The World Showcase: How many of the countries have you been to? Which is the most authentic, least authentic.

bdearl41

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Hey guys figured I’d put up a debate that will keep CNN and Fox News articles from being discussed. The World Showcase to me is the most iniquity people of theme park in the world and provides days of exploring if your love for travel and cultural experiences are as high as mine.

I am curious what you guys think about how authentic each pavilion is and how many of the places you have been to?

I cannot speak to the Authenticity of Japan and Norway but for me Morocco and France are the most authentic experiences with China being the least authentic. 9 of 11 is my number.
 

thomas998

Well-Known Member
Hey guys figured I’d put up a debate that will keep CNN and Fox News articles from being discussed. The World Showcase to me is the most iniquity people of theme park in the world and provides days of exploring if your love for travel and cultural experiences are as high as mine.

I am curious what you guys think about how authentic each pavilion is and how many of the places you have been to?

I cannot speak to the Authenticity of Japan and Norway but for me Morocco and France are the most authentic experiences with China being the least authentic. 9 of 11 is my number.
I think you would need to get a reading from people that haven't just visited the country but have lived there for an extended amount of time and traveled throughout the country. Most countries vary within their borders and if you were to visit the one area only (which is what most tourists do) then you would walk away with a stilted view. France seems to want to portray a view of Paris, but what if the only place in France you've ever seen was Nice? The Canada pavilion might be a good representation of western Canada, but it doesn't give me much of a Quebec vibe... I think at the very least you would need to first determine which part of a country each pavilion is supposed to represent.
 

HongKongFooy

Well-Known Member
I think you would need to get a reading from people that haven't just visited the country but have lived there for an extended amount of time and traveled throughout the country.

So true........

There's the tourist vantage point and then there's the day to day view filled with all of the real cultural elements.
 

bdearl41

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Obviously they are idealistic, I’m speaking to the food, the interactivity, and the ambiance created by the pavilion. In that regard take Chefs de France. That is precisely how a busy brasserie feels. Conversely the night market of Oaxaca resembles nothing like an actual market in Mexico. They all have been Disneyed up but some do have experiences that can resemble the real thing. I’ve never been to Japan but the way they have the Sake bar set up feels to be another one of those experiences.
 

HongKongFooy

Well-Known Member
The pavilions were designed to be idealistic more than authentic representations


Indeed, because park goers at large would be bored beyond measure without a stereotypical architectural icon like a Chichen Itza pyramid or a French street performer doing his mime.
 

duder

Active Member
Been to France, Germany, UK, and Japan.

France - pretty accurate take on Paris, obviously missing the scale, but its a good representation of what you might see walking along the Seine river, just at about a 10th of the scale.

Germany - you can definitely find pockets in Germany that are close to the Pavilion, but it is definitely a more stylized take on what was more prevalent pre-war. Old town Nuremberg was the closest I saw when I was there.

United Kingdom - I'm sure Marni could speak more on what part of the UK the Pavilion was modeled after, but I didnt really see anything in London that evoked the Epcot version. We went to Edinburgh and that is probably closer to the Pavilion, but based on my visit, Diagon Alley is closer to representing today's London if someone is looking for a theme park representation.

Japan - If you want to find the real-life version of the Pavilion, you need to go to Kyoto, as Tokyo has very little in common. If you could eliminate the noise at Epcot, you would actually have a very close representation of the Shrines you find across Japan, but specifically Kyoto.
 

NickPytlinski

Well-Known Member
The UK doesn't really represent the UK, its a mix up of different era's rolled into one so a little confusing for a tourist imo. The Pub is the closest thing but miles away from what they were and are in the england.
 

ajrwdwgirl

Premium Member
I've been to...
Mexico: I spent most of my time in the tourist zones in Mexico but I have ventured out on a few tours. I can see some touches of real Mexico in the market area. I have seen quite a few Mayan ruins and while the real things are more impressive the pyramid at Epcot has some interesting features that bring some authenticity into their version of a pyramid.

France: I took the train from the airport to the stop near my hotel in Paris, when we emerged from the underground station one of the first things I thought was "wow Epcot kind of does look like Paris", then I looked over to the side and saw a McDonald's! But with further walking around Paris I was impressed with the details Imagineers put into the Epcot pavilion.

United Kingdom: I haven't seen a lot of this country only London and took the train to Windsor and while the Epcot pavilion represents an idealized version of an area in the UK there are still elements in design that are present and while I was in the real UK I was reminded of the Epcot version and vice versa.

I agree with other posters that the Epcot versions represent idealized and maybe even stereotypical versions of the countries but I think the Imagineers clearly did their homework. I even took the Destinations tour of World Showcase and learned a lot about the design of the the pavilions and how they tried to make their fake world authentic, so I appreciate that.
 

Jon81uk

Well-Known Member
United Kingdom - I'm sure Marni could speak more on what part of the UK the Pavilion was modeled after, but I didnt really see anything in London that evoked the Epcot version. We went to Edinburgh and that is probably closer to the Pavilion, but based on my visit, Diagon Alley is closer to representing today's London if someone is looking for a theme park representation.

the area outside Diagon Alley showcases some landmarks of London, whereas I think World Showcase shows "classic" British style which you are likely to see in smaller villages or places such as Stratford-Upon-Avon or Windsor.
 

bdearl41

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
the area outside Diagon Alley showcases some landmarks of London, whereas I think World Showcase shows "classic" British style which you are likely to see in smaller villages or places such as Stratford-Upon-Avon or Windsor.
I agree. I think Windsor is exactly what it represents.
 

bdearl41

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Having been to the real Temple of Heaven in Beijing I would say if everything in world showcase this from the outside is the most similar to the real thing just much smaller. Also the stone steps are quite similar to the real thing in the Forbidden city. My issue with the China pavilion has always been everything else. The alleyway doesn’t exist in China Usually much more gray. Also the food is a failed attempt but very few of Americans know real Chinese food. It’s a shame really.
 

HongKongFooy

Well-Known Member
And locking a live monkey, Canton style, to a table whereby its head is sticking through only to be broken apart with hammers while it screams and then eating its warm bloody brains won't work for too many EPCOT goers either.
 

HongKongFooy

Well-Known Member
those scorpions are delicious.


I don't dig on arachnids .......
mites, ticks spiders and scorpions just wouldn't appetize me be they cooked perfectly by a world class chef in a 5 star setup or from a common street vendor pushing a cart in a market of Bejing

But I believe you since locals eat 'em up
 

bdearl41

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I don't dig on arachnids .......
mites, ticks spiders and scorpions just wouldn't appetize me be they cooked perfectly by a world class chef in a 5 star setup or from a common street vendor pushing a cart in a market of Bejing

But I believe you since locals eat 'em up
Honestly the scorpions taste like Boston Market rotisserie chicken.
 

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