Disney World News: EPCOT’s Stargate, Poly Construction, Dining Updates
We’re back with another Walt Disney World news roundup. Among other topics, this one covers construction at the Polynesian, Stargate installation at EPCOT, holiday brunch menus at resorts, and more restaurants returning.
Let’s start with a couple of special brunch menus coming to resort restaurants at Walt Disney World. During Easter Weekend (April 3-4, 2021) and Mother’s Day Weekend (May 8-9, 2021), Whispering Canyon Cafe at Wilderness Lodge will be offering brunch cocktails and press pot coffee, plus an “All-You-Care-To-Enjoy Brunch Skillet complete with Pastries, Mickey Waffles, Pulled Pork and more.” (To me, this one sounds underwhelming as compared to their normal skillets.)
Those same weekends, Ale & Compass Restaurant at Disney’s Yacht Club Resort will be serving a New England-inspired menu with cocktails, press pot coffee, and “All-You-Care-To-Enjoy Blueberry-bacon Pancakes, Breakfast Protein Bowl, Shrimp and White Cheddar Grits or Main Lobster Roll” (I assume that’s supposed to be Maine?).
Next, it’s a big week for Walt Disney World’s phased reopening, with Blizzard Beach water park returning on March 7, 2021. There are still a lot of unknowns, but we do know there will be a looser water park face mask policy (pretty much akin to the hotel pools) and that several dining options will return when Blizzard Beach reopens.
The two big ones are Avalunch and Lottawatta Lodge, the latter being Blizzard Beach’s main counter service restaurant. Lottawatta Lodge’s revised menu is now up on DisneyWorld.com, with some (ahem) interesting new options. I’ll let Sarah be the guinea pig for test out the Tofu “Crab” Cake, and I’ll do the important research of confirming that the Blizzard Burger is still delicious.
Turning to the main stories, we have two construction updates. First, from Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, where the Moana-inspired refurbishment continues.
It’s been a few months since we checked in on this, so we thought it’d be worth revisiting.
By way of recap, this project entails a makeover to guest rooms and “enhancements” to the Great Ceremonial House that will keep the hotel closed until Summer 2021.
New furnishings are actively being “loaded” into some of the longhouses, but the rooms are still covered with tarps and the buildings where work is happening remain walled-off.
Most significantly, the monorail station is being rebuilt with a new porte-cochère added.
The new support columns are going up, but there’s still a ton of work to be done. Walt Disney World has not yet set an official reopening date for the hotel, but the one we heard (a couple months ago now) was in the first week of July 2021. Here’s hoping everything is done by then.
One new-to-us component of the construction is at Kiki Tikis Splash Play Area. This is closed for refurbishment “through March 2021.” While Kiki Tikis is unavailable, Guests at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows may enjoy the Lava feature pool and slide and the Oasis pool.
The big Walt Disney World construction news is that the 6-story tall central ring structure for Harmonious has been installed in World Showcase Lagoon.
(For more details on this upcoming nighttime spectacular, including an anticipated opening timeframe, see our post covering Everything You Need to Know About Harmonious at EPCOT.)
While poking fun at their Waterworld-inspired appearance and war machine-like quality, I’ve advocated for a “wait and see” approach with the Harmonious infrastructure in multiple past posts. I’ve also suggested that the World Showcase sightlines were far from unspoiled before. My main rationale for this was that the fountains could add nice kinetic energy and a visual centerpiece to World Showcase Lagoon.
I feel a bit foolish now.
I don’t know what I was expecting–I knew the central structure was a 6-story tall ring–but for some reason I didn’t anticipate it being this prominent.
There’s no photographic or perspective trickery in these images. The Harmonious central ring is the focal point of World Showcase Lagoon.
It also looks very much like a Stargate. That “joke” might feel played out by now, but so too is calling Spaceship Earth a golfball. That doesn’t stop people from making those snarky comments nearly four decades later, and you can expect the same of the Stargate jokes. So get used to it.
This is the best free advertising for Stargate SG-1 in years, and that’s not a joke. The appearance is so uncanny that I wouldn’t be surprised if Netflix decides to reboot that show thanks to increased brand awareness and viewership of the original.
Of course, the Stargate will end up being a 6-story tall fountain, which will help to conceal its infrastructure. It’s difficult to visualize what that’ll look like. I am still hoping for the best, but it’s impossible to maintain my previous ‘cautious optimism.’ The barges are just so gigantic and full of tech. It’s going to be hard to hide that. The fountains are going to have to be seriously impressive and do some heavy lifting.
There’s also the fact that the Stargate is off-center in World Showcase Lagoon! Presumably, it’s centered to what would’ve been the Festival Center, but that has gone back to the drawing board with the likelihood that it’ll be scaled back and less vertical.
I honestly do not get this. I’ve seen tons of comments that “nowadays” Imagineering doesn’t care/has lost its touch or Disney is cheap. That can happen on certain projects, especially smaller ones, but neither are true as generalizations or here, specifically.
Harmonious is one the most expensive nighttime spectacular ever developed by Disney, on par with or possibly even surpassing World of Color. The situation is similar for Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind, which has that ugly and obtrusive blue show building. That’s rumored to be one of the most expensive attractions Imagineering has ever built. So it’s not really a matter of money. The company has invested a ton into Walt Disney World over the last decade–far more than the decade before it.
As for Imagineering not caring or having lost its touch, that’s a difficult argument to make when you look at the rock-work in Pandora – World of Avatar, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, or Cars Land. Those are some enormous show buildings, but the average guest would never know that because serious effort was put into concealing them. It’s hard to deny the attention to detail put into that trio of lands, among other additions.
It’s difficult to reconcile all of that with what we see at EPCOT. From the outside looking in, it seems like there have been some scenarios in recent years where Imagineering has embraced a technology-first mentality, letting the tail wag the dog. The allure of innovation has trumped good show from time to time, with what’s operationally pragmatic being glossed over due to ambition.
Beyond that, it’s possible that Imagineering views EPCOT differently from Walt Disney World’s other parks. EPCOT has never followed the same rules of themed design; it’s more of a tech expo meets a World Fair that has always offered some peeks behind the curtain.
Also conceivable is that Disney is doing what’s necessary to make EPCOT more appealing to the general public, with the assumption being that most casual guests simply do not care about that big blue box or the Stargate. They just want Cosmic Rewind to be exhilarating and Harmonious to be spectacular. It’s difficult for many of us diehard EPCOT Center fans to process this, but the past version of the park just does not resonate the same way with the general public.
Ultimately, it’s difficult to say what led to an off-center Stargate in World Showcase Lagoon. I’ve tried to keep an open mind about the EPCOT overhaul, especially as I realize that the park has been stagnating for years and the version of it I fell in love with has been gone for two decades. In general, I’m still optimistic about a lot of the changes and additions–without question, I’ll take the EPCOT of 2023 over the one of 2013.
Nevertheless, it’s tough to watch the Harmonious progress–even knowing it’s a blockbuster addition–and be totally happy with what’s happening. I’m still hopeful that all of this will end up looking okay and “worth it” but I’m no longer cautiously optimistic that’ll be the case. To end on a positive note, between the brisk pace of construction and testing here, plus permits and testing on Fantasmic at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, it’s likely that nighttime spectaculars will be back at Walt Disney World this summer!
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think of this Walt Disney World news? Thoughts on the Harmonious Stargate? Think it’ll blend in better once the installation is finished and the fountains are activated? Expecting the nighttime spectacular to debut for the start of summer, closer to fall, or not at all in 2021? Looking forward to seeing the finished “Moana Makeover” of Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort? Excited for the reopening of Blizzard Beach water park? Do you agree or disagree with our assessments? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Would it have been possible for the “ring thing” to be foldable; I.e., folded down into the water until it needed to be raised up for a show?
I’m good with the stargate – looks like “time travel tech” to me! But the off-center thing…….that’s annoying.
Good heavens! Let’s hope it is! We can all fast forward to covid being under control and things being normal at the parks!
Are the Friendship boats from World Showcase to Future World (and vice versa) affected by the barges? That was one of my favorite things to do at Epcot. I also always dreamed of one day being able to rent one of those boats from the Yacht Club to take a trip around World Showcase with my friends.
I absolutely hate the Stargate look. For me, and my family it spoils the entire illusion of really traveling to a different country. It looks cheap and horrible. And if it prevents the boats from being used that adds to the problem.
Right now the boats are only running between Canada and Morocco, but for the most part they don’t come near to the barges anyway since the boats tend to run around the perimeter of the lake, and the barges are more centralized.
I don’t think they let you take the boats out of Crescent Lake and the area up but not right to the dock at DHS. I think you are limited to going to the bridge from the BW towards Epcot International Gateway.
I am not a nighttime person and although I do like to see the fireworks, parades and nighttime shows I prefer to hit rope drop and enjoy the parks during the day and early evening. I love EPCOT and I particularly used to love the lake and the wonderful views across it. I fear now that those days are gone. I am sorry, I know that everyone is saying be patient and optimistic but I can only see these things as utter eyesores. I know they will be fountains during the day but no matter how beautiful they are they will still block those iconic views across the lake. As I spend more daytime hours in the park than nighttime I fear I will be sad at the impact for little gain, as I hate standing in massive crowds to view the nighttime spectacular. Oh well like you Tom I shall try and stay optimistic but it is getting harder.
We made tentative reservations at the Polynesian for our annual mid November trip and looking forward to seeing the new renovations. Last week we rode the monorail past the main building and saw the big hole where the main entrance was and although I will miss the old entrance with the water, I am hopeful that it will be an improvement.
Not sure what to make of the thing in the water at Epcot. Not a fan of the nighttime spectaculars, usually a once and done thing, preferring to head out of the park either before or during them to avoid the mad crush to the exits and long waits for buses, etc.
So four tacos and an onion ring.
Jokes aside, I actually really love the look of the Stargate, and think it could have been a really cool visual on its own for a taste of ‘future’ added back to Epcot. However, it being off-center absolutely ruins it appeal even as THAT for me.
Maggie, you just made me snort/cough laugh!
It might look okay if they’re planning to put some kind of reflective panels over all those exposed pipes.
Are the barges just electrical, or is there also going to be pyro? I’m wondering if they’ll need to shut off the water feature early to do set-up before the show every night.
Yeah, it’s hard to look at those photos and stay positive about the sightlines. It’s gonna take a *lot* of water to cover up those big black barges and the alien welcome portal in the center. Hopefully the show will be worth it. While it wasn’t perfect I did enjoy looking across the water and seeing all the little “countries” on the other side of the park, and that doesn’t seem to be an option anymore.
The Stargate itself doesn’t bother me too much, but the off-center placement disturbs my OCD. I’m sure it had to do with the festival center, but with that being significantly changed, they probably should have rethought where to put the structure.
Also, I see you just threw this in at the end, and maybe I missed something in an earlier update, but … permit for Fantasmic? That would be excellent news. I had heard a rumor many months ago that Fantasmic was not coming back at all, so I would be very pleased to hear that it’s at least being worked on to be brought back.
They’ve been “messing with” Fantasmic for…a few months?
Bioreconstruct has had a series of aerial photos: https://twitter.com/bioreconstruct/status/1363469247071068165
I’d love to see them use the script from DL instead of the dumb Pocahontas story. Peter Pan and Capt Hook is much more fun.
Hi Tom, do you have any guess at when dining menus might start to expand? Particularly at quick service locations? Looking at the Skyliner resorts I feel like a lot are repetitive burger/pizza/cold sandwiches with maybe one unique item. Thank you for providing a great informative blog!
I have no real insight, but I suspect menus will start to expand once occupancy numbers start to pick up. My guess/hope would be this summer.
When do you think the hoop de dooh will return?
I’m optimistic…the vast majority of imagineers are diehard disney fans. They want to create things that are exciting, beautiful, and seemingly impossible (hey Pandora). They also want to flex their skills and invent new tech. Any time something new goes in where you can see the progress in real time, there’s a gut reaction to be dismayed, but i wouldn’t judge a luxury car that’s only half way down the assembly line. I also think the off center is maybe intentional (current infrastructure underwater, something else being planned for the lake like additions for Harmonious, or to not obscure the iconic visual of SE inside the Tori gate). I can’t wait to see the end result!
I admire your optimism, and hope you end up being right.
The only ‘clarification’ I’ll offer is that the vast majority of Imagineers are not diehard Disney fans. Most high-profile ones are fans–or at least adept at PR–but there are plenty you’ve never heard of for whom it’s simply a job. They might rather work at Netflix, Google, or some Silicon Valley firm.
That’s great! I’m glad I’m not the only one that thought that looked like a stargate! Does Spaceship earth line up to look like the event horizon? 🙂
Seems they did decide to save some money by leaving the Stargate in place permanently. They could have chosen to float it out at night and put it away during the day. (Though that would also add logistical issues likely making nightly performances less reliable).
I am getting the vibe that nightly entertainment will be back over the summer and that Epcot will really be reawakened for summer with Harmonius, Space 220 and the France expansion.
It’s possible that the anchored barges were a cost-cutting measure, but it’s also possible that it wasn’t viable. We can assume, but don’t really know. After seeing the many woes World of Color has had with its platforms, it’s also possible that reliability was chosen over movability.
Ultimately, the question is one of whether the compromises and visual blight are worth it for the show, or whether another concept entirely should’ve been chosen. For some people, that’s already a clear no. For others, the jury is still out.
I am being hopeful that the fountain that will be running during the daytime hours before Harmonious, will overshadow the big metal ring. I’m sure you might be able to see some of it but hoping that the fountain will be spectacular and more the focal point than the metal ring….one can at least be hopeful.
Long time reader, first time poster just to say I very much enjoy the Stargate references, very much, INDEED.
I wish I had some better Stargate deep cuts. I haven’t watched the show since I was a kid, so “there was a Stargate used for travel” is pretty much the extent of my knowledge at this point. Perhaps I’ll convince Sarah that we should watch it for the sake of better blog post references.
Undomesticated equines couldn’t keep me from going to see this.
Tired of Stargate references?
Take another look at that photo of Spaceship Earth and Stargate and try NOT to make Croquette jokes.
Now where I’d leave my mallet.
I literally laughed out loud at your comment. I will NEVER get croquette out of my head now! I will say that I was trying to be optimistic with the two hump shaped floats but then this one showed up and I just can’t stay positive. It is huge and hideous. And I’m just praying that the fountains work and don’t get turned off after a week because they messed up the tech somehow. Time will tell. Things sure are a-changing!
Same! I will NEVER be able to look at this without thinking Croquet for Giants. HILARIOUS!
If Harmonious ends up being incredible and is a huge success like HEA, then I can get past the massive ring. If it is more like Epcot Forever…. oh no baby what is you doin?
Well, Epcot Forever was created in large part because third party restaurants didn’t want to go without a fireworks show–it wasn’t even intended to run for a full year. By contrast, this is part of Disney’s grand vision for a reinvention of EPCOT, and it’ll probably last for a decade or longer. The budgets of each show reflect that difference.
(Not defending Epcot Forever–it could’ve been so much better simply with a better soundtrack.)
Agreed Tom, I am optimistic that with the big budget Harmonious will be a crowd pleaser. Not really trying to slam Epcot Forever but you’re right that its quality reflects the budget/effort put toward it.
they sometimes cheap out when it comes to smaller details though. for example, boardwalk pool construction walls, i mean, mural…
Yeah, that’s a good example of another perplexing decision. Given all of the time and effort that went into that pool mural/glorified construction wall, it’s hard to imagine they even saved much money with it. That’s a pure creative failure.
Might I suggest you date your posts? As a newcomer to your site – which is fabulous! – it is a bit difficult to follow some stories when I’m not sure when they were posted.
I second this!! It’s been confusing a couple of times, thankfully some of the years are in the titles, but still…a little date at the top would be helpful in many cases!
Thirded! I can’t imagine why the posts haven’t been dated all this time.
Thirded!! I love your blog but this would be such a huge plus!
It’s an SEO thing. For “evergreen” posts, experts advise to not date posts because new visitors will come to a site, see a post has an old date, and “bounce.” The advice is different for time-sensitive posts.
For a blog like this that contains all mix, the blogger just has to choose one and stick with it since most platforms don’t give you a choice. For that matter, the blog theme may not give you an option whether to post dates or not.
Not happening any time soon, as has been documented in other comment threads. For now, if you want to know when something was originally posted, scroll all the way down and look at the date of the first comment.
I also agree with this request
That picture of the off centered Stargate in front of the American pavilion?
Ouch.
I’m old, so I have no idea what you are talking about with Stargate.
Chevron 4 is locked . . .
We own every season of SG-1 on DVD (my wife was a *huge* fan) and she just showed a couple episodes to our daughter.So I definitely see the resemblance here! I try to be an optimist, but I agree that these are pretty ugly as is. The world showcase may not have been perfect, bu tit was still pretty good and these are a major negative, visually. (They are technologically cool, though. So that side of me is at least a little appeased.)
Unscheduled off world activation….
Close the Iris!!
The ultimate joke would be to have Richard Dean Anderson doing any narration that might accompany the show.
Oh my, if they get Richard Dean Anderson for the show narration I will take back any bad comments I have made about the barges. 🙂
Yes to Richard Dean Anderson for the narration! Start the online petition. Then halfway thru the show it fails and he has to “McGyver” it back – science and resourcefulness for the win!
Richard Dean Anderson is the main reason the thought of a Netflix reboot makes me cringe.