Please Put Epcot Out Of Its Misery!

[mkel34]

I love Epcot and I couldn't agree more. Such a misuse/waste of property not including the world showcase. Closing test track in the middle of a school vacation for the northeast is also a poor call, I can only imagine the waits for Soarin this week.

We generally go to Disney every other year but due to amount of construction at MK and lack of innovation at Epcot we are skipping an extra year and taking a cruise instead.

 

[JLa01844]

What if they stopped trying to impove it, and just renamed it "1980's and 1990's World"

I do LOVE epcot though. Last year we had a very short trip down to Orlando and we had 1 park day...and we chose Epcot

Adding: the preety mild rides at Epcot are really nice for young families. Last year my daughter was 1 and being parents of a 1 year old you kinda feel like you are locked in the cage of never getting to do "anything" substantial because of the baby. We went to Epcot because there was so many "rides" we could just sit down together and enjoy doing stuff. I think teh rides themselves are okay...but they do not meet my definition of "Future" any longer. When I was like 11, it was wicked cool though.

 

[UNCFanatik]

I miss the Imagination Pavilion of yesteryear with all of the interactive activities in the Image Works area. I dont know why they shut it down and now the 2nd floor is closed to the public.

I am looking forward though to trying out the Sum of all Thrills.

Wish they would do more with the Innoventions areas. That is where they could feature more rotating cutting/bleeding edge technology.

Glad to see what they have done with Living Seas theming. I think it is a definite improvement.

 

[Colleen27]

I agree - the Future World section of Epcot really needs some attention. I don't see it being a high priority for Imagineering, though. First they have the Fantasyland expansion to finish, then the Avatar project kicking off. Studios is arguably even more desperately in need of a makeover and at least one new all-ages attraction to take pressure off of Toy Story Mania. They can't do everything all at once.

I am hoping that when Test Track reopens Soarin' will get its much needed turn under the rehab microscope, but I don't expect to see any broad-scale changes at Epcot for the foreseeable future.

 

[Hopefully]

OP - First of all Future World and Wold Showcase both makeup Epcot. You seem to indicate that "Epcot" is Future World, and World Showcase is something different. Very confusing.
Epcot is our favorite park. We buy Park Hoppers just so that we can finish our day at Epcot and have a nice meal in a WS restaurant.
We are coming in 3 weeks for the Flower & Garden Festival. We are very excited. It is a short trip just for the festival and we may not even visit any other park on this trip. We are bringing DS and DDiL in October for the Food & Wine Festival.
We never thought of, nor wanted, Epcot to be full of "thrill rides". They belong elsewhere.
I do understand that some feel that Future World needs updating, But to say Epcot needs to be put our of its misery, is way overstating the current situation.
OP, if you are that bothered by Future World, just stay away.
We love it and will be back soon.

 

[thestevied]

Isn't part of the fun of visiting future world at Epcot that this is how we once envisioned the future to be? I love the cheesiness of how we thought things would look and turn out in the future.

Should we no longer watch back to the future and the terminator films because they got it wrong about what would happen in the future? No, of course. It... They are still loved by millions.

Personally I love Epcot. Agree they could add some new more modern exhibits or some new 'visions of the future' but I'll never grow tired of what is still on show.

 

[Jennasis]

Epcot is our favorite park. That said, it could absolutely use a shot in the arm. Fantasyland is getting a big upgrade and hopefully Epcot is slated for one next (maybe it will be announced at the 2013 D23 Expo).

WS NEEDS a new country and a gatebuster attraction to siphon crowds off of future world and Soarin'.

Soarin' needs a refurb to fix the projector and clean the film or an entirely new film.

The Imagination Pavilion needs an overhaul. I suggest deep-sixing Captain EO and putting in a TRON themed 3-D attraction and then making the old unused building into "The Grid" where you are transported into and get to interact with all kinds of neat computer stuff.

The Wonders of Life Pavilion is ready for something...anything. I hate that it closed. It had some of the best shows/attractions in thee park!

 

[preschoolmom]

EPCOT is a half day park for us. We don't think Soarin' is anything special. We ride Test Track, Spaceship Earth, shop, check out the fountains, take pictures (see siggy), and get out of there

I love the look and feel of Future World, but it doesn't have that much to offer (We don't care for the Nemo Ride, Mission Space, Imagination - ugh). We've just scratched the surface at World Showcase - frankly, I think of it more for adults. Our kids have no interest in shopping and eating around the world - so except for Maelstrom and The Three Cabbaleros, we'll save it for an adult trip.

 

[GenevieveRaqs]

Isn't part of the fun of visiting future world at Epcot that this is how we once envisioned the future to be? I love the cheesiness of how we thought things would look and turn out in the future.

Oh yes, this, this, this! I love this, too! I'm actually sad that some of the cheesier aspects--like Food Rocks--have been taken out. I distinctly remember loving that very retro vibe when I visited in 1998 or so. I think Future World actually has quite a bit LESS of that now.

Of course, I'd love to see some new attractions in Future World, but I certainly don't think it needs to be "put out of its misery." Future World holds two of the most popular attractions in WDW! And I think it is also very important to remember that the VAST majority of visitors do not visit nearly as often as many here on the Dis. Many are there only once or twice...ever. So things that seem "lame" and "old" to some people here after experiencing them dozens of times are brand new to most Disney visitors. I had never ridden Soarin' or Test Track until this February. I thought both were amazing! People here tend to gripe constantly about the Soarin' film. We rode twice and I noticed ONE flaw in the film (in the clouds in the beginning), which I was looking for after all the complaints here. Certainly nothing that ruined the experience.

I also love Living with the Land and SSE. And I didn't think Figment was so bad, either, but I will admit I never saw the much-loved original.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

Watching that musical performance outside of Test Track was the last straw. Epcot needs help, STAT! The evidence is overwhelming:

- Soarin' is still good, but it's a shell of what it was. A grainy film on a dirty screen does not compel me to stand in line for an hour. In this age of HD and digital, there's no excuse why this film has to look like garbage.I agree that the film should be cleaned up. The flaws were very noticeable to me last trip.

- The whole Test Track refurb fiasco, punctuated by the hastily thrown-together Test Track singers - somewhere Up With People is laughing hysterically I don't mind that TT is down for an extensive rehab. I'm just wondering what it's going to be like when it opens back up.

- Mission Space, while still cool, makes people vomit I like Mission Space, and would leave it alone.

- Ellen's Energy Adventure is now the best place to catch an air-conditioned nap in all of WDWI think the Hall of Presidents is the best place for a nap.

- Habit Heroes shut down in less than a month - wait, you mean mocking kids isn't what we do here at WDW? I don't even know what this was?

- The Imagination Pavilion is a complete waste of space I like Figment. Not a fan of Captain EO. I'll hope for an all new 3D movie since HISTA was outdated too.

- Body Wars Pavilion is still empty They use it for a lot of special events. I am usually there for F&W, so I like how they're using it.

- When you ask you kids what they enjoyed most at Future World, and they say Living With the Land, it's time to re-evaluate things I always liked Living with the Land when I was little, but when I was little there was a lot less at Epcot.

My thoughts in red. You completely left out Spaceship Earth and the Living Seas, both which I consider good attractions, especially Turtle Talk w/ Crush.

 

[Jenngoofys]

What I find extremely laughable is the fact that someone said Mission Space was better in the 80's!! When it first opened in 2003 LOL!! And noone else seemed to notice that!!
Besides that yes EPCOT as well as other parks need updating. However what to upgrade and what to leave alone for nostalgia is a fine line. The thing is when a ride is up and running we complain it needs to be fixed, when a ride is down for refurb we complain because we wanted to ride it on that visit. How Can Disney WIN? I think right now while they are focused on improving Most of Magic Kingdom, not just the new addition we should be thankful I am sure it is a never ending battle for Disney to keep up with all the maintenance and compaired to other "parks" I think they do a great job!! After Magic Kingdom Im sure another park will get an overhaul, lets hope its EPCOT. EPCOT has alot of potential and unused areas, Im sure someone somewhere is working on this whether we know it or not.

 

[richmo]

I have mixed emotions on this. Epcot is my favorite park, but I'll agree it needs some work.

Future World seems misnamed. The only major attraction that is somewhat futuristic is Mission:Space, as it is a mission to Mars sometime in the future. Although excellent attractions, there's really nothing futuristic about Soarin' and Test Track. There may be some futuristic elements to Living with the Land and even in Innoventions, but overall, I don't get the theming of "Future" world.

Some of my suggestions:

- Epcot has the ugliest entrance of all four parks. Except when Flower and Garden is going on, the area is stark and unDisneylike. Leaving a Legacy with the monoliths was a disaster. I imagine the original intent was to fill all the stones with Leave a Legacy plaques, but embarrassingly few are filled. However, for some period to come, I guess they have to stay, at least somewhere on property, since some people did pay to get them. In any event, I would hope the imagineers can come up with something to improve the entrance. Even a full time garden would be an improvement.

- Make a decision on Wonders of Life pavilion. It lives on during Flower and Garden, but even for that it seemed sparsely used this year. Epcot could use another attraction and this would be a perfect place to put it. As an alternative, move whatever function is served by Odyssey to the Wonders of Life location and put an attraction at the Odyssey location.

- Soarin' is still a great ride, but the quality of the movie is starting to age. Perhaps its time to make it a digital theater, then the quality of the prints shouldn't be an issue. It would also be fun to have 3 or 4 different adventures, but keep them random, so people don't have the ability to request a specific one...Soarin' is a slow enough load; no need to make it worse.

- Nice to see Test Track getting a rehab! This was my favorite attraction at all of WDW; I hope they do a good job. I will miss it this summer if I get a chance to go.

- The Imagination pavilion needs a lot of help right now. Captain Eo is just lousy. I remember back in the 80's (?) I didn't like it and I went back last year to check it out again and I still thought it was lousy. HISTA was far superior. I guess they could bring HISTA back, but I'd like to see something new. What was most disappointing during my visit last month was the Imagination studios. Kodak is on life support and pulled their sponsorship. Its now very barren in there and many of the kiosks are gone as well (like the send a postcard, etc.). The entire section where they sold custom photo products is gone. You can still see it; its just totally empty. Frankly, in this condition, they should just close it.

- Ellen's Energy Adventure is good, but I think its time for a replacement. I thought it would be fun to have the cast of Big Bang Theory do something with it, but that's a CBS show, so I doubt that can happen.

- Spaceship Earth had a nice rehab a few years back and is in great shape, Mission Space seems fine too, Nemo is good and Turtle Talk was a nice addition and Living with the Land is always educational.

- I would agree that World Showcase is the gem of Epcot and a big part of its appeal is the CMs that work there. Obviously, its not a ride park, with the minor exception of Maelstrom (which looked a little better to me last month, but maybe I'm imagining things). It could use another country or two, perhaps where the Outpost is or at the Millennium Pavilion location.

Still, though, Epcot is my "go to" park...

 

[Jennasis]

What I find extremely laughable is the fact that someone said Mission Space was better in the 80's!! When it first opened in 2003 LOL!! And noone else seemed to notice that!!
Besides that yes EPCOT as well as other parks need updating. However what to upgrade and what to leave alone for nostalgia is a fine line. The thing is when a ride is up and running we complain it needs to be fixed, when a ride is down for refurb we complain because we wanted to ride it on that visit. How Can Disney WIN? I think right now while they are focused on improving Most of Magic Kingdom, not just the new addition we should be thankful I am sure it is a never ending battle for Disney to keep up with all the maintenance and compaired to other "parks" I think they do a great job!! After Magic Kingdom Im sure another park will get an overhaul, lets hope its EPCOT. EPCOT has alot of potential and unused areas, Im sure someone somewhere is working on this whether we know it or not.

Post #13 addressed this issue. I believe the OP of the thread was referring to when M:S used to be Horizons.

 

[Sugardimples]

I also think that the Living Seas could be so much more than it is. Everytime we're there I think I must be missing something. They have this awesome tank and very little showcasing of it. Its just a big empty building. What a waste!

 

[Jenngoofys]

Post #13 addressed this issue. I believe the OP of the thread was referring to when M:S used to be Horizons.

Sorry Somehow I missed this post??? Thank you

 

[onnawufei]

Epcot is my husband's favorite park, but it's kind of just "okay" to me. I'd love to see a lot of Future World spruced up a bit, though I don't know that anything (besides Captain EO) needs to go completely.

I feel kind of silly, but I have no idea where the Body Ward pavilion is/was.

Also, the whole Future World and World Showcase connection has always confused me. To me Epcot has always seemed like two different parks with no real connection. It doesn't bother me or anything though.

 

[Ktharee]

My first reaction to this post was , because I have such a sweet spot for Epcot. But, ya got some valid points. I still don't "blow through it", but it does seem to be neglected. Maybe the Test Track refurb is the beginning. I think Spaceship Earth and it's exit area still make it justifiably called Future World, along with the Innoventions pavilions, but there is so much wasted space and while Universe of Energy is still new to some people who are visiting for the first time, it's become outdated information. It's hard to look at something with "new eyes" when you've been multiple times so keep that in mind, but, yup it needs some TLC. I'll still spend 2 days there this trip.

 

[DisneyAbsolutely]

I can't dismiss Epcot. The World Showcase is amazing. I wouldn't want to skip that. There's still more for me to see.

That being said, I agree that Future World could use a few more attractions. It does seem a little outdated now considering that it's meant to be futuristic. It becomes even more apparent when one of their only major rides goes down. You start to notice that there's really not much there for excitement.

 

[elleherself]

First of all, like everyone else as an adult I've come to love the World Showcase portion of Epcot. Epcot was actually my very first park as a kid.

It's a shame there's so much wasted space. Innoventions in particular is quite a waste. And who would even take the time to walk all the way over to Ellen? It's too bad there are other parks constantly pushing the envelopes with cutting edge rides, and you'll never and we are still seeing the same old grainy trip over California on Soarin'. I thought the whole premise of this ride was that it could be changed easily? It will be 20 years old before they "update" it.

Even non-Harry Potter fans come off of Forbidden Journey thoroughly impressed. If you'll never "cross the street" it's probably better that you don't know what you're missing! Universal is constantly updating it's two parks.

Maybe some have hit the nail on the head and Disney has spread itself too thin. I'm not saying Epcot is a bad or terrible park-- but it falls really far short of what it could be with some good old fashioned Disney ingenuity, and I think that's frustrating for most Disney fans.

I honestly think it would be cool to have a couple more intense coasters at Epcot. I could see something like Rip Ride Rockit zipping over future world and in and out of buildings. Now that would bring a lot of wow factor. It wouldn't have to be devoid of Disney theming either. Epcot has a reputation as an "adult" park, so why not?

 

[DisneyAbsolutely]

My husband liked that ride with the plants. It was in the same building as Soarin. It was pretty cool. Interesting and relaxing but not exactly thrilling.