By Brandon Hill on April 20, 2025 • ( Leave a comment )

2023: Disney Trip – Test Track

Test Track: Speed, Strategy, and a Well-Timed Reservation

After entering EPCOT through the International Gateway, our first ride of the day might surprise you—we headed straight to Test Track. While it’s not exactly near the entrance we used, this move was part of our overall strategy. Since we had a lunchtime reservation at Space 220, we wanted to make our way toward World Discovery early so we’d already be in the area. And starting the day with some high-speed fun? Not a bad way to kick things off.

If you haven’t ridden Test Track, it’s a must-do. You begin by designing your own concept car, tweaking its speed, power, efficiency, and capability. Then, you board a test vehicle and put it through its paces—handling sharp turns, sudden stops, and finally a thrilling high-speed loop outside the building. It’s a ride that’s exciting without being too intense, making it a great option for both kids and adults. Plus, the custom car design element gives it a personal and creative twist that ties in nicely with a scrapbooker’s love of design.

For this layout, I leaned into the blue tones found in the professional ride photo, which I printed as a 5×7 to preserve more of the detail. That photo anchors the bottom right-hand corner of the spread. The left-hand page is inspired by the Test Track logo—specifically, the one shown in the top right corner of the ride photo. I uploaded that logo into Cricut Design Space, adjusted it to suit my layout, and used it as a design element behind the main photo on the left.

You’ll also notice a Mickey sticker carefully placed on the layout—that’s one of the techniques I’ve used throughout this album to discreetly cover someone we decided not to include in the final pages.

The Test Track character graphic (featuring Goofy, Donald, and Mickey in test gear) was something I purchased from Etsy, and while it took a long time to assemble, I really love the way it turned out. Since I knew I’d be placing the professional photo over the bottom portion of it, I didn’t waste time assembling pieces that would never be seen—if you watch the process video below, you’ll see how I edited that piece down to just what I needed.

To help the photos pop against the vibrant blue background, I added black border mats to both the ride photo and the additional snapshot. The result is a bold, graphic spread that reflects the energy and motion of Test Track while tying in our strategic start to the day.

If you’d like to see how this page came together, be sure to check out the video below—and stay tuned for more EPCOT memories!