Epcot - More Food and Fun Than You Can Shake A Stick At

I think it probably goes without saying that the World Showcase at Disney's EPCOT Center is my most favorite part of the Disney experience. With places like Mexico, China, Morocco, and even Canada there's so much to do and see there that it really deserves a two day stint. One day for the World Showcase and another day for Futureworld located at the front of the park.

According to Josh's research, Walt Disney's father was a construction worker for the Chicago World's Fair in 1893 and so that was Disney's inspiration for this park. In fact, Disney wanted EPCOT (which is actually an acronym for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow) to be the main point of entry for Disney World as a whole. It was the board of directors who decided that Magic Kingdom should hold that title. In the end though, Disney's dream of a perfect "city" came true and 18 years after debuting four pavillions at the New York World's Fair in 1964, EPCOT opened to the public. Even though the EPCOT that opened was a slightly revised one of Walt's original plan, the basic premise of a World's Fair is still there and, boy, does it show! There is everything imaginable here.

Futureworld has a couple of great rides like Test Track and Soarin. For the kids there is Under the Sea with Nemo and Friends, Turtle Talk with Crush, and the 3-D movie Honey, I Shrank the Audience. You can also tool around the Innoventions, Imagination!, and Imageworks Pavillions for some hands on fun and glimpses into the future.

Even though the World Pavillion is a bit of an exercise in stereotypes it gets the point across and I was actually quite amazed at the authenticity of the architecture of each country. The replica of China's Temple of Heaven was actually really good. Even the restaurant in the Mexico showcase had real deal Mexican food complete with mole (pronounced mol-ay) sauce. I dont think there was one taco to be found on the menu! My favorite showcase is France and I especially loved the 360* movie Portraits of France (though admittedly because of the GORGEOUS music they used for it).

All in all, there is a good time to be had by all at EPCOT. As I said before, a good two full days is needed to enjoy everything so be sure to plan your time wisely. Oh, and be sure to plan ahead to eat at one of the world showcase restaurants so you can enjoy all the glorious yummy ethnic food. MMMMMM so good.

Get Your Grrrr at Disney's Animal Kingdom

Animal Kingdom is Disney's youngest park but is also arguably the best. With a wide variety of rides, shows, food, and, yes, animals, there's something for everyone to enjoy. I was particularly impressed with their very important message of conservation and sustainability as well. Of course, the highlight of a trip to Animal Kingdom is their safari ride through the reserve where you get to "wander" amongst the animals while riding in a safari truck. I was amazed at how close you came to the animals and how they all seemed to think nothing of it. In addition to the safari, there are several walking trails where you can see many different animals from different regions of the world. Maya's favorite by far was the bat room along the asian animal trail where she got to see Flying Foxes dangling from branches above.

Overall the park is well designed though the addition of Dinoland seemed a bit odd. I guess they needed something to anchor the ride Dinosaur, which, by the way, is NOT for little ones. One ride that is great, though, is the Kali River Rapids. You can never go wrong with a wild rapid ride where everyone gets wet. We rode it three times in a row at Maya's insistence and also because it was a bit on the cold side that day so no one was waiting to get on. We just stayed in our boat and kept on going. Maya loved it!

For those of you who are trying to teach your kids about being green, be sure to check out Rafiki's Conservation Station. It's a great place to visit and get them some hands on learning about how to keep our Earth bright and beautiful for future generations.