Walt Disney World Facts

Legend
	Things to Try
	Things to Ask For
	Things to Keep in Mind
	Things to See
	Things You May Encounter
	Interesting Facts

EPCOT

This page documents all of the random information that I felt would be pertinent to a trip to Walt Disney World's Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow (EPCOT) theme park.

All information has been gleaned off of the internet. The author cannot take responsibility for the accuracy of the statements made on this page.

See the Main Page for more information.

Park-wide

Setting the Mood
The pavements are painted a certain color of pink which makes the grass look greener.

Future World

Setting the Mood
Look for "Talking Water Fountains" outside the Mouse Works shop, behind Innoventions West (near the restroom), and near the play fountain between Future World and World Showcase
Look for solar powered lawn mowers.
Find the spot that is the center of Walt Disney World. It is located just to the west of Innoventions West, on the way to The Land. It is a series of concentric circles in the pavement with quotes from various famous scientists and inventors.
As you exit the park, look for an illuminated sign "Thank you for visiting..." The light bulbs are shaped like Mickey heads.
Body Wars
If, while queueing, there is an announcement stating that your simulator is delayed due to a "lost and found" item, it is because someone "lost their lunch."
Electric Umbrella
There is a talking garbage can that can generally be found by the fixin' bars closest to the restrooms.
Guest Relations
There are Hidden Mickeys throughout the park. You can get a "scavenger list" from Guest Relations (next to Spaceship Earth)
Ice Station Cool
Here you can find FREE Coca-Cola products from around the world. You enter a room filled with soda dispensers and free (tiny) cups, it’s wonderful during those hot humid days in Disney World. (Try the drink called "Beverly" at your own risk.)
Innoventions
The fountain in Innoventions Plaza can shoot water 150 feet in the air (that's within 30 feet of the top of Spaceship Earth. If all of the shooters were fired at once, there would be 2,000 gallons of water in the air.
The Land
Look at the mural on both sides of the entrance. They are identical except for one tile. One side has a ruby colored tile, the other has an emerald colored tile. There are a couple of rumors for this. The first is that the mosaics were made by a father and daughter team; each put a tile for their birthstone on the side of the mosaic that they worked on. The other rumor is that the man who made the mosaics never made the same mosaic twice, so he made one of the tiles obviously different.
The Living Seas
There are 8,500 inhabitants in the Living Seas, with over 100 different species.
Mouse Gear Shop
Up on one of the walls above some shelves is one of the Idea Catchers (the thing the DreamFinder is riding on when Figment is created) from the old "Journey Into Imagination" ride. They have repainted it and removed the plaid bag from the back.
Spaceship Earth
Most of the male audio-animatronics in the ride are former presidents. When the Hall of Presidents was first made, they made detailed molds for the faces of the presidents and when Spaceship Earth was built, they used the same molds but put different hair, costumes, makeup, etc to create different characters. (Gutenberg is James Buchanan, the lute player from the Renaissance period is Dwight D. Eisenhower)
If you look at the seated pharoah's apron closely, you will see that the pattern for the tapestry is made up of images of Donald Duck.
In the scene at the top where the moon is showing, look for the lift. This is how Mickey and others get to the top of Spaceship Earth outside for special events or movie shoots.
One of the coolest (literally) places in Future World is under Spaceship Earth. The combination of its shape and the shops to either side cause the slightest breeze to accelerate.
Right after you pass the Phoenician merchants, you round a corner to see a Greek play being performed on your right. If you look to your left instead of looking at the Greek scene, you will see what appears to be just a black wall next to a pillar. There in the wall there are little tiny stars cut out to form the constellation Orion. There are no other stars around it, just the constellation by itself.
In the scene where the monks are writing, behind the sleeping monk, there is a large book on a pedestal. Written in the books are names of Imagineers, Walt Disney, and Mickey Mouse.
When you are going through the little boy's room, on the surfboard is "TL" which stands for Typhoon Lagoon.
Spaceship Earth stands 180 feet tall, has a diameter of 165 feet, and weighs roughly 16 million pounds. The globe is self-cleaning: rainwater is channeled through the structure and sent to underground drains, where it replenishes the World Showcase Lagoon.
Test Track
This is the most unreliable ride in the history of any Disney park. The ride breaks down at least once a day. Since the ride is so complicated many things can go wrong. The cast members actually make bets about when the ride is going to break down. It usually breaks down around noon every day. Listen for "there has been a delay in our boarding process, boarding will commence as soon as possible. Thank you."
The ride will be shut down if lightning is within 5 miles.
There are three computers in each car, which together have more processing power than the Space Shuttle.
Each vehicle has 22 wheels, only four of which are visible.
There are six braking systems on board each vehicle.
In the heat chamber, there are some fried eggs on an electric heat compressor. In the cold, there are popsicles in an ice cube tray. In the corrosive chamber, the robots serial numbers spell out CRUS-T and RUS-T. The driver of the semi truck during the evasive maneuver is actually a cardboard cut-out of one of the Presidents.
Look for crash test dummies. They look like statues but they are real people dressed up. Pose next to the dummies for a picture and they'll come to life.
Wonders of Life Pavilion
Every day a little after 2 PM a cast member chooses a child between the ages of 3 and 12 to be "The Child of the Day." The child is taken with their family to the VIP lounge where there are free beverages for the family while the child gets a special pin and a one-on-one visit with Goofy. The whole group is then backdoored onto Body Wars.

World Showcase

Setting the Mood
Epcot Cast Members know when to open the World Showcase (since it opens after Future World by watching the main fountain. It can be seen from either side (Mexico or Canada), and when it "flares up" they drop the rope to open the rest of the park.
Mexico
Imagineers designed the approach to the pyramid with the lushly planted, parrot-dotted walkway on your extreme right. The idea is that you're hacking your way through the rainforest with a machete, and you stumble across a ruin.
The pyramid is styled after Mesoamerican architecture that dates back nearly 1,800 years.
On the "Rio del Tiempo" ride, as you first enter the temple, the spirit of an Aztec Chief appears in front of the boats in an alcove. He's transparent and appears and disappears at will. This effect is achieved by reflecting the image of a dummy on a sheet of slanted glass. As you pass the spirit of the chief, look at the alcove directly behind you. When you enter "the Day of the Dead" scene, you'll be able to see the dummy standing in that alcove.
Norway
The first building as you enter has a roof covered with real sod. Horticulture workers get up on the roof and trim the grass with clippers since they don't have a goat to keep up there as they do in Scandinavia.
The Stave Church dates back to 1015, when King Olaf II first made Christianity the official religion of Norway. You can see both Viking and Christian symbols in the architecture.
The castle is modeled after Akershus, a 14th century fortress in Oslo Harbour.
Inside the pavilion, you'll notice that the scenery shows buildings are built very close together. This is because the Scandinavian climate is such that, with certain wider spacings between buildings, the pressure from snow accumulation would eventually push the walls in.
Each day, the first guest on the maelstrom ride receives a free viking hat that says "Viking of the Day."
When you get off the Maelstrom ride, you are escorted into a theater to watch a movie. Just before you walk in, there is a talking bench to the right of the theater doors.
China
The Temple of Heaven is a one-half scale reproduction of the original in Beijing.
Examine the ceiling inside the Temple of Heaven
The walkways by the gift shops outside are narrow to make things seem more crowded, reflecting the immense population of China.
Outpost
When you get to this area, lift the lids on the old time soda coolers. Get ready for a surprise.
Germany
Featured is the architecture of Bavaria, Rhineland and Northern Germany.
The statue in the center of the plaza is St. George (Patron saint of soldiers) slaying the dragon.
The glockespiel in the central plaza chimes a melody specifically composed for that pavilion. Also observe the figures that come out of the clock when it chimes the hour.
Don't miss the model train exhibit out front.
If you know the holiday story about the pickle ornament, find the pickle tree in one of the stores.
A Rhine River attraction was originally planned, and a building was even built for it, but the attraction was never constructed.
Italy
If you wander around behind the shops (where the fountains are), look around for little red buttons that say "press for a surprise." If you press the button, water squirts from a different location.
Look for the hidden bowling ball. There are pillars that surround one of the buildings. The pillars are decorated with several kings, and each king is holding a crystal or cannon ball and sword, except for one of the kings on one pillar, who happens to be holding a bowling ball.
The pavilion features a replica of the Doge's Palace and the Venetial campanile (the bell tower) of St. Mark's.
One of the statues on top of the columns at the square's entrance shows Theodore and the Dragon. The other staute is of the Lion of St. Mark, protector of the city of Venice.
American Adventure
The Colonial-style mansion is an example of forced perspective in reverse. The high windows and oversize doors make the five-story building appear as though it's only three stories tall. The idea is to make it look more dramatic from a distance.
The picture that hangs in the corner to the left as you first enter the rotunda is a picture of a B-17 bomber from WWII. In front of the picture is a grey strip of tiles on the floor. If you stand on the grey tiles and walk back and forth, the plane seems to swivel to follow you.
In the American Pavilion, there are paintings along the front wall. One of the first ones opens to reveal the elevator for handicapped guests.
Take a look at the clock. The number 4 is represented by "IIII" not "IV" as you might expect. this is supposed to be typical of colonial America.
Disney has a policy that Cast Members should always either point with two fingers or an open palm. Pointing with one finger is considered "rude" and isn't allowed anywhere in Disney property. However, in the American Adventure, you will be able to find 3 or 4 signs with a hand pointing with one finger to the washrooms.
The audio-animatronic characters in the show have wigs made from real hair.
Japan
The levels of the five-tiered pagoda represent the five elements from which Buddhists believe all things in the universe are produced: earth, water, fire, wind and sky.
The 83 ft pagoda is adapted from the seventh-century Horyuji Shrine at Nara.
The torii gate is found throughout Japan at the entry to ancient shrines. The torii on World Showcase Lagoon is adapted from the Itsukushima Shrine in Hiroshima Bay and is the entry to Disney's shrine to the architecture and heritage of Japan.
Most of the plants are stand-ins for the actual Japanese varieties, since few Japanese plants could survive the Florida climate.
Morocco
The King of Morocco was so enthused about having his nation represented at Epcot that he sent his own artisans (maalems) over to create carvings and tilework. Nineteen maalems worked on the extensive mosaic art throughout the pavilion.
Take a look at all of the mosaic tile artwork on the walls. You will notice that each mosaic has at least one cracked/flawed tile in it. This is because the Moroccan people worship Allah and believe that only Allah can create something that is "perfect," so every mosaic was purposely flawed.
You won't find any patterns containing people, animals or plants due to the tenet that only Allah can create life.
There is a letter signed by George Washington displayed in the restaurant.
The pavilion follows the pattern of many Moroccan cities, being divided in two. The ville nouvelle (new city) contains a replica of the Koutoubia minaret of Marrakesh. This leads into a courtyard containing a replica of the Nejjarine Fountain, which in turn leads to the gated entrance of the Medina (old city).
The Chella Minaret is a Muslim prayer tower and the keyhole windows signify that worship can open up the door to the heavens.
Look for the reproductions of the Bab Boujouloud gate in Fez and the bells of Madrassa.
France
The pavilion recreates la belle epoque, a glorious era in the late 1800s.
Featured are replicas of Les Halles (a once-beloved Parisian market) and Pont des Arts (a footbridge that once led from the Louvre to the quais of the Left Bank).
The Eiffel Tower is only one-tenth the size of the original and is painted with a sticky substance to discourage birds from ruining the illusion of height.
The park is inspired by Georges Seurat's painting "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte."
United Kingdom
There is a typical shrubbery maze, except it is of short hedges so children don't get lost. There were rubber stamps here and there in the maze, when they are applied to paper in the proper order you get a picture of Tigger.
The pavilion represents four time periods, ranging from the Tudor to the Victorian.
There are replicas of the Hampton Court Palace, Anne Hathaway's thatched cottage, Hyde Park, Yorkshire and Regency buildings.
The Rose and Crown bears the Latin motto "Otium Cum Dignitate" which means "Leisure with Dignity."
Canada
As you walk down the steps to see the Canada 3-D movie, there is a waterfall to your right, among several large fiberglass rocks. About halfway down the steps, there is a small rock with a hinge on it. If you lift it up, there is the valve to turn off the waterfall.
The Hotel du Canada is modeled on Ottawa's Chateau Laurier.
The Victoria Gardens were inspired by the Butchart Gardens in British Columbia.
The Victoria Gardens have different colors of flowers depending on what season it is in Canada. During the winter season, all the flowers are white to represent Canada's snow.
The fir trees you see perched atop the rocks spend three years adapting to the Florida climate before they go onstage. They're not planted, but rather nestled among rocks in large plastic planters. Each tree has an understudy waiting in the wings so a quick switch can be made in the event that the tree is struck by disease or hit by lightning.

The Fireworks

Watching From In the Park
Try going to the Cantina in Mexico. After the show ends, wait for the crowds to clear out, and walk around World Showcase in a clockwise direction (Norway, then China, etc.). You get to walk around all the countries by yourself, complete with all the torches lit and Promise playing in the background.