Welcome to the first stop aboard Magical
Blogorail Red. Enjoy the ride as we share with you Hidden Treasures of
Epcot.”
Ahh, Epcot! That Crown Jewel that is two parks in one, bridging the gap between the world of tomorrow, and the countries of the world. For today’s topic, we are going to explore the many hidden treasures that you can find throughout Epcot, so let’s get started!
There are so many great things to see and do and eat at Epcot that it is nearly impossible to do them all! Some of the hidden treasures that I’m going to describe are things that I’ve never even experienced, while some are things that I only found out about by pure Disney Magic.
Epcot is such a great park! There are so many things to see and do, it is really easy to miss something, even something that might be right in front of you. That’s why I’m having so much fun writing this piece.
For me, the best hidden secret of Epcot was one that took place in Morocco, hidden way in the back of that small pavilion…one day (June 21, 2008, to be exact, but who’s counting) Cindy, Sophie and I were at Epcot, and ventured into the pavilion at Morocco. We had been here before, but truly, we didn’t ever seem to spend a lot of time here, it just wasn’t all that captivating to us, you know? Anyway, for some reason, the Disney Magic seemed to be leading us all throughout the pavilion, which was great because there are some really cool things to see, when all of a sudden, quite by accident, we came around a corner, and who was there, all by themselves, waiting for guests — Princess Jasmine and the Genie!
It was a moment when time stood still — we were the only ones there, and I remember Sophie being able to visit, and hug, get autographs, and talk, just talk, for something that felt like an eternity, but was probably 5 to 10 minutes. It was that long sought after Disney Magic at work, guiding us, drawing us in, so that Sophie could have her time with Princess Jasmine (poor Genie must have felt like the third wheel because Sophie could have cared less that he was there!). It was during this visit that I snapped this picture, one of my all time favorite pictures.
Regular readers of our blog have seen this picture so many times that they are probably sick of seeing it, but this picture, with Sophie whispering in Princess Jasmine’s ear, is a memory that I will never forget. Another picture I like out of this set, but one that I don’t show as often, is this one of the Genie, and how hard he is trying to get her to look at him!
Truth be told, Sophie was polite, and she did talk with him, but the person that she was really interested in during this encounter was Princess Jasmine.
There are so many other wonderful hidden secretes of Epcot. Some of the others that I like are the garden train layout at the Germany pavilion (did you know that the Imagineers decorate the town on the layout when they are having special events at Epcot?), the special walkway bridge over in Japan (it is like being transported back in time to Ancient Japan), and the hedge maze over in the UK pavilion.
But for me, my favorite hidden secret was the time we came upon Princess Jasmine and the Genie.
Thank you for joining me today. Your next stop
on the Magical Blogorail Loop is A World View.
Here is the map of our Magical
Blogorail should you happen to have to make a stop along the way and want to
reboard:
1st Stop ~ My Dreams of Disney
4th Stop ~ Focused on the Magic
Final Stop ~ Makin’ Memories
How neat! Once (in 1999) we encountered Snow White and ALL SEVEN DWARVES right outside the Judge's Tent in Toontown (the back of it). Ashley had them all to herself too. We got some AWESOME PICTURES! I need to dig them out and scan them sometime.
I really enjoyed reading about your hidden treasure! The pic of Sophie with Jasmine sums it all up in one shot. Genie does look like he's saying “Hey what about me?”
Deb @ Focused on the Magic
We spent much of our last trip tracking down characters for my 5-year old to meet and greet, including Jasmine who we had to wait for longer than anyone else. But this young lady was never happier.
Thanks everyone for the comments! I loved all of your posts and pictures!
As a regular, I know you love that memory! But it is definitely a great one! Love the pic of Genie trying to get her attention!
I love that photo! I must admit that I have never explored the Morocco Pavilion but think I need to!