Ratatouille Area Starts Opening at EPCOT
Construction walls are down around the iconic Art Nouveau Métro marquee, and the first section of the France expansion leading to Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure is open at EPCOT. In this post, we’ll tour the Streets of Paris area, rate the restrooms, and offer speculation about a grand opening date for Walt Disney World’s rat ride.
As a quick recap, the Streets of Paris expansion of the France pavilion was announced 5 years ago at the D23 Expo and includes several additions. Most notable to Walt Disney World fans is Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, a screen-centric trackless dark ride cloned from Walt Disney Studios Park at Disneyland Paris.
Additionally, there’s La Crêperie de Paris by celebrity chef Jérôme Bocuse, featuring a menu inspired by France’s Brittany region. This crêperie will offer both a table service restaurant and Crêpes A Emporter quick-service window. Finally, there’s the obligatory merchandise stand, restrooms, stroller parking, and various thematic flourishes…
If you watched any of the Disney Parks holiday specials between Thanksgiving and Christmas, you’ve probably seen some sneak peeks of the expansion and inside the attraction. Walt Disney World has also leveraged social media attention around Ratatouille: the TikTok Musical to further promote the addition.
While Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure was slated to open last summer, it was delayed until 2021. As we discuss in our Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure Opening & Info post, the attraction has been more or less finished since last fall, ready to open whenever advantageous.
Last week, the construction walls came down around the Paris Métro-inspired “Ratatouille” archway for recording promotional footage, and was replaced by movable planters.
This week, those planters were removed, revealing Rue Auguste Gusteau…
In keeping with the style of the World Showcase France pavilion, this promenade has lovely details, planters, fixtures, facades, and even a few murals.
Some of the art is clearly fodder for Instagram, but it looks nice apart from that. At least Imagineering didn’t go in the direction of Rue Crémieux in the real Paris.
Here’s a look at the quick-service window and queue at Crêpes A Emporter. No menu is up yet, nor are there “please wait here” physical distancing markers on the ground.
The construction wall that previously blocked the Ratatouille Métro marquee now blocks the main thoroughfare leading to the entrances of the table service La Crêperie de Paris and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure.
Throughout the expansion, the Skyliner is visible gliding overhead. This was obviously going to be the case, given that all of our construction photos of the area were taken from the Skyliner. Nevertheless, this is the only area inside any Walt Disney World theme park where you can see the Skyliner.
We’re not averse to this, it’s simply something we somehow hadn’t considered previously. Actually, I love seeing the Skyliner here. Disney’s theme parks have always allowed transportation to “ruin” the illusion, whether it be the monorail, boats, trains, or even the Skyway through the Matterhorn.
There’s a lot of kinetic energy along the waterfront, and a decade or so from now when crowds die down, this will be a great spot to relax and watch the boats and gondolas.
Another thing I like is dedicated stroller parking. Operations and Imagineering need to work together more often to come up with custom-built solutions like this. Some recent areas (Toy Story Land being the biggest offender) haven’t done a great job of this.
The rat restrooms are also solid. Not Top 10 Toilets at Walt Disney World material, but no slouch.
There’s nothing particularly memorable about the design; they’re probably a tad undersized given demand and location, but Imagineering was already being asked to do a lot with a relatively small parcel of land. Restroom real estate was limited.
While toilet talk is fun and important, that “Opening 2021” banner is probably why many of you are reading this. It’s far and away the most common question within the Streets of Paris expansion; we actually overheard several guests get excited that the attraction had opened upon entering the area.
In the last week, we’ve heard from several readers about “rumors” that the Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure is opening in the next week or two. That has accelerated now that the walls are down and this first section is open. Let’s put this to rest: there are no credible rumors that the ride is opening anytime soon. Zero. None.
The reason the first set of construction walls are down is pictured above–the Morocco restrooms went down for refurbishment. The first section of the Streets of Paris opened because World Showcase needed more restroom capacity.
Of course, as with anything Walt Disney World does, there is speculation. There’s also the reality that the attraction and Streets of Paris area around it is finished. That has further fueled speculation, as it stands to reason that Disney would debut the attraction when it’s done.
In normal times, that’s exactly what would happen. However, these are not normal times. Attendance is still limited, capacity caps are in place, travel is significantly depressed, and gala media events are unlikely right now.
When it comes to opening Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, it’s not about when the ride and area are ready. The two operative questions are: what does Walt Disney World stand to gain by opening now? When will be the optimal time for debuting the new attraction and area?
Our answer to the first question is nothing.
Opening Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure now squanders buzz and hype down the road, and does not move the needle on attendance or people booking Walt Disney World vacations. By and large, locals are going to visit regardless and tourists are going to hold off until there’s a greater sense of normalcy (among other things). Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure would just be another operating expense with little immediate payoff.
Our answer to the second question is a best-case scenario of late March for a soft opening and Memorial Day weekend for a grand opening.
The earlier date is when Easter and spring break crowds might start materializing, which means more tourists and the potential for some positive buzz and word of mouth. That coupled with the announcement of a Summer 2021 grand opening seems like a plausible scenario in terms of guest demand and marketing. Even that feels overly optimistic to us.
However, we’ll reiterate that this is entirely speculative on our part. We won’t pretend to have insider info here, because we do not. To the contrary, I suspect that the lack of credible rumors is due to Walt Disney World still being undecided on what to do about the opening date of Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure.
It’s entirely possible Disney will end up wanting to “rip the Band Aid off” and just open earlier. Obviously, that’s what fans want, especially locals and those with upcoming visits. While we’ve been critical of some of Disney’s cost-cutting moves in the last several months, holding off here does make sense to us. Other theme parks, including Universal and Disney-owned ones elsewhere have done exactly that. That strategy has seemed pretty ineffective thus far, resulting in lackluster responses to the Bourne Stuntacular and Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast, plus the postponement of Super Nintendo World.
It’s also possible that Disney has learned from those stumbles and will proactively delay Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure into Fall 2021, wanting to set an opening date for a time when there are fewer attendance or physical distancing restrictions. We really don’t know–your guess is as good as ours. If you’re visiting between now and March 2021, we’d caution against getting your hopes up too much about riding Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure. If anything, it’s better to be pleasantly surprised than get your hopes up only to be disappointed.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Have you had a chance to visit Rue Auguste Gusteau? Where do the Rat Restrooms rank on your personal list of the top toilets at Walt Disney World? Are you excited for Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure? If you’ve experienced the version in the Walt Disney Studios Park, what did you think of it? When do you predict that Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure will open? Do you agree or disagree with any of our thoughts? 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!
You mentioned that most of the guests are first or one time goers to Disney.
THAT MAY BE SO, DID YOU EVER THINK THAT MOST PEOPLE CAN’S AFFORD TO GO TO DISNEY MORE THAN ONCE….IT’S TOO EXSPENSIVE.
I noticed Touring Plans has Remy’s added to their wait times for Epcot beginning on January 31, 2021.
https://touringplans.com/epcot/wait-times/date/2021-01-31
Or… the rat ride is not as good as DW hoped?
It’s a clone of an existing ride in DL Paris, so everyone knew exactly what it would be before they broke ground. You can watch it on youtube right now if you like. The only difference is that the Paris version’s dialogue is in French, and the Orlando version’s is English spoken in French accents.
This will probably not bother anyone else but me…I wish they would use French for the restroom sign. I’m hopeful that most visitors can figure out that “Les Toilettes” are the restrooms.
“The rat restrooms are also solid. Not Top 10 Toilets at Walt Disney World material, but no slouch.”
What? No art collection? ^_~
I think they’re torn about when to open it. Do they open it in Spring, or do they push it back as far as they can to tie it into the 50th Anniversary celebration, with so many of the rides they’d planned to have open for that not being open by the anniversary?
So, I think later is more likely than sooner. I can see Memorial Day as a first possibility: It’s the gateway to the summer season, and an opening then could be used to build up buzz for the 50th Anniversary. I could also see it as late as Labor Day, but I think Memorial Day to July 4th is more likely; It all depends on what’s going on with the visitor from China and the economy.
I could see Memorial Day, though I also wonder if they will save it for September/October so they have an attraction to open for the 50th. With Tron and Guardians both originally supposed to be opening for that event and now being delayed, I could see Disney wanting to have something to make a bigger deal out of the anniversary.
Hi Tom,
I disagree with your sentiment that Disney has nothing to gain by opening Ratatouille now. I understand that there certainly brand loyal to Disney regardless of what they do. However, there are people who still look for value and are willing to spend their dollars elsewhere.
My family and I are going the first week of February. I would certainly feel slighted, and not valued if I knew the ride was operational but they didn’t open it. Park hours are reduced compared to when we originally purchased our tickets but there was no refund or discount given the reduced value. If they reduce a 10-hour park day to 9, that’s 10% less value (at least to me). Disney is removing value given some of their recent decisions (Disney Express etc.) Not opening a ride when it has been tested and is considered operational would be yet another arrow pointing to us spending our dollars outside of Disney.
The second thing they gain would be (assuming the ride opens soon), would be testing the ride with low crowds. Expected crowd levels over the next few weeks are expected to be low and would reduce the number of guests impacted when they experience issues. I’m not sure how demand for Ratatouille will compare to ROTR but a few extra days of testing would yield great benefits. I would think Disney would want to find issues sooner rather than later.
Since you’ve been on the ride in Paris, is there a pre-show? I’m assuming since all the promo materials talk about how people shrink to the size rats, there’s something to explain how or why that happens. If so, I wonder if that factors into their decision too and Disney will wait until they feel they can safely/efficiently get those going again. The pre-shows can feel a little long when you’ve been on a ride a million times, but the first few times they’re usually helpful in terms of context, and some are really entertaining. Like Dinosaur probably doesn’t make as much sense to newbies without the intro. And since Ratatouille is a ride that most US guests haven’t experienced yet, a pre-show, if there is one, probably really adds to the experience. Plus it would just feel incomplete on Disney’s part to debut only part of a ride. As a self-proclaimed MMRR superfan who did not get to ride it before the closure, I still feel like I’m missing out that I haven’t had a chance to get the “full” experience yet.
Kimberly,
If the ride is like the Paris version, then there is no pre-show per se, but the line leading to the loading area has set pieces that make it seem as if you are shrinking (the walls get longer and props get bigger, etc…)
Aha, sort of like The Seas with Nemo & Friends dark ride! Thanks!
Clearly, no opening Is imminent or else they wouldn’t open the bathrooms separate from the rest of the land. They would open everything at once.
The “2021” banner sets only the vaguest expectations.
The vagueness tells me Disney doesn’t really know when they will open. I’m sure they see October 2021 as the latest. But if that was a definite plan, the banner would say “Fall 2021.” You’d here promotion of “Ratatouille to open for 50th anniversary!”
My best guess – the plan is October at the latest. But they have mapped out some possible earlier scenarios dependent on Covid restrictions, attendance, etc.
Potential realistic targets to include Memorial Day, July 4th (would also be a great time to premiere Harmonious), Labor Day.
I suspect the possibility of an Easter open was mapped out (thus, the land is ready now), but the slow vaccination rollout and high Covid numbers have likely already crossed out Easter.
Agree with all of that (save for a potential target being Labor Day–at that point, it’s just 10/1).
Yes… I considered that with Labor Day too. But would still see it as an option as it could help build up excitement leading to the Anniversary. And saving it for the Anniversary could backfire – “this is all we get?? A ride imported from EuroDisney that was supposed to open last year?”
I have to admit, I clicked on the article when I saw that you were reviewing the bathrooms. Priorities! 🙂 (My college roomate and I have an ongoing debate over whether the Tangled Toilets or the Pirate Potties are the best in WDW.)
I still disagree that WDW would gain “nothing” by opening Ratatouille earlier: they would gain guest satisfaction for the thousands of people visiting daily. Now if they cannot translate that to $$ it might not mean anything to WDW, but it’s still something.
“I still disagree that WDW would gain “nothing” by opening Ratatouille earlier: they would gain guest satisfaction for the thousands of people visiting daily.”
That’s true. I do wonder what percentage of those guests are first or one-time visitors right now, though. Attendance is very AP and CM-heavy right now. Those groups and other repeat visitors will experience it whenever it opens.
Sorry to be that guy, but “…and they’re location” > their location
And you used the same photo twice (remys-ratatouille-adventure-streets-paris-france-pavilion-epcot-disney-world-034.jpg). I’m surprised that doesn’t happen more often.
Can’t wait to next visit. After a forced cancellation in September, we have to wait for Australia’s borders to reopen. The good news is a growing list of new attractions, which will hopefully offset the nickel and diming. My strongest memories of our first trip (honeymoon in 2000) were a) the quality and immersion of the parks and cast members and b) we weren’t being stung for constant upcharges. The former remained for our following 3 visits, but sadly not the latter. Due to eroding on-site benefits and increasing charges like parking, we’ll probably end up at Universal, with visits to WDW. I never thought I’d say that.
Never thought I’d be a Never Disney person either. I was a Disney freak and an AP in 2019 – I live 10 hrs away so I’m not a Florida resident. I went 9 times that year but I won’t go back. For the life of me I can’t understand how/why people keep paying these ridiculous prices to only get half of what they used to get. If you went to the store to buy a gallon of milk for $4, but the store only allowed you leave with 1/2 gallon, would you be ok with that? Disney is doing that to people. THERE ARE TONS OF OTHER ABSOLUTELY GREAT PLACES TO GO ON VACATION! And for soooooo much less.
Oh believe me, you’re not the only one! I am sorely tempted to highlight that particular passage and ask if Tom needs an editor.
Thanks for the heads up; those two paragraphs were a mess, with way too many instances of “they’re.” Also, a new photo added.
I’ve made greater efforts to self-edit of late (and Sarah helps proofread posts when there’s time), but sometimes that’s difficult when turnaround time is tighter or we’re stretched too thin on a particular day.
Back in September, we visited Universal for one day after spending 4 days at WDW. With the exception of Harry Potter and the Mummy, we were a bit disappointed. All water rides were down. Much of the Universal park is tired and dated. And our cost for a 1-day ticket in Universal (albeit including express pass) was the same as our upcoming 2 days at WDW.
Seriously folks? Give the man a break. He’s constantly putting out new, helpful material and this blog is free. Get off your high horse and cut him some slack. Keep up the good work Tom!
In reply to Peachy–
I’ll have gone three times during the Covid restrictions, because nothing that is missing (save for some of the performance shows) was of value to me. I travel with a stimulus-sensitive individual so fireworks were right out, and we don’t have any interest in meeting characters. Our top priority in any year (even before covid) was a lack of crowds since that can heighten the anxiety of my partner…which this has been perfect for (hitting in July, August, and now early Feb). There’s not really a way to pay normally to avoid crowds, so this is the best we’re ever going to get and it is absolutely of value.
Now we aren’t typical tourists, but we also aren’t the only ones like us out there so…I guess we’re paying for skim milk, but actually receiving all our skim milk, in your analogy.
Also in reply to Peachy, my family isn’t traveling until we’re vaccinated, but if we were, WDW would be one of the only places we’d consider because the insulated Disney bubble means adherence to safety precautions is consistent and predictable. As a friend of mine who works in a school and who visited recently said, “I felt more comfortable at WDW than I do at work.”
I’ve wondered if Disney has actually attracted a specific set of cabin-feverish tourists who want to get out of their houses but don’t trust most other travel destinations to be as safe. For such people, compromising on activities might be fully worth it. Granted, my partner and I *do* want to wait for more to be open (even after we’re both vaccinated), but I can certainly see reasons some people would be happy to go now.
Or for cases like Maggie’s, perhaps a better metaphor than milk would be a box of assorted donuts. If you love every kind of donut, then it absolutely would be a ripoff to suddenly get only six when you paid for twelve. But if you only like specific donuts and would’ve only eaten the same six they packaged anyway, then the value is ultimately the same.
On the other topic – blog corrections – some blogs I follow have a “Report a typo” submission form on each page. Bloggers often have limited time, but they also want to present their material as professionally as they can. So corrections may be welcomed, but they become awkward when done in public. That submission form allows readers to report small errors without opening themselves up for criticism.
As a reader of Mad magazine when I was a kid, for Halloween I want the Remy vehicles redone as Rat Rods!
Are they running Impressions de France now?
Only the last ~90 minutes of the day.
A week or so ago we saw an extended queue in use for the Beauty and Beast Sing-Along. I feel sorry for those people.
Tom, I know you personally hate the sing along but every attraction has an audience. We went to the Country Bears last year after having skipped it on the previous trip based partly on your constant and genuinely infectious love for it and were disappointed. On the flip side, my husband *loved* the sing along (including the goofy revisionist plot). Some of those people waiting in line could have had a similar experience!
I would love to see it open for our upcoming visit in Feb! I think with all that’s been said/done lately giving a glimmer of positive hope would benefit Disney and their guests.
You’re still going? Well, I guess … enjoy???
Fair points but I could make a business case for opening now. Right now, with construction and limited WS entertainment, Epcot is a park that people are skipping or using park hopper to visit for a half day–or at most a single day. Yes the food fest pulls in locals on weekends, but they aren’t as lucrative as overnight guests, and weekdays are quiet. Add a new ride with a hard to get virtual queue and all of a sudden, guests are extending their stay and booking two days at Epcot to maximize their chances of getting to ride (hey, it worked for a former half day park just down the river). Guests who were on the fence book trips to experience it–which comes at a good time for Disney especially now that guests are slowing down relative to fall.
“If you build it, they will come.”
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure is no Rise of the Resistance, and I mean that in ways both good and bad. On the plus side, it’s a reliable ride with good hourly throughput. On the downside, it’s not very good. It’s not bad, it just isn’t going to blow anyone’s mind after experiencing the other new trackless rides.
It’s more analogous to Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, but also not as impressive as that. It won’t need a virtual queue, and no one will need to add days in EPCOT to experience it.
I’ve only ridden RoTR once…it was not a great experience. It’s an extremely temperamental ride and the number of hoops we’re required to jump through for a *chance* to ride make it pretty unappealing to me. I mean, it has the potential to be great, but at this point it’s more of a headache than it is enjoyable.
On the other hand, I’ve ridden Remy multiple times and I actually LOVE it! I love that it doesn’t have a preshow (I’ve always found them to be completely unnecessary and even annoying). I love that it’s exactly what it claims to be. Is it thrilling? No. But it IS fun…and reliable!
I’ll take Remy’s any day over RoTR.
Thanks for the response. Agree with you that is good and bad news. Really too bad that it won’t be stunning/exceptional–I remember the first time I saw the movie Ratatouille and being blown away by how gorgeously Paris was depicted and was hoping the ride would convey that sense of wonder and beauty. Good in that if it really is just an okay ride with a high capacity, will be nice to have something else to take my kids to in World Showcase without having to jump through virtual queue hoops.
Still, I still wonder whether all the Disney addicts out there are starved enough for something new that it would draw in new people for them to open it now. After all, I never really understood why so many people were trying to plan their trip scheduling around the anticipated opening of the Space 220 restaurant….
I wonder how much of a coincidence it is that Disney Kingdoms game announced an upcoming Ratatouille event. These events tend to coincide with movie and real life event releases.
I wondered about the same thing!
Yes I agree it does not matter if this opens now or in 6 months. No one will be making reservations reliant on this ride being open. But Tron being stopped and other rides are more of issue with me.
In my opinion not have ridden this ride yet. I would be one that if the line was very long I wipuld take another bite of my Canadian bacon cheese soup and keep walking. But guardians and Tron are the big draws they will bring people in the gate!
Agreed 100%. Tron and guardians will draw them in not this attraction.
Those two will undoubtedly be bigger draws, but people will book trips for Ratatouille. Never underestimate the power of Walt Disney World’s marketing machine–and how little the general public knows about attractions. They’ll see the cute ride vehicles, oversized food props, etc.
It will be highly effective.
I rode Ratatouille in Paris, twice. It’s cute. We had some awesome vegetarian food in the restaurant attached.
I hate Mickey and Minnie’s Run Away Railway and some of the effects make me dizzy. That was a one and done for us.
I would change plans if this was open. Get to Epcot at opening (as opposed to whenever) hit Frozen, Ratatouille and get lunch. My kid really likes the Mexico boat ride (toddlers have no taste) so we’d hit that as well. I feel like I could be roped into an under performing restaurant rather than hitting festival booths for small plates if I had reason to rope drop Epcot.
Actually, I’m looking forward to the new EMH replacement because you know what I’m more likely to do than 7:30 at Animal Kingdom? 10:30 at Epcot to hit the new ride.
Maria, I ride The Three Caballeros…every…single…time… I visit. Nope, I have no specific idea why. Maybe it’s just tradition and holding on to the “retro” Disney. We’re from NYC, but we have visited two to three times a year up until last year. Yep, we still ride it!
Maria: With Epcot not opening until 11AM, you can’t do a lot and still eat lunch.
Is that a shadow of two people kissing in the third photo? If so, you have impeccable timing! And speaking of shadows, having seen some videos of the walkway, the shadows of the gondolas flying overhead look pretty cool, and may cause a flinch or two when I think something large is descending on me.
Hoping this ride is open in May.