After our busy morning and afternoon at Disney's Hollywood Studios, I am now going to transition to our evening at Epcot. Be forewarned, my thoughts are blunt, sometimes a bit sentimental, and the rest of this trip report is quite lengthy. Read on at your own risk.
Having "finished" our must-do attractions at the Studios park and not being all that interested in the evening show, we took off for Epcot shortly after our time at Oga's Cantina and then a Mickey ice cream bar. Via the short walk out followed by a ride on the Disney Skyliner, it was so easy with no one in line. Riding the Skyliner was one of this trips personal must-do, and I was not disappointed. (Trip planning note: If you're choosing the Caribbean Beach Resort for this transportation, ask for the Aruba bank of rooms. They sit right between this resort and the Riviera. The absolute perfect location to explore both resorts easily as well as hop a ride to your park of choice.)
Probably- if we didn't have to wear masks.
We absolutely loved the smooth ride and the views... aside from the exposed backstage areas of the France expansion in World Showcase. (I guess I just can't turn off the Imagineer in me!) It would have taken very little to hide and/or lightly theme the backside of it all. Again, the Walt Disney Company management under Bob Chapek is forgetting the idea of total immersion that Walt never forgot. Not once, not ever. That said, Robert Iger did seem to forget that with Avatar/Pandora, and Michael Eisner before him with Expedition Everest, so what do I know?
The future of Epcot represented by one photo.
An average photo for a beautiful pavilion.
Peace out!
Goodbye to the EPCOT Center I once knew and loved.
Entering through the International Gateway into Epcot, I was just as excited as I was to get on the Skyliner to go there. I love this park! Or at least it used to be my favorite of the four Florida parks. No longer. It is now at the bottom of the list. This trip and our two evenings there are the cause of this drastic and sad re-evaluation. Will it move back up in the rankings in the future? Who knows? It was telling that in the planning with our son for this trip, Epcot was never our first park of the day choice.
I have long been a major Epcot fan since my first visit in early 1983. There are probably more articles on this blog about it, more pieces of concept art, and more speculation about its future than any other park, in Florida or otherwise. Perhaps even Disneyland itself.
(Here are just a vey, very small sampling of the many articles on the Insights and Sounds blog about this once great park, in chronological order:
Each one is worth a read and includes lots of concept art, some history about the park, and the right way to strengthen the vision and execution of the park's vision. My previous trip reports also tell the story but in different form.)
At opening, EPCOT Center was a compelling masterpiece of art, and technology, history and the future, what was and what could be. Without a Mouse in sight, it worked well as a complement to the Magic Kingdom, yet it had a captivating magic all its own. After several years of investment and some wonderful additions (Horizons, Wonders of Life, Norway and Morocco), it was sadly left to coast for decades, leaving it vulnerable to unfortunate change by misguided leadership.
Epcot is just gorgeous at night!
Back to our evening in the park. First things first: Those huge barges for Harmonious are horrible, and yes, they completely ruin the views across World Showcase Lagoon. It is like the 10 car pile up on the freeway that you can't take your eyes off of. Regardless of the quality of the evening show, there's no excuse for their construction. It's a disgrace. As the humble but beautiful photographer Julia Ormond says to media mogul Harrison Ford in the movie Sabrina, "More isn't always better, Linus. Sometimes it's just more." The same should have been said about the barges and all the now permanent festival booths added during the construction of "new" Epcot. They all litter the landscape. Loud, in your face, and garish, they do not belong. It's not just me who has noticed the most successful parts of this park's transformation are when the Imagineers go back to the original theme park designs.
Unfortunately, Remy's Ratatouille Adventure and the expansion area of France were not available to us. Trust me, I tried to get in. The great cast members guarding the entrance to the area were very kind, understanding and informative but politely firm. Reluctantly, we moved on. The attraction based on my favorite Pixar film would have to wait for another time and maybe even, another place. (I wanted to ride it and write a piece on "Mouse vs. Rat"- ie Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway vs. Remy's Ratatouille Adventure- but I guess that will have to wait.)
Wading through the massive crowds present for the Food & Wine Festival, we left France after the disappointing news. Soarin' Around the World was a ten minute wait, so we took off bypassing the U.K. and Canada pavilions for sometime later in the evening. My son hadn't seen the newer show as his last visit to Walt Disney World was 2006 as a teenager. Tastes change. He liked it somewhat better than the original California focused version but only because of the variety of nations and places represented. However, I could tell by the look on his face, this Epcot headliner was not on his future list of must-do attractions. This did not bode well for him enjoying the park and how long he wished to be in it. But, true to form throughout the trip, he took our tastes into consideration, was gracious about his comments, and stayed until we were ready to leave.
By now, we all were hungry and needing a break. Leaving Soarin', we stopped on the way and checked out the Land's Garden Grill, but it was booked solid. I wasn't sure, honestly, if I was in the mood for a character meal or would even want to pay for it. (Should you eat there? Check out my review in the Dine or Ditch series.) I have many fond memories of dining there in the park's early years. For now, that's all this place would represent.
A pattern was forming. During this trip, our dining experiences at the more expensive restaurants were all great choices and provided the kind of break we really wanted- a time to talk and savor the experiences of the World. Yet, even in the planning stages of this and the last few trips to Disney, I couldn't pull the trigger to book Garden Grill. When the elegance of dining in the original rotating restaurant was altered by rubber head characters, I lost a considerable amount of interest in it. Am I alone in this? Sometimes, you just don't want "All Disney All the Time". We continued searching to find just the right place to stop and eat. It took much longer than expected.
Figment is dragged out every time Disney needs to make a buck-
but will he ever get an attraction even half as good as Journey into Imagination?
Here is where my downgraded ranking of the park began in full.
When the Disney news sources revealed what was to come, I had scoured the approved plans in detail, choosing to ignore the obvious. Now in person, it wasn't possible to do so: This once great park is now focused on the cash cow it is festival after festival after festival. The new permanent booths scattered throughout it made that truth very obvious. Are these boxes sleek and new? Yes, they are, both in World Showcase and in the new Future World neighborhoods. (The sad, new Disney Imagineering buzz phrase for lands with minimal cohesive elements. See California Adventure's Pixar Pier for another awful example of this type of "theming"). Do these booths serve a function? Yes. Do they also destroy any sense of beauty and peace and eliminate some wonderful views? Yes, absolutely!
How long will it be until this park turns into one giant food court? Or worse- a row of food stalls with a generic state fair look, each one competing for attention with the ones around it?
Forgive the disappointed snark, but I hope Imagineer Zach Ridley and his team had no choice in the matter. As someone who says he loves Epcot, there can be no other reason for this decision- or many other ones. But I suppose this man has a job to do, and I'm sure it is one he wants to keep. It seems every Imagineer must one day kneel in front of the newest king and submit if he or she wants to remain employed. Makes me think of master Imagineer Joe Rohde and his "excitement" for Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission BREAKOUT! on the West Coast.
A dramatic presentation for ambitious but misdirected plans.
Back to our first night at Epcot. With no luck in securing a reservation at The Land, we walked through the maze of construction walls and festival boxes and eventually ended up at the Epcot Experience (ie. the Odyssey building) for some pretty good ribs. Again, three different versions of the meat were ordered and shared. I love hot spicy foods, and my choice, the Mango Habanero version of the ribs, quickly brought tears to my eyes. Good flavor, decent price, easy, open, and air conditioned seating. While my wife and son finished their meals, I walked next door to see the circular presentation on the future of my once favorite Florida park. It certainly was... colorful!
Yes, Epcot needs a great coaster to bring in the crowds, but the first "other-world" pavilion is not the way to do it. Put Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy in the Studios park. Calling the neighborhood World Discovery doesn't make it any better a fit. I'm positive this was one non-negotiable for the new vision.
Isn't it time to dust off plans for Mt. Fuji for Japan or the Swiss pavilion and its Matterhorn or even something totally brand new? World Showcase could use a highly themed coaster as well. As promised on opening day, many more international locations were supposed to happen, but when is the last time the suits held to the promise? The park needs at least one brand new country added to the lineup. Brazil? India? Greece? Thailand? But not Wakanda! Now with Xandar coming, that door has been opened. Give me anything that represents a real country in the real world. Please give it a real attraction to go along with the entertainment, shops, and expensive dining.
It's a character world after all!
Test Track was available for a 40 minute wait, but we only needed 20. It was still a thrill, although any kind of social distancing was next to impossible. The cast members were torn between "filling in all the available space" and trying to maintain a sense of concern for potential health related issues. (Disney reminded everyone to put on a mask indoors. This was very consistent. In contrast, it was left to personal choice at Universal where no one said a word. Make your own conclusions.)
Next up was Mission: Space, and we took a ride on the mild version with our son taking another more extreme trip immediately following. Both queues were almost empty, attesting to the lack of popularity for an attraction once considered for Tomorrowland at Disneyland. It's an "OK" attraction, but even at its initial opening up until today, it is not worth a long wait. With nothing else to do on this side of the park aside from eating and drinking, it was back to the land of mazes to reach Spaceship Earth. Then, it would be onto World Showcase for the rest of the evening.
Will this survive the re-Imagineering of the park's icon?
It's not just the new plans that discourage me regarding the future for this place, it is the lack of upkeep and care given to what once were the best and brightest attractions. There were so many Audio-Animatronic figures inoperable in Spaceship Earth that it was easier to count which ones were in working order. The same goes for all the effects. Is this management's plan so that the approval rating can be lowered as an excuse to update it with screens instead? What about the current show for the paying customer? Does that even matter anymore? I was disgusted, and this bad show was just one more item to make my son wonder what I saw in this park in the first place.
The endless maze of construction walls made navigation difficult and unpleasant. In some areas, it was just very dark as well. Everywhere in Future World it was more of the same. You'd think park management would make sure that there was some payoff by either keeping things in tip top shape, offering some entertainment in the area, or some peeks into the future to keep us interested in the progress.
There was a very lengthy, entirely full queue for the newly opened Club Cool. No thank you. The bright shiny new Creations Shop was worth a look, and we did go inside. It was very well done! Really, it was. However, it is pretty sad when one of the strongest and most successful enhancements to the park is a store. Just a simple, big box retail location. How telling! I was reminded of California Adventure 1.0 when Paul Pressler's vision for terrific shopping and expensive dining meant the attractions were lacking. Where would I find the elegant EPCOT Center of old? The news was no better elsewhere.
We did not wander into The Seas with Nemo. My son had no interest in a "C Ticket" dark ride or wandering around a giant aquarium that needed something, almost anything. The area around Imagination looked horrible. The pavilion needed a good cleaning and paint job! The water gardens seemed ignored, and for the first time ever, we did not visit the pavilion. After seeing the park's iconic entrance attraction in such a sad state, I did not want to see Figment in his misadventure.
It was actually a relief to move on and hit the walkway in Canada. This felt normal, and I wasn't drawn to looking at the barge disaster in the lagoon because the sun had set, and the original well designed buildings of this area put on a spectacular but suitably subtle show. The art of Imagineering at work. The Rose & Crown Pub in the U.K. seemed particularly lively and yet charming. For a split second, this felt like the Epcot I knew and loved. Earlier in our planning, we had a late afternoon reservation there, but we gave it up for something very different as we would be at Raglan Road just a few days before. That decision to change our plans turned our wonderfully!
France was still as crowded if not more so than when we first came in. Between those trying to get into Ratatouille and those wanting gelato, an affordable meal from the always excellent Les Halles Boulangerie, or to just explore the back streets, you could not get through the original space or even close to Impressions de France. Festival booths were also to blame. Further exploration and a chance to see this glorious film would have to wait for another opportunity.
Oddly, Morocco was empty and quiet, eerily so. Spice Road Table had three parties on the patio. Three. The rest of the pavilion and its shops and food stands lacked energy or even open doors, and park visitors seemed to be somewhere else. Interesting. What will Disney do there? Morocco is a beautiful place worth exploring, but even after all these years, it remains relatively undiscovered by guests.
Walking into Mitsukoshi Department Store in the Japan showcase was very strange. It was truly the first time I realized the international cast members had been replaced by Americans from all over our country. The pearl counter was closed, the merchandise selection was minimal in comparison to the past, and the all around general feel was different.
The cast at Mitsukoshi has been known for its gracious and quiet and efficient service. Their replacements were helpful and attentive, but they were also not Japanese. Frankly, this small change in ambience was a bit startling and indicative of what measures the park had to take to stay open. Will the international cast members return? I hope so. They add charm, warmth, and a chance to interact with people from around the world. During our last trip, two international cast members here single handedly made the trip experience a positive one for our grandson. Check it out. It's a very sweet story!
Wandering out the back of the sprawling store and into the castle, it was so quiet and peaceful like days of old. Katsura Grill was just around the corner. If you've read the blog for any amount of time, you know that sneaking away for even a moment up on that hidden patio is one of my favorite old school Epcot activities. It did not disappoint. Even our son remarked how far removed it felt from everything else. It's moments like these that make me love the second Disney park in Florida. But these quiet moments of exploration are all too quickly disappearing.
It took some careful planning to not get the barges in the photo!
Sampling the wares from the new Italian gelato location, I happily strolled the place soaking up more quiet atmosphere. The pizzeria in the back had warm, lovely lighting, and for a split second, it felt like we were back in Venice as I later turned and saw the classic striped poles in the water. When you forget you are in a theme park, well, that my friends, is the power of great Imagineering. When was the last time you forgot you were in a theme park?
We didn't have to see the American Adventure to know we were close. We could smell it! The new Regal Eagle restaurant and its outdoor smoker made sure we knew we had arrived. So did the Rock and Roll band that played covers from the decades- including a red hot take on Led Zeppelin. It was loud, loud, loud. And I like my music loud. With the bright white strobes and other stage lighting, it was almost hard to believe I was at Disney.
Continuing our grand circle tour, we passed Germany and the Outpost and headed toward China, Norway, and Mexico. Walking and taking in the sights is one of the joys of World Showcase, but I found it was very difficult as it was hard to get a good view of the lagoon. It seemed there was one booth after another blocking so many views that used to be there. And booths taking up places to sit. Double-wide strollers and the overwhelmingly large number of scooters added to the frustration. Benches were few and far between. Liquor was widely and easily available, though. Maybe after this trip, my thoughts on the Food and Wine Festival have changed for good.
Score one win for Zach and his team. The new entrance is beautiful!
The showing of Epcot Forever was happening in about an hour, but we just couldn't do it. We racked up over 13 miles of walking on our first full day, and we were exhausted after getting up so early to secure our Rise of the Resistance Boarding Group. (No Disney Genie needed!) Deciding to head out, we stopped and bought two treats to sample: a lemonade with Blackberry Bourbon (delicious!) and a small almond tart of some sort (good but not great). Once we hit Future World, I was dismayed to realize we had to continue through the maze of walls to get out.
I stopped to take in the views of a revitalized entrance plaza. It was gorgeous. And it was so close to what was there at opening. Certainly a win for the Imagineering team. I walked out saddened by what we discovered here, knowing the Epcot I loved was gone forever. There would be one more visit to this park to experience some old favorites. Would I be left hopeful? The answer had to wait as tomorrow was our day at Animal Kingdom.
(Photographs copyright Mark Taft.)
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