News Big changes coming to EPCOT's Future World?

[GladToBeHear]

Ouch. That's an embarrassingly old one! I'll have to do a new one

Not trying to derail the thread. @marni1971 -- I love your videos (especially the Epcot ones) and try and watch them pretty regularly to get my nostalgic Disney fix. One suggestion: Have you considered using voiceovers -- as opposed to text overlays? For me -- that would make the videos a lot more enjoyable (as someone that typically has to watch the videos while working at home and has trouble keeping up with the text on-screen). Just a thought. Thank you for putting those together and making them available to everyone.

 

[marni1971]

I keep hearing people praise and worry about the main entrance to epcot, but I have to say, the pre-gate experience of epcot is in my opinion the worst of all the parks. The monorail station blocks the view for guests walking in from the parking lot til they pass security..

Unless you’re the other half of guests walking on the other side of course! IMHO the monorail station is part of the view. It should be embraced, not avoided.

Security is a a retro fitted bit of a cluster, done with the best options available at the time. Fixtures and fittings are woeful and mainly 1999 clutter, and overgrown landscaping is a huge culprit in spoiling the area too. Like a lot of the rest of the park.

 

[Kman101]

The area before the ticket gates? I wouldn't hate it depending on what the look of the hotel is. I don't think that area is untouchable. I'd overhaul the whole area if it were up to me (of course I wouldn't include a hotel). All the way up to the tombstones. If anybody wants to miss the ticket gates as they are or the monorail station, go for it, but I probably wouldn't.

Actually INSIDE the park? No thank you.

 

[asianway]

After staying at the Disneyland Hotel in Paris, putting a hotel at the entrance of Epcot is a terrible idea. The reason is; at first approaching the hotel and park is exciting. However, after paying a premium to stay at the flagship hotel, what you don't realize is everybody enters/exits the park under the hotel, and that traffic, takes the exclusivity, and magic out of it. People constantly hung around the hotel, and streams of loud people moving through it was disappointing. If they do decide to do this, I hope that the park guests are routed round the sides of the hotel, opposed though the center.

The Disneyland Hotel Paris lobby is an excellent location for lifestyling.

 

[sedati]

Most parks save the big reveal of the icon for when you are actually inside the park. Epcot is all backwards. The best views are from the approach. The hotel may hurt that, but I'm fine if other things come to be. Remember the new artwork hinted at the loss of the post-show building that has always hidden the bottom portion of the sphere from the fountain plaza area and beyond (there would still be the ramp like structure that holds the on/off loading platforms.) Communicore itself blocks so much from the east and west sides- even a partial removal may give some great new vantage points. Parking lot views should not be better than park views, and this is something odd about Epcot's execution. I'd prefer it to be more like the Tree of Life where you get full views from several different locations as you round the park.

 

[raymusiccity]

The central vista is sacrosanct.

I think that we've all learned that, to the powers that be, nothing is sacrosanct !

 

[marni1971]

I think that we've all learned that, to the powers that be, nothing is sacrosanct !

View attachment 247308

At least that was temporary. And they paid dearly for it.

 

[trainplane3]

I think that we've all learned that, to the powers that be, nothing is sacrosanct !

View attachment 247308

I'm still amazed that got the okay to be done. Even as a 5 year old at the time, I hated it.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

At least that was temporary. And they paid dearly for it.

I'm still amazed that got the okay to be done. Even as a 5 year old at the time, I hated it.

There was that "other" time it got trashed by the Alien Encounter ruiner..

 

[RSoxNo1]

Last I was told, IP was more of an Iger mandate and Chapek actually saw the warrant of *merchandisable* park originals ala SEA (which has been pushed).

Bring on CEO Chapek!

 

[RSoxNo1]

There was that "other" time it got trashed by the Alien Encounter ruiner..

This was for 2 days (or maybe even 1). The castle cake was far more offensive.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

This was for 2 days (or maybe even 1). The castle cake was far more offensive.

Either way it happened even if it was just for that..We all saw it..

 

[SteamboatJoe]

I see talk about the view from the entrance but what about the view looking back from WS, especially from Italy and Japan? Perhaps I am not visualizing this concept correctly?

 

[larryz]

I think that we've all learned that, to the powers that be, nothing is sacrosanct !

View attachment 247308

 

[EPICOT]

So just to clarify, if/when the Innoventions/Communicore buildings are torn down, there will be no attractions/rides/exhibits replacing them? Just a relocation of meet and greets, restaurants, and gift shops? This seems like a major blunder IMO.

 

[Bocabear]

Just a vast concrete acreage dotted with trees and nothing to do... It does seem really odd...espcially if those buildings could be repurposed as selling opportunities... to just tear them down for unnecessary open space and trees is really strange....Surely there is something coming to replace them they are not talking about....

 

[montyz81]

Just a vast concrete acreage dotted with trees and nothing to do... It does seem really odd...espcially if those buildings could be repurposed as selling opportunities... to just tear them down for unnecessary open space and trees is really strange....Surely there is something coming to replace them they are not talking about....

That makes the walk between Seas and Test Track very boring. So many things to stop you along the way back in FW's heyday

 

[Bocabear]

There has to be more to the plan than a vast open space... It just doesn't even make fiscal sense...no one is spending $100 to walk around a vacant park....and that area where the communicore buildings are is vast....

 

[marni1971]

So just to clarify, if/when the Innoventions/Communicore buildings are torn down, there will be no attractions/rides/exhibits replacing them? Just a relocation of meet and greets, restaurants, and gift shops? This seems like a major blunder IMO.

Worst case? Exactly.

 

[marni1971]

There has to be more to the plan than a vast open space....

Wide open pop up festival area. Worst case.

Whoot.