Disney at a Distance: Future World West
Every week during the closure of Walt Disney World during COVID-19, we are bringing you a virtual experience of one land in Walt Disney World. This week, we are headed to EPCOT's Future World West.
Before we get started, we want to remind you of the good news we heard just a couple weeks ago that Walt Disney World will be re-opening in a limited capacity beginning July 11th with two parks, and the other two parks within a week of that. You can see our post about it here.
All right, let's set off into the great big beautiful tomorrow of Future World!
Here are some "magical extras" you might want to prepare for our trip:
Have a fresh orange ready and a chair high enough that you can swing your feet
Make a batch of orange blossom creme brulee as they sometimes serve at Sunshine Seasons
Or prepare some creamy lobster soup such as they serve at Coral Reef restaurant
Check out the Soarin' themed candles at the Magic Candle Company and on Columbia Candle Company
It feels wrong to turn right from EPCOT's main entrance and NOT beeline directly to Soarin', so we'd like to start with that. Currently, Soarin' offers Soarin' Around the World. For the best viewing experience, sit in a chair where your feet don't touch the ground!
Because we believe in magic, we're also going to offer the Soarin' Over California original. For this one, the same advice about your feet not touching the ground still applies, but add holding onto an orange to sniff as you fly over orange groves.
One thing I love about the Land Pavilion (why is it not called the Air Pavilion?) is the soundtrack, especially near the Soarin' queue. It tends to be music from movies about space and flying. I recognize some from my favorite movie, Apollo 13. Let's have a listen.
It's time to move on from Soarin'. As we exit the Land pavilion, let's take a left and head to the Seas with Nemo and Friends. While the ride in the clam shell is OK, I believe the Seas pavilion itself is underrated. It's a respectable aquarium, basically, plopped in the middle of EPCOT. Let's take a tour.
The other reason to come to the The Seas Pavilion, in my opinion, is to see Turtle Talk with Crush. Is it a kid's show? Yes. Can you go as an adult? Yes. And if you think kids can be hilarious, then you definitely should. I've been, oh, a few times... and my favorite memory was probably the time three kids in a row asked Crush where he was from so he answered the question, somewhat patiently, three times while somehow giving the parents in the back the side-eye.
Straight across from The Seas is the Imagination Pavilion. We'll give our honest opinion that it's seen better days. It used to be the most popular attraction this side of the geosphere and now now it's likely the least. But there is an enduring love of Figment, the mascot of this pavilion and the feature of the Journey Into Imagination ride. So for nostalgia's sake, let's ride.
When my daughter was 4 years old, on her first trip to Disney, she made me take her to ALL of the water fountains at Disney Hollywood Studios because she was fascinated with fountains. Thank goodness we didn't venture over by the imagination pavilion, or she would never have left. It might sound crazy, but sometimes, the things other than the rides are attractions in and of themselves, and this collection of fountains is fun. Have a look!
Something I love about Future World is the wide pathways and clean looking landscaping. Thank goodness for the custodial staff that keep it so clean. Wait, are they cleaning or playing the drums? Or is it just the JAMMitors?
At about this time, I usually find myself with the urge to keep walking past the Imagination Pavilion, straight on toward World Showcase. There is a lovely shortcut near the Imagination Pavilion that goes right into Canada. And from there it's only a hop skip and a jump to France where I can get delicious pastries.
But since we're sticking with Future World today, let's close out with an attraction that's not exactly in Future World West (or East) but rather right in the middle - Spaceship Earth. It's the ride I would seek solace on when I was in my College Program internship and missing my family and tired from work. It strikes such a tone of wonder and togetherness as it strives to tell the story of civilization in just a few minutes.
And because I'm a sucker for nostalgia, I want to share the 1990's audio with Jeremy Irons (my favorite narrator). Yes, that's Scar.
While the things happening in our world right now are scary, critical conversations are coming from these things, and I hope we can remember we are all on this grand and miraculous spaceship together. We must treat each other with dignity and respect and check our internal bias at the door.
What will you do today to take care of your fellow human beings?
We hope you enjoyed our trip to EPCOT today. We'll see you next week!
