Does it bum anyone else how soulless Epcot feels these days or is it just me?

[KristenRB]

As sad as it is to admit, this last visit did seem different. Last visit before then was in 08 for Food & Wine festival, which was ok. There are still a great deal of elements that I thoroughly enjoy...however, the new test track is awful. I completely agree that is an advertisement built within a ride. Complete with an "interactive make your own commercial" section.

That being said, having those endorsements help WDW refurbish and pay for upkeep on their attractions. I miss the innovations and imaginative aspects of Epcot, and hope that they soon will spruce up the "dead zones".

I'll always have WS! Which I love.

 

[ArwenMarie]

I don't even view Epcot as a park anymore, I view it as a destination, an extension of the boardwalk area. I love being in there - especially at night because it is so beautiful, but I really think of it as a food venue much like City Walk at Universal. I am glad a ticket is needed though, because it keeps some of the crowds out. But, I would NEVER buy a one day pass just to go to Epcot. And without Epcot, I am not sure i would buy a hopper.

I agree with this. I think Epcot is beautiful and I love it. But it's a place to sort of hang out, eat, drink. Which is cool.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Perhaps I should have clarified that I'm referring only to the "Future World" area of the park in my opening post, since a number of your responses are mentioning World Showcase.

Future World needs a total overhaul and that might include not calling it Future World anymore and dropping the whole FW/WS designations. JMHO!

 

[mrsmomo]

I have to agree with a lot of what the op said, I to am a mid 80's baby who frequented Disney in the early nineties with my family. It was an awesome park with all these things I had never seem before and was constantly updating the innovations area. The world showcase seemed way more lively too.

I don't know if its that I'm an adult now so I just see it differently or what but, imo its not as good as it used to be. Last year was my first time back to Epcot in over a decade....I was very excited to see a whole bunch of new and futuristic things and that's just not what I got it was indeed disappointing.

My dh who had never been to Epcot said "this is it" I was said when I realized it was.

I think they need to get some more futuristic ideas flowing and bring back the point of future world.

We are going again in a few months hopefully I just missed something and when we tour the park this September it will seem magical again.

 

[Scubee]

OP, as a child of the 80's (born in '77), I can identify. My earliest trips were at the ages of 10, 13, and 17. EPCOT Center was easily my favorite park. To clarify, Future World was my favorite. The sense of wonder, the view toward a greater, more technologically-advanced future was my favorite theme and so Horizons was my favorite attraction. I loved The Living Seas and Journey into Imagination. I loved Living with the Land then and now.

I enjoy Epcot today because my boys enjoy it, but it will never again be what it was...for better or worse.

 

[JRawkSteady]

Epcot is still great, however, it's VERY much dumbed down now. Mission:Space, Test Track, Journey Into Imagination with Figment, Soarin',...zero to little educational value. Living with the Land feels so cold without the CM on board... Seas with Nemo is no way as interesting as The Living Seas used to be... Epcot is still my favorite Park, but it could have been SO much better.

 

[disnut8]

I disagree with Future World not being "future". It is if you think about it.

Universe of Energy - all about how to use all kinds of energy so we can continue living on the earth

Mission:Space - we haven't sent any humans to Mars yet, have we? I might have missed that bit of news

Test Track - just redesigned for a more futuristic look (and it does educate - I didn't know you should just press on anti-lock brakes in a skid and it saved my behind during a snowstorm)

Living Seas - we haven't even yet begun to explore what is "under the sea"

The Land - really? All the plants and what we can do to "live with the land". Come on!

Imagination Pavilion - well, OK, got me there. But one could argue that Michael Jackson and friends were in space. Yeah, during the 80s but they were in space. Figment stays, though! Michael can be retired.

 

[mjallemand]

Living Seas - we haven't even yet begun to explore what is "under the sea"

While the actual content of the Living Seas hasn't changed, the theming has. What was once designed to replicate a undersea base in the form of Seabase Alpha, with the intention of educating patrons on how the Ocean is important to life on earth has turned into "Oh hey look fish tanks, presented by some cartoon fish!"

 

[ChickinMMears]

Speaking of dead areas, what is the space to the left of Mexico? There is a cut through area that leads to FW, passed what I think used to be a restaurant, but has since been empty for as long as I can remember now. Any ideas what they use that space for? I really think the higher ups need to come up with a whole new imagining of FW. Because I agree, it isn't very futuristic anymore.

 

[mesaboy2]

Speaking of dead areas, what is the space to the left of Mexico? There is a cut through area that leads to FW, passed what I think used to be a restaurant, but has since been empty for as long as I can remember now. Any ideas what they use that space for? I really think the higher ups need to come up with a whole new imagining of FW. Because I agree, it isn't very futuristic anymore.

Odyssey restaurant, used for private functions. Also recently used as a space to convert AP holders to RFID.

 

[Planogirl]

I remember being blown away by Future World and now it's only OK. We like Spaceship Earth (even though it has been dumbed down too) and the tanks at the Living Seas and Universe of Energy. Otherwise...

I do enjoy World Showcase though. It's truly nice still.

 

[hgeisler]

Sadly, I agree with op. As an educator, I have seen the "dumbing down" of our educational system, the passing of students who really shouldn't be, and the increasing laziness of most students.
Most newspapers and magazines are written on a third grade reading level, so that a majority of the population is able to read them. I believe that's what happened to the attractions at Epcot. They became "dumbed down" so that a majority of the population would better understand them, which in turn, sold more tickets and caused Epcot to lose its original identity. It became all about business instead of education.

 

[kerplop]

To me Epcot always feels kind of...empty. Not that there aren't people there, but I find it less engaging than any of the other parks. But that could just be me and probably is. I like feeling like there's something to do around every corner, not just another flower bed.

 

[andyman8]

Quite frankly, I think it's a mix for me. Being someone who wasn't visiting Epcot during the "good old days", you can't really call me nostalgic. While I think WS is fine, I definitely thing Future World has lost its way; I don't know if "soulless" would be the word but dated may be a better fit. If you think about it, very little of FW is actually about the future rather modern, unique experiences. Let's go through the primary attractions.

• Soarin' - I find very little futuristic about a hanglider. I understand the technology behind the ride is rather new but I wouldn't call it futuristic
• Test Track - on the new version, you're basically designing a car and simulating it
• Mission: SPACE - you're training for a space mission to Mars, which may be the most futuristic component to it but space flight training is hardly new
• Ellen's Energy Adventure - not too much futurisitc about a film about energy from the 90s
• The Seas w/ Nemo & Friends - this one doesn't even have a real-world compoent to it but nothing about the storyline seems futuristic
• Turtle Talk - kind of neat and definitely new and futurisitc when it opened but six years later, it's okay
• Living with the Land - organic food harvesting is now widely popular in the US among other places
• Circle of Life - simply outdated
• Imagination - shall I say anymore? Cute experience but nothing futuristic about it

While I like Epcot, I do think that FW is in need of a serious, serious revamp.

 

[North of Mouse]

Nope, doesn't bother me one bit. Have been going to Epcot since it opened, and it is still my favorite park, and the one I spend the most time in.

 

[PrettyFlower2]

yes why not just call it "Today's World" it's def not future world anymore sadly.

 

[nansmama]

Our family loves Epcot. It's tied with MK on our list, with DHS a distant third. However, we never experienced Future World when it was actually, uh, futuristic. My kids (teens) actually have a running joke about Tomorrowland vs. Future World, after hearing so many people at the parks conflate the two. We don't do many of the rides in FW. We like Spaceship Earth for its hokeyness and Nemo because of the aquarium. We'll do Mission Space if the line isn't long, or Living with the Land when we want to relax. My daughter loves Ellen so sometimes we'll do that ride. The rest of FW we can take or leave.

We do, however, spend a lot and I mean A LOT of time in World Showcase. We always manage to find something new there. If the "other half" of Epcot matched the detail of World Showcase, it would easily surpass MK for us. Sadly, that isn't the case.

 

[CandleontheWater]

While I still do love Epcot, I'll agree that it is soulless compared to EPCOT Center of the 80's and early 90's.

I think its hard for those that never experienced EPCOT during those years to understand that it was much more than a collection of rides, there was a palatable sense of wonder, a sense of inspiration, that just permeated through Future World. Going through the FW attractions was like attending a giant pep rally for the future, you got the feeling that it was just around the corner and it was going to be AWESOME!

Limitless communication; multiple renewable and clean energy sources; efficient transportation; medical breakthroughs; undersea living; sustainable agriculture- it was all possible, it was all within our reach, if we only had the imagination and the belief that if we could dream it, we could do it.

It was heady stuff, and as a kid it seemed even more magical than anything at the Magic Kingdom, because it was (or at leas could be) REAL.

Compare all of that to today, and yeah, soulless does come to mind. FW is not bad, but it certainly does not possess the "soul" of inspiration and wonder that it once head.

I still enjoy Epcot, and I think rides like Nemo are cute and MS are fun, but I wish that Disney hadn't let the wonder and inspiration slip away.

 

[DisneyDiva8401]

While I still do love Epcot, I'll agree that it is soulless compared to EPCOT Center of the 80's and early 90's.

I think its hard for those that never experienced EPCOT during those years to understand that it was much more than a collection of rides, there was a palatable sense of wonder, a sense of inspiration, that just permeated through Future World. Going through the FW attractions was like attending a giant pep rally for the future, you got the feeling that it was just around the corner and it was going to be AWESOME!

Limitless communication; multiple renewable and clean energy sources; efficient transportation; medical breakthroughs; undersea living; sustainable agriculture- it was all possible, it was all within our reach, if we only had the imagination and the belief that if we could dream it, we could do it.

It was heady stuff, and as a kid it seemed even more magical than anything at the Magic Kingdom, because it was (or at leas could be) REAL.

Compare all of that to today, and yeah, soulless does come to mind. FW is not bad, but it certainly does not possess the "soul" of inspiration and wonder that it once head.

I still enjoy Epcot, and I think rides like Nemo are cute and MS are fun, but I wish that Disney hadn't let the wonder and inspiration slip away.

Perfectly said.

 

[Patience]

While I still do love Epcot, I'll agree that it is soulless compared to EPCOT Center of the 80's and early 90's.

I think its hard for those that never experienced EPCOT during those years to understand that it was much more than a collection of rides, there was a palatable sense of wonder, a sense of inspiration, that just permeated through Future World. Going through the FW attractions was like attending a giant pep rally for the future, you got the feeling that it was just around the corner and it was going to be AWESOME!

Limitless communication; multiple renewable and clean energy sources; efficient transportation; medical breakthroughs; undersea living; sustainable agriculture- it was all possible, it was all within our reach, if we only had the imagination and the belief that if we could dream it, we could do it.

It was heady stuff, and as a kid it seemed even more magical than anything at the Magic Kingdom, because it was (or at leas could be) REAL.

Compare all of that to today, and yeah, soulless does come to mind. FW is not bad, but it certainly does not possess the "soul" of inspiration and wonder that it once head.

I still enjoy Epcot, and I think rides like Nemo are cute and MS are fun, but I wish that Disney hadn't let the wonder and inspiration slip away.

I am not a regular Disney goer by any means but I do remember Future World at Epcot in 1998 being much more fascinating than it was during our trip in 2011. Future World seems retro now instead of futuristic.