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 Take a handful of technology, a dose of education, and a dash of entertainment, shake it all up, and what do you get? Epcot, of course! The park is separated into 2 very distinctive areas, Future World and the World Showcase. Future World is home to most of the park’s major attractions and exhibits, while the World Showcase (generally open up to 2 hours later than Future World) allows you to travel the nations of the world (11 of them, anyway), experiencing the unique cultures of some of the world’s far-off (and some not so far-off) lands without ever having to leave the park. As usual, most of the park’s guest services, including stroller rentals, guest relations, locker rentals, and the like, are located near the park’s main entrance. It’s a good place to take a minute and get organized for the day. You can pick up a few copies of the guide map and the Times Guide while you’re here.
As you make your way into the park from the main entrance, the plaza is filled with the Leave a Legacy walls. Guests can purchase tiles with their names or even their images imprinted on them to be placed among the thousands of others already displayed.
 Epcot actually has 2 entrances, the main entrance located at the front of the park and a second smaller entrance located at the back. The back entrance is usually only used by guests staying at one of the Walt Disney World Resorts since the only way to reach it is by the boat that runs from the BoardWalk resorts, the Swan & Dolphin resorts, and the Beach and Yacht Club resorts. The parking lot is far less daunting than that of the Magic Kingdom, but if you end up coming more than an hour or so past the park’s opening, you may very well find yourself in need of a tram ride to reach the entrance.
Just near the front entrance, you’ll find a guest relations counter as well as restrooms and of course the ticket counters and turnstiles. Once you have actually entered the park, you’ll find additional restrooms, lockers (for rent), phones, an ATM, and a spot to pick up stroller and wheelchair rentals. Phones and restrooms are of course located throughout the park. An additional ATM is located just between Future World and the World Showcase, another in a kiosk near the American Adventure pavilion in the World Showcase, with additional lockers and stroller and wheelchair rentals located near the back entrance at the International Gateway. A second guest relations counter is located on the east side of Spaceship Earth near the front end of the park. The only firstaid station and the only baby-care center are located at the Odyssey Center, which is fairly central to both areas of the park - just beyond the Test Track but before you enter the World Showcase. Epcot also has kennels located near the front entrance--the only kennels at Disney that offer a dog-walking service.
After passing though the Leave a Legacy walls, the first major landmark you come upon is Spaceship Earth, which looms directly in front of you almost as if it were the portal to the entire park (which in a way it is).
Photos courtesy of Walt Disney World |
