Just as you walk inside EPCOT, you’ll notice a large silver ball that resembles a giant golf ball. It has become an engineering marvel, leaving visitors with more questions than answers. While the EPCOT ball is exciting to look at, there’s more going inside!
- The EPCOT ball, commonly known as Spaceship Earth, is a slow-moving dark ride attraction.
- Over the years, the EPCOT ball has been used to project light shows.
- The officials use the second floor of the EPCOT ball to conduct internal meetings and conferences.
- The ball also has a play area for kids with interactive games.
We’re going to uncover everything there is to know about the inside of the EPCOT ball in this post.
What Is the EPCOT Ball?
The EPCOT ball is the main attraction of Walt Disney World’s EPCOT theme park. The EPCOT ball symbolizes Walt Disney’s love of innovation and creativity and serves as a reflection of his unique ideas in many ways.
The ride inside the EPCOT ball, Spaceship Earth, takes you on a time travel journey that starts in the past and finishes in the future.
The EPCOT ball is elevated 18 feet off the ground and extends 120 feet into the earth. Even more amazing is that the ball would weigh 15,520,000 pounds if it were measured in its entirety.
4 Interesting Things Inside the EPCOT Ball
You will be surprised to know that the EPCOT ball is more than just an iconic architectural piece.
1. Spaceship Earth
Spaceship Earth is an enclosed slow ride with a human development theme that lets you enjoy some of history’s most significant events while savoring the comfort of air conditioning.
It starts in the prehistoric age and then moves through scenes from Ancient Egypt, the European Renaissance, and Ancient Rome to 1969, right as Neil Armstrong first set foot on the moon.
You can experience time travel by riding the immersive rollercoaster inside Spaceship Earth. As Michelangelo paints the Sistine Chapel, you can see paint rain down on him, smell the distinct smell of burning paper as the Library of Alexandria burns down, and hear real music playing in your ride.
It’s important to remember that Spaceship Earth takes 15 minutes to complete, making it one of Walt Disney World’s longest rides. We highly recommend Spaceship Earth if you want to learn about history or just need a 15-minute break from the heat.
2. Event Space
If you pass by Spaceship Earth, you can see the event area from the outside, allowing you to turn around and see the entire building. It is a meeting room with a view of the World Celebration and World Showcase parts of the theme park.
It is located on the second floor of Spaceship Earth, where you can see the enormous geodesic sphere with multiple sets of windows.
As you could have guessed from the name, it is a meeting space and is frequently used for special occasions and business gatherings.
3. Project Tomorrow
Project Tomorrow can be fun if you’re traveling with kids. After exiting Spaceship Earth, there is an interactive play area hidden inside the EPCOT ball.
The play area is packed with a variety of activities for kids. Some of the games simulate what it could be like to power or drive a modern city.
You can also view the onboard photograph that was taken of you on Spaceship Earth, as well as a huge map showing the multiple EPCOT tourists who rode the attraction at Project Tomorrow.
4. Former VIP Lounge
The EPCOT ball has hosted a few VIP lounges for Disney’s VIP visitors and business clients. AT&T and Siemens, two of the sponsors of Spaceship Earth, have had the most prominent business lounges here.
At first, the VIP lounge at Siemens was given a more imaginative name, lounge Base21, before being rebranded as the more basic Siemens VIP Center.
In addition to providing their customers with an additional benefit when visiting EPCOT, Disney’s business partners were able to provide their customers with a nice place to unwind with food, drinks, and air conditioners in this extra-special lounge.
Since Spaceship Earth hasn’t had a major sponsor since 2017, the VIP lounge was vacant for a while before Disney turned it into an event space and general storage, which you can still find at the EPCOT ball.
Interesting Facts About the EPCOT Ball
Want to learn some interesting facts about the EPCOT Ball?
Here are the best ones that’ll leave you surprised:
- Spaceship Earth was constructed using 1,700 tons of steel and 50,000 hours of labor over a period of 26 months.
- With 11,324 tiles covering its outside, the ball is the largest free-standing geodesic ball in the world.
- The EPCOT ball may appear to be perfectly spherical from far, but closer inspection reveals that it is slightly oblong-shaped.
- The gutter system in the ball collects rainwater from the shell and transfers it to EPCOT’s World Showcase Lagoon, which shows an excellent drainage system.
- In 2000, Disney built a massive 25-story Mickey arm carrying a magic wand running up the side of the dome to commemorate the new millennium.
Conclusion
The EPCOT Ball is more than just a lovely sight and a symbol of Disney; you can actually enjoy a whole ride inside it! Make sure to set aside some time on your next trip to EPCOT to experience time travel from history to the future.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Does the EPCOT Ball Represent?
Disney enthusiasts know that the EPCOT ball has nothing to do with golf and that the massive sphere serves as a visual and thematic trademark for EPCOT. It symbolizes invention, discovery, and innovation by Walt Disney.
Why Was the EPCOT Ball Constructed?
The EPCOT ball chronicles the story of humanity and is packed with audio-animatronics that really bring the story to life. The ball’s goal was to excite visitors as they approached the park and teach them more about the past and future of human life.
