Haven't been to the World in almost a decade. That'll change soon, but it means perhaps that my ideas could now just be distance memories of attractions and settings past. Let's begin.
EPCOT Center. Yep, Epcot. Being that I grew up in Southern California, the second park at the "Vacation Kingdom of the World" made a huge impact on me, and to this day, it is one of the primary reasons we go to Florida. It could also account for one of the main reasons we've stayed away. The short-sighted suits have let one of Imagineering's greatest achievements left in such a sad state. In it's prime, and I'd define that after the opening of The Living Seas, the park was still well maintained, fairly new, and amazingly forward thinking. There was nothing like it.
- Riding the Monorail to the park from the Transportation and Ticket Center
- The first sight of Spaceship Earth from the entrance
- Breakfast at the Good Turn
- Journey into Imagination and its water garden
- Horizons
- Hearing "It's Fun to Be Free"
- Gliding down El Rio del Tiempo
- Being swept away by Impressions de France
...and so many more. In my heart, EPCOT Center is the heart of the World, elegantly speaking "Walt Disney World" to me.
Not to say other parks and experiences don't also come to mind:
- Sailing across the Seven Seas Lagoon with the Magic Kingdom ahead
- Walking into the gorgeous lobby of the Polynesian Village
- Evening thunder and lightning storms
- A lunch at Sci-Fi Dine In
- Wandering around the Tree of Life
- Seeing the Contemporary Resort from the Peoplemover
- Exploring Liberty Square
- Expedition: Everest and its last big drop- my favorite attraction at the World
- Dinner at California Grill and taking in the fireworks from the outdoor balcony
- Strawberry Soup at Disney Village
These are just a few things that say "Walt Disney World" to me. What are yours?
(Photograph copyright Tom Bricker.)
1 comment:
I think you touched on this a lot in this thoughtful post. What I love at Walt Disney World is the the grand vista. There is nothing like that at Disneyland. Looking across a lake and seeing Cinderella Castle, or one of the Magic Kingdom Resorts in the distance. At EPCOT it is the wide open walkways and futuristic avenues leading towards Spaceship Earth or looking across World Showcase Lagoon at world landmarks in the distance.
Disneyland is charming and rich with detail, and has dense foliage and landscaping that really makes you escape Southern California. When I was a kid Sleeping Beauty Castle felt enormous, but as I grew up it lost that sense of wonder that it holds for a child. Oh it's beautiful and intellectually I appreciate it of course. And there is so much more to do at Disneyland vs. MK, Walt walked there, etc. I'm a good So Cal expat, I'm not going to go so far as to say Magic Kingdom is better than Disneyland.
But there is something about the scale of Walt Disney World and standing before Cinderella Castle that lets an adult feel like the way a child must feel like at Disneyland. In Florida the "blessing of size" makes me feel like a kid again, and that is what says "Walt Disney World" to me.
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