Zen Mom: Magic Kingdom No, EPCOT Yes.

To all who come to this place of joy, hope and friendship—welcome. May EPCOT Center entertain, inform and inspire and above all, may it instill a new sense of belief and pride in man's ability to shape a world that offers hope to people everywhere in the world.

E. Cardon Walker, Walt Disney Productions Executive, October 1, 1982

The circumstances that brought my family to Epcot could not have been more perfect. It began as a 4-day trip to southern Florida to visit my ailing grandmother. We left the day before Hurricane Irene made landfall. Florida was unaffected, but our flight home was cancelled and rescheduled for four days later. The kids were such troopers during our visit with their G.G., I packed them into a rental car and drove three hours north to Orlando as a reward and recharge. It would be their first trip to Disney. We were giddy with excitement.

We had two days to spend at Disney parks and obviously, and wrongly, chose Magic Kingdom for our first day. Granted, August isn’t the best time to go – it was just too hot – but we found it to be grossly commercialized and overpriced ($90 + tax per person per day for park admission, plus $16 for parking) and not very engaging. My kids skipped many of the rides because they’d ridden ones just like them on the Point Pleasant board walk (flying elephants, spinning tea cups). They had little interest in the characters, and even if they had, we would not have waited on line in the heat for Chip and Dale’s autographs. One fifth of the park is under construction and they don’t tell you that up front. Most of the rides we went on dumped us out into a store selling ride-related merchandise. I explained to the kids that because this trip wasn’t planned or budgeted for, we were there to enjoy the experience, not to buy toys. Thankfully, they understood. The most egregious example of Disney’s greed is the $3 they charge for a 12-ounce bottle of water, in a children’s theme park, in 100 degree heat. At 4 p.m., my kids asked if we could go back to the hotel.

While Magic Kingdom felt like a combination Pixar press tour and Disney store at the mall, Epcot was the perfect mix of learning and fun. Not nearly as focused on hawking Disney toys to kids, and with many indoor attractions, it was an oasis of calm after the Magic Kingdom.

The geodesic dome at the entrance of the park is a sight to behold – and unlike Cinderella’s castle, you get to GO INSIDE IT! My kids dubbed it “The Golf Ball” and jumped right on line for the ride – not having any idea what it was. That’s one of Epcot’s many charms… A sign outside each attraction explains what you’ll find inside, but all it really tells you is whether it’s “gentle” or “exciting” (read: appropriate for little kids, pregnant ladies and heart conditions or not) and if it has a height requirement. That’s enough for us; we enjoyed the thrill of discovery. Many of the lines are indoors and heavily air conditioned and Epcot attractions are ingeniously designed to load quickly. Stepping up to each moving platform, I felt a rush knowing I was about to be launched on a novel adventure through a cool and lively space, with my best pals by my side. At first I narrated the rides to my children, explaining things we were seeing. They shushed me so they could listen to the voiceovers that came from speakers in the rides’ headrests. I half observed the attractions and half watched their amazed and delighted faces. The kids asked, “Can we go again?” at the end of every single ride.

I took the kids on my favorite ride, The Land, a slow boat ride through the experimental greenhouses where Epcot scientists breed new plants to grow in inhospitable environments and work on natural pest control. They even begged to ride that one again. Apparently tomato plants that grow upwards onto a trellis in the sky from one cubic foot of soil are fascinating to young and old alike.

The repurposed Soarin’ was a family favorite. 20 years ago, it was an IMAX film that gave you a birds-eye view of America with footage shot from helicopters and hang gliders. Today it uses the same footage, but hoists you stories in the air in a simulated row of airplane seats with your feet dangling. Air and motion provide you the feeling of actually flying. Children need to be 40 inches tall, so Zoe just made it on.

On our way to the World Showcase at the back of Epcot, I explained to the kids that we would be visiting 11 countries, and that we could walk from one to the next, by the pure magic of Epcot. (I figured I had to glamorize it for them; I worried they’d get bored.) They were so excited we didn’t have to “go on a long plane ride to get to China like Grandma and Grandpa did” and they loved the whole experience. A few of the countries have fun rides (Norway’s Maelstrom is totally awesome) and beautiful short films about the countries, and all of them have stores that showcase local art, crafts, textiles, toys, sweets, and clothing and are staffed by natives from that country. To my kids, the stores were like giant, hands-on dress-up museums. They tried on hats, wielded toy swords, and asked the shopkeepers questions about their home countries. We spent as much time in the Showcase as we had on the attractions in Future World.

I knew that Walt Disney’s original concept for Epcot was a Utopian community that would house 20,000 residents and serve as a living test model for urban planning. I was interested, but not shocked, to discover upon researching this article that his vision was thwarted by the withholding of city and financial backing until after Disney agreed to build the Magic Kingdom first. Disney died before the Magic Kingdom opened. (Wikipedia)

I think Walt Disney would be pleased with Epcot, the theme park. It brings to life his vision of celebrating human achievement “through imagination, wonders of enterprise and concepts of a future that promises new and exciting benefits for all.” (E. Cardon Walker) My children and I experienced a fresh form of entertainment that energized and relaxed us at a time when we really needed a boost. The price of admission was steep, but once inside we didn’t have to spend another cent to be amazed, engaged and entertained for 10 hours straight, no lines, no waiting.