Why are they ruining Epcot ?

[tiggerbuddy]

I like Roller Coasters as much as the next guy, But a Disney vacation is supposed to be "SPECIAL"

You can have your fill of Coasters at any Six Flags Park.

I left EPCOT feeling sad that it was not what it once promised to be.

[donnine]

Personally, I thought Walter Cronkite was the best on Spaceship Earth.... But few people even remember him!

TOTALLY AGREE THAT CRONKITE WAS INDEED THE BEST!!!

The narrator now is terrible!

[sixshot19]

My little guys LOVE Figment......

[tiggerbuddy]

Very well said Valencia !!

I've said it before and I'll say it again. There are two types of people: The guests who truly appreciated Epcot, and the guests who didn't. The same can be said about classical music and rap. You either understand and appreciate quality and brilliance...or you don't.

[DisneyOtaku]

Seeing how I was 1 when EPCOT opened, I don't remember many of the original rides. That being said, I still remember the old Journey, and I miss it so, SO much. What was wrong with the Dreamfinder?!? You could even meet him in the park sometime. And Figment was SUCH a symbol of old Epcot. They still try to use him, but do the kids remember him as much? Do parents still bring their kids to the attraction? I also miss the old play area. It was so AWESOME! Especially the "put you in a film" and the giant pin boards.

I also miss the old Living with the Seas. The ride was so amazing just LOOKING at the ocean. Didn't need any characterization to it. Also, to this day, whenever there is a sudden downpour, my family and I will try to sound like the original film narrator (is it the same film? We always pass it now) and say "...and then, the rains came." Because we are Disney nerds who remember that spot in the film, lol.

I do think the Wonders of Life pavillion needs to be reopened. It's a great little center! Update Body Wars and you have a "thrill" attraction there, along with all the other amazing things to see. I remember my mom taking me to see the film about reproduction too when I was a bit older. People might think that it was weird for Disney to have that, but honestly? It's a part of life and I remember it being dealt with very tactfully and in a way kids understand.

I *do* like the new Spaceship Earth though. I think the interaction at the end is perfect. My friends and I also like Ellen's Energy Adventure, but that's mostly because we're cracking up at Ellen's jokes, and we're all big fans of Jepordy

[century3]

Well, put me on the list of those who miss Horizons. I love Mission Space, but Horizons was about the future, in many different aspects, not just space and it had a more far reaching vision. It was also a ride I could ride over and over. After one or two times on Mission Space per trip I'm done (not because of motion sickness).

I miss the educational/entertaining aspects of EPCOT. I loved having a theme park that wasn't all about characters or thrills, but was there to "entertain, inform and inspire." EPCOT just isn't that inspiring anymore and the inform part has been pretty watered down to the basics without much depth. Imagination used to deal with the actual imagination in creativity, science, literature, etc. but now is more about illusions and senses, than actual imagination (the new one would have been more appropriate for Wonders of Life, in my opinion). I'm sorry but the imagination is currently missing from the Journey. Wherefore art thou Dreamfinder?

Don't even get me started on adding characters to everything...

I guess EPCOT made people think to much during their trips. "“How is education supposed to make me feel smarter? Besides, every time I learn something new, it pushes some old stuff out of my brain. Remember when I took that home winemaking course, and I forgot how to drive?” - Homer Simpson

or if you like

"My brain hurts." - Monty Python

[Mousemates]

TOTALLY AGREE THAT CRONKITE WAS INDEED THE BEST!!!

The narrator now is terrible!

[AuntLaura]

Epcot was always lowest on my park list, and now, it's one of my favorites. As long as the narrator on Spaceship Earth is a Brit, I don't care.

[DisneyVillain]

Personally, I thought Walter Cronkite was the best on Spaceship Earth.... But few people even remember him!

YES! He was absolutely the best... Though I still remember rideing 20,000 leagues in the MK.

[texas211]

One of my all time favorites. Dive Dive.

[FutureCorpsFan]

Disney has it a little rough. They need to satisfy a lot of people, guests, sharholders and vendors and still turn a profit. As a public company, it is their feduciary responsibility. Still, there is balance that they must strike to get make it all happen. This is truely not easy. People will look to a signle decision Disney makes which affects the way guests feel about a ride, attraction or resort, do to some particular reason. Regardless, the one sure thing we can't change in life is "change." Change is constant and enduring. Disney must change as well. We may not like every decision, but it will happen. I try to focus on the journey and not just the rest stops along the way. The rest stops will certainly change over time, but journey continues on.

[McLiberal8]

The same can be said about classical music and rap. You either understand and appreciate quality and brilliance...or you don't.

Okay, low blow - there is a lot of amazing rap and hip hop, unless you pigeonhole one kind of music to be 'all the same', which it isn't.

I really love Intercot, but sometimes there is just so much dissent about the present/future. Between people constantly complaining about how much better things USED to be and being upset over new ideas/resorts/theming, I feel a bit alone sometimes in trying to embrace the future.

Sure, the future isn't always going to be the same as the past. And it is hard when a company is built on the ideals of one man, who is no longer alive. But maybe, we can trust that those ideals have touched all of us so strongly, that maybe the people who work for the company have the same ideals in mind when making decisions.

Epcot used to be kind of a joke - that it was boring, more like a museum and classroom than a theme park. You just need to watch The Simpson's episode where they are trapped in 'Efcot' to see that.

I enjoy Epcot, very much. There is a good balance between fun and educational, but more importantly, all is available to avoid/enjoy. If you are a thrill junkie, you can enjoy Test Track and Mission:Space. If you are educationally motivated, you can ride The Land and walk through Innovations. If you are an uber-nerd thrill junkie like me, you can set 2-3 days aside to go EVERYWHERE in Epcot!

I don't mean to offend anyone, and of course everyone is entitled to their own opinions. I just hope people remember - "We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths." Not my words.

[tiggerbuddy]

With all this talk about Fantasy Land...How about a "Future World" refurb ???

[tiggerbuddy]

I just found my old stuffed FIGMENT in the basement !!

[hope2survive]

Well, to give a different opinion, I don't agree. But, I've only been going since 2000, so I never saw Horizons or World of Motion or the original JII. I did see the prior incantation of SE and think the current one is better and enjoy the interactive nature of it and the area at the end of the ride.

Many of you on these boards are Disney purists and really sentimental for the old times. I think that any venture like this has to change with the times or become stale. Wasn't Epcot always supposed to be changing and being updated?

Soarin is my absolute favorite attraction in all of WDW now. I would like to see them do a better and more relevant 3D movie in Imagination pavilion. My kids enjoy JII, but it would be fine with me if they replaced it altogether. The current Living Seas appeals to children more and gives them a point from which to relate since Finding Nemo is so popular. I wish they'd replace Ellen's Energy Adventure now and really talk about Greenhouse Effect and future energy choices. Maybe they should have a disaster attraction there like the movie 2012 (kidding). And get something, anything in the empty Wonders of Life pavilion - I mean the healthcare industry is the biggest thing going and medical technology so cutting edge, that could be amazing with the right sponsor.

I guess I'm sayin, overall, I hope it continues to change as I kind of think this is the park that most should continue to be updated and improved.

[DonaldDuckUSA]

My two cents:

Disney is a family vacation destination and there needs to be some "fun" rides. What little kid (AND BIG KID!) does not love a race car or a spaceship? As a kid I put up with EPCOT because my grandmother loved it. Now kids love EPCOT.

And yeah, I understand the EPCOT's main focus was technology, education, and the future but the larger point is that its a theme park, which must entertain. Heck, I learned a lot from Test Track about cars. The que for Mission: Space features all kinds of great Space History.

I LOVED Jeremy Irons audio on Spaceship Earth and the new narration just doesn't do it for me in the same way. But that's only one part of the ride experience. The new interactive experience is neat. I'm very happy with the newest version. It's still a glorious ride.

World Showcase boring? Yeah, it may need a few updates, but it's not, by any stretch, an awful experience. There's a lot to experience! Food, beer and wine, people from other cultures, neat buildings, etc.

Disney still has maintained the main vision of EPCOT while making it more appealing to a wider audience. That's no easy task. It's gone from worst to first of on my favorites list.

[disneynarula]

IWhat I miss is the ability of our whole family to ride together. When I was a kid we could all go on all the rides together. My father had health restrictions and Epcot was the park that was sort of an equalizer. We could all go on everything.

Now I have small children and we can not go on rides like Mission Space and Epcot without having to use the child swap. It's not family friendly at all.

Why not just update Horizons with new technology.

IMHO they DESTROYED Imagination! It was so cute and had an original character.

Not so crazy about the updates to SE. (Anyone remember Tomorrow's Child?) I think it needed an update but once again made it worse.

I actually like Test Track but wish it was more family friendly.

[jwallace378]

Horizons was the worst decision they made in my opinion. It was such a classic Epcot ride. They replaced it with Mission Space and I got sick to my stomach on that ride. World of Motion was also a classic ride, but Test Track is better.

[Polynesian Dweller]

Horizons was the worst decision they made in my opinion. It was such a classic Epcot ride. They replaced it with Mission Space and I got sick to my stomach on that ride. World of Motion was also a classic ride, but Test Track is better.

I agree about Horizons being a classic and great ride. But the decision to close was all they could do. There is a Horizons site that gives the history but it boils down to closing it for guest and CM safety. As that site says, there was a sinkhole under the building and the building was completely usage and likely to collapse under its own weight. The building had to be torn down, the area reinforced, and a less massive building replacing it.

So I can't blame Disney for closing it but can agree it was a shame to lose such a classic ride.

[sportsguy2315]

I actually like Test Track but wish it was more family friendly.

Define "family friendly" then because I sure am missing the memo! When I worked at Epcot I had plenty of families ask me about Test Track and the fact is (At least with the old version) if my kids were tall enough I'd highly recommend it.

In fact, there was a mom who was trying to convince her daughter to do it and employed the help of me. I convinced her, and she loved it!