Showcase Plaza at Epcot

Present at the entrance of World Showcase, Showcase Plaza is one of its kind. It offers its visitors excellent shopping, entertainment, and eating options.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Located at the entrance of World Showcase, Epcot, Showcase Plaza is a unique place that offers lots of shopping, entertainment, and eating options. In this article, we have gone through everything you need to know about it.

This article will discuss everything you need about Showcase Plaza, Epcot. We will briefly discuss its history. We also will go through the shopping, entertainment, and food options present at Showcase Plaza, Epcot.

Showcase Plaza

Now we are going to discuss the history of Showcase Plaza. Also, it will provide a detailed description of all the activities you can do in this amazing place.

1. History

Initially, Epcot was supposed to be built here as a modern structure with American Adventures. But then the designers changed their plan as they didn’t want to make Disney World show too much favor to America.

Initial plans didn’t include the presence of any shop in Epcot. This is because the Imagineers didn’t want to have character souvenirs like Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse to be present in a place like Epcot.

Moreover, the shops in the pavilions were only allowed to stock the things prepared in their respective nations. But this would have reduced the profit Disney earns from gift shops to a significant extent. So this idea was dropped.

Then what was the next thing to do?

The Imagineers decided to make a big shop and name it Centorium, just like the Emporium on the Main Street of Magic Kingdom. This shop was supposed to sell all Disney souvenirs and other things. But this idea, too, couldn’t make it to reality.

The reason was many guests might walk by and miss visiting Centorium altogether. So Disney’s sales business was still in danger.

So ultimately, there was a need for more shops in Epcot. This is where Tower Shops came into being.

2. Shopping

Disney Traders and Port of Entry are the two shops present at the entrance of the World Showcase. These are collectively known as Tower Shops.

Home to many cute souvenirs and other such goods, tower shops have the perfect location to be noticed and visited by most guests. These shops are designed to have an international vibe to make visitors worldwide feel at home.

While Disney Traders is famous for plush toys, Port of Entry sells Disney’s branded apparel and souvenirs.

Friendship Landings are also situated near the Tower Shops. These landings provide water transportation for the guests to reach different locations.

3. Entertainment

Here are a few of the entertainment options present at Showcase Plaza:

IllumiNations: Reflection of Earth

The vast area between the tower shops hosts IllumiNations: Reflection of Earth. It is a 15 minutes long night show that uses lights, music, and fireworks to show a reflection of the past, present, and future of the Earth.

So, if you are at Epcot at night time, this show is something you shouldn’t miss. However, you can get a great spot to witness the magic if you arrive 15 to 20 minutes before the show begins.

Character Meet and Greet

Walk into the Showcase Plaza and move left towards the Mexico Pavilion. This is where you will find Daisy Duck, all set to meet and greet you. After spending time with her taking those much-needed photographs, you can head towards the Mexico Pavilion to find your other favorite, Donald Duck!

4. Food

Beyond shopping and entertainment, Showcase Plaza is also known for great food places. These are:

Refreshment Port

In Showcase Plaza, next to Canada Pavilion, is Refreshment Port. It is a quick-service snack spot that offers many snacks, including ice creams and assorted beverages. So when you are tired while globe-trotting, grab a yummy snack and refresh at the Refreshment Port.