If you’re travelling to Epcot by hire car or arriving from another Disney theme park or hotel by shuttle bus or the Disney monorail, Future World will be the first area of the park that you see when you get through the entrance. If you’re arriving at the park by one of the Disney boats, you will enter the park via another entrance, which will take you into the World Showcase section of the park, so if you want to explore Future World first, you will need to head back through the park towards the main entrance.

The Spaceship Earth Pavilion

The first section of Future World that you’ll come to when you’ve gone through the entrance gates is the Spaceship Earth pavilion, the huge golf ball-like structure for which Epcot has become known throughout the world. Inside the pavilion, you’ll find the Spaceship Earth ride. This 13 minute long ride takes you on a journey through history which highlights the difference that developments in technology have made to our lives. You’ll see scenes from different periods featuring audio-animatronic characters and then, in the interactive final section of the ride, be able to imagine how your life would be in the future. The Spaceship Earth pavilion also includes an interactive area called “Project Tomorrow – Inventing the World of Tomorrow”.

There are several gift shops near the Spaceship Earth pavilion, but you may want to come back to these when you leave the park so that you can take any purchase straight back to your hire car or hotel.

The Universe of Energy Pavilion

To the left of the Spaceship Earth pavilion, you’ll find the Universe of Energy pavilion. This houses the Ellen’s Energy Adventure ride. On this ride, you join Ellen DeGeneres on a trip back to the beginning of universe, through history and into the future to find out about how energy is created. The ride features audio-animatronic dinosaurs and lasts for 45 minutes.

The Mission: Space Pavilion

The Mission: Space pavilion is next to the Universe of Energy pavilion and houses one of Epcot’s most popular rides, Mission: Space.

Mission: Space is a thrill ride which gives you the chance to feel what it’s like to be an astronaut blasting off into space. There are two different versions of the ride - the Orange version will provide you with the full Mission: Space experience, whereas the Green version will give you a gentler experience, as it skips a section involving intense spinning action. You travel in a 4-seater vehicle and each member of your team will be given a job to do during your mission.

Whilst Mission: Space is an excellent ride, it’s important to take the health and safety warnings seriously - it can cause motion sickness and you should not ride on it if you are pregnant, suffer from high blood pressure, have a heart condition, have existing neck or back conditions, or suffer from any of the other conditions listed on the signs near the ride’s entrance.

Queues for Mission: Space can be long at peak times, but you can skip the queues by using the park’s FastPass system.

The Mission: Space pavilion also contains the Advanced Training Lab, where you can take part in a range of interactive space-themed games, including Mission: Space Race and Expedition Mars.

The Test Track Pavilion

The Test Track pavilion is on the other side of the Mission: Space pavilion from the Universe of Energy pavilion. The main attraction within this pavillion is the Test Track ride.

Test Track allows you to become a “crash test dummy”. You’ll travel around the track in a 6-seater vehicle whilst it undergoes a series of “tests”, including suspension tests, which involve travelling over different surfaces, and brake tests, in which your car will come to a sudden stop. The highlight of the ride is the “crash test”, in which you’ll hurtle towards a wall!

There are usually long queues for this ride, so make sure that you take advantage of the FastPass system.

The Test Track pavilion also houses the Driver’s Technology Laboratories, where you can see GM cars on display and a shop where you can be Test Track merchandise.

In the next post in this series, we’ll take a look at some of the other attractions in the Future World area of Epcot.

Malaysia Overview

The Federation of Malaysia is situated in South-East Asia and is comprised of two main areas: Peninsular Malaysia (or West Malaysia), which lies to the south of Thailand on the Malay Peninisula; and Malaysian Borneo (or East Malaysia), which is located on the island of Borneo and consists of two states, Sabah and Sarawak. The island of Labuan, which lies just off the coast of Borneo, is also part of Eastern Malaysia.

The capital of Malaysia is Kuala Lumpur, which is situated in the state of  Selangor, on Peninsular Malaysia’s west coast.

Getting to Malaysia

The easiest way to get to Malaysia is to fly to the country’s main airport, Kuala Lumpur International Airport, which is situated about 50km from the centre of the capital. A number of airlines offer flights to Kuala Lumpur from the U.K. and other destinations.

Sepang International Circuit

Sepang International Circuit is situated in the district of Sepang, about 10 minutes’ drive from Kuala Lumpur International Airport. There are parking spaces at the circuit, but these are limited, so the best way to travel is by public transport.

The Sepang International Circuit, which was designed by Hermann Tilke, opened in 1999. The main track, which is used for the F1 Malaysian Grand Prix,  is 5.54km long and features 8 straights and 15 turns.

As well as being the venue for the F1 Malaysian Grand Prix, Sepang International Circuit plays host to a number of other motorsports events.

Malaysia Hotels

If you’re visiting Malaysia for the F1 Grand Prix, you’ll find plenty of hotels to choose from. One of the closest hotels to the Sepang International Circuit is the Pullman Putrajaya Lakeside Hotel, which is about 18km from the circuit. The Pullman Putrajaya Lakeside Hotel has 283 rooms, a fitness centre, a swimming pool, two restaurants, a deli and several bars.

There are also a number of hotels near to Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The Pan Pacific Kuala Lumpur Airport Hotel, for example, has 441 rooms and suites, a 24-hour restaurant, a lobby lounge and a bar and grill. Other facilities at the hotel include an outdoor swimming pool, a tennis court, a gymnasium and a business centre.

Other airports close to Kuala Lumpur International Airport are the Concorde Inn KLIA Hotel and Tune Hotels KLIA-LCCT Airport.

Attractions in Malaysia

Malaysia is a beautiful country with many attractions, so if you’re travelling there to see the 2010 Formula 1 Malaysian Grand Prix, it’s worth extending your stay to that you can see more of what the country has to offer.

The capital, Kuala Lumpur, is packed with attractions and as it’s close to Sepang International Circuit, it’s the perfect place to base yourself. Kuala Lumpur is a real fusion of the traditional and the contemporary, and it’s highlights include everything from historic mosques, such as Masjid Jamek, to modern shopping centres. Landmarks in Kuala Lumpur include the stunning Petronas Twin Towers, the Thean Hou Temple and the Sultan Abdul Samad Building.

There are many museums and galleries within the city, including the National Museum, the National Art Gallery, the Islamic Arts Museum, the Asian Art Museum and the Performing Arts Costume Gallery. Other attractions worth visiting include the National Planetarium, the Kuala Lumpur Bird Park, Aquaria KLCC (the city’s first aquarium) and the National Science Centre.

Essential Information

Malaysia’s official religion is Islam and although many parts of it, such as the city of Kuala Lumpur, are modern and multi-cultural, it’s still important to be careful to dress and behave appropriately in order to avoid offence.

Kuala Lumpur is 8 hours ahead of the U.K. and its currency is the Malaysian ringgit (MYR).

Each terminal has shops, cafes and other food outlets, together with airport lounges, baby changing facilities, wireless hot-spots and internet kiosks. Terminals 2 and 3 also have multi-faith prayer rooms.

If you are departing from Manchester and want to leave your car at the airport, you’ll find two long-stay car parks there, one of which serves Terminals 1 and 3 and one of which serves Terminal 2. There are also two short-stay car parks at the airport.

If you are arriving at Manchester Airport, you can book a hire car and pick it up when you land. The airport also has its own integrated transport hub, known as The Station, and you can catch a train or bus to the centre of Manchester or to another destination from here.

The Manchester Airport complex includes a hotel, the Radisson Blu Hotel Manchester Airport, which is situated between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. It has 360 rooms, including standard rooms, business class rooms and suites, and also has a restaurant, a brasserie and a bar. Other facilities at the Radisson Blu Hotel Manchester Airport include a beauty lounge and a health club with an indoor swimming pool.

The complex also includes Manchester Airport’s Aviation Viewing Park, which features three viewing mounds from which you can watch the planes take off and land, and a collection of four historic planes: the front section of a Monarch Airlines DC-10; a restored BEA Hawker Siddeley Trident 3B; the Avro RJX; and Concorde G-BOAC (also known as Alpha Charlie), the second plane in the British Airways’ supersonic Concorde fleet. The Aviation Viewing Park also has an aviation shop and a restaurant.

Manchester Airport is only about 20 minutes’ drive from the centre of Manchester.