Are they getting rid of the wand at EPCOT?

[KS Jeff]

Only the airspace at or below 3000' AGL is restricted. Go look at a current JAX sectional to read the notation.

If that light is there it's because it's mandated to be there, not to serve as a navaid. One red blinking light looks pretty much like any other one from the air be it on top of a wand, an antenna or Rudolph's nose.

 

[primax]

...an urban myth waiting to bury itself if ever I've heard one! Can we say "Contemporary Resort," "Mickey Watertower?"

A giant St. Loius-style arch over SE (with EPCOT emblazoned on its side in Art Deco lettering for those that are theme-park-identity-challenged) would have been more dramatic and artistically-pleasing than a cartoon hand and stubby wand.

-R

I assure you that the wand is the tallest structure on Disney Property and has a blinking red light at the top of its structure specifically for aircraft. Now Allearsnet quotes the wand is actually 257 feet tall. I assure you that Tower of Terror was built at 199 feet for a reason - to be within code.

TAKEN FROM ALLEARSNET
"For the Millennium Celebration, a special structure was attached to Spaceship Earth, Mickey's Hand holding up the 2000. Subsequently, the word EPCOT replaced the 2000 on Spaceship Earth. At 257 feet tall, the Millennium 2000 Icon was the tallest point at Walt Disney World Resort, besting the 199 feet of The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney-MGM Studios."

 

[Lord Fantasius]

I assure you that the wand is the tallest structure on Disney Property and has a blinking red light at the top of its structure specifically for aircraft. Now Allearsnet quotes the wand is actually 257 feet tall. I assure you that Tower of Terror was built at 199 feet for a reason - to be within code.

TAKEN FROM ALLEARSNET
"For the Millennium Celebration, a special structure was attached to Spaceship Earth, Mickey's Hand holding up the 2000. Subsequently, the word EPCOT replaced the 2000 on Spaceship Earth. At 257 feet tall, the Millennium 2000 Icon was the tallest point at Walt Disney World Resort, besting the 199 feet of The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney-MGM Studios."

But if they didn't build the wand they wouldn't need the blinking red light...I don't think the Florida code every required Disney to build anything over 200', did it?

I also assure you that if Florida inspectors wanted Disney to have a blinking red light on top TOT it would be there regardless of Disney's, or their architect's, claim that it is only 199' tall. If in doubt, the state usually wins.

-R

 

[RobInBigKC]

But if they didn't build the wand they wouldn't need the blinking red light...

Exactly. I don't think anyone is saying the wand is not the tallest structure at WDW. It is the structure that ruined a structure that already stood as an icon on its own.

And a pilot needs a wand to tell them they're flying over Walt Disney World? One would also think a giant 200 foot silver sphere might tell them that. Or a two hundred castle. Or the miles of monorail beams. Or the giant Mickey Mouse looking up at them from the Disney/MGM Studios. Or the fifty foot Dolphin/Fishes on top a twenty story pink hotel. Or maybe a two foot tree surrounding by an African veldt.

Sorry, but the wand was just a rather silly "landmark" some marketing consultant dreamed up to make the Y2K party "memorable"

Another "exactly". Well said AV.

-- Rob

 

[JIMINOCCHIO]

OK. First, Clark, EPCOT was not supposed to be a hotel, but a community. An Environmental City of sorts. Say, a Prototype. Sorta from the future, or at the very least the way it should be done in the future. Maybe Tomorrow. I guess a good name Walt could have come up with was Environmental Prototype Community Of Tommorow. Wait, Walt did come up with Epcot, but the end result was not his vision.

FYI - the "E" in Epcot stands for Experimental, not Environmental.

 

[Galahad]

Art Deco lettering
-R

Oh I like that!

Personally I wish the wand would go the way of the pink castle, but the infrastructure looks pretty permanent to me.

 

[Cobra B.]

I think they should replace the wand with a dollar bill.

 

[raidermatt]

Maybe a billboard to cross-promote ABC shows...

 

[Peter Pirate]

I think an homage to Fruit of the Loom would be appropriate.

 

[freediverdude]

I thought the Dolphin resort was the tallest structure in Disney? It sure looks taller than that wand thing to me, but maybe cause it's a huge building. Why don't they just take the wand and hand part off of the structure, and then offer elevator rides up to a small observation platform at the top? I guess it would still be an ugly structure sitting next to the ball though.....

 

[Drummer71]

I kind of like how the hand looks and how it gives Epcot's symbol more color, but I think Disney could have done better. Maybe insted of a huge wand they could have painted Spaceship Earth pepto-pink and put huge balloons that look like over-sized candy all over it. That definatly would hav given it some color.