Two quick pieces of context before my post: 1) I’ve been coming to Epcot since it first opened. As an 11 year old, I remember being a rarity (for my age group) for loving rides like motion, spaceship, and soon horizons. My friends all thought it was boring. But Epcot has always had a special place in my heart since pretty much day one. 2) while I absolutely love and respect the effort that (early) Disney put into hiding show elements and “out of place” features from other lands, I’ve also realized my part in suspending disbelief. No matter how masterful the early imagineers were, something would always creep in somewhere, and my mind did its part in blocking it out so that I could immerse myself in the story. We all do it, I’m not special, just saying that I can block out distractions.
All that said, this week was my first time back to WDW and Epcot in two years. I finally got to see for myself the barges in world showcase to assess, for myself, how the barges impact the views of world showcase. And my assessment is this: they are an abomination. No amount of pre-reading and picture viewing can prepare you for the awfulness these barges introduce. I was hoping y’all could were exaggerating, but you weren’t. That first view of all the countries to start your day, to get in the zone, to appreciate the effort that was put into building Epcot is totally gone. It is just beyond words how much the effed this up.
So I guess the only thing I’m contributing to this conversation is that, if you haven’t seen it yet and you’re hoping we are all just being bitter and exaggerating, we’re not. Be prepared to have your heart broken.
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