Epcot Update – May 2019
Epcot is the next stop in our May 2019 Walt Disney World construction updates & photo reports. As the park continues and further gears up for its massive re-imagining, work is underway in both World Showcase and Future World. However, much of this is backstage, and there isn’t a ton of visible month-to-month progress.
Instead, we’ll focus on smaller recent and upcoming changes. Along the way, we’ll also take brief looks at construction progress on the big projects: the Guardians of the Galaxy coaster, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, Mission: Space restaurant, Japan restaurant, Epcot films, and more.
We’ll start with Walt Disney World’s official announcement that the still-unnamed space restaurant will open in 2019. Patina Restaurant Group will operate the new restaurant, and they’ve developed a menu featuring internationally-inspired cuisine, over 1,000 bottles of wines, and a wide selection of craft beer.
No other details have been released about what readers here have been calling Mission: Plates (other name cheeky name suggestions are always encouraged in the comments). For those unfamiliar with Patina, they also operate the restaurants in Epcot’s Italy pavilion, as well as the Edison, Maria & Enzo’s, and Morimoto Asia. They’re also behind several restaurants in Downtown Disney at Disneyland (and numerous others in Southern California).
Unlike most other restaurant groups, my impression of Patina is generally very positive, both inside and outside the Disney sphere. With that said, the space restaurant opening this year comes out of left field. Construction has progressed quickly on the building, but I think we’re all anticipating and hoping for a carefully Imagineered and believable environment inside. Even a late 2019 opening seems like insufficient time to accomplish that. Hopefully I’m wrong on this.
Also worth noting is the reality that many recent Walt Disney World restaurant additions have been delayed. This includes several at Disney Springs (the Edison missed its original opening season by over a year), and in hotels. While I’d love to see the space restaurant open sooner rather than later–and I realize there’s a rush to get new draws into Epcot–I really hope it’s done right. In this case, I wouldn’t mind a delay at all.
Speaking of new things coming to Epcot, across Future World, work continues on Awesome Planet, which was announced only a couple months ago. Awesome Planet will deliver an environmental message that will resonate far beyond its final scenes. The film will feature spectacular nature photography, immersive in-theater effects, and space sequences created by Industrial Light & Magic.
The new films slated for Epcot could debut in January 2020 as part of the 2020 Epcot International Festival of the Arts. This includes Awesome Planet, the new Beauty and the Beast Sing-a-long in France, and new Circle-Vision 360 film for the Canada Pavilion. An ‘Epcot Film Festival’ during Festival of the Arts would be a fun and marketable addition.
Moreover, this would give Walt Disney World the ability to space out new offerings to drive attendance. IllumiNations ending is that drive now; Epcot Forever will fill the roll come October; Space Restaurant in December (maybe?); followed by new films in January. My recent track record in predicting opening months has been atrocious, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a push to get Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure opened by June 2020.
Moving on to everyone’s favorite topic: infrastructure work!
This temporary ticket booth recently appeared outside International Gateway, presumably because one or more of the permanent ticket windows is closing. You might recall that a maze of construction walls went up here last month around the old turnstiles and bag check area. The presumed goal is expanding all of this to prepare for the influx of Skyliner guests. (On the plus side, the construction wall around the Skyliner station is now down.
One of the two out-of-park smoking areas at Epcot is back here.
Oddly, these smoking areas went from being mostly out of the way in-park locations to being outside the park locations that far more non-smokers will walk past to enter the parks.
Here’s a look at one of the in-park signs at Epcot in what was previously a smoking area.
We’ve already encountered a couple instances of guests discretely smoking on random park benches and (twice) inside restrooms. Hopefully Walt Disney World management empowers front of line Cast Members to enforce the rule.
Our concern is that rule-breaking will become an even bigger problem if guests start seeing others get away with it; why bother going all the way outside the park if the rule isn’t being actively enforced?
Also back at International Gateway, we can see the first testing of this leg of the Skyliner.
We shared video of this in our May 2019 Disney Skyliner Gondola Update, which also features 50 photos of the 55 newly-unveiled character-themed Skyliner cabins.
From the same area, here’s a look at the facades taking shape in the France expansion. This is moving at a brisk pace, and even though a lot clearly remains to be done, we really wouldn’t be surprised to see this finished in a year or so.
The show building has been fully enclosed for months. Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure is a trackless screen-based dark ride, with some physical props that would’ve been built off-site.
Here’s a look at work on the walkway that’ll connect the existing France pavilion to the expansion.
This walkway will be more narrow than the path in Mexico that’s a notorious crowd-flow issue. Hopefully since this isn’t a main thoroughfare that won’t be as much of an issue…but it will be the way to access Epcot’s most popular attraction (for at least a year), so there’s that.
Construction also continues on the Guardians of the Galaxy hybrid coaster. Not much else to report on this.
We’re still expecting this to debut at some point in 2021, hence Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure having about a year as Epcot’s most popular attraction.
Work on the new Signature Restaurant in the Japan pavilion.
Again, not much to report here. We’re expecting the entrance here to be pretty nondescript; think Monsieur Paul in the France pavilion.
On the topic of food, here’s the new-ish Coffee-rubbed Pork Poutine with Barbecue Demi-Glace, Fire-roasted Corn Relish and Cheese Curds available for Flower & Garden Festival. I enjoyed this, but prefer the Beef Brisket Poutine. It’s less ambitious, but if I’m eating an indulgent guilty pleasure off the top of a trash can, I might as well go all out.
This poutine was also recently “featured” in our Lovebugs at Walt Disney World post. For those who have asked, the lovebug situation is improving, but there’s probably at least another week or two of it being a thing. (Additionally, May tends to be significantly worse than September.)
Epcot’s International Flower & Garden Festival continues through early June. (See our 2019 Guide to the Epcot Flower & Garden Festival if you’re planning a visit.)
We had the chance to watch portions of a couple of Garden Rocks concerts (from the walkway behind the theater), and they were quite enjoyable. From what we observed, seating is now fairly easy to obtain.
As the event winds down, we’re starting to see discounts on Flower & Garden merchandise.
Currently, you can take 25% off drinkware, apparel, and ears.
The entire line of World Showcase Mickey designs (like what’s pictured above) is buy one, get one 40% off.
I like these–simple, but interesting designs.
Heading out, we have construction in the parking lot as Epcot is in the process of transforming its “arrival experience.”
Right now, this isn’t too bad, but it does mean a bit more walking depending upon where you’re going or parked. We’d anticipate this area becoming larger, though. We’ll monitor that (and attempt to get some daytime photos) in the next few months. For now, that’s all from Epcot!
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think of the current state of Epcot and its construction projects? Thoughts on the space restaurant opening in 2019, or the new films potentially debuting in January 2020? 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!
I can handle waiting for updates in the World Showcase.
WDW, please have Awesome Planet & Space 220 open by the end of 2019!
We are going to Disney World for a week on May 29 and it sounds like between the resorts, Magic Kingdom, Epcot and everything else that weve paid a lit if money to go on vacation to a massive construction site. I hope things arent as bad as the blogs make it seem. Our resort, MagicKingdom being torn up around the castle for the walkway,etc. Really starting to get worried!
How’d it go? Probably not too bad as WDW really tries to protect guests from any inconveniences.
The good news is that unlike trips circa 2016+ when many things were closed or stagnated to prepare for dozens of new experiences, we are now beginning to see the imagineering realized.
2020 & 2021 should be fantastic years at WDW thanks to the prior years’ not too obtrusive construction.
Do you expect World Showcase to open fully at rope drop once the Skyliner is functioning?
No.
No matter what you think about smoking, it’s not anyone’s place to demand anything past not smoking in their faces and making them breath it in…I think that making smokers completely leave a park is extreme. That is a brutal demand considering the walking involved. Not to mention it is where non-smokers must pass through anyway. What is wrong with having a designated smoking area away from main traffic? Let them be. Nobody needs another parent, they’re grown adults. I have a feeling Disney will pay for their overstepping of such things. It’s like forcing everyone to eat only vegan in the parks…or requiring an application of deodorant at the gate before entering…
As a cast member who worked in attractions, I can tell you: smoking is a serious health and safety issue in the parks. It is not a wish to punish those who smoke, but rather a problem of (A) where “away from main traffic” can be…as this is difficult in several parts of the parks, especially in Studios and Animal Kingdom, where the animals are also jeopardized, but also (B) how to enforce such measures with Disney tact without a full-on security team dedicated to nothing else.
For every polite or considerate smoker I’ve encountered, I have encountered four who would do it in my ride’s queue, in the faces of children in play areas, in the bathrooms, and even ON the rides. Some of these incidents were on a ride with propane effects…not even self-preservation will stop some people. It isn’t because all smokers are awful, but rather because a few are just terrible people outside of their smoking. They likely are rude everywhere else, too, and be happy you don’t have to be responsible for their kids’ safety.
Some smoking sections were wedged into places that are absolutely not avoidable to traffic, like one that used to be at Tower of Terror’s exit or en route to Rock’n’Roller Coaster. As a severe asthmatic, I am sympathetic to the guests with oxygen tanks and health-compromised children (we have a lot of Make-A-Wish) that should be able to travel without encountering dangerous situations.
We also have an issue with the vape pens, now, that were never an issue before. The science is *still* being done on the effects these have on those inhaling second-hand, never mind those choosing to actively partake, and guests were getting combative with cast and other guests about using these…again, in queues and on the attractions themselves. This might have been the nail in the coffin of smoking in the park, especially with record crowds and the limitations of guest service and security.
This really is not comparable to making folks “eat only vegan,” though I get that it will cause significant discomfort. My dad was a chain-smoker, so I know how horrible it can feel when the nicotine low hits. However, this isn’t making a necessary function (like eating) something restricted. Actually, it’s opening up a necessary function (breathing) for more groups of people who were suffering with the limitations in place. This whole scenario is more like the elimination of selfie-sticks: it’s unfair, and for some people feels violating, but the few made it necessary for the masses. Given the international market, it is unfortunately unlikely that Disney’s parks will ever see an attendance shift based on good or bad policy decisions, but only time will tell.
** And as far as the deodorant comment, I realize not everyone can or wants to wear it…but the cast in Florida were always forced to wear some for everyone’s comfort, and I can imagine guests would benefit from some level of product all-around.**
OK……..Might have a work around for my pathetic nicoteen addiction!
I do believe there are prescription nicotine devices proscribed by physicians as cigarette cessation aids, this will allow me to vape my objectionable nicotine compound with Impunity while all the haters stare in disbelief as I hit mt device whenever and wherever I Please !!! WDW won’t be able to do a thing, as I will have a prescription……….Ah, the marvels of modern science. Happy Days Once Again !!!
Haha, that’s not a bad idea! They could still have restrictions, like no use on rides for safety reasons. But the bottom line is that vape mist is not remotely as offensive as cig smoke and doesn’t have the stinking cloud that travels all around, fouling clothing, etc. le the smoke does. It’s amusing how some people seem to think that cigars stink, some worse than cigs. Ridiculous! The ones they must be thinking of are the really cheap paper-wrapper junk old men but at the Walgreens versus real, leaf-wrapper cigars. We used to get compliments in casinos while smoking pipes and higher-quality cigars. But they don’t add chemicals or use paper in good cigars. I still wouldn’t expect to burn one in the parks though.
No sense in defending vape, WDW fails to see the difference between it and tobacco……more feelings…….Not logic.
Vape vs Fog Generator
Heated fog machines use either an inert gas or an electric pump to propel mineral oil, propylene glycol, or glycerin and water mixture into a heat exchanger, where the solution is vaporized. Propylene glycol is used rather than ethylene glycol (ie antifreeze), as the latter is toxic. The most commonly encountered form of heated fog machine is the pump machine. Very basic models of this type of machine consist of a fluid reservoir, an electric pump to move the fog fluid and heat exchanger which vaporizes the fluid. More complex models may include a variety of other features, including variable speed pumps to control the output of fog, timer modules, or components for remote operation and monitoring of the fog machines’ status. Some manufacturers have produced accessories and fluids that when combined with an ordinary heated pump machine, create fog effects similar to chilled fog machines. Gas propelled fog machines use an inert gas (most commonly CO2 or nitrogen) to propel either mineral oil or a glycol based fluid into a heat exchanger where it is vaporized into particles, creating a fog. Some models of gas propelled fog machine provide control over the output of fog by varying the volume of gas used to propel the fluid.
Hold Your Breath !
Same Compounds…….one Widely Used……..one Banned!
Based on Feelings…..Not Logic
I know, I mix my own vape