World Nature

Stroll along a self-guided exploration trail where water travels from the sky to the oceans and back again. It is a magical encounter with water and its playfulness. I like to come early when the park opens to see it in a less crowded atmosphere.

You can choose to get wet or take the dry path instead. Either way it’s worth it to explore this wonderful new area of Epcot. And be on the lookout to meet Moana at the entrance to this attraction.

Explore the past, present, and future of farming on a boat tour through three diverse ecosystems: a stormy rain forest; a harsh, arid desert landscape; and the rolling American prairie complete with an early nineteenth-century family farm. Then proceed to immense greenhouses where more efficient and environmentally friendly ways of producing food are researched and developed. You’ll see exotic to everyday plants grown hydroponically (without soil), even trees with 9-pound lemons! Much of the attractions’ produce and fish is used in the The Land’s restaurants and the BoardWalk’s Flying Fish Café. Work is also done here in conjunction with the US Department of Agriculture. This is remarkably absorbing attraction for all ages.

FASTPASS. 13-minute ride.

Cara’s Tip: At lunchtime the overflow from the food court produces long waits so pick another time to visit.

After rising 40 feet inside a 180-degree, 80-foot IMAX projection dome, you’re completely surrounded with an exhilarating international adventure round the world. Soar above the majestic Great Wall of China, Switzerland’s Matterhorn, Egypt’s Pyramids, the Taj Mahal, Iguazu Falls in South America or the spectacular Sydney Harbour, experiencing the joy of hang gliding. This is one fantastic ride!

10-minute ride. Minimum height: 40 inches. Not recommended for expectant mothers or those with motion sickness or heart, back, or neck problems.

Cara’s Tip: Ask for the first row and the middle of the theater, section B1; if you are relegated to the sides of the theater the image distortion is very noticeable, to the point where the top of the Eiffel Tower, for example, was bent in half. And if you are not in the first row you’ll be a bit distracted with the dangling feet above you.

This attraction is a winner, combining a kid-friendly ride with Epcot’s 5.7-million-gallon aquarium filled with more than 2,000 sea creatures. The queue winds through a seashore setting that gradually transitions to a dark underwater theme before boarding your “clamobile” that slowly moves through animated projection scenes under the ocean. Nemo has wandered off again from his teacher, Mr. Ray, and everyone is in search of him in the “Big Blue World”. Meet up with Nemo’s dad and his friend Dory, check out the larger-than-life ultraviolet jellyfish, and travel through a fast-moving-current tunnel with sea turtle Crush, finally ending up in front of the pavillion’s massive aquarium.

In Sea Base don’t skip Turtle Talk with Crush, a fun show starring the surfer dude turtle interacting in a full-blown conversation with the audience. Then play in Bruce’s Sub House’s hand’s-on area featuring the Nemo characters. Other attractions include fish feeds, dolphin presentations, educational talks by the research team on the Observation Deck, and, my favorite, the fascinating Marine Mammal Research Center where manatees reside.