Epcot Update: September 2018
Epcot is the final stop of our September 2018 Walt Disney World construction reports. Our last update from here was only a few weeks ago, but with the Food & Wine Festival now underway, plus more construction progress on the Guardians of the Galaxy and Ratatouille attractions, and Skyliner gondola transportation we’re making a return visit.
It might sound and counterintuitive that the classic version of Epcot, sans food kiosks and event displays, is known as ‘Diet Epcot’ but that’s because it’s actually the less busy and cluttered incarnation of the park. Diet Epcot also encompasses less of the year, with it now gone and the festival season again underway close to uninterrupted between now and the end of May 2019.
Already, this has been noticeable in terms of the ‘feels like’ crowds at Epcot. Our visits to the park this summer and even in the days leading up to Food & Wine were incredibly pleasant and devoid of crowds. There were regularly times when we saw posted waits of 30 minutes for Frozen Ever After or Soarin’ Around the World, and large swaths of pavement were visible in World Showcase.
The start of the 2018 Epcot Food & Wine Festival was like flipping a switch on the latter, with significantly more people filling in the space of World Showcase. Crowds still aren’t terrible (that’ll happen towards October), and wait times are still pretty moderate–hence the ‘feels like’ crowd levels being higher.
Speaking of the festival, let’s start with a few things we didn’t cover in our First Impressions & Photos: 2018 Epcot Food & Wine Festival post…
Lots of Annual Passholder merchandise for Food & Wine features pie-eyed Mickey & Minnie and Figment. We really like the design of this pitcher, but I’m not sure what we’d do with a pitcher.
Speaking of Food & Wine, thanks for the enthusiastic responses to our Belgium Booth Review, which made (what was meant to be) an offhand remark about tepid reader interest. Clearly, I misread the room–many of you did enjoy them. As noted there, taking a break from doing those reviews was just as much about me as you.
I needed to get these construction updates up before they became stale, and also needed to break-up the monotony of doing the same type of post over and over again. Granted, I traded the monotony of Global Marketplace reviews for the monotony of construction updates, but it’s still a nice change of pace. (I actually really enjoy doing the construction updates because they’re conducive to random tangents.)
Anyway, after our Walt Disney World trip ended, we went to Paris to partake in the Le Rendez-vous Gourmand de Disneyland Paris, because we just could not get enough food festival action. Once we’re back, I plan to get down to business on more Epcot Food & Wine booth reviews.
One booth we will not be reviewing is Light Lab. If you recall our Booth Review of Light Lab from last year, it was not exactly enthusiastic. I wanted to get one of the souvenir science flasks (Sarah had to correct me calling it a “beaker” like 46 times), but they were sold out each day we went.
I guess the moral of the story is to go to Light Lab early if you want some sugar water in a big-bottom beaker. 😉
In World Showcase, trees have been cleared for the Signature Restaurant being added to Japan, and a construction wall has gone up.
Still no word as to when this restaurant will open or what it will serve. We’re holding out hope that it’s an intimate, high-end experience. Hopefully something excluded from the Disney Dining Plan.
Back on the other side of World Showcase Lagoon, here are some views of the Ratatouille trackless dark ride construction from various spots:
One thing that I think it’s important to underscore here is that these are photos taken with a super-zoom lens, and not what you’d see with the naked eye.
In other words, there isn’t some massive off-theme building towering behind Morocco. To the vast majority of guests, this is barely noticeable, and once finished, I doubt it’ll be some huge thematic intrusion.
On the other hand, here’s a few perspectives on the Guardians of the Galaxy ride showbuilding…
Unlike the Ratatouille construction, this is very much noticeable from numerous locations within Epcot. It’s rumored to be an unthemed show building, in which case it’ll likely be painted sky blue like Soarin’s theaters.
I’ve read a ton of complaints about this, and Disney “cheaping out” on theme. Honestly, I’m not sure whether that’s such a bad thing here. Do we really want a Mission: Breakout “kind of warehouse, fortress, power plant” with pipes, other junk, and vibrant colors distracting from the majesty of Spaceship Earth.
As someone who really doesn’t want a Guardians of the Galaxy attraction in Epcot in the first place, I’d rather have its presence minimized to the greatest degree possible. If that means Walt Disney World “cheaping out” by coating the showbuilding in light blue paint rather than pipes, so be it.
Leaving Epcot via the International Gateway, we see progress on the Skyliner gondola station.
My big concern with this station is that it won’t match the International Gateway (or World Showcase) architecture in terms of depth and finishing. You can see how the surrounding rooftops appear in the photo above, and concept art for the Skyliner does not look that nice.
I’m incredibly pleased by Walt Disney World’s huge growth initiative for the 50th Anniversary, but one of the downsides of so much simultaneous construction is that details get cut to prevent budgets from spiraling out of control. Beyond that, there are so many worldwide projects right now that I can’t help but wonder if Imagineering has a large enough talent pool for everything. “Lesser” projects like this and hotel work may not have the brightest creative minds working on them.
Looking the other direction from the gondola station, we again see the Ratatouille show building construction as well as a couple of Skyliner pillars.
This view might make you cringe, but from inside the park the Skyliner pillars are barely visible, and don’t interfere with sightlines much at all. Here’s how things currently look:
My hope and assumption is that the Eiffel Tower will be relocated once the France expansion is complete. If not, guests will be able to walk behind it, and I’m not sure the illusion will work from that vantage. It looks much better appearing to be ‘off in the distance’ like this.
Overall, there’s a lot happening right now at Epcot, with even more on the horizon. We didn’t get to it in this post, but we still don’t have an official announcement on the rumored IllumiNations replacement (Window to the World) and interim show, which is still happening to our knowledge. There’s also the China film, Epcot Central Spine, unannounced new country & new attractions in World Showcase, and more. Suffice to say, it’s going to be a busy next several years at Epcot, and we’ll keep these updates up regularly as the park expands and transforms.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
What do you think of the current state of Epcot, and its construction projects? Excited for festival season at Epcot? Thoughts on the colossal show building for Guardians of the Galaxy, and how/whether it’ll be concealed? What about Ratatouille or the Skyliner? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Just found your blog. Lots of reading to do to catch up. Like what I see so far. Thank you for doing this. Been going to Disney every year since 1983 when we moved to Florida. It is our get away place and we go multiple times. Just wanted to say how disappointed I am in Epcot promoting Disney movies everywhere. The Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow is no more. The Norway ride was a favorite. I haven’t even gone on it since it became Frozen. I thought Disney did an excellent job with Epcot countries how they were. Just my opinion.
I’m planning to come to Florida In November and want to know if Epcot will be done before I buy tickets? Hate to waste a day there if I don’t need to, was there last year and nothing to do there..
I always enjoy all of your reviews. Our last trip to WDW was in 2017. Our next trip is being planned for 2021 for the 50th Anniversary. I am looking forward to all the additions and changes. I hope a lot of the EPCOT construction has been completed and the new attractions are up and running. I do like seeing the Eiffel Tiwer from a distance. Hopefully they will keep it and make it look more realistic.
Hey Tom, in reading your construction update I didn’t see what the expected completion dates were for Guardians of the Galaxy and Ratatouille. If it was in an earlier post I missed it. What are the expected completion dates? Thanks, enjoy your blog!
I remember a skyline type gondola in Magic Kingdom as a kid. Though it was never faster than walking between tomorrowland and Fantasy land.
Good to see it though. I agree Guardians doesnt fit with Epcot. I’m still mad Test Track replaced world of motion. I like the old infotainment rides.
We are visiting Le Rendez-vous Gourmand de Disneyland Paris today and it’s fantastic! This is how Food & Wine Festival should be done. Looking forward to your review!
Construction updates are my favorite type of posts.
Yours are especially great thanks to the in-depth analysis and honest predictions that other blogs often won’t go into.
Very much appreciate your work.
I am wondering if the “Skyliner” gondolas will be seen as an attraction. Like the Monorail is to so many. We are all ready planning for the Fiftieth anniversary. Starting to get the feeling that the Caribean Beach resort may become a new “HOT” resort destination. Along with the new Hi Rise close by. Galaxy’s Edge opens and instead of having Star Wars Weekends, we get desert parties with photo ops with certain characters. Are you getting the same vibes?
Any idea if they will expand the International Gateway entrance turnstiles and security to accommodate larger crowds when the gondolas are open? We love Beach Club for the easy access to Epcot but wondering if it is going to be a goat rodeo to get in once the gondolas open.
Thanks for the update — it’s so appreciated for those of us who can’t be there as often as we like but are curious how things are coming along! I’m very excited about the new country pavilion, the ratatouille ride and the new Japan restaurant. A question: I hadn’t heard rumors before that it might be excluded from the Dining Plan, but that would be great if there were more nice restaurants that weren’t impossible to book because of the Dining Plan. Are they considering taking any existing restaurants off the Dining Plan?
“One thing that I think it’s important to underscore here is that these are photos taken with a super-zoom lens, and not what you’d see with the naked eye.”
I would think it’d be pretty easy to use orange and pink paint to disguise the Ratatouille building behind Morocco that would make it less noticeable from far away. And I’m guessing that up close, standing in Morocco, you wouldn’t be able to see it like you said.
While I like both the movie and the ride, the outside of the GotG: Mission Breakout building is one of the fugliest things at any park. PLEASE don’t do that to Epcot, Disney!
Thanks for the update!
Outside of GOTG???
It’s still a shell.
I think he meant the one at DCA.
Can the new country be Peru? There is a restaurant and great ride potential in “The Emperors New Groove”. Working premise here is the “Leave IP out of EPCOT” ship has sailed.
I was one of those first time commenters on the Belgium review. I was just entering “Disney Food and Wine reviews” into Google and your site was always at the top. After visiting your web page, which is comprehensive to say the least, I completely understand your comment now.
I agree with your thought on painting Guardians of the Galaxy sky blue. Doing anything thematic would distract from the esthetics of the surrounding environment. I don’t know where else you would put that attraction though. Tomorrowland? MK doesn’t need the extra business and Epcot needed anything to draw the younger crowd. My teenage son (and his younger versions) consistently prefers to do anything but Epcot. He is currently taking a World History and Geography course and loves it so maybe that will change.
I am very excited to hear that a new World exhibit is opening in Epcot and will continue reading for the first whispers on that. Meanwhile, I have throughly enjoyed reading your posts on Food and Wine and the construction updates. Your photos are like eye candy for a girl that’s grown up WDW. Thank you so much!
I have to agree with you, Tom, that I’ll continue to be cautiously optimistic. I also agree that we don’t want something looking like the Guardians tower in DL. Thanks for continuing to update those of us who live too far away to go frequently. It really helps me to be able to advise my clients.
Off topic but how do you search on the site?? I wanted to look up something I’d seen in a previous blog post but I can’t find the search. 😐
On the right-hand side of the web page (down a little bit under a couple ads) there is a search box. It works pretty well.
Nothing insightful to add but I really appreciate all you do Tom!
Tom you were correct in calling the container for the light lab drink a flask. It is a n Erlemeyer flask not a beaker.
I got it right here, but that’s all due to Sarah. I kept calling it a beaker, and she’d correct me. In college, I used a flask to sneak alcohol into places it didn’t belong…not for science. 😉
Well they switched to plastic cups and the glow cube now. So no more beaker/flask 🙁
Erlenmeyer Flask would be a great name for a evil Muppet scientist.
This may be sacrilegious, but I’d be fine with them removing the Eiffel tower. It is clearly distinguishable as France without that icon (the UK does fine without Big Ben) and I think the forced perspective down’t work from far more locations than from which it works. With the new attraction, I think that will get worse.
Actually, I don’t necessarily disagree with you. I’d rather they try to improve the execution than outright remove it, but I wouldn’t shed a tear if it does go.
I think if that Eiffel Tower went up today, it’d be met with the similar scorn online as when the toy Beast’s Castle went up in New Fantasyland. Granted, it’s not quite that bad, but it’s not great.
I’ve never ever been impressed with the Eiffel Tower at Epcot.
Let it Go!!
As much as these new additions tug on our heart strings from our minds memory of what Epcot was and is today, they are still new growth, and will be a positive experience moving into the future.
Epcot absolutely needs/needed something, and as much as I would have preferred growth more consistent with the park’s original mission, what’s happening is certainly better than the stuck-in-the-1990s status quo. I’m cautiously optimistic, overall.