I had the opportunity to spend 4 wonderful days at Disney’s Epcot in sunny Florida. I was on a business trip and was busy giving talks at Epcot, but I had some time to walk around the park, admiring the many topiary figures. I traveled through 11 wonderful countries and did a lot of people watching. The children were either happy, smiling, and full of energy, or fast asleep in their strollers from a long day of running around the park.

I spent four days there and didn’t come close to visiting all of the park areas or seeing what Epcot has to offer. I focused on the countries, but next time, I will probably walk through the Future World and Epcot innovations areas.

Disney’s attention to detail

Disney does it right with their attention to detail. Everyone is extremely nice and helpful, and the people working in the shops and restaurants are from their home countries. You can snack and drink your way from country to country, exploring the buildings and cultural exhibits. And the park is spotless inside and out, which makes it extremely pleasant.

I had two favorite restaurants and made reservations online. If you don’t have reservations, you will be waiting for a while to get a table. It’s straightforward to do online or stop at the restaurant during the day while you walk the park. You can cancel within 24 hours; otherwise, your credit card may be charged a fee. Chef de France and Tutto Italia Ristorante are amazing food experiences, and they have great reviews on Travelocity.com.

Make sure you wear comfortable walking shoes as you’ll get your exercise. And I hope you won’t mind lots of people of all ages, strollers everywhere, and plenty of sunshine. Oh, and if you or your family aren’t too tired, make sure you stay for the fireworks display at 9:00. It is a great way to end a wonderful day. The fireworks only last about 15 minutes and sure worth the wait.

Where to stay

I stayed at Disney’s Boardwalk Resort and took the boat or walked to the park. It’s about a 10 to 15-minute walk. Plus, there are some great places to eat inside the resort for a late dinner, too. The running path is nice if you like to exercise while you travel. The path measures .8 miles, and it’s a pretty view and easy to run early in the morning when families are still sleeping or at breakfast. There are other great places to stay in and around Walt Disney’s Epcot and theme parks. It will depend on how much you want to spend and the convenience factor. Disney is great about transportation between the parks and resorts.

All of the people I met on my 4 wonderful days at Disney’s Epcot, along with the many sites the park has to offer, are reason enough to go back someday, especially with our kids and grandkids.