mpaul32001
Well-Known Member
Pooooo on them.....:wave:
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MSN: Epcot World Showcase is overrated
- Thread starter haveyoumetmark
- Start date
paul436
Active Member
Exactly! It is just trying to expose people to or give a taste of another culture. I think it's a remarkable idea that was never intended to replace the real thing.
jjgoo
Member
ehhhhhhh. I wouldn't give that report too much credibility. It looks like it is just a bunch of snotty travel reporter opinions. (Not meaning to pick on travel reporters, there are a lot of good ones out there)
They also trashed Times Square and the Liberty Bell. Let me tell you I live near NYC and I love Times Square every time I visit and I have taken in many of the cultural alternatives in NYC.
From what I read of the article it seems kind of snotty and elitist or at the very least negative. As usual with a lot of reporting these days for some reason they can't seem to point something out without trashing something else. In my humble opinion the article would have been better if it was written from a different angle. Instead of "The Worst Thing About My City" it could have been "My City's Best Hidden Treasure: An Alternate Guide To The Tourist Norm".
Oh well I guess they think negative sells.
Update: There is an alternate atricle about the best thing in a city (and Downtown Disney was chosen in Anaheim). Personally I still do not appreciate all the negativity.
They also trashed Times Square and the Liberty Bell. Let me tell you I live near NYC and I love Times Square every time I visit and I have taken in many of the cultural alternatives in NYC.
From what I read of the article it seems kind of snotty and elitist or at the very least negative. As usual with a lot of reporting these days for some reason they can't seem to point something out without trashing something else. In my humble opinion the article would have been better if it was written from a different angle. Instead of "The Worst Thing About My City" it could have been "My City's Best Hidden Treasure: An Alternate Guide To The Tourist Norm".
Oh well I guess they think negative sells.
Update: There is an alternate atricle about the best thing in a city (and Downtown Disney was chosen in Anaheim). Personally I still do not appreciate all the negativity.
righttrack
Well-Known Member
WS is no substitute for a tour of those countries. People need to travel to see the beauty of those places. But for those who cannot or won't, it is a very nice cultural exchange.
popsicletrees
Well-Known Member
Lucky
Well-Known Member
Yes, going to Epcot is a "pale imitation" of actually touring 11 countries. Watching "Patton" is a pale imitation of experiencing World War II in the front lines; does that mean it's overrated??
I've been to Quebec City and Marrakesh, and the Canada and Morocco pavilions patterned after them provide a fantastic feel for those places. Disney works with government agencies like the Moroccan tourist board to make it as authentic as feasible.
I've been to Quebec City and Marrakesh, and the Canada and Morocco pavilions patterned after them provide a fantastic feel for those places. Disney works with government agencies like the Moroccan tourist board to make it as authentic as feasible.
fizzle75
New Member
I get what you're saying but I must respectfully disagree. No, there aren't alot of "attractions" at World Showcase but there is still alot to do. Even if you don't plan on shopping it is still so cool to wander around the shops and take in the culture of each country and there's also lot's of street performances to take in(Sergio is awesome!). We will be going back "home" in September/October for the Food and Wine Festival and we can't wait. We try to go every April to see the Flower and Garden Festival also(the topiaries never cease to amaze me, they are gorgeous), but our favorite time at World Showcase (heck, Walt Disney World period for that matter)is during the holidays. There's just so much to take in during the holidays...the amazing decorations and lights, the street performers at each pavilion showing how each country celebrates the holidays, The Candlelight processional, the Liberty Voices singing Christmas Carols at the American Pavillion and of course the special holiday ending to Illuminations. Christmas at World Showcase is flat out amazing. If you haven't been during the holidays already I highly recommend that you do...it just might change your mind in regards to their being "nothing to do" at World Showcase.
Having said all of that, I would love to see a new pavillion, a new ride and the Canada, Norway and American film updates in the near future. And...dare I say it...more character integration at World Showcase(tastefully done of course).
And, by the way, I love the wand...DON'T TOUCH IT!:fork:
AEfx
Well-Known Member
I have to agree that WS is way, way over-rated. I "get it", I appriciate the "culture", but people talk about it sometimes like it's some ethereal educational experience.
It's a really big, pretty, well-designed, intricate, shopping mall/food court.
Yes, there are lots of neat things to "ooh" and "ahh" over, but there really isn't much real substance there. The street performers are nice to watch for a couple of minutes, but I don't come across the country to visit WDW to watch that kind of stuff for very long. I'm pretty close to both Boston and NYC so when I want artsy culture I can get it - it just doesn't impress me that much. If you take that away, WS really is pretty dearth of activity besides the few pavilions that actually have attractions.
Just my opinion, as I know many people feel differently. But I can honestly say I've always gone out of my way to track down the little things at WS to see and do, and I've just never come away impressed by anything other than the architecture.
AEfx
It's a really big, pretty, well-designed, intricate, shopping mall/food court.
Yes, there are lots of neat things to "ooh" and "ahh" over, but there really isn't much real substance there. The street performers are nice to watch for a couple of minutes, but I don't come across the country to visit WDW to watch that kind of stuff for very long. I'm pretty close to both Boston and NYC so when I want artsy culture I can get it - it just doesn't impress me that much. If you take that away, WS really is pretty dearth of activity besides the few pavilions that actually have attractions.
Just my opinion, as I know many people feel differently. But I can honestly say I've always gone out of my way to track down the little things at WS to see and do, and I've just never come away impressed by anything other than the architecture.
AEfx
DisneyMusician2
Well-Known Member
I actually admire WS for the lack e-ticket things to do. I can window shop, eat, relax, have a beer by the lagoon, and maybe find a few interesting people to talk to along the way. I don't want them to put too many more attractions in, on any sort of grand scale. It might spoil the feel. Some smaller Malestrom-sized ideas might be appreciated in some areas, I suppose.
I've had the good fortune and pleasure to visit all the countries represented in WS. In a strange way WS is more like the real thing than the real thing. As someone pointed out, the real things now contain McDs, StarBs and a Body Shop on every corner. Okay, that's an exaggeration (maybe!), but cultural encroachment is rampant. I think it's difficult for an imitation to be anything but pale, and anyway I don't think WS is meant to be an imitation so much as a theme park representation, like Big Thunder standing in for Monument Valley. I like it and I talk to more "locals" than I do visiting the actual countries.