Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida is made up of four different parks: Magic Kingdom, the archetypical Disney park with the castle and all; Hollywood Studios, which hosts Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge among other not-Disney specific attractions; Animal Kingdom, which is a wildlife preserve meets theme park; and Epcot, the edutainment land of Walt Disney’s wildest dreams.
They all have their defenders, but despite what superfans who make emotional TikToks about visiting the park may have you think, Epcot is rarely worth it. In fact, I’d argue that the reason people stump for it has little to do with the magic. It just has the biggest drinking culture.
I don’t hate Epcot. But I’ve never understood the appeal of World Showcase, the section with different pavilions themed after foreign countries, like Mexico, Germany, and Japan. The most hardcore Epcot stans swear by the transportive quality of the park, that chance to visit places they may never actually reach in their lifetimes.
Sure, OK, but it’s also a place on the Disney grounds where you can get a hefeweizen for $16.
I went to college in the great state of Florida, and I know how often people made big pilgrimages to Epcot once they turned 21. There’s a whole game people play about drinking around the world, ordering a new alcoholic beverage from each of the countries. Disney adults I know adore Epcot and often say it’s the best part of their Disney trip.
I know why: the drinks. Without them, Epcot’s a bit boring. I do love the classic old edutainment rides like Spaceship Earth and Living With the Land, in all their frozen in the mid-aughts glory, but that’s more a nostalgia kick than anything. Let’s get real about the Epcot experience beyond the beverages: The newer attractions have lines that are way too long to justify waiting in. And the section with the loudest fanbase, World Showcase, is actually incredibly boring, if you’re not chugging a different drink every 15 minutes. Otherwise, you just kind of… walk
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