Is Epcot Losing It's Appeal ?

[Joshua_me]

It actually pains me to start this thread, but I thought I'd share it with some of my fellow 'Disney-obsessed', and ask the question.

We got to chatting with some friends this evening, trying to rate the parks from our most favorite to least. My 'default setting' has always been, MK, then Epcot, then AK, then DHS... But, when I got to thinking about it....

At least for us, (and of course this is subjective and just MHO) AK has moved up to second place, and Epcot is now in a distant forth.

Why ?

Well, the answer is two-fold.

First, the greatest thing about Epcot, for those of us who were kids back in the 80's, anyway, was the Future World side of the park. Innoventions seemed *incredible*. What lay ahead in the future in terms of technology seemed mind-boggling at the time. But, I think we can all agree that those days have passed. And, if not passed, then certainly have been toned down from the promises of the 'wonders of the future' that they used to be.

Much like Tomorrowland in the MK, once the future caught up with the idea, things seemed suddenly quite stale.

But, fear not. I was getting older, and the promise of World Showcase and all it's great restaurants and shops seemed like a comforting promise of maturity. Sure, the 'techno-thrill' was gone, but it was replaced with the promise of great shopping and somewhat exotic meals from different countries all around the world.

But.

That's kind of changed as well, hasn't it ?

The shops seem less exotic, their once varied and unique goods replaced by more corporate controlled sameness, and the restaurants....

Well....

It seems one by one they are falling victim to the DDP. Their quality of food severely dropping, the portion sizes becoming ridiculously small, and the feeling of epicurean celebration has been replaced with a feeling of a 'get 'em in, get 'em out' mentality reminiscent of the local Sizzler.

I *really* hate to see this happening to one of my favorite places in the world.

Perhaps it's a reflection of the times, perhaps a reflection of corporate greed.
Perhaps a combination of both.

But, whatever the case may be... As B.B.King sang, "The thrill is gone..."
Thoughts ?

 

[zulemara]

aside from working at MK, I spent almost as much time in EPCOT as I do in MK in my free time. I still enjoy going there for food or a drink or two.

Of course I have only been a WDW enthusiast since 2004 so I can't speak of the past much.

 

[disneyholic family]

we still love epcot....

i think we still rank the parks as follows: MK, EPCOT, AK, DHS

 

[dvczerfs]

we spend as much time in epcot as we mk. the first time at epcot for me was june of 83. i was 18, and i have great mems. w/ my dw and dd on test track and mission, i do mis horizons and the old gm building. you can look at the mk and say the same with all the changes over the years. what ever they do, seems to work. in epcot from 83 to about 88, you could drive a semi around world show. and not come close to hitting anyone. now, the place is full. for me, i have great mem. as a kid w/ my parents and sibs in the mk riding mission to mars and dream flight. eating ice cream, watching the swam boats around mk and woundering "whats behind there" and the wedway people mover. 36 years later, i find myself doing the same thing. even w/ everyting that has changed, people, buildings,rides, you gotta love the place!

 

[DisneyKevin]

John and I recently decided to spend some time revisiting Epcot in depth.

We toured as if we hadnt been there previously. We discovered some amazing things for the first time and rediscovered somethings we had forgotten.

While I agree that parts of the dining experience have been "dumbed down" and still other parts made exasperatingly difficult...there are still some culinary treats to be found.

I think I would also disagree with the idea that the shops in World Showcase offer less unique merchandise. (Please keep in mind that until our recent re-visit, I would have agreed with you.) I investigated each and every shopping opportunty in Epcot and while my desire for desire for exotic "knickknacks" has lessened greatly....I still found some things that I "needed" to purchase.

The part of your description that I agree with is the part about Future World. I'm not sure that's an apt name any longer and the comparison to Tomorrowland is a good one. There does seem to be a touch of "yesterday" about it.

I had read or heard something about the displays in what used to be Communicore and how what what was once so "advanced" was quickly surpassed. Hand held video games and iPods are far more technologically advanced than what was once considered cutting edge.

With that being said.....I have to say that Epcot is still my second favorite park.

I have an emotional attachment to the Magic Kingdom. Whether it's it's nostalgia for my childhood memories or the fact that Disney does such a good job finding your heartstrings and plucking them.....the Magic Kingdom still holds the title. but.....Epcot is the park in which I fid myself most often.

After our recent visits, I see that Epcot has changed a bit...but then so have I. I think we have both matured. The "future" that Epcot once promised got here surprisingly fast, but then so did mine

Who, in the 80's, would have believed that computers would have become such an integral part of our lives and that information was a few keystrokes away.....or that our entire music collection would fit in something the size of a wallet and be so portable....or that everyone would have a phone in their pocket...or that one little device (iPhone) could do all of that? (ok....that didnt start out as a commercial for iPhone....I swear)

It's late and I'm rambling a bit....but my point is that I believe that if you look at Epcot as if you are looking at it for the first time...it's still a pretty amazing place.

It took us two days and what seemed like a 15 mile hike to come to this conclusion.

Is it just me or has Epcot gotten much bigger.

 

[disneyholic family]

by the way, all 4 of us still enjoy innoventions...
we go through everything there each visit (but we're a family of geeks and gadget freaks, so innoventions, in all its permutations, speaks to us)

and for us EPCOT is future world more than world showcase - though we also enjoy that section of epcot...

 

[safetymom]

Epcot is still my favorite but MK is very close. I do think that Innoventions was better in the 90's when we first started coming.

 

[G66]

we still love epcot....

i think we still rank the parks as follows: MK, EPCOT, AK, DHS

Same ranking here. I would add MK & EPCOT are nearly equal, AK third and DHS a distant fourth.

I would love to see Apple do something in EPCOT.

 

[simonkodousek]

Epcot is my personal favorite WDW park, with the Magic Kingdom in second. The reason I like Epcot so much is that I can just walk around and see the park instead of rushing from attraction to attraction. I've done all that I really "need" to do, and now prefer spending more time in the details.

 

[jcb]

I've been going to WDW since 1989, sporadically, though more frequently in the last few years. I know EPCOT was to be the world of the future, but not for me, so perhaps that explains why I still think EPCOT has all of its original luster (and then some).

The attractions, for the most part, are much more to my liking now. I realize that my attitude is probably antithetical to EPCOT purists but honestly, I'm not sure EPCOT would have survived if it had stayed the way it was. And the more I go, the more I enjoy just walking around exploring the details, watching the people, and enjoying the food (the latter a little too much).

I can so relate to Kevin: "The 'future' that Epcot once promised got here surprisingly fast, but then so did mine." Perhaps that explains why I find myself going to WDW more frequently.

 

[flyingcat2003]

Same ranking here. I would add MK & EPCOT are nearly equal, AK third and DHS a distant fourth.

I would love to see Apple do something in EPCOT.

I think Apple could do some amazing things in Epcot. I would love to see this happen.

 

[slapwhitey]

Epcot is still my favorite but MK is very close. I do think that Innoventions was better in the 90's when we first started coming.

I 100% agree. I think Magic Kingdom is bridging the gap but Epcot is still slightly elevated in my book. It's usually the park I like to end my trip in.

 

[ADP]

EPCOT is my favorite park. I've been visiting WDW since 1994 and EPCOT was the first park I visited. Spaceship Earth was my first Disney attraction I experienced so it would figure that it's my favorite Disney attraction.

I've always been fascinated with technology so I do love Future World. It has lost a little appeal for me, but it's still very cool. World Showcase is also very cool because of it's uniqueness. It's something you won't find anywhere else in the world. Actually, you could say that about all of EPCOT.

I think when people visit EPCOT for the first time they will love it based on it's unique character. As Kevin said, first time visitors still find it fascinating. Although we WDW fans have seen and experienced the changes at EPCOT (some for the better and some for the worse) I think for the most part we still love to go there. I know I do, and if I lived in Orlando it would be a place I would visit at least once a week.

 

[WaDiWo]

As a curious young boy in the 1980s, I do miss the sense of wonder and excitement about the future that EPCOT Center displayed. No, we're not living in underwater cities right now, and no, I don't have a hydroponic garden (yet!), but wow oh wow oh wow can you imagine that before I wrote this post, I had the choice to type it into a laptop, key it into my iPod touch, or even thumb it with my phone?

yes, it's cliche to say that the future is now, but speaking for myself I often take it for granted. It's hard these days for a major operation to keep up with the acceleration of technology. technology moves so fast now that I have to remind myself that maybe 20 years from now we'll look back on today with nostalgia about cell phones, etc. think about it, even the PDA is kind of obsolete now.

In the meantime I still love Epcot. I love the background music, I love the whole "feel" of the place, especially world showcase, and yes, now because of this thread I'm inspired to go back and experience it again for the first time.

WaDiWo

 

[disneyholic family]

Same ranking here. I would add MK & EPCOT are nearly equal, AK third and DHS a distant fourth.

I would love to see Apple do something in EPCOT.

i never thought of that....apple isn't there?.... they definitely should be....at least something small in innoventions...

if you're looking for an interesting and inexpensive tour, i recommend "behind the seeds', in living with the land....we all enjoyed it......it's just a short little tour, but we found it very interesting...even my daughter enjoyed it, despite really not wanting to go. ..

 

[IWISHFORDISNEY]

Actually it has moved up for me since having a child. It used to be MK than Epcot but now Epcot is number one. I spent alot of time in Epcot with a toddler doing the masks and seeing things a little closer at a slower pace and it is now number one for sure for us. Even my son loves the relaxing pace of just haning out there doing stuff he wants to do not just rides. So I will have to disagree that it is losing its appeal. Third for us is AK and forth DHS. I am guessing over time this will continue to change.

 

[TheBeadPirate]

Epcot has been my favorite park. Still is, but I think it has more to do with my view of it than anything else. It has always been a place of "possibilities" for me.

Future world was always what was possible if we push ourselves a little harder- the water engine at GM always fascinated me!- the sustainability at the greenhouses... it was always a lesson of what we know and what we could do with that if we knew a little more. I think that's why the Imagination Pavillion always belonged there for me- it just fit! It's takes creativity to apply something we already know in a new way.

WS always left me planning my dream treks on the plane or in the car on the way home. I still, to this day, want to go to Morroco and Egypt because it fascinates me. WS has evolved with me- where I first went to learn about the great wide open and other cultures I now learn to appreciate those cultures foods, drinks, and views. My first Epcot trip was '83 also and I still leave planning that Tuscany/Loire valley trip I'd like to take- much to my DH's and my pocketbook's chagrin.

I guess what I'm saying is it's changed (alot! in some cases) but in many ways it has stayed the same- I am not the only one in the world but I am one that can make the world better.

 

[FireDancer]

Epcot was my favorite park when I went for the first time as a kid and it still is. There have been changes I don't really like and some I love but as an overall park experience I still love it.

I do wish they stayed a little more true to the parks edutainment roots instead of just adding thrill rides but I understand why they added them. While I do enjoy Mission:SPACE I would have prefered a more horizons like experience than the pure thrill ride it turned into.

I do still love the world showcase and while I agree the food isn't universally great there are some good options. I would like to either see a country added or a ride added onto an existing pavilion (like to originally planned Germany ride or Tokyo) but I still enjoy my time there.

 

[MinnieNurse]

I rank the parks: MK, Epcot, DHS, AK and my DH ranks them Epcot, AK, DHS, MK so I guess for us Epcot has not lost its appeal.

 

[cchev]

The Land I think is as good as its ever been....the Living Seas was much better a few years ago when it was more of a transformation to Sea Base Alpha and less like a pavilion...Test Track is great but not "future-like"....Ellen's Energy Adventure is one of my favorites but again it isn't future-like....Mission Space is a great ride and still holds with the future theme....and Innovations is ok but not great....And Imagination Pavilion is horrible now compared to what is was (Honey I Shrunk the Audience is good though).

On the other hand I still really love World Showcase...still pretty deep with lots to do.