Epcot without Soarin...will anyone bother

[DougEMG]

We end up going to EPCOT a lot, mostly cause we like staying at BWV and it is an easy walk to the park. The last few trips we haven't even bothered with Soaring. Most of the time we are in the World Showcase section of the park.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

I didn't read the whole thread so this may have been said, but I recall a time when Soarin hadn't been built and Epcot was still quite crowded so if it was worth the bother then, it will be now. That said, I am glad it will be open by the time we return in Oct.

Bill From PA

Sure - Soarin' has only been around for about 10 years, but consider how much more there was to do at Epcot 12-15 years ago. Consider how many things have been shuttered and not replaced. Epcot is a shadow of its former self.

 

[UmmYeahOk]

We still have Spaceship Earth, Mission Space, Test Track, and some of the greatest architecture, food, music, and people in the world, so yes, people will still visit EPCOT.

Yeah, like the closed Image Works, closed Wonders of Life pavillion, closed Odyssey building, and Horiz- ...oh. ...yeah. ...that was a gorgeous building though.

I recall a time when Soarin hadn't been built and Epcot was still quite crowded so if it was worth the bother then, it will be now. That said, I am glad it will be open by the time we return in Oct.

Sure - Soarin' has only been around for about 10 years, but consider how much more there was to do at Epcot 12-15 years ago. Consider how many things have been shuttered and not replaced. Epcot is a shadow of its former self.

Agreed. When Soarin' first opened, there was still Wonders of Life, and all of its attractions, Honey We Shrunk the Audience, Norway AND Maelstrom, and an Innoventions that still had some relatively decent stuff to look at and do.

 

[gometros]

We end up going to EPCOT a lot, mostly cause we like staying at BWV and it is an easy walk to the park. The last few trips we haven't even bothered with Soaring. Most of the time we are in the World Showcase section of the park.

I'm with you, only I'd reverse and say we stay at BWV because we spend so much time in EPCOT and DHS. Even if we don't visit the attractions, most of our favorite restaurants are in EPCOT, so we can spend a day at one of the other parks and then come back to EPCOT for dinner.

 

[anonymousegirl]

I don't bother riding Soarin' in WDW. I live closer to DLR and can ride it easier and quicker with their single rider option, so I don't waste time riding it in Florida.

 

[Pesky]

We aren't huge fans of Soarin' so yep. I am actually prefer a lot of the other rides.

 

[TGM]

Yeah, like the closed Image Works, closed Wonders of Life pavillion, closed Odyssey building, and Horiz- ...oh. ...yeah. ...that was a gorgeous building though.

(I think that's sarcasm?)

Like Spaceship Earth, Japan, China, Italy and England.

 

[UmmYeahOk]

(I think that's sarcasm?)

Like Spaceship Earth, Japan, China, Italy and England.

It was indeed sarcasm. I like the architecture of Future World. There's just something about its outdated geometricness. You can still see some of that style watching the old Star Wars trilogy. But of course, when I was a kid, and it wasn't outdated, it was just as cool. It was just that those buildings, which still exist, are functionally closed, which is not only sad, but goes back to the theme of "why go there?" It is indee a fun place to look at, but, really, that's all you're doing. You're paying to walk around. Even at World Showcase. We shop in the shops, but that's basically it. We don't watch their cultures shows, or appreciate whatever museum is there.

Oh, but cool thing about England, which I never really noticed before, each shop represents aritecture from a different century. 1600s 1700s and 1800s.

 

[Planogirl]

I think that most of WS is gorgeous and do enjoy seeing the buildings. The trouble is that just admiring the buildings doesn't take much time so we're down to shopping and eating. My party can only handle so much shopping and I don't need so much eating but it still comes back to what people like to do.

I agree that FW is a shadow of its former self. We skip most things still there because we've done them enough.

 

[TGM]

It was indeed sarcasm. I like the architecture of Future World. There's just something about its outdated geometricness. You can still see some of that style watching the old Star Wars trilogy. But of course, when I was a kid, and it wasn't outdated, it was just as cool. It was just that those buildings, which still exist, are functionally closed, which is not only sad, but goes back to the theme of "why go there?" It is indee a fun place to look at, but, really, that's all you're doing. You're paying to walk around. Even at World Showcase. We shop in the shops, but that's basically it. We don't watch their cultures shows, or appreciate whatever museum is there.

Oh, but cool thing about England, which I never really noticed before, each shop represents aritecture from a different century. 1600s 1700s and 1800s.

I reluctantly agre with you.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

I spend a lot of time in Epcot but most of it is in World Showcase, not Future World.

 

[FantasiaMagic]

In my opinion I would think TT would be a harder FP to get now without Soarin and to also have a longer SB line in general. It's the opposite of almost 4 years ago when TT was closed for referb. My family and I went to EPCOT and had a great time

 

[monorailrabbit]

Oh my goodness I do not have words for how much I love Epcot! Don't get me wrong, Soarin' rocks our socks off, but there is SO MUCH MORE! I always count the monorail as an Epcot attraction, and we adore The Land. I think some of the best character experiences are in Epcot. The food, WS all of it is so unique. I will absolutely bother with it!

 

[Lady Hiss]

Epcot is usually a favorite park for us (love those wide walkways and the open spaces). This trip we've missed the draw of Soarin' and haven't been as enthused to go there. We've done
SE
Disney/Pixar shorts
TT
LwtL
MS
American adventure
Impressions of France
Sure, there's a variety of ethnic food (wasted on me due to food allergies) and shopping, and there are some good performers (China, UK, um...where else?), but some updating would be nice (country movies are very dated, do something with those empty buildings, add more performers, and add some cool stuff in FW, please!).

Without a festival (F&G is my favorite), it's a half day park for us, with or without Soarin'.

 

[kar915]

Yes of course I would go to Epcot. Many other things to do there besides Soarin' Don't get me wrong its one of my favorite rides but one ride closure isn't going to stop me from going to see everything else.

 

[UmmYeahOk]

but some updating would be nice (country movies are very dated, do something with those empty buildings, add more performers, and add some cool stuff in FW, please!).

We always skip the movies after the first time. They're very informative but not worth watching again. I was married the day Soarin' opened. We spent our honeymoon at the parks. I decided that it was best to see Canada's boring 360 film because my dual citizenship husband was technically born in Canada, but had no memory of it. I remember thinking, why could they not have made this Soarin? Instead of CA being California, it could be Canada. They could even have the same scenes and I wouldn't care.

 

[kataEbi]

Having just come from the parks with Soarin closed.. The Land pavilion definitely felt less traffic. Usually you'd have people at Living with the Land because they came for Soarin.. but the whole time we were there, Living was basically a walk-on. 0min posted times by late afternoon. Which is sad, because I love Land and Seeds.
Did make getting lunch at Seasons a lot easier.. didn't have to fight anyone for a table!

tl;dr
Didn't feel like the park was less busy... Just felt it a little more on the other rides like Test Track and even Spaceship.
Land pavilion less busy, others more so.

 

[JanBlessed]

My kids are little, so almost everything is new and exciting for them! We will definitely go to Epcot. We feed off of their excitement and even the smallest things can become a fun "attraction".

An example is the little model trains close to Italy (I think). My 2 year old LOVED it on our trip this past summer! Lol! I don't think that I had even seen that before!

Anyway: I love seeing every park through their eyes, even Epcot!

 

[TippeeCanoe]

I didn't read the whole thread so this may have been said, but I recall a time when Soarin hadn't been built and Epcot was still quite crowded so if it was worth the bother then, it will be now. That said, I am glad it will be open by the time we return in Oct.

Bill From PA

That was probably a time when Future World wasn't full of empty buildings.

 

[UncleMike101]

Yup......
We'll spend more time at Epcot than all of the other parks combined.
It's been our favorite since it opened.