your RFID or magic band to link your design. From here on out the layout of the ride should seem pretty familiar.

Once again, we are seated and buckled in and proceeded up the spiral ramp to the seat belt check.

Welcome to the sim-track. we head up the 3 story hill climb right into the first test, capability. Here instead of the rough road and ABS test, the vehicle measures the capability of our designs under challenging weather and surface conditions. Oh there is also shameless plug for OnStar there!
We set up for the first straight away, during this specific run we are testing under wet and rainy conditions. As you can expect the same thing happens as before, while we try to make the turn we hydroplane off the track. Next we set up the off-road and extreme weather sequence. We head forward toward a wall until a bolt of lightning hits and we slow down to make the turn. Lame. After each test, a screen which displays your rating and rank (based of the other designs in the car).

Now on to the efficiency tests. The test rates the car on how eco-friendly it is, the aerodynamics, and the drive systems with hyperspectral imaging (which is actually a thing, used in a medical lab to find out the composition of certain materials.)

Next up, responsiveness. This test is the exact same test as the vehicles handling, even down to the truck we barley miss, except this time it looks all digital and cool!

The next part is I actually think cooler than the original. The musical cue starts to build as we approach the straight away. Energizing for power test!

The doors swing open and its on to the loop outside the building. The one difference here is that your photo is taken outside of the building almost right away. It's a really weird spot and although the photo location during the original Test Track was awkward, it was better.

This concludes our performance testing.

Once we got off we can check and see what how our designs stack up against everyone.

Overall Experiences

Now, I have talked to many people and the most common thing I hear is that people liked the original version, even in it's outdated-ness. Being someone who prefers originals rather than re-themes, I was sure that I would review it negatively, but after I rode it, I loved it.

You can tell at times that the redressing or re-theming of elements looked rushed, or half complete, most notably for me, the efficiency tests. Even during the first incarnation of the ride, this  kinda felt shoe horned, but fit better hyperspectral imaging, and scanning for enviro-friendliness or what ever.

At the core it really is the same ride, we are testing our cars for different things, but everything is familiar to us. The original ride was more kinetic. Everywhere you looked something else was going on, whether that be other tests or other riders. This experience is more individual. While you are testing you can't really see the other vehicles doing their tests.The queue line is much more calm and coherent. The original queue was awesome and unique and got me excited for the thrill of the ride, while in the redone version you see concept cars, and hear GM/Chevy team members talk about what drives them to make cars, and what is being done to further automobiles in general. I should tell you now, the original Epcot Center made me a futurist and idealist, and this queue is right up my alley.

I love the music that was added to the queue line and ride. Sound is a sense that most theme parks overlook the importance of, and as far as I'm concerned, Walt Disney Imagineering/WED has been a pioneer in this area. I get so excited when our vehicle "powers up" for the power test.

Overall, I think the original had a better story, but I get pretty much the same experience with both rides. I do think the 2.0 fits better with the theming of Future World, and I love the Tron look!



I am so sorry this post was so delayed, (It was a Test Track post to be fair). I just got back from Orlando so I promise I'll have more stuff for you guys.

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Thanks!

IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth - a thoughtful look back at the past and present

A staple of Disney Parks and resorts are their nighttime shows. There is one show which has been running in some shape or form since 1983; since 1988 it has been known as IllumiNations. There have been many different versions of IllumiNations since 1988, but the one I want to focus on today is IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth.

As part of the Millennium celebration at Walt Disney World, IllumiNations got a make over and a new name, IllumiNations 2000: Reflections of Earth. This would be the first IllumiNations with a interwoven with a story. Originally during the Millennium celebration there was a evening parade Tapestry of Nations which run before IllumiNations, then at park close IllumiNations ends the night.

The story of  IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth is the one of planet earth. Usually 30 minutes before the the start of the show, 19 torches are lit that have been spread out along all 11 countries on World Showcase lagoon. This "lagoon" is huge, the shore line is a little over a mile around. The 19 torches represent the centuries that have past. The Narrator welcomes us to Epcot and sets the stage for the show. The Narrator then blows out the torches and the whole park goes dark.

Before we go on (that was a Epcot joke... you'll get it later) I must say that the score that was written for this show is probably the best there is. It is brilliantly choreographed with music, and personally, that's what makes it still the best nighttime show Disney has ever done.

 The beating of a drum is heard beating faster and faster until a single firework launches combined with an inferno barge lighting a ball huge ball of flames signifying the beginning of time.

Then the music slows and the whole lagoon, with the help of some lasers, lights installed in the water and a 28ft, 350 ton Earth globe starts moving to the center of the lagoon. Images start to appear on the globe (the globe itself has LED screens shaped as each continent). First images of space are projected, followed by an ocean and forests, representing the earth forming. Then images of animals that first inherited the earth, followed by a cave painting which is the introduction of mankind to the world. We see pictures of different cultures, famous locations, inventions all the way up to a space shuttle launch. The music builds and the countries all along world showcase begin to flash (strobe lights) until the planet earth is shown. Every single country (except Morocco which does not for cultural reasons) is lit up while the fireworks being launched are represent the stars in the sky, surrounding the earth.

The music becomes playful and the fireworks continues to be launched. Images of the puppets from the former Epcot parade Tapestry of Nations (ie Tapestry of Dreams)*. This portion celebrates all we have accomplished in the last 2000 years. This segment ends with what I call a "fake out" finale.

*Tapestry of Nations was a widely popular parade that actually debuted with IllumiNations 2000: Reflections of Earth. Because of the popularity both shows were extended indefinitely both being renamed, IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth, and Tapestry of Dreams.

People at this point think the show has ended, however the globe is still showing images, and and the song "We Go On" written for the show (performed by Kellie Coffey) starts.

With the stillness of the night
There comes a time to understand
To reach out and touch tomorrow
Take the future in our hand 

We can see a new horizon
Built on all that we have done
And our dreams begin another
Thousand circles 'round the sun

My absolute favorite part of the show is right after "Thousand circles 'round the sun". The nineteen torches once again lit, and each pavilions lighting is brought up.

        We go on
        To the joy and through the tears
        We go on
        To discover new frontiers
        Moving on
        With the current of the years

The earth globe starts rotating and opening up to reveal the twentieth torch (representing the twentieth century passed).

        We go on
        Moving forward now as one
        Moving on
        With the spirit born to run
        Ever on
        With each rising sun
        To a new day
        We go on

This is the actual finale, the sky is almost blinding with fireworks, and after a second of silence, Epcot unloads pretty much everything its got in the air.

The song Promise plays as guests exit, followed by the score to the parade Tapestry of Nations.

Tips for viewing!

Here are some tips and tricks to help you enjoy IllumiNations on your next visit.

If you miss the music to the parade Tapestry of Nations, stick around about 10 minutes after the finale and all of Epcot will be playing this while you exit the park.

IllumiNations ends the day at Epcot (with the exception of extra magic hours). Be aware that once the show is over, everyone will be leaving Epcot all at once. On busy days that can be upwards of 25,000 people leaving at once. According to touringplans.com, IllumiNations is the #1 way groups and children get separated at WDW. My grandparents always had us pick a spot to meet if we get lost, I would recommend Spaceship Earth.

I recommend if you travel by car, park at the Yacht and Beach Club resort and walking in through the International gateway. This will save you a bunch of time.

If you want to make sure you have a good spot, I would start looking 40-30 minutes before the start of the show. A lot of times I've actually been able to find pretty decent spots around 10-15 minutes, but that depends on if the park is busy.

Location is a huge difference maker. Here are a list of my recommended locations.

1, Italy (Gondola Landing): This is my absolute favorite location. You're basically on a little island that protrudes from the shore. There are no overhead obstructions. (note: If you are visiting anywhere from September - early November, know that this is reserved for Disney Chase card members. Even if it is reserved, you can stand on the bridge connecting the island to Italy.)



2. International Gateway island: This is also a good option. Depending on where you stand there are a few overhead obstructions most notably the trees, especially if you are viewing from the bridge to France. This spot tends to be forgotten by some, so that makes for a good spot to head too if you don't have a lot of time to scout for a place.


3. World Showcase Plaza: This is the intended viewing place and the best view, however you'll need to find your spot an hour to 45 minutes before the show. There is also the IllumiNations fast pass area and the dessert party area here, so the space is very limited.

Remnants of Epcot Center (Pt.1)

So if you grew up in the 80's or early 90's like myself and visited Walt Disney World, you'll probably remember Epcot Center. No, not the Epcot we have today, not even the EPCOT Walt Disney had envisioned. We experienced a theme park/world's fair hybrid that as a child blew me away. I first visited Epcot Center and Walt Disney World during the early and mid 90's when I was a young kid, and I immediately fell in love with the notion that learning and thinking was just as interesting and exciting as thrill rides. I didn't really understand why my favorite attractions were being replaced in the late 90's, for thrill rides.

Obviously, Epcot has always been my favorite theme park; It's in the name of my blog!

Anyways, Epcot (in all it's forms) has always intrigued me. Over the past 34 years Epcot  has gone through many changes, even name changes ( Epcot Center 1982-1994, Epcot 94', Epcot 95',  Epcot 1996- present), and interestingly enough there is a lot that still remains today or has a nod to a former attraction or thing of the past.

 This post will be an ongoing one so it will be split into parts. Here few of my favorites nods.

The original Epcot Center logo

I had no Idea what the meaning or significance of this logo was when I was younger, all I knew is that it is used to identify Epcot and looks really really cool!

"The EPCOT Center Logo is a graphic representation of the park’s philosophy. It symbolizes unity, fellowship and harmony around the world. The five outer rings form the shape of a flower – a celebration of life. The heart of the logo is Earth embraced by a star, symbolizing hope – the hope that with imagination, commitment, and dedication we can create a new tomorrow."

This logo was used when the park first opened in 1982, and was used on park maps and souvenirs until mid 1996 or so.


Epcot then switched to its current logo. (pictured below)



Occasionally they will use the original logos for "retro" merchandise or special events, but some of the original logos remain in the park today.

When you enter the park from the monorail, you can see the original logo on the gates.



You can also see it on the dedication plaque in front of the ticket booths.

However the largest original logo is somewhat overlooked. It is in between Club Cool and Mouse Gears, in front of the Fountain of Nations. You'll actually have to take a step back and look at the ground. You have to be looking for it, but the logo is sure enough in the pavement. excuse the picture, I will try and take a better one! In the mean time you can go on google earth and zoom in, and it will be there!

The Future World pavilion logos

Just like Epcot Center, the pavilions in Future World had their own logos that represented the theme of each attraction. There are actually a lot of nods to these in the park currently. I haven't been able to find any nods logo nods in Journey Into Imagination.

(Photo by ForwardProgress; Pictured left to right: Epcot Center, Universe of Energy, Spaceship Earth, Wonders of Life, The Land, The Living Seas, Horizons, World of Motion, Communicore, Journey Into Imagination) 

One of the easiest spots you can see one of these logos is at Test Track. When Test Track went into Rehab in 2012, they pretty much re themed everything about this area, including the trash bins! take a look at the trash bins when entering the ride building, you can even spot the logo on the Test Track scrim that hangs over the queue line

This was the most surprising find on my last visit. My girlfriend loves Starbucks, so of course we went to the Fountain View Cafe near Innoventions; When we were leaving Starbucks I spotted a little Communicore on the sign for Starbucks. 

Also as a bonus, it looks as if Eve's plat scanner image thing (that is the official name I'm giving it) from the Disney/Pixar film Wall-E had some influence from the land pavilions logo. Nothing official, and could be a happy coincidence, but they do look similar.

(to be continued in pt. 2)

Thank for checking my blog out! stay tuned for my next post, hopefully it will be weekly!

(actual first post)

Hello all! This is my first post to my lovely blog about my life. Just a little background first. When I'm not at work I am saving up usually for vacations (maybe trip is a better word, vacations have a perception of being relaxing, and whenever you actually visit a Disney resort, for the most part, you are running around) with family and friends.


You see, like most people who love Disney parks, or any theme or amusement park for that matter, My interest in them started when I was young. Our family has been part of the Disney Vacation Club since 1993. To give you a little perspective I was born in 1991 so I have been going almost annually since 1993. It's definitely something to look forward too when you have to endure Minnesota winters for five months of the year!

Anyways, I will blog, vlog and do a ton more. :)