We woke up bright and early (surprise) and decided to spend the entire day at Epcot. We typically write off Epcot and think it’s boring because there are only a few rides there. However, we always read about people raving that Epcot is their favorite park and how there’s so much to do. We figured maybe we hadn’t been giving Epcot enough credit, so our goal was to really experience the park and try new things we hadn’t experienced! It was a PACKED day, so we spent lots of time strolling and admiring all of the unique scenes and experiences at our own pace.

One of our first stops was “Club Cool.” Coca Cola products are served at all of the Disney parks. At Club Cool, they offer free samples of Coca Cola products from around the world! We grabbed a few of the adorable tiny cups and got to tasting! 

Louis tried all 8, but I was too scared to try Beverly from Italy because I had read that it tasted like earwax…not worth the experience to me. 🙂 Some of the others were really good like the Melon and Pineapple Fanta from Greece and Thailand. They were delicious, but way too sweet to enjoy with a meal, I thought. It was neat to see what other countries drink! 

We had to snap some pictures in front of the gedesic dome of course! Or the “giant golfball” as most refer to it. 🙂 We strolled past the rose garden and decided to ride Journey Into Imagination with Figment since we’d never ridden it together, and Louis had never ridden it at all! I had him pose awkwardly in front of it because that’s just the kind of wife I am.

After Figment we headed over to the Land Pavillion where Soarin’ and Living with the Land are housed along with some other attractions and restaurants. We had gotten a Fastpass+ for Living with the Land, which we joked about because there’s never a wait. Thank goodness we did! There was an hour wait! That should be proof of how packed it was at the park that day. We breezed through the Fastpass+ line and enjoyed the slow boat ride past 9-pound lemons (that Louis repeatedly asked me if I thought he could get or grow) and Mickey-shaped vegetables. It’s not a thrill ride by any means, but it’s one we always enjoy. 🙂

We skipped out on Soarin’ because it’s identical to the one in Disney California Adventure that we rode this summer and will ride again in a month! Also, the line was THREE HOURS LONG. No thanks. 😉

We did, however, stop at Sunshine Seasons for some lunch! We both got the Mongolian Beef, and I don’t think Louis has stopped raving about it since. That’s a miracle in itself because he is a lifelong Asian food hater. With our bellies full, we decided to wander over to Canada to start our journey around the World Showcase. 

We stopped in Canada and saw Oh Canada! narrated by Martin Short. We always make it a point to admire their waterfalls there, too. So pretty!

While on our way to next country, we ran into some familiar faces, so we stopped and snapped a couple of selfies…

Each pavilion is so unique and beautiful. If you can’t afford a trip around the world, Epcot is probably the next best option. 🙂

Mary Poppins greeted us as we walked into the UK pavilion. Louis was excited to visit the Twinnigs Tea Shop because he’s been super into tea the past couple of years. We explored the shop looking at the various teas and beautiful tea sets.

As you can see by the Eiffel Tower in the background, France was next after the UK.

I shared our visit to Morocco in a previous post, but here’s a daytime shot of us in front of the entrance. It is a seriously beautiful area!

We strolled towards Japan where we were greeted by these AMAZING Japanese women playing the drums. The drums were huge, and the women were so talented. I wish I had taken a video! We also wandered through the Japan pavilion store where they had tons of adorable Japanese foods, clothes, and trinkets. I’m not sure how authentic any of it was, but it was very fun to peruse! Their tea sets were even more beautiful than the ones in the UK!

How could we journey around the world without visiting our wonderful home country? 

We happened to arrive just in time to see the Voices of Liberty perform. They are a Dickens-style choral group, and they were AMAZING. Seriously, hearing them perform was one of the best experiences of our trip for me. They were insanely talented, and I can’t wait to see them next time we visit.

By then, we were close to Italy and getting hungry after our world travels. We had reservations for dinner at Via Napoli, so we headed that way.

It was a beautiful night for a delicious pizza in Italy!

One of the coolest thing about the World Showcase is that the castmembers in each pavilion are actually from the respective countries. It’s always fun to us to chat with them and ask about how similar the pavilions actually are to their homes. We had a super friendly waitress at Via Napoli from Italy, so we liked asking her about how authentic the food was.

Authentic or not, it was no doubt the best pizza either of us have ever eaten. It was soooo good. It looks gigantic, but it wasn’t THAT big. Haha, I mean, it was big enough that we weren’t able to finish it. And trust me…we tried! 

The pizzas are cooked with flour imported all the way from Italy…maybe that’s why they’re so yummy! They are fired up in these three giant ovens, that cook them to perfection.

We were definitely satisfied and will be making a trip back there next time for sure!

The entrance of Germany was marked by this adorable miniature town.

They had different shops and restaurants in Germany as well as this Christmas shop with a Christmas tree full of pickle ornaments!

We also found this little Swarovski covered castle for $37,500 if anyone’s interested. 

I loved the feel of the German pavilion! It was so pretty at dusk.

Karamell-Küche, which is full of amazing Werther’s Caramel desserts, is also located in Germany. We didn’t splurge on a dessert because we were still so fun from our pizza, but we did indulge in a free sample of their fresh made caramel corn. OHMYGOSHYUM. It was just scrumptious. 

From Germany we headed to China, where we saw Mulan and more beautiful tea sets as well as some authentic kimonos and samurai swords.

I laid on the ground to get this picture, and it was totally not worth it. The ceiling was beautiful though. 🙂

In front of China there is a little stand called the Joy of Tea. Here they serve various teas as well as Chinese snacks and slushes. Louis tried the Strawberry Oolong Tea Slush and was immediately hooked! I have to agree, it was delicious! Louis drank two back-to-back! Haha! He’s always saying how he wishes we had the recipe, so we could enjoy them at home!

We headed to Mexico and went on the Gran Fiesta Tour featuring the Three Caballeros. It was a cute little boat ride that was a first for us, so we enjoyed it!

We grabbed an early spot for the Holiday Illuminations fireworks again because they’re our fave! 

I included a video I captured of the finale…sorry it’s a little blurry and cuts out most of the action. 🙂 I was watching the show myself instead of worrying about video quality obviously!

We decided to take advantage of the Extra Magic Hours afterwards and went on Test Track again. The car we designed performed excellently. 🙂 We also decided to go on Spaceship Earth, which is the ride inside the giant golfball. Here’s a clip of what mine and Louis’s future looks like, according to the ride…

I know it sounds like all we did was eat at Epcot….which is kind of true. Haha! We really enjoyed exploring the shops and educational areas in each pavilion and learning about the different countries (that includes which foods they enjoy 😉 ). I’m so happy we gave Epcot a chance and spent time exploring the park. It was one of my favorite days of our trip because it gave us a chance to experience so many new things together! We’ll definitely be enjoying time in Epcot on future trips! 🙂 With that we were halfway through our trip already! Isn’t it flying by? It felt like that to us too…