fbpx
Skip to content

Exploring Epcot’s World Showcase Through the Years with Children

In celebration of Epcot’s 35th Anniversary, WDW Radio Blog writers are sharing their thoughts, memories and experiences from one of Disney’s most iconic theme parks.


Kidcot Fun Stops

Kidcot Fun Stops activity in Epcot's World Showcase

Epcot at Walt Disney World Resort has been a magical park for me since my first trip in 1983 and it has been amazing to watch it evolve into the park it is today. In 2003, I brought my own children to Epcot for the first time and it was fun to explore World Showcase  through the eyes of children. Back then the kids were 6, 4, and 2 years old, and they enjoyed exploring the different pavilions with the Kidcot Fun Stops program. They enjoyed wearing their special lanyard as they collected different die-cut shapes from each country’s pavilion and learned interesting facts from Cast Members.

 

Disney Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure

Disney Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure  a stop on the Disney Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure

Using a Kimmunicator on the Disney Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure 

During a visit a few years later, the kids loved playing the Disney Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure in Epcot. Kim Possible was a big hit in our house back then. The girls were thrilled to be issued a Kimmunicator (custom cell phone) to help Kim on her interactive mission around World Showcase. I can remember finding a funny monkey statue that rose out of the water in China. The Imagineers sprinkled magical interactive mechanics, like singing beer steins in Germany, throughout the scavenger hunt. This family activity was a great way to get the kids to look around the pavilions and to discover interesting facts about each country. Unfortunately, this adventure was only around for 3 years before being replaced with Disney Phineas and Ferb: Agent P’s World Showcase Adventure.

 

The Sweet Side of Epcot’s World Showcase

Canada, United Kingdom, France, and Morocco Pavilions

But how do you entertain a teenager on a mother-daughter trip? You buy candy of course! We started our sweet adventure at the Canada pavilion and quickly located some imported Canadian favorites, with maple flavors! In the United Kingdom, we had a difficult time choosing just one, so we asked the Cast Member who was from England, which was his favorite, so we bought that too! There’s just something deliciously different about European chocolates. As we worked our way around the World Showcase Lagoon, we enjoyed finding the pretty sweet’s displays within each pavilion. Some were small and others, like in Japan, were pretty extensive which made it even harder to select just a few sweet pieces to try. Some of the candy was interesting: the marshmallow ice cream cone and the Turkish delight left a little to be desired. Our favorite was definitely the chocolates. Not only did we have fun exploring the eleven different pavilions, but we had interesting conversations about what we purchased. We even managed to save a few pieces to let the rest of our family sample our sweet finds. So the next time you are walking around the World Showcase, be sure to stop at the pavilion shops and sample some candy from around the world. This is definitely going to be an on-going tradition for our family.

Sweet offerings at the Japan Pavilion

 

Italy, Germany, China, Norway, and Mexico Pavilions

 

What are your favorite treats from around Epcot’s World Showcase?  Let us know in the comments section here or on the WDW Radio Facebook page.

 

(Photos from the author’s personal collection)

 To learn more about Vanessa and read her recent posts for WDW Radio, visit her author page by clicking the link on her name at the top of this post.

Comments

About Lou Mongello

Lou Mongello is a former attorney who left the practice to pursue his passion, and is now a recognized Disney expert, author, speaker, and host of WDW Radio. Learn more…

Related Posts