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

[ZehnJahren]

I too went to Epcot in the 80s and 90s as a child and remember it very fondly. I really really miss all the great things that used to be there, and hate to see some of the replacements (or, the empty buildings). For example: what is the Nemo ride supposed to be? I've never been so bored on ANY ride, even LWTL (haha, joke).

I enjoy Epcot, but I get the same empty feeling there sometimes. I have to say that it used to be my above-and-beyond favorite, and now it's slipped greatly in that respect. That being said, I always spend a lot of time there anyway; I love SE and the Mexico ride, no matter what they do to them. I also like to people-watch, and WS is great for that.

 

[minnie mum]

Like many of you, I can understand what the OP is saying. WS is lovely- we always spend a considerable amount of time there every trip. Although I wouldn't mind seeing them fill in the 'holes' by adding a couple of new pavilions, I've never had any major compaints about that part of Epcot.

But FW seems to have lost its original focus. When it opened, it was cutting edge "edutainment". Each of the pavilions looked at innovations in their respective areas in a fun new way. Heck- I can even remember the talking robot in what was then Communicore (where Innoventions is now). But now it just seems to be drifting aimlessly. No particular direction or theme or focus. The fact that the WOL pavilion and the Odyssey have remained without a sponsor and a new full time use, and that Imagination has been allowed its slow and painful decline make me sad.

I hope they can turn it around. It would be nice to see the Imagineers live up to their famous reputation and reignite the spark that used to make FW such a dynamic park.

 

[PrincessKida]

Deleted

 

[Kellykins1218]

Epcot has very little going for it. We find it very boring. The food is good, though.

 

[babydoll65]

I whould have to say Epcot is still my favorite park, right up there with Magic Kingdom but I do miss the original Journey to imagination. Horizons use to be so crowded but the last time i went there, there was hardly anyone there. Still love all the countries

 

[Planogirl]

I whould have to say Epcot is still my favorite park, right up there with Magic Kingdom but I do miss the original Journey to imagination. Horizons use to be so crowded but the last time i went there, there was hardly anyone there. Still love all the countries

Horizons was allowed to run down and get so ragged that no one wanted to ride it any more. I always hoped for an update rather than it being destroyed. There was the talk of a sinkhole but I don't think that that has ever been confirmed.

 

[babydoll65]

Horizons was allowed to run down and get so ragged that no one wanted to ride it any more. I always hoped for an update rather than it being destroyed. There was the talk of a sinkhole but I don't think that that has ever been confirmed.

Boy, I hope not. If I remember, there was a play area for kids. Is that still there?

 

[minnie mum]

Boy, I hope not. If I remember, there was a play area for kids. Is that still there?

Horizons doesn't exist at all anymore. Mission Space was built on the old site.

 

[StillWorldlyWise]

I guess the only thing I really miss is the old Living Seas. I remember the pre-admission film with the "Deluge" and then the trip through the hydrolators that felt so real at the time. We actually argued whether it was a real descent. Turtle Talk is cool but that doesn't change my sense of loss at the general dumbing down of the park. On a brighter note, I think things are getting better again after a fairly long decline.

 

[Wood Nymph]

We have always loved Epcot but when we were there last month I was surprised and disappointed to see so many changes in Future World. The Imagination pavilion has been pretty bad for years now, but at least they used to have a lot of interactive activities. Now they've taken out all the drawing activities, leaving only the music one, jumping on lights to make sounds, and some sort of thing that was softly broken.

I was also disappointed that they had removed so many things from the Innoventilns pavilion, although the kids loved the Great Piggy Bank and the Fire activities.

I miss the Wonders of Life building. Cranium Command was one of my favorite rides in all of Epcot. And there were a lot of good exhibits there, too.

But we love Turtle Talk and the new Test Track.

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[dzneelvr]

I understand what you're saying about the pure science aspect of Innoventions. But I have to say, many of the out-of-the-box science stations of the early 90's are now embedded in our daily lives. I personally love World Showcase and how that "side" has evolved over the years. I find each country to offer wonderful opportunities to immerse yourself in the history and current culture; staff are such wonderful ambassadors. So Soulless I have to say we find it to be the exact opposite

 

[MinnieLovesMickey12]

I don't agree either. I love Epcot. All the parks have evolved and changed. I don't think it would even be a good park if it stayed the same as when it was originally opened. Times change and attractions change. But Epcot as a whole is a great park. Soarin is one of my favorite rides. I liked the old Test Track also. I am not a big fan of Mission Space but only because I get motion sick very easy.

But Epcot is not soulless. I think you are entitled to feel how you feel about it.

 

[afinnteach]

What was the name of the educational area they tried to have? And it offended too many people, so they had to shut it down? It seems people don't want to learn anything while they are on vacation.

Wasn't it called"Disney Institute"? I remember it was based on the Chautauqua principle and I believe it was located where SSR is now? We vacation at Chautauqua Institution in NY every summer and I can't imagine Disney doing it justice. I love both places and they are both tops at what they do, but VERY different.

I dont think Epcot is "soulless", but FW has not kept its World's Fair feel and u can see why OP is nostalgic for that. While I miss it, EP is still my fav park!

 

[PinkBudgie]

I understand exactly how the OP feels even though I have never been to Epcot in my life. That is exactly how I feel about Tomorrowland in Disneyland. I've always love science, sci-fi, and futuristic things. Tomorrowland used to be so neat and teach you things while being fun. Adventure Thru Inner Space was favorite ride. They had telephones you could talk on in the 70s where everyone could hear and talk at once (speakerphones!). The People Mover brought up images of driverless cars. Now all those "learning" and imginative things are gone, and the theme is Jules Verne- sort of.

We are going to WDW for the first time next year and Epcot is the park I anticipate liking the most, and I'm still sure I will, but I do wish Disney would bring back more "edutainment" the way they used to do it.

 

[mjallemand]

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.

In general I don't have an issue with World Showcase, though I believe it has a bit of the opposite issue: Things have been rather stagnate on that side of the lagoon. I would have loved to see attractions added to a few countries, like the rumored bullet train attraction to Japan from the early 90s and the Rhine river cruise attraction in Germany. Of course a new country or two would be nice as well, but I realize that's easier said than done.

 

[TDC Nala]

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.

In general I don't have an issue with World Showcase, though I believe it has a bit of the opposite issue: Things have been rather stagnate on that side of the lagoon. I would have loved to see attractions added to a few countries, like the rumored bullet train attraction to Japan from the early 90s and the Rhine river cruise attraction in Germany. Of course a new country or two would be nice as well, but I realize that's easier said than done.

There have been a lot of recent additions to World Showcase, but these have been restaurants, not rides or attractions. Hacienda de San Angel, Cava del Tequila, Via Napoli, Tutto Gusto, the new France bakery and ice cream parlor. Right now they are working on a new restaurant for Morocco.

 

[I loveStitchnippyjon]

I don't agree either. I love Epcot. All the parks have evolved and changed. I don't think it would even be a good park if it stayed the same as when it was originally opened. Times change and attractions change. But Epcot as a whole is a great park. Soarin is one of my favorite rides. I liked the old Test Track also. I am not a big fan of Mission Space but only because I get motion sick very easy.

But Epcot is not soulless. I think you are entitled to feel how you feel about it.

I totally agree! They could possibly add a few more interactive activities in Innoventions, but otherwise I could live in Epcot, given the opportunity! Standing by the fountain listening to the music and water: that's my happy place! When I get stressed, I imagine I'm there.....

 

[MrToadfan]

EPCOT is great, but it's definitely a ghost of its former self. The central theme of the permanent World's Fair is gone, so it does feel like a bit of a mishmash.

This.

 

[ttintagel]

There have been a lot of recent additions to World Showcase, but these have been restaurants, not rides or attractions. Hacienda de San Angel, Cava del Tequila, Via Napoli, Tutto Gusto, the new France bakery and ice cream parlor. Right now they are working on a new restaurant for Morocco.

Yeah, I think it's definitely easier for the company to justify building new restaurants, because they can more immediately see the impact on their bottom line.

Maybe there would be more impetus for new attractions if they went back to the ticket books. But I don't think there's any putting that genie back in the bottle.

 

[BlovesC]

I understand the OP's sentiment. WS is amazing. FW is definitely a bit ho-hum. I think the TT renovation was a pretty lame misstep, and we all know that MS is considered an expensive flop. Soarin' is definitely beloved, but not enough to offset the rest of FW.

My personal favorite attraction is oft-deserted Living with the Land, which I think perfectly embodies the purpose and spirit of Epcot. I wish they'd make similar attractions that took FW back to its roots, or at least provided that mixture of entertainment and enlightenment that made former attractions so great!