I’ve been to Disney quite a bit, but living in the Midwest, way less than locals or those closer. With that being said, I have not been to Epcot much. Looking at the maps, navigating that park seems like it should be the easiest. I have no idea why, but this is hands down the hardest park for me fo navigate. Last trip I remember getting so frustrated and tossing my husband the map to figure it out. What am I missing?? Why is this park so hard lol
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Hmm. I am not sure why. To me it is very easy to navigate. I most struggle with remembering the exact order of the pavilions around World showcase.
As you enter the park from the main gate, think of areas. Spaceship earth is obvious. But to the right, you have Seas, Land, and Imagination pavilions (plus now Journey if Water). In the middle area just behind Spaceship earth is Celebration Gardens, plus the Creations Shop, Connections eatery, and the new festival center. To the left, you have Guardians, Missions Space and Test Track. Maybe the confusion is that you have to get beyond Spaceship Earth before you can go to the left or right?
Then, of course, heading straight back, you run into the lake. Just pick left or right to start your circle of nations!
But…I will admit, Epcot is my favorite of the four parks, and is the park we are most likely to spend multiple days in.
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I think it is because there are a lot ofottlw.patha that go in weird direction, which can be disorienting. I always find a landmark in the direction I want to go, and then head “that way”
And remwber when you come out of the UK, you have to cross the bridge to go to France.
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I wonder if it has to do with how the map is laid out? To me, most of them I’ve seen are upside down. Using the map on MDE is difficult for me because it doesn’t face the way I’m walking. I just started using the paper map. Much easier to turn around.
Also, EPCOT is huge! World Showcase is much easier for me. If I enter from the main gate, I always veer left towards Mexico. Then it’s just a circle.
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I think the confusing thing about the map is that from the Main Entrance you’re facing south.
So west is to your right and east to your left! And since maps traditionally have north at the top, the map feels the wrong way round.
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Epcot is annoying to be because they did not have to orient all the maps N/S just because you enter from the north. The whole map feels upside down. And I now see it upside down because of the map. I have a strong sense of direction in general. I actually wish I had never seen the map and just learned it by walking through it. I FEEL myself turning the map around in my brain as I move through there.
But, truth be told, it is AK that frustrates me because I don’t go there often and the signage is mid and the foliage is abundant and because I don’t go often it still all looks the same. I get to a cross roads and truly don’t know which way to go. I used the directions on the app twice the day I was there and asked a CM once, as well.
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Was your last trip very recently? Or was it when it was still Wallcot? When it was so full of construction walls I agree it was a nightmare to navigate!
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Oooo. Very true. Especially after dark.
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I find the World Showcase to be fine, but around Spaceship Earth it can be disorienting because of the path layout and conmunicore blocking line of sight to landmarks.
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Agree - anywhere in World Celebration where you lose sight of land marks used to get confusing. Which is also why Wallcot was so bad!
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I don’t think I ever realized that the orientation was actually opposite of the map, and that the main entrance is actually north. Wild.
I think for me it’s the lack of less clear landmarks than other parks. You typically need 2 or even three to properly position yourself in the map, and I think the huge lagoon in World Showcase doesn’t help
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This makes me curious (maybe could be a @Jeff_AZ poll!) which area or areas of WDW do others find confusing?
For me…while MK is straightforward overall…something about Fantasyland once New Fantasyland was built gets me confused. I have trouble remembering the best route to where now for some reason. I always find myself going the “long way” to get places there!!!
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All the construction walls up started my confusion at Epcot with how do I get from here to there this trip. Otherwise I know where everything is in relation to everything else - it’s our favorite park also. Epcot was always the park we went to daily, for supper and one or two front pavilions and 2 or 3 back pavilions.
One of our most recent trips I started using MDE to get me where I wanted. That helped magnificently.
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I always see it upside-down in my brain (meaning with North on the top). I almost always have a sense for compass orientation wherever I go. It’s a relic of living near mountains, perhaps.
I had to go look up the Epcot map online because I could have sworn it was printed with Spaceship Earth on the top. But it’s not.
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That compass is backwards (correctly), haha, so wild. They must have wanted the user to be thinking they are walking up the map as they enter, which makes more sense. That way the right on the map means walking toward the right once entering the main taps
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And there seems to be less signage around, especially in the middle of Future World (or whatever it’s called right there).
Same. The map should have the world showcase at the top for my brain. But I get it, north, south, east, west and all that.
When I exit SE, I get disoriented.
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Yes. The printed one seems right if you are entering through the main entrance, but you can’t change the orientation on the one in MDE and that makes it backwards to me. It should orient to the direction you are moving, like map apps for directions do.
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Me too. In Rochester, I could always “remember” where Lake Ontario was. I was rarely turned around. Here in Greenville, I remember where the mountains are (and CAN often see them).
Dude - you ARE NOT ALONE. I know I have seen it plenty with SE on top. I wonder if it is like that on the app?
Truly - they also change names or I don’t know the REAL names, and therefore the signs don’t help me a ton.
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This is why I thought the printed maps had SE at the top.
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there it is
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