30 Days to 30 Years- 2009

Epcot
2009: A Sum of All Thrills and Things Possible!

I
did not start going to Disney World until 2010. 
My first trip was on spring break of that year, and I have to say as a
newbie to the Disney community, I was in awe. 
On that trip, my family and I experienced many things together.  One of these things was A Sum of All Thrills
in Innoventions in Epcot. Thinking about this made me want to do a little
digging into the history of the ride, and I found a few interesting things.

In
October of 2009, A Sum of All Thrills opened in Innoventions.  The ride is sponsored by Raytheon, which is a
company that deals with the manufacturing of electronics.  The ride is one in which guests can design
their own rollercoaster and then “ride” using virtual technology.  The first time I rode this with my son, I was
not sure what to expect.  First of all, I
do not like loopy rides very much as I get dizzy very easily, so when my son
and I were designing our ride, I made sure that he was only able to put one
small loop into his design. 

Overall,
I thought that the ride was alright.  I
thought that the seats were kind of tight around the shoulders.  This could cause some difficulty or
discomfort for those who might have shoulders that are more broad.  My son had to remove his glasses before the
bars came down around his shoulder so they wouldn’t be knocked off. However, I
do realize that at that point the ride had only been active for a little over a
year, so I did not expect it to be perfect. While I did have some complaints
about the tightness of the ride, I have to say it was pretty fun!  It was neat to see the ride “come to life” in
front of us.  The motion simulator was
smooth and flawless.  In fact, my son
wants to ride this again when we return to Disney for this year’s food and wine
festival.  I may just have to indulge
him!

Not
forgetting something that was a staple of Epcot for a few years.  The attraction or activity I am talking about
is that of the Kim Possible World Showcase Adventure.  This was open from May 2009 until this year
until it was replaced by Agent P’s World Showcase Adventure.  In this activity, younger guests are given a
phone or communicator in which they can communicate with Wade, Kim Possible’s
friend who gives her missions.  After
they receive their mission, they then go around World Showcase and hunt for
clues.  My family and I never had the
chance to enjoy this activity, but from what I hear it was really a lot of fun
to do.  My family and I are really hoping
and looking forward to getting to try out the new Agent P’s World Showcase
Adventure this fall.

Although
I did not attend Disney in 2009, and did not regularly go until 2010, I see
that Epcot had innovations and changes that made a lasting impact on how guests
view the park.  I feel that the changes
within Epcot to the new Agent P activity really has the potential to invite
more children to enjoy the park and learn about new things while they
play.  Here is to the thirtieth
anniversary of Epcot and the next thirty years to come!