Major downgrade to Morocco area at EPCOT

[Moliphino]

This is really not making me want to come back at all. I'll just go back to southern Spain, where they have tons of beautiful tile like these used to.

 

[Donalddidwhat…?!]

Hell to the NO regarding replacing the Morocco pavilion…
But, damn Disney, quit trashing the place…!!!!!
The intricate and authentic Moroccan artisan tile-work in the top pic is so far and above the cheap-a$$ Lowe’s/Home Depot DHS bathroom floor tile in the bottom pic, that if it wasn’t so stunningly disgusting-ridiculous it would be beyond comical.
All these days later and I’m still SMH…….
(Top pic is mine from many years ago, bottom pic is from the internet.)

 

[Donalddidwhat…?!]

This is really not making me want to come back at all. I'll just go back to southern Spain, where they have tons of beautiful tile like these used to.

Yes indeed, the Moorish-influenced architecture of southern Spain and Majorca is similarly beautiful.
I was in architecture for over 42 years, and many of our affluent custom home clients wanted elements from that style incorporated into the design.
Beautiful stuff…!!!

 

[Donalddidwhat…?!]

OK, I’m just gonna’ put all the pics I have of the artisan details at the Morocco pavilion from our 2013 trip here, for future reference to see how much more of it they may screw up in the coming years…

 

[Donalddidwhat…?!]

One more pic from 2013 that I forgot…

 

[zackiedawg]

Come on Donald - that fountain would look great in white subway tile with a solid blue border. Don't need all that busy looking pattern!

 

[KayMichigan]

Is there some compelling reason they had to replace the tile?

 

[BrianL]

Is there some compelling reason they had to replace the tile?

There were spots with wear and damage. You can see it in some of the pictures. That said, they could have gone with something a bit closer to the original.

 

[Donalddidwhat…?!]

Come on Donald - that fountain would look great in white subway tile with a solid blue border. Don't need all that busy looking pattern!

Maybe another member here has enough Photoshop skills to make that happen, so we can all see just how hideous it would actually be…!!!!!

 

[Donalddidwhat…?!]

I went and dug the below up from a book I have by Disney Legend John Hench called “Designing Disney: Imagineering and the Art of the Show”.
It should be plastered all over the walls in every single place CMs who are making these kinds of decisions work, and then some…

 

[KayMichigan]

There were spots with wear and damage. You can see it in some of the pictures. That said, they could have gone with something a bit closer to the original.

OK. that's fair enough, but why did they completely tear out the old design and replace it with that generic pattern that doesn't look remotely Moroccan? Why not just replace the damaged tile?

 

[Douglas Dubh]

OK. that's fair enough, but why did they completely tear out the old design and replace it with that generic pattern that doesn't look remotely Moroccan? Why not just replace the damaged tile?

They probably ran out.

 

[Diamonddolljeanette]

Honestly I'd be good if they permentaly made it the Passholder Lounge.
It's a waste of space now since the country isn't supporting it.

 

[Grumpy by Birth]

Maybe another member here has enough Photoshop skills to make that happen, so we can all see just how hideous it would actually be…!!!!!

Not exactly subway station chic, but equally hideous!

 

[Gabby01]

I'm guessing they weren't willing to pay the maintenance costs for the original design. I just did a Google image search for "Moroccan tile" and found a pattern that looks similar to the original called "zellij," which Wikipedia says is "made from individually hand-chiseled tile pieces." It's a style that's only still made in Morocco today. So yeah, that's obviously going to cost more to replace than standard square tiles. On the other hand, my Google image search also showed a lot of commercially-available Moroccan tile patterns that are more detailed and attractive than what they ended up going with . . . I can only assume their choices were limited when it came to a high-wear surface at a theme park.

 

[Giraffe_Zen]

Disney more than has the $$, they could have fixed the broken tiles and left it alone.

 

[drenalin'junkie]

Went to Restaurant Marrakesh on our honeymoon and several times after. I'd lived and served in the Middle East and have Arab family so it was a nice nod to the culture, architecture and all. The Imagineers appear to have run out of Imagination here. Figment would have done better.

 

[Quilty]

Moroccan tile is really not that expensive. You can order it online from several places in Fez. It just has to be researched and installed correctly. They could easily have found that tile pattern and copied what was already there.

 

[zackiedawg]

Just got back yesterday. The Passholder lounge was a little less impressive this time around - the location in the restaurant was nice - the AC was great - but they didn't have beverage selections - just water and 'Moroccan Mint Tea' which was pretty weak. No soda machines, iced tea, lemonades, etc. Oh well - still enjoyed getting out of the 100+ degree heat. The DVC lounge's temp location at Odyssey was a bit better in that they had canned sodas - but only diet coke, coke, sprite, or water. Again, iced tees, juices, and lemonades would have been nice (which the real DVC lounge has with the freestyle machines).

The tiles are just...sad. No other way to describe them. They're as bad in person as the photos.

 

[DodgerGirl]

What I think Epcot is planning to do with the Morocco pavilion once the construction is complete is that they will most likely reopen the Marrakesh Restaurant with a new name and menu and also most likely have an Aladdin themed shopping area to look like Aladdin's Agrabah marketplace complete with an Aladdin meet and greet and it would work marvelous. But what I can't figure out is why they have that African Outpost shop and Epcot should make an Africa pavilion rather than having that shop because I think something appealing to people could fit in that area and I think that Epcot should also have a Greece pavilion too in the future because Greece is a beautiful country and an Epcot pavilion based on Greece would be wonderful