Motley Fool: Epcot will be Disney's Least Visited Park by 2020

Terra;2472954 wrote: Meh, I guess I'm one of those sell out, Disney does not wrong "dumbed-down" peeps. I very much STILL enjoy EPCOT after going for the last 16 years [at least once a month!].
Sure it could use a few things, but I still love it and just get lost in the magic every time I'm there!
To each their own I suppose And if it's going to be the least visited park eventually then hey, shorter lines for me!
We also adore AK ourselves. So much to do there! We can never fit it all in. I think we're going in the next couple of weeks for my oldest son's 9th birthday! It's a great park for him because of his bleeding disorder and inability to ride any "thrill" rides. So he loves the animal/nature part of it all.

We love it too! We easily spend 2 full days there on our trips.

We tend to go at least two days too on a full week because there is so much land to cover. Future World suffers just like Tomorrow Land in that they are history before they even start and they'll never really be ahead of the curve. With that said I think Tomorrow Land has found a nice balance of kitsch and fun.

Future World has some of the workings of that but still needs a little help. Test Track and Soarin' still draw the crowds. Mission Space and Nemo/Living Seas are a toss up. Not must do attractions, but nice to do every now and again. Ellen's Energy Adventure and Living with the Land are great ways too cool down. We still always find time to do Spaceship Earth every visit.

It would be great to see Apple ante up with a great Disney/Pixar tie in based on their roots and earlier ties with some sort of attraction that people could interact with their iPhones and/or iPads to be part of the experience.

it does need work. i spend a few days here, but all areas need help. more countries,( I was trying to explain to my gf how there was room for so many more but she didnt see how there could be) updated areas..and w Soarin closed for 6 months...there was a rumored rehab for Journey into Imagination but I havent seen that come around. I was just in Odyssey during F&W fest..briefly for a beer. F&W was busy. need more than some shops in some of the countries. Hire me for some ideas....and not Froxen..

Like many of you, we spend a lot of time there (and with my son just turning five, I suppose I have a couple years left before he starts to complain about how much time we spend there) but for the average first-time family coming in, it's hard to imagine they'd walk out at the end of the day (or at 3pm) giving it a high rating on the "Wow" scale.

And for the uber-Amurcan folks who have no time for those farners in the World Showcase (my parents fall into this category*) and just want rides, they must be incredibly underwhelmed by this park.

*On our first trip when I was 12 we didn't even venture into the World Showcase. Granted, there was more to do in FW at that time (1986) but years later, on my first trip as an adult, I was stunned at how much we'd missed!

My sister and I just returned from WDW. We spent 3 days in Epcot (and a quick trip over on Friday to eat lunch at the Rose and Crown), but that was so we could break up our eating/drinking at Food and Wine and enjoy everything, with rides interspersed.

Definitely agree that Future World needs updating. The problem I see is that Disney management thought that they would have stronger corporate sponsorship which would provide the finances to keep the pavilions current. What happened is businesses stop spending large amounts of money on corporate sponsorship or rides/stadiums/etc.

I also think they should find a way to latch on to the STEM wave, but again, that would require a constant flow of funds to keep it relevant. I would love to see additional countries, but in today's global political quagmire, it would be difficult to find a way to work through the bureaucracy.

With all that said, I suspect WDW management will concentrate on Epcot once they fix the mess that is Hollywood Studios. At least, that is my hope. :fingers:

My sister and I just returned from WDW. We spent 3 days in Epcot (and a quick trip over on Friday to eat lunch at the Rose and Crown), but that was so we could break up our eating/drinking at Food and Wine and enjoy everything, with rides interspersed.

Definitely agree that Future World needs updating. The problem I see is that Disney management thought that they would have stronger corporate sponsorship which would provide the finances to keep the pavilions current. What happened is businesses stop spending large amounts of money on corporate sponsorship or rides/stadiums/etc.

I also think they should find a way to latch on to the STEM wave, but again, that would require a constant flow of funds to keep it relevant. I would love to see additional countries, but in today's global political quagmire, it would be difficult to find a way to work through the bureaucracy.

With all that said, I suspect WDW management will concentrate on Epcot once they fix the mess that is Hollywood Studios. At least, that is my hope :fingers: .

Isn't the new Frozen ride going to save this park???

Needs some "innovation" desperately.
Just my opinion.

Bring back the BeaverTails!
Except for Morocco, I don't think any governments help sponsor the countries, which is a shame. I would love to see Canada brought back into the real world with some help from it's own people, including our First Nations. Those lumberjacks are embarrassing and not representative of this great country. Disney should have let the Governments help in the planning instead of just asking them for money to do it how they wanted to. I'm sure other people find the Epcot stereotypes insulting.

Although Test Track got an update (personally, I liked the old version), there are attractions that haven't been touched in many years. It always feels like the forgotten park.

I know it has been rumoured that The Osborne Lights could make their way over to Epcot and I think that would be fantastic! What a great way to add some life back into that place even if it is seasonal.

Patricia;2473563 wrote: Bring back the BeaverTails!
I'm sure other people find the Epcot stereotypes insulting.

An example of the "dumbing down" of the park. It really is sad what it has become, considering what it once was and what it could be. They/we can blame third parties if we want to, but Disney is not exactly struggling for money.

I always wonder why they can't just go all in and work on several parks projects at once. I mean, I'm sure the Orlando area would love the additional jobs added and does it really hurt Disney's bottom line that much when their profits are so darn high? They need to be working on Epcot NOW, not in 5 years when DHS is completed.

BrerGnat;2473736 wrote: I always wonder why they can't just go all in and work on several parks projects at once. I mean, I'm sure the Orlando area would love the additional jobs added and does it really hurt Disney's bottom line that much when their profits are so darn high? They need to be working on Epcot NOW, not in 5 years when DHS is completed.

I'm sure it all has to fit in the capital plan and Disney's costs ain't cheap!

baldburke;2473764 wrote: I'm sure it all has to fit in the capital plan and Disney's costs ain't cheap!

Of course. But how did they justify the $4B check they wrote to buy the rights to George Lucas' empire?

They can't also invest a couple Billion to go all in on updating two parks at once? The return on investment is a guarantee.

BrerGnat;2473794 wrote: They can't also invest a couple Billion to go all in on updating two parks at once? The return on investment is a guarantee.

But, aren't they doing just that -- First, it was updating MK with a lead in to the additions/changes for AK; Now, it is continuing AK additions/changes along with the DHS (or whatever the new name will be) additions/changes. They ARE working on major improvements/changes/additions to two parks at the same time.

I will assume (Yes, I know what that means!) that once the K additions/changes are near completions, they will begin work on the next park on the list, which would be EPCOT. Granted, they COULD work on the Wonders of Life building/area, since that is basically unused space at this time, but to take anything, that is currently up and running, down for an extended period of time would be a nightmare for anyone visiting in the next year or so.

1/3 of DHS closed for major renovation; 1/4 of AK (Camp Minnie Mickey for the Pandora "land") -- Luckily, the light show for the evenings is not causing anything to be closed, just the eyesore construction walls everywhere; 1/12 of World Showcase (combining the gutting of Maelstrom and the addition of the Frozen Meet and Greet area). Crowd levels for anything remaining in operation will be ridiculous, if they aren't already.

PopPhan;2473891 wrote: But, aren't they doing just that -- First, it was updating MK with a lead in to the additions/changes for AK; Now, it is continuing AK additions/changes along with the DHS (or whatever the new name will be) additions/changes. They ARE working on major improvements/changes/additions to two parks at the same time.

I will assume (Yes, I know what that means!) that once the K additions/changes are near completions, they will begin work on the next park on the list, which would be EPCOT. Granted, they COULD work on the Wonders of Life building/area, since that is basically unused space at this time, but to take anything, that is currently up and running, down for an extended period of time would be a nightmare for anyone visiting in the next year or so.

1/3 of DHS closed for major renovation; 1/4 of AK (Camp Minnie Mickey for the Pandora "land") -- Luckily, the light show for the evenings is not causing anything to be closed, just the eyesore construction walls everywhere; 1/12 of World Showcase (combining the gutting of Maelstrom and the addition of the Frozen Meet and Greet area). Crowd levels for anything remaining in operation will be ridiculous, if they aren't already.

lets hope Epcot is next. it needs it

popphan;2473891 wrote: but, aren't they doing just that -- first, it was updating mk with a lead in to the additions/changes for ak; now, it is continuing ak additions/changes along with the dhs (or whatever the new name will be) additions/changes. They are working on major improvements/changes/additions to two parks at the same time.

I will assume (yes, i know what that means!) that once the k additions/changes are near completions, they will begin work on the next park on the list, which would be epcot. Granted, they could work on the wonders of life building/area, since that is basically unused space at this time, but to take anything, that is currently up and running, down for an extended period of time would be a nightmare for anyone visiting in the next year or so.

1/3 of dhs closed for major renovation; 1/4 of ak (camp minnie mickey for the pandora "land") -- luckily, the light show for the evenings is not causing anything to be closed, just the eyesore construction walls everywhere; 1/12 of world showcase (combining the gutting of maelstrom and the addition of the frozen meet and greet area). Crowd levels for anything remaining in operation will be ridiculous, if they aren't already.

Someone hit the nail on the head...