World Showcase at Epcot is a wonderful place, with different countries and cultures to discover and explore. Sometimes you may be tempted you want to just hop right past some countries—well, don’t! Every country has something different to offer, and each has some amazing things to see! Of course, when you are traveling through 11 different countries in one day, you’re going to need a passport!
How do I make sure I see everything? I use an Epcot passport, of course! Before you even enter World Showcase, you can hop into any of the stores in Epcot and purchase a passport for a reasonable fee. The Epcot passport pack includes a World Showcase button, the passport itself, and stickers for each of the countries. Now, at first this might seem like something aimed for younger tadpoles, but I am far from little and had to get one!
The Epcot passport has certain things to be filled out and specific spots for the stickers. The stickers were almost my favorite part! They are images from different spots in each of the World Showcase countries. It makes you want to hop around to find those specific spots for yourself!
There is also a date and time entry that cast members in each of the countries' Kidcot Fun Stops will fill out for you. Cast members will also stamp your passport and write something different that relates to that specific country. For example, in Morocco, they might write your name in Arabic! Every country has its own signature style for what it put into the passports. It really makes the whole experience rewarding and special!
If you are celebrating your birthday, make sure you get a birthday pin at any store in the park! If you’re wearing the pin, the cast members may even draw a picture for you, or write “Happy Birthday” in another language! When I was in Japan, they wrote me “Happy Birthday, Tad” in Japanese and also drew Baymax with a birthday cake! They really take the time to make your experience as special and memorable as they can.
One of my favorite things about this Epcot passport adventure is exploring the countries! It’s easy to do, especially if you’re trying to fill up your passport, and a lot of fun. The Kidcot Fun Stop is not always front and center when you enter a country! You have to go and actually look for it, which I love. It forces you to see parts of the country you may have originally overlooked! The amount of detail Disney has put into each country is toadally awesome! You feel immersed into the atmosphere, and it’s easy to forget that you’re still in Florida!
I like to think of an Epcot passport as a necessity when traveling from country to country, and the World Showcase is no exception! The next time you are visiting Epcot make sure you pick up one up! And don't forget, if you're visiting the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival, there is a special passport for each of the food marketplaces. You can learn more about it in our festival guide.
The Epcot passport is just one of the toadally cool, under-the-radar ways to discover the different parts of the park, but there are others. Let us know how you like to explore Epcot in comments below!
Stay cool!