EPCOT- Disney's dream or nightmare

[ThistleMae]

Wow! I wouldn't think anyone would say Epcot is a nightmare. I can't relate to this statement whatsoever. I spend lots of time there and go back and forth almost daily to do different things. I love to go to the countries, just to eat lunch. I'm sure lots of things in all the parks can be made more relational, especially since technology continues to improve and our mindset is moving into the future. But....it's still an amazing place!

 

[MakiraMarlena]

it's my favorite park. But then food and drinks are my favorite things. Even if they put in more rides I wouldn't ride them much. I think I will do the frozen ride once and then leave it to the kiddies.

 

[North of Mouse]

When it first came out, it was advertised as Disney's dream but nowadays as it become his nightmare in your opinion?

We 'love' Epcot - second to MK. Definitely 'not' a nightmare for us! We just spent two weeks at Disney, and most of it was at Epcot. Have been going since the year they opened.

Why is it a 'nightmare' to you???

 

[kbelle8995]

More like the current management doesn't quite know what they want it to be. Now we have Frozen in WS and an empty pavilion in FW.

I still love it.

MK can tiring at me at times. Very crowded and some very unhappy people.

 

[nilla]

I'm going to have a hard time saying my favorite place to be in the entire world is anyone's "nightmare"

 

[lllGurulll]

Bring back Horizons, World of Motion, Wonders of Life and Body Wars

I absolutely loved Body Wars. My kids would have loved it as well. So sad they ditched it.

 

[kbelle8995]

I miss the original Journey into Imagination. It was so great. I just wish they would do something with the old Wonders of Life Pavillion.

 

[richmo]

Epcot is my favorite park, but I totally agree it needs some major attention beyond the Soarin expansion and Maelstrom to Frozen transition. The list is getting longer -- entry monoliths, Innoventions, Wonders of Life building, Universe of Energy update, Captain Eo replacement, maybe another country...

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

I was thinking that for me the "nightmare" park might be MK. Screaming kids, parents who think that the stroller is a battering ram etc... So I guess it's all in the eye of the beholder.

But I will say that while Epcot is my favorite park, the lack of attention combined with the downgrading of entertainment is one of the reasons I will be taking 2016 off from Disney. (Lumberjacks? and that new Morocco group is BORING !)

I am far from thrilled with "let's just add another theatre", it shows a total lack of understanding of the issue. The issue, IMHO, is not that there are not enough theatres it's that they have not given people enough to do! I find it interesting that the attractions at Epcot and Studios that have HUGE lines don't have the same issue at California Adventure... perhaps because they have more attractions that people want to ride?

 

[ArwenMarie]

I was thinking that for me the "nightmare" park might be MK. Screaming kids, parents who think that the stroller is a battering ram etc... So I guess it's all in the eye of the beholder.

But I will say that while Epcot is my favorite park, the lack of attention combined with the downgrading of entertainment is one of the reasons I will be taking 2016 off from Disney. (Lumberjacks? and that new Morocco group is BORING !)

I am far from thrilled with "let's just add another theatre", it shows a total lack of understanding of the issue. The issue, IMHO, is not that there are not enough theatres it's that they have not given people enough to do! I find it interesting that the attractions at Epcot and Studios that have HUGE lines don't have the same issue at California Adventure... perhaps because they have more attractions that people want to ride?

MK can be a nightmare sometimes One thing I love about Epcot is that most of the pathways feel big, unlike MK which feels so crammed in spots.

I think that the balance sheet at Epcot is probably pretty healthy with all of the food/drink festivals. Which hurts the park in a way, because there is less urgency to add new things and fix up FutureWorld.

 

[wdwrich]

EPCOT is my favorite park too. Yes, there are a few areas that could use some attention, but "nightmare"? ... Not hardly.

 

[Epcot242]

I really wouldn't say any of the parks are a nightmare. I think given my username I might be somewhat biased, but like the other parks, barring MK, Epcot could use some updates. I have to admit though, I do find some of its more "outdated" bits and pieces to be part of its overall charm and allure. I love that it's still that the same music played in 1999 in FW is still played now, that UOE hasn't really been updated yet, that SE has retained a lot of its old flair, that the Imagination pavilion still looks the same...the changes, like Nemo and Friends and the updates to The Land pavilion were definitely welcomed. My hope is that they don't continue in the vein of the new Test Track which IMO is just awful and doesn't even really have a coherent theme. I'd love to see them update the Wonders of Life pavilion (even though I did love so much about that one) with a weather-themed attraction area. I always thought that was an untapped bit of science that Epcot never focused on, excluding that small simulator in Innoventions.

If any park were to get a major update, my vote would go to DHS--great park but lacking in a lot of ways.

 

[Maleficent's Dad]

Well his dream was a utopian city where actual people would live actual lives and work at an actual job.

Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow


So, no, EPCOT was not Walt Disney's dream. It is two separate parks that were not good enough on their own. So during the new-theme-park design phase Disney (the company, not the man) just put the two models next to each other and called it a theme park. I have no idea why they used the name EPCOT since it has zero resemblance to Walt's vision.

what Walt had planned, and what the theme park world have done are two very separate things!

These posts are exactly the thoughts that popped into my mind when I read the original question. While no one can accurately predict what "Walt would think" about something in today's world, we can speculate based on the facts presented. I've read a significant number of books on Walt Disney. He was a visionary - and also determined to get what he wanted. Do I think he would like EPCOT in its current state? No, I don't - but only because he wanted it as a working, living, sustainable community.

As for the "nightmare," well no, it's not quite that bad. But yes, it does need some attention. Future World is becoming quite an issue for me. They threw a band-aid on SSE a few years ago (LED lights going down? Really?). Imagination is, well, in need of some love. Ellen could use a burst of energy to refurb that ride. Even the land pavilion, other than Soarin', isn't anything stellar. So yes, it needs help, but EPCOT is no "nightmare."

 

[Asellus]

Getting to Epcot is generally pretty low on our list...we usually go there once or twice during out trips. HS is a lot lower though. Epcot just doesn't have enough decent rides to make it worth it.

 

[ttintagel]

It's certainly not what it used to be. And it's definitely not going to develop in the way it was originally hoped. But I still love it.

 

[wdwrich]

Getting to Epcot is generally pretty low on our list...we usually go there once or twice during out trips. HS is a lot lower though. Epcot just doesn't have enough decent rides to make it worth it.

I don't think EPCOT was ever intended to be a ride-centric type of park, and personally, I like it that way.

 

[Planogirl]

While the word is a little strong it's my nightmare and it used to be my dream place. I just try to avoid it now.

 

[KristenRB]

Definitely NOT a nightmare. The older I get, the more I have come to appreciate Epcot. In particular, WS. I can have a nice leisurely stroll. Enjoy food, drinks and shopping and with Test Track and Soarin I have reasons to visit both sides. It's easily become my favorite park over the years.

 

[Asc341]

Not a nightmare, but definitely an opportunity for improvement.

 

[disnut8]

Why don't you tell us your own thoughts? Why do you think it is a nightmare?

I agree. What to the OP is a "nightmare"? It's like someone else calling all Magic Kingdom restrooms "gross". One word means many different things to many different people.

Epcot is a favorite of mine and my husband's. We are two younger 50s age people who love going to Epcot and just strolling around World Showcase after a day at another park. To us, that is sublime and a perfect way to end a day so certainly not a "nightmare". But that's two people out of how many who tour Disney World every day.

Plus, Walt has been dead for almost 50 years so his dreams don't mean a big hoot right about now.