The Future of Epcot...

[Spacedog1975]

I think a Tomorrowland Speedway would do well with an electric car update. Much more "tomorrow" than a field of gas.

 

[MassMickey]

Here's this from about a year before.
http://variety.com/2014/biz/news/si...ce-planned-for-disney-theme-parks-1201276296/

This came after intense teasing from Disney at D23 in 2013. I know better then to completely discount what you're saying, but be cautious when hearing rumors that involve new countries at Epcot. That's always a red flag.

Than again I could be wrong, we'll see. If so you should totally come back here and rub it in our faces for years to come.

No need to rub it in - LOL!
Just heard some good, hopefully true rumors and figured I'd share.

 

[rteetz]

I think a Tomorrowland Speedway would do well with an electric car update. Much more "tomorrow" than a field of gas.

This has been discussed as well but there seems to be some logistics that just don't work out.

 

[Spacedog1975]

This has been discussed as well but there seems to be some logistics that just don't work out.

The cars are already on a rail throughout the track. It would be a long refurb, but you could essentially maintain that setup with recharging being built right into the ride itself.

 

[richmo]

My wishlist for Epcot:
- Refurb the entire entrance area. Once "Leave a Legacy" commitments are fulfilled, remove them or at least place the plaques somewhere else. Remove the monoliths and spruce up the area. Even a nice garden and fountain would be a huge improvement.
- World Showcase is pretty nice, as is. If another country or two could be added near the Outpost or the Millennium Pavilion, go for it. An Illuminations update would be OK, but not a priority. That nighttime show is still my favorite at WDW.
- Yes, I'd like to see better use of the Odyssey restaurant space, but they seem to have so many private events there, I have to think that space isn't available...unless its function could be moved elsewhere.
- Do something with Wonders of Life. Acting as a center for Flower and Garden and Food and Wine isn't enough. Its too valuable a chunk of property for that. I'd love to see it torn down for a "New Horizons" attraction.
- I'm fine with Mission:Space and thought the addition of the non-spinning option was brilliant. Perhaps they could do something like "Star Tours" and make the movie you're watching either new or have different experiences.
- Universe of Energy is a beautiful building that needs rehab on the inside. One of my thoughts would be to replace the Ellen/Jeopardy theming with the folks from "Big Bang Theory". Doubt that would ever happen since its a CBS property (although the show has had many Disney references).
- Journey Into Imagination is just a mess. A new 3D movie is desperately needed, the Imagination Labs is a shell of what it once was since Kodak left and the ride attraction could use yet another re-do. If only they had left Dreamfinder and Figment alone.
- Test Track is still my favorite ride at WDW, but I'm a bit disappointed with the Tron-ification of it. I like the "design a car" aspect, but a lot of the "test" aspect of the ride is gone. Interesting they call it the "Sim Track" once you're inside the building.
- Soarin' will be fine with the new movie and 3rd theater. Any chance they'll do an outside entrance?
- Not much is left of Innoventions. Maybe keep one side and use the other for a nice CS or TS restaurant.

I get that the effort now is at Animal Kingdom, DHS and Disney Springs. MK seems to be in good shape for awhile. I sincerely hope that once those projects are done, Epcot gets some serious attention. It's still my favorite park, but it has so much more potential.

 

[Spacedog1975]

Good luck on LaL:
You can no longer purchase a square on the Epcot Legacy Sculpture, but the monument itself will remain where it is until at least 2027.

 

[Planogirl]

My wishlist for Epcot:
- Refurb the entire entrance area. Once "Leave a Legacy" commitments are fulfilled, remove them or at least place the plaques somewhere else. Remove the monoliths and spruce up the area. Even a nice garden and fountain would be a huge improvement.
- World Showcase is pretty nice, as is. If another country or two could be added near the Outpost or the Millennium Pavilion, go for it. An Illuminations update would be OK, but not a priority. That nighttime show is still my favorite at WDW.
- Yes, I'd like to see better use of the Odyssey restaurant space, but they seem to have so many private events there, I have to think that space isn't available...unless its function could be moved elsewhere.
- Do something with Wonders of Life. Acting as a center for Flower and Garden and Food and Wine isn't enough. Its too valuable a chunk of property for that. I'd love to see it torn down for a "New Horizons" attraction.
- I'm fine with Mission:Space and thought the addition of the non-spinning option was brilliant. Perhaps they could do something like "Star Tours" and make the movie you're watching either new or have different experiences.
- Universe of Energy is a beautiful building that needs rehab on the inside. One of my thoughts would be to replace the Ellen/Jeopardy theming with the folks from "Big Bang Theory". Doubt that would ever happen since its a CBS property (although the show has had many Disney references).
- Journey Into Imagination is just a mess. A new 3D movie is desperately needed, the Imagination Labs is a shell of what it once was since Kodak left and the ride attraction could use yet another re-do. If only they had left Dreamfinder and Figment alone.
- Test Track is still my favorite ride at WDW, but I'm a bit disappointed with the Tron-ification of it. I like the "design a car" aspect, but a lot of the "test" aspect of the ride is gone. Interesting they call it the "Sim Track" once you're inside the building.
- Soarin' will be fine with the new movie and 3rd theater. Any chance they'll do an outside entrance?
- Not much is left of Innoventions. Maybe keep one side and use the other for a nice CS or TS restaurant.

I get that the effort now is at Animal Kingdom, DHS and Disney Springs. MK seems to be in good shape for awhile. I sincerely hope that once those projects are done, Epcot gets some serious attention. It's still my favorite park, but it has so much more potential.

I really like a lot of your ideas. A New Horizons? If only.

The thought of an outside entrance for Soarin' really caught my eye. That would be simply amazing!

Epcot used to be my favorite park too. I keep thinking about the trouble I had making FP+ for it and how there was so much to do at one time. Like you I hope that Epcot comes next.

 

[richmo]

Good luck on LaL:
You can no longer purchase a square on the Epcot Legacy Sculpture, but the monument itself will remain where it is until at least 2027.

That's too bad. I was under the impression that the plaques had to be in a public viewing space for a certain length of time, but I didn't know that they had to remain where they are.

 

[mcjaco]

.....but be cautious when hearing rumors that involve new countries at Epcot. That's always a red flag.

Still waiting.....

 

[Eoghann]

Kids do seem to love it so it'll likely stay. They could put in new cars though.

I think it's a fun ride but an electric version would be nice. Kind of justifies the "future" thing somewhat and eliminates noise and smell.

I assume that hasn't happened because it would be expensive.

 

[andiraye]

My wishlist for Epcot:
- Refurb the entire entrance area. Once "Leave a Legacy" commitments are fulfilled, remove them or at least place the plaques somewhere else. Remove the monoliths and spruce up the area. Even a nice garden and fountain would be a huge improvement.
- World Showcase is pretty nice, as is. If another country or two could be added near the Outpost or the Millennium Pavilion, go for it. An Illuminations update would be OK, but not a priority. That nighttime show is still my favorite at WDW.
- Yes, I'd like to see better use of the Odyssey restaurant space, but they seem to have so many private events there, I have to think that space isn't available...unless its function could be moved elsewhere.
- Do something with Wonders of Life. Acting as a center for Flower and Garden and Food and Wine isn't enough. Its too valuable a chunk of property for that. I'd love to see it torn down for a "New Horizons" attraction.
- I'm fine with Mission:Space and thought the addition of the non-spinning option was brilliant. Perhaps they could do something like "Star Tours" and make the movie you're watching either new or have different experiences.
- Universe of Energy is a beautiful building that needs rehab on the inside. One of my thoughts would be to replace the Ellen/Jeopardy theming with the folks from "Big Bang Theory". Doubt that would ever happen since its a CBS property (although the show has had many Disney references).
- Journey Into Imagination is just a mess. A new 3D movie is desperately needed, the Imagination Labs is a shell of what it once was since Kodak left and the ride attraction could use yet another re-do. If only they had left Dreamfinder and Figment alone.
- Test Track is still my favorite ride at WDW, but I'm a bit disappointed with the Tron-ification of it. I like the "design a car" aspect, but a lot of the "test" aspect of the ride is gone. Interesting they call it the "Sim Track" once you're inside the building.
- Soarin' will be fine with the new movie and 3rd theater. Any chance they'll do an outside entrance?
- Not much is left of Innoventions. Maybe keep one side and use the other for a nice CS or TS restaurant.

I get that the effort now is at Animal Kingdom, DHS and Disney Springs. MK seems to be in good shape for awhile. I sincerely hope that once those projects are done, Epcot gets some serious attention. It's still my favorite park, but it has so much more potential.

I agree that Journey Into Imagination is pretty forgettable. The old ride, and the interactive area that followed, were my absolute favorite part of WDW when I was a kid. I hadn't been to Epcot in over a decade and went this summer and was SO disappointed by the new Journey Into Imagination. The storyline of the ride made no sense and the pavillion was a pale imitation of the fantastic space I remembered.

As a non-regular visitor to Epcot, I found that the park did have a retro futuristic feel to it (ie, what someone thought the future would look like 30 years ago), but we really enjoyed it a lot. It didn't feel stale to us. But 30 years ago it felt actually futuristic, so I can see why people say it feels stale.

Something I would love to see in Epcot is a ride centered around Inside Out. The movie really nailed human psychology and the characters are so endearing. It would be a great tie in to Epcot's educational and scientific angle -- there's so much that can be done there.

 

[Veronica Hodel]

Is Epcot worth going to with 4-8 year old girls?

 

[rteetz]

Is Epcot worth going to with 4-8 year old girls?

If you've never been all four parks are worth going to at least once.

 

[mcjaco]

Is Epcot worth going to with 4-8 year old girls?

Yes. They'll like Living Seas, and Imagination, the boat ride in Mexico, the shops in Japan, and parts of the Land.

 

[ChallengerHK1]

If your girls are adventurous, and you seek out natives in the World Showcase, I'll bet they'd love it.

 

[DDLand]

Is Epcot worth going to with 4-8 year old girls?

When are you going? A brand new Frozen Attraction is coming early next year. That may be more then a reason to go.

 

[Veronica Hodel]

If you've never been all four parks are worth going to at least once.

We were there 4 years ago.. I just can't remember much (BABY BRAIN)

 

[andiraye]

We took my 7 and 4 yo this year and they loved Future World. TestTrack, Soarin, Innovations, Mission Space Green (the 4yo was a hair too short), Finding Nemo were all favorites. So was Club Cool!

 

[Planogirl]

My son loved Spaceship Earth at that age and I suppose that girls might too.

Epcot is worth visiting once. You might just all really end up liking it too.

 

[NH-to-FL]

Something I would love to see in Epcot is a ride centered around Inside Out. The movie really nailed human psychology and the characters are so endearing. It would be a great tie in to Epcot's educational and scientific angle -- there's so much that can be done there.

I agree! Bring back the Wonders of Life pavilion. (I really miss Cranium Command.)