Family Traditions at Epcot

Last week, I wrote a bit about our family’s traditions at the Magic Kingdom, specifically our Adventureland traditions. That is far from the only routine we’ve developed at Walt Disney World.

Our family always follows our day in the Magic Kingdom with a day in Epcot, and there are very specific things we MUST do there as well. So, let’s take a quick look at some of our family’s traditions.

Alas, two of our Epcot tradition have been lost to progress. In the past, we began every trip to Epcot noting that the Leave a Legacy monoliths looked remarkably like headstones. The other tradition lost is forcing some unsuspecting family member to test the Beverly in Club Cool. Ah, the Beverly. It’s how regret would taste if it was carbonated.

With those two items lost to time, the first significant tradition for our family is to ride Spaceship Earth. It’s so near the entrance that it just makes sense to ride it first, but even if it wasn’t, it’s where we would go. There are two specific things that we have to mention while journeying through time. First, we thank the Phoenicians, out loud, for giving us the alphabet. Seriously. It’s the least we can do for them. The other thing we do is talk about how much we love the smell of Rome burning. An empire crumbling in flame shouldn’t smell so comforting. If I could bottle it and bring it home with me, I would do it.

While in Future World,we have lunch Sunshine Seasons, a tradition that dates back to my wife’s childhood. Right after lunch, we skip across the way to Journey Into Imagination With Figment. My wife and I make sure to mention that we wish the Dream Finder would come back, and our children patiently act like they haven’t heard us say this one thousand times. While on the attraction, we make a point of plugging our daughter’s nose when Figment makes “the stink.” The assurance that we will do so is the only way she takes the journey.

In the past, we had always started with Canada when venturing into the World Showcase. However, as of late we’ve been starting with Mexico, lest anyone accuse us of being predictable. It also has the added benefit of getting to the Gran Fiesta Starring the Three Caballeros faster. This is one of my favorite attractions. I adore Donald Duck, Panchito Pistoles, and Jose Carioca. I also love the Mary Blair style of the figures and sets in the attraction. My son sings the song, belting out, “Oh, we’ve got the stars to guide us! Guitars here beside us to play as we go!” We typically ride this more than any other attraction at Epcot. There’s rarely a line, so typically we’ll climb right back on and ride it again. And maybe again. On a few lucky occasions, when there is no line, a friendly Cast Member won’t even make us disembark. They just send us around again.

There are three more key Epcot traditions our family observes. One involves food, another involves streetmosphere, and the last involves architecture. No matter the time of day, or how recently we’ve eaten, we must stop at Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe. While there, we buy one piece of school bread and one troll horn. We find a little table tucked between the Kafe and Norway’s stave church, and then we share the greatest pastries known to humankind.

When passing through Italy, we always stop to watch Sergio the Clown perform. A few years ago, while writing an article for Celebrations Magazine on Epcot’s street performers, I had the good fortune to interview Sergio. He’s always a favorite. No matter how many times we’ve seen him glide by on his gondola, juggle soccer balls, and traipse about like Charlie Chaplin, it never gets old.

The last tradition involves my favorite of the World Showcase Pavilions: Morocco. I adore the architecture and ambiance of the place. There’s a small room known as the Fez House in the pavilion, which has a fountain against the back wall. Beautiful zellige (geometric tiles) fill the room. The area is almost always empty, making it a gorgeous and peaceful place to catch your breath.

There are so many amazing experiences in the park, but these are our absolute favorites. What are your “can’t miss” experiences at Epcot?

Enjoy the magic of Disney all year ’round with Celebrations Magazine!

1 year/$29.99!

Click here to order!

ncG1vNJzZmiblaGyo77AraCopqOlv6a%2F0meaqKVfZ31zfI5paWhoY2SzornIpbBmrKKWsarAyKilrGWRqXqmvMKoq2g%3D