3/19/04
I just have some random tidbits of info concerning Epcot that I observed today while at the park.
the second part of this 'update' will be some interesting info concerning the popularity of Epcot.
so, as i said, we'll start with the updates concerning the park:
1.) spring break is most certainly here. Today was one of the busiest days I have ever seen at this park, -EVER. This morning from about 10-12 in future world was just disgustingly crowded.. to the point it wasn't really fun. we escaped it for a while while riding UoE and SE, and by the time 12:00 came around, guests finally started flowing into world showcase.
just to give you an idea attraction-wise.. M:S was actually not too bad throughout the day, with the exception of early morning. other than the morning hours, M:S had a stand-by of only about 15-30 min. TT had a stand-by of approx 100 min. throughout the entire day. Living with the land about 30 min. throughout the day. and maelstrom also about 30 min. throughout the day. As you can see, though wait times weren't horrific.. the pathways and eateries seemed packed for much of the day.
2.) rehabs:
a.) today, I saw the rumored "time racers" construction area. It doesn't seem like a large area at all, and would be suprised to see anything truly worth-while fitting in this small space, but we'll see.
b.) the imagination glass panels were once again being worked on today. [I'm not sure whether they are being replaced, or cleaned..] but there is a very visible difference between the new and old.
c.) M:S had a construction wall up by the exit area. [not sure what they're working on here.]
d.) Mexico's outer rehab is almost complete. Tarps and etc. are now only on the very bottom portion of the temple.
e.) if i remember correctly, there was a construction wall up between the outpost and Germany [apparently in preparation for the flower & garden festival.]
f.) France had some work being done, and the fountains were off and drained, with some temporary plants in there instead.
g.) Canada had some rehab work being done as well
h.) WoL was closed, and walled off by potted plants.
*(overall, though not overwhelming, it was enough rehab work being done that it was "noticeable."
3.) Construction:
this was my first time seeing the soarin' construction in person. MY GOODNESS, I had completely underestimated the size of this. It is VERY noticeable from various locations throughout the park, and now understand why people on these boards were concerned as to how the building would be themed because we WILL be seeing it. Again, you won't truly appreciate the size of the building until you see it's construction in person.
*thats all update-wise. If you're interested in some of my personal opinions on today's visit, feel free to read on.
today, I went on a school field-trip. Thats right, a bunch of 17 year old high-schoolers, at Epcot. Tough crowd to say the least.
Anyway, even though Epcot happens to be one of MY favorite parks anywhere, most of my classmates today came to the conclusion that Epcot is "the worst theme park... ever." and at some points, I could see where they were coming from.
I spent the entire day with 8 of my closest friends. In these next few paragraphs, I'll give you some insight as to what their opinions were and how they were formed, and will most likely leave myself out because I'm biased: I love everything disney/epcot.
we entered the park, and many began commenting on the "retro" feel that is evident practically everywhere throughout the park. This remark came up mostly around UoE, Imagination, and more-so than anywhere else: the land. IMO, the land should be next on the list for a MAJOR rehab. I must admit, they're pretty much correct in what they said though.
spaceship earth: new riders, did not like this attraction. re-riders, agreed this ride lost its magic, it's nostalgia, etc. Once again, I completely agree. The omnimovers/track are in a condition I can't help but call poor. most of the scenes on the way up, are still pretty good actually. However, once you reach the top, from there on through the entire descent is incredibly weak. many referred to the descent as "nap time" ..however complained they were unable to get comfy due to the almost violent bumping and rattling of the cars against the track. folks, it's getting bad. this ride [or at the very least, it's ride system] in in dyer need of an update. I love SE as much as the next person, but i'm truly afraid the time has come to say goodbye to it.
UoE: the hit film finding nemo has sparked a new interest in Ellen, and many of the group members actually enjoyed the ride because ellen is now 'cool' or one of their new favorite comedians.
the entire group -every last one- HATED "imagination." I'm not suprised. As always, it was a walk-on, and they now know why. one girl walked off screaming "oh my god, they RUINED that ride! why did they do that!?!" [she remembered the origional ride from her childhood, and didnt realize how dramatic of a change it had gone through until she rode it for herself.]
TT was a toss-up.. it was pretty much even: either love it or hate it. some enjoyed it after all those slow, child-ish, [non-rollercoater] type rides and claimed they really liked the whole 'fast, outdoor part' while others came off saying "we waited all that time for that!?" I could do the same thing in my friend's convertable WITHOUT having to wait an hour first.
[here is one that would be unfair of me to comment on, because I happen to love TT.]
finally, M:S
an over-all smash hit! everyone loved M:S. the group was blown away by the entire experience. this was the one and only ride everyone truly enjoyed. [the only exception was one girl who got somewhat nauseated, but said the concept of the ride was really cool.]
sadly, one awesome ride is not enough to outweigh the constant "boredom, etc. at the 'worst theme park on earth'"
WS was fun, though we were pressed for time. The group enjoyed visiting, eating, and shopping at the various countries, and posing for humorous pictures infront of most of them [I will probably post these in the near future]
unfortunantly, as a whole, the park was truly disliked. The group complained mainly of the lack of rides [i'm assuming THRILL rides...] "confusing layout" , and overall retro-style.
I will admit, I see where most of the claims came from, and can see why many dislike this park.
I wrote this detailed description both for myself and for you, to simply try and see where people come from when constanly bad-talking this park.
i think it's clear that much of the park needs updating, and that it's not simply the opinion of thrill-seeking teens, though I do believe that [being thrill-seekers] played a major part in these opinions, I also believe that a fairly modern, well done/well thought-out attraction [whether it be a thrill ride or not] can bring in crowds regardless. Take M:S for example, it's by no means the 'incredible hulk' from IOA or anything, but is a truly great attraction, and the post-ride reactions were enough to show that even those coaster-hungry teens could still get very excited over something other than a coaster. I'm just really hoping we will see some major happenings at epcot within the next few years including rehabs, new rides, etc.. perhaps some new, evolved form of Gemini will take shape. The park needs help, and that's that.
being a huge Eocot fan, it was kind of saddening to see so much hatred and disgust towards the place, and that's why i couldn't help but write it all out -just to help evaluate it for myself.
thats all for my update and observations, hope you enjoyed, and feel free to comment.
I just have some random tidbits of info concerning Epcot that I observed today while at the park.
the second part of this 'update' will be some interesting info concerning the popularity of Epcot.
so, as i said, we'll start with the updates concerning the park:
1.) spring break is most certainly here. Today was one of the busiest days I have ever seen at this park, -EVER. This morning from about 10-12 in future world was just disgustingly crowded.. to the point it wasn't really fun. we escaped it for a while while riding UoE and SE, and by the time 12:00 came around, guests finally started flowing into world showcase.
just to give you an idea attraction-wise.. M:S was actually not too bad throughout the day, with the exception of early morning. other than the morning hours, M:S had a stand-by of only about 15-30 min. TT had a stand-by of approx 100 min. throughout the entire day. Living with the land about 30 min. throughout the day. and maelstrom also about 30 min. throughout the day. As you can see, though wait times weren't horrific.. the pathways and eateries seemed packed for much of the day.
2.) rehabs:
a.) today, I saw the rumored "time racers" construction area. It doesn't seem like a large area at all, and would be suprised to see anything truly worth-while fitting in this small space, but we'll see.
b.) the imagination glass panels were once again being worked on today. [I'm not sure whether they are being replaced, or cleaned..] but there is a very visible difference between the new and old.
c.) M:S had a construction wall up by the exit area. [not sure what they're working on here.]
d.) Mexico's outer rehab is almost complete. Tarps and etc. are now only on the very bottom portion of the temple.
e.) if i remember correctly, there was a construction wall up between the outpost and Germany [apparently in preparation for the flower & garden festival.]
f.) France had some work being done, and the fountains were off and drained, with some temporary plants in there instead.
g.) Canada had some rehab work being done as well
h.) WoL was closed, and walled off by potted plants.
*(overall, though not overwhelming, it was enough rehab work being done that it was "noticeable."
3.) Construction:
this was my first time seeing the soarin' construction in person. MY GOODNESS, I had completely underestimated the size of this. It is VERY noticeable from various locations throughout the park, and now understand why people on these boards were concerned as to how the building would be themed because we WILL be seeing it. Again, you won't truly appreciate the size of the building until you see it's construction in person.
*thats all update-wise. If you're interested in some of my personal opinions on today's visit, feel free to read on.
today, I went on a school field-trip. Thats right, a bunch of 17 year old high-schoolers, at Epcot. Tough crowd to say the least.
Anyway, even though Epcot happens to be one of MY favorite parks anywhere, most of my classmates today came to the conclusion that Epcot is "the worst theme park... ever." and at some points, I could see where they were coming from.
I spent the entire day with 8 of my closest friends. In these next few paragraphs, I'll give you some insight as to what their opinions were and how they were formed, and will most likely leave myself out because I'm biased: I love everything disney/epcot.
we entered the park, and many began commenting on the "retro" feel that is evident practically everywhere throughout the park. This remark came up mostly around UoE, Imagination, and more-so than anywhere else: the land. IMO, the land should be next on the list for a MAJOR rehab. I must admit, they're pretty much correct in what they said though.
spaceship earth: new riders, did not like this attraction. re-riders, agreed this ride lost its magic, it's nostalgia, etc. Once again, I completely agree. The omnimovers/track are in a condition I can't help but call poor. most of the scenes on the way up, are still pretty good actually. However, once you reach the top, from there on through the entire descent is incredibly weak. many referred to the descent as "nap time" ..however complained they were unable to get comfy due to the almost violent bumping and rattling of the cars against the track. folks, it's getting bad. this ride [or at the very least, it's ride system] in in dyer need of an update. I love SE as much as the next person, but i'm truly afraid the time has come to say goodbye to it.
UoE: the hit film finding nemo has sparked a new interest in Ellen, and many of the group members actually enjoyed the ride because ellen is now 'cool' or one of their new favorite comedians.
the entire group -every last one- HATED "imagination." I'm not suprised. As always, it was a walk-on, and they now know why. one girl walked off screaming "oh my god, they RUINED that ride! why did they do that!?!" [she remembered the origional ride from her childhood, and didnt realize how dramatic of a change it had gone through until she rode it for herself.]
TT was a toss-up.. it was pretty much even: either love it or hate it. some enjoyed it after all those slow, child-ish, [non-rollercoater] type rides and claimed they really liked the whole 'fast, outdoor part' while others came off saying "we waited all that time for that!?" I could do the same thing in my friend's convertable WITHOUT having to wait an hour first.
[here is one that would be unfair of me to comment on, because I happen to love TT.]
finally, M:S
an over-all smash hit! everyone loved M:S. the group was blown away by the entire experience. this was the one and only ride everyone truly enjoyed. [the only exception was one girl who got somewhat nauseated, but said the concept of the ride was really cool.]
sadly, one awesome ride is not enough to outweigh the constant "boredom, etc. at the 'worst theme park on earth'"
WS was fun, though we were pressed for time. The group enjoyed visiting, eating, and shopping at the various countries, and posing for humorous pictures infront of most of them [I will probably post these in the near future]
unfortunantly, as a whole, the park was truly disliked. The group complained mainly of the lack of rides [i'm assuming THRILL rides...] "confusing layout" , and overall retro-style.
I will admit, I see where most of the claims came from, and can see why many dislike this park.
I wrote this detailed description both for myself and for you, to simply try and see where people come from when constanly bad-talking this park.
i think it's clear that much of the park needs updating, and that it's not simply the opinion of thrill-seeking teens, though I do believe that [being thrill-seekers] played a major part in these opinions, I also believe that a fairly modern, well done/well thought-out attraction [whether it be a thrill ride or not] can bring in crowds regardless. Take M:S for example, it's by no means the 'incredible hulk' from IOA or anything, but is a truly great attraction, and the post-ride reactions were enough to show that even those coaster-hungry teens could still get very excited over something other than a coaster. I'm just really hoping we will see some major happenings at epcot within the next few years including rehabs, new rides, etc.. perhaps some new, evolved form of Gemini will take shape. The park needs help, and that's that.
being a huge Eocot fan, it was kind of saddening to see so much hatred and disgust towards the place, and that's why i couldn't help but write it all out -just to help evaluate it for myself.
thats all for my update and observations, hope you enjoyed, and feel free to comment.
