DisneyDining Disney Dining Plan and Reviews
5) Double-decker buses – EPCOT, 1980s
Who doesn’t love visiting the World Showcase at EPCOT? It’s a fascinating tour of 11 countries from all over the globe that celebrates their uniquely different cultures, customs and cuisine. But if you frequent the parks in the warmer months, you know that the World Showcase Promenade can be one of the hottest places in the park—largely because there is very little shade along the Promenade. The heat can make walking the 1.3-mile journey around World Showcase somewhat uncomfortable on warm days and downright miserable on hot days.
But Guests at EPCOT of yesteryear wouldn’t know of this dilemma. That’s because once upon a time, EPCOT offered the services of a fleet of old-fashioned double-decker buses on the World Showcase. The buses looked very much like the Omnibuses designed for Disneyland. Oddly enough, Disney World never considered the buses an attraction. In fact, inside the original EPCOT guide booklets that were made of cardboard, the buses were listed under the heading of “services,” on the same page with information about first aid and telephone locations.
Guests could board one of the two-tiered buses and ride it all around World Showcase Lagoon, or they could choose to disembark at one of several scheduled stops along the promenade. And although they were open-air buses, devoid of air conditioning, you can be sure that a slow ride with a gentle breeze in the Florida sun still beat walking along the promenade in the heat of the day.
