Wonders of Life Pavilion?

[carolmp]

What's up with the Wonders of Life pavilion in EPCOT? We used to love going there, and it hasn't been open for our last two trips. When I look on the EPCOT map, it is shown, but not listed as an attraction. Is it ever open? Or are they doing something different with it?

 

[bradk]

closed. it's used for other purposes now when it is opened.

 

[Robo]

 

[carolmp]

Why did they close it?

 

[Robo]

Why did they close it?

The reason given is that it lost its corporate sponsor (MetLife.)

However, losing a sponsor has not caused other pavilions to close.

For what ever reason (known only to Disney)
they did not want to continue to operate the WoL pavilion.

 

[carolmp]

I thought I read something a while back (back when the whole automotive industry crisis was starting) that GM's sponsorship of TestTrack going forward may be in question also. So I'm guessing the same thing could happen to that if GM doesn't step up again or if someone else doesn't sponsor it?

 

[Robo]

I thought I read something a while back (back when the whole automotive industry crisis was starting) that GM's sponsorship of TestTrack going forward may be in question also.

So I'm guessing the same thing could happen to that if GM doesn't step up again or if someone else doesn't sponsor it?

Don't count on it.

Test Track would continue to operate with or without a corporate sponsor...
the same way that Ellen's Energy Adventure and Spaceship Earth
(and others) do and/or did when they lost their sponsors.

 

[figmentgirl]

Don't count on it.

Test Track would continue to operate with or without a corporate sponsor...
the same way that Ellen's Energy Adventure and Spaceship Earth
(and others) do and/or did when they lost their sponsors.

Agreed. Disney would never permit the crowd drop if those headliners close. I have speculated that Body Wars was costly to staff and not bringing in enough crowds to match the moneys going out.

 

[erinlees_mommie]

 

[CursedCarolers]

The last time I was in there was 06, I believe.

While I would love for it to reopen and do all the attractions inside of it again, it was plain to see then that everything was outdated. Normally I'm a fan of outdated stuff as it reminds me of my childhood at Disney...

but a lot of things were broken too. I believe it would need a complete overhaul to start drawing people in. With all of Disney's spending on all of the other park updates and no sponsorship..I don't see it happening anytime soon. It's a shame. Such a good, educational and fun theme to the pavilion.

 

[Planogirl]

It seems to be going the way of the Horizons Pavilion in a way. It's just sitting there being allowed to quietly disintegrate until it's too raggedy to be repaired. It's a shame because we always loved Cranium Command.

 

[Wonders10]

I did my college program in 2002 working attractions at the WoL. It was definitely one of the least visited pavilions in Epcot...it would be close to 9:30 or 10:00 before most of our crowds headed over after the mad rush to Test Track (the only thrill ride at the time). It also did not have its sponsor at that time but was still open. I definitely think that without a corporate sponsor and without the crowds and popularity, it just made sense to the disney people to close it. It officially went seasonal I believe a couple months after I left which would have been early-mid 2003, and stayed that way for a bit, but then totally closed and only opened for private parties and then they started using it for the Food and Wine headquarters and Flower and garden welcome center. I loved that because I could at least go inside and remember all the good times I had working there...even if it was on the boring side. I would love to watch cranium command one more time.

P.S. This is where my screenname comes from...our radio call for a manager was "wonders 10".

 

[doconeill]

I would never use the word "never" around Disney management...I think it's like saying "I double dog dare you..."

Disney has to weigh factors when it comes to closing things - costs for maintenance, cost for operations, crowd impact, popularity, etc. Sponsorship does a LOT to defray the costs and would of course shift the balance (and even perhaps come with a contractual obligation to keep it open...)

Wonders Of Life probably had several issues which brought about its close, and they just started with MetLife ending sponsorship. Although it had interesting attractions, there wasn't anything major compared to the more recent stuff. Most opinions I've seen between Body Wars and Star Tours - essentially the same ride mechanics - is that Star Tours was the better ride. That doesn't mean they weren't good attractions - but they didn't necessarily draw a lot of people.

It was also set back and obscured more than the other pavilions, perhaps contributing to a lack of notice and general traffic.

At some point the effectiveness of it as a pavilion to absorb guests is not worth the expense of operation.

I've got to imagine that maintenance costs of Test Track are MUCH higher than WOL - but Test Track absorbs guests.