Epcot Nine Dragons Review

Nine Dragons – Epcot

Written by Steve Diehlman

 

Hidden in the colorful country of China, the Nine Dragons restaurant lies in the world showcase at Epcot. As one might expect, the restaurant features an assortment of classic Chinese cuisine.  

Walt Disney Time Travel "Wonders of Life"

By: Stratofariusbr on Twitter

The year is 1990. You are just getting to EPCOT Center. As you enter the park, you pick up a map, and discuss what pavillion will be the first one you'll visit. Horizons? No. World of Motion? No. Living Seas? No. You are going to Wonders of Life.
Wonders of Life opened in 1989. It was the last Future World pavillion to be opened, pratically one of the firsts to receive permanent rehabs (such as Seas with Nemo), and was sponsored by Metropolitan Life. Metropolitan Life is a company that did just what the pavillion theme was - Health and Life.*** Wonders of Life was a big golden ball and used a simple concept, the ride-watch-see. This was used in lots of other pavillions. Wonders of Life originally contained two theaters: one for The Making of Me and another one for Cranium Command,a simulator for Body Wars. Wonders of Life also has two food bars and lots of healthy exhibits.
The pavillion only opened on 1989 because the Imagineers couldn't find the right technology to make those concepts come true and there was no one to sponsor it. When it opened, it surprised everyone. I mean, Horizons opened on 1983, and Living Seas on 1984, but 1989? That was in the verge of the 90's! Disney wanted to do something that made people scream: "This is from the future!". They did that, a bit.
The two attractions are Body Wars and Cranium Command.How about let's talk about Cranium Command first.

Cranium Command was a show that was builded like it was inside of someone's head. The story of the ride is as follows: You are another Cranium Cadet who joined the Cranium Command team. These are little guys who control people's heads. As you enter the pre-show theater, you meet two of the most iconic characters of EPCOT Center. First, is General Knowledge who is a strong and angry general. Then you meet Buzzy. Buzzy is a young cadet who wants to be a Cranium Commander. General Knowledge decides that Buzzy should drive an adolescent boy so he could see if Buzzy deserved to be in the team. He then ordered the audience (delivering his best line: Where do you think you are, Disney World?) to follow Buzzy and see how he works. The audience then moved to the main theater and watched as Buzzy tried to control the boy's brain and deal with all the other organs in the body, who always talked with him.



The other attraction was Body Wars,a simulator much like the one in Star Tours. There is one difference, instead of travelling to Endor, you travel inside the human body. The attraction has a backstory. It is that you are travelling with MET (which matched the sponsor's name), an enterprise whose speciality was making medical operations from inside the body and turning "spaceships" into mini-"spaceships".The min-spaceships are beamed into the body. Things go wrong as you have some... technical problems.

Wonders of Life was received with acclaim. People loved it and it filled quicker than Horizons or Imagination.Things didn't go all well. On 2001, MetLife dropped sponsorship. Wonders of Life remained open until 2004. This was a surprise since the most expected thing was a rehab (example: Horizons, Universe of Energy and Living Seas).
On 2004, It started to become a seasonal pavillion. It opened when the WDW management wanted it to open. On 2006, Wonders of Life opened its doors as Wonders of Life for the last time. The big DNA which stood outside the pavillion was removed and since that year, Wonders of Life only re-opens as a pavillion for the International Food & Wine Festival.
The question is: will Wonders of Life get back to its brains or stay on its feet?
Only the Imagineers and time can tell.

Make sure you check out @Stratofariusbr on Twitter or his blog at http://stratwitter.wordpress.com/

The Most Delicious Time of the Year – Epcot’s 14th Annual International Food & Wine

Festival runs from September 25-November 8, 2009 at the Walt Disney World Resort.

Whether you have been to Epcot enough times to rattle off the location of each hidden Mickey in the park, or you are planning your very first visit - the World Showcase’s reputation for great food is well known. Roaming from the Margaritas in Mexico’s San Angel Inn to the steaks cooked to perfection in Canada’s Le Cellier, to the pastries in France’s Boulangerie, you will not go hungry in Epcot. However, if you want even more scrumptious treats, wines, and beers from countries that are not normally represented at Epcot, then you won’t want to miss the Epcot’s International Food & Wine Festival .

As soon as you enter the World Showcase section of Epcot with your theme park admission, the delicious smells of delicacies from across the globe waft around you, making your stomach growl in anticipation. Oh, did I mention to come hungry? That’s a must. No filling up on a character breakfast buffet before visiting the Food & Wine Festival - you will thank me later! Most likely, you’ll have a hard time deciding which of the tapas-style food creations (priced between $2-$7 a plate) to try. The unique wine and beer pairings simply add to the experience.

This year the festival, which always features a different annual theme (although many favorite dishes return each year), is focusing on “foodie” cities from around the world. There are more than 25 kiosks serving food and wine around the World Showcase promenade – highlights of which include Bologna, Italy; Bangkok, Thailand; Wellington, New Zealand; Santiago, Chile; Marrakesh, Morocco; Shanghai, China; with New Orleans going to bat for the United States.

Be sure you pick up a guide map at the park entrance, so you can follow along with all the great selections and decide which food and drink stations you can’t miss. While I could say to just try them all, even the most competitive eaters might not be able to pull off trying ever offering in one day. One way to go would be make one trip around to try all the new foods as you walk around and enjoy the sites and sounds of World Showcase, then take a break in Future World as you digest, and make another trip around for some of the wonderful desserts featured at the pavilions.

On a personal note, this festival has always been a ‘must-see’ for our family. We were here when it began in 1995, because we were cast members at the time. The 2^nd year, my husband and I were getting married during the festival’s run, and showing our relatives and friends the amazing offerings in the days before we had our reception at the Walt Disney World Dolphin. Years later our children look forward to it each year as well. Would you believe my son’s favorite part is eating the escargot from France each year?? Yes, you read that right – snails! It’s a great way to get kids excited about trying new foods and learning about new countries and traditions in the process.

While you may come for the food, there is much more than just eating and drinking happening around the promenade. There are culinary demonstrations, beer and wine tastings from around the world, and Signature Dining Series for the true gourmands, featuring guest speakers and chefs serving up delectable lunches and dinners, for a separate fee. In addition to all the edible enjoyment, you can Eat to the Beat with some wonderful musicians that keep things rocking while you enjoy the tastes of the world.

Here are the 17 scheduled performers for this year’s Eat to the Beat concert series:
Concerts, which are included with Epcot admission, begin at 5:15, 6:30 and 7:45 p.m. daily. The lineup (subject to change) includes:

Eat to the Beat concert series schedule:*

Sept. 25-27	Big Bad Voodoo Daddy (“You & Me & The Bottle Makes 3 Tonight (Baby)”)
Sept. 28-29	Richard Marx ("Hold On to the Nights")
Sept. 30-Oct. 3	Starship starring Mickey Thomas (“We Built This City”)
Oct. 4-6	En Vogue (“Free Your Mind”)
Oct. 7-8	Better Than Ezra ("Good")
Oct. 9-11	Sister Hazel (“All for You”)
Oct. 12-13	Kool & The Gang (“Celebration”)
Oct. 14-16	Spyro Gyra (“Morning Dance”)
Oct. 17-18	Jon Secada (“Just Another Day”)
Oct. 19-20	Sister Sledge ("We Are Family")
Oct. 21-22	Vanessa Carlton ("A Thousand Miles")
Oct. 23-25	Taylor Dayne ("Tell It to My Heart")
Oct. 26-28	Boyz II Men (“Motownphilly”)
Oct. 29-31	John Waite ("Missing You")
Nov. 1-2	Night Ranger (“Sister Christian”)
Nov. 3-5	Billy Ocean ("Caribbean Queen")
Nov. 6-8	Los Lobos (“La Bamba”)

Don’t forget to grab an extra dessert, drink and a spot for viewing Illuminations: Reflections of Earth – Epcot’s mesmerizing nighttime fireworks show, featuring awe-inspiring fireworks, fountains, lasers and music – the perfect nightcap to a delicious Disney day.

For more information: see WaltDisneyWorld.com’s Food & Wine Festival page.

*Entertainment subject to change

Zanna DiMarzio, ZannaLand.com