News Big changes coming to EPCOT's Future World?

[trainplane3]

Am I the only one who doesn't care about Festivals? This design is very nice, but couldn't these events just be held at Disney Springs? EPCOT needs more rides/pavilions.

Same. We made July trip plans. Parents were happy about no festivals till I told them F&W started a few days before we get down there. Much groaning ensued.

When you aren't adding attractions, booze and food is a very easy way to make $$$. Why spend $$$$$$$$ on a ride when you can spend $ and make $$$$ from some crappy booths chunked in the walkways.

 

[rreading]

That's a good point...

It's possible that transporting the barges and stargate was also an original possibility.

The daytime fountains might have been what they needed to justify it's permanent mounting, but that didn't work out as planned either.

Maybe @marni1971 could shed some light...

That’s honestly what I suspect happened:

“We’ll move them out there each day”

Millions of $$ later: “Oops…that won’t work”

“You don’t really see the concrete that supports a fountain. We’ll make them fountains!”

Once all the $$ is spent and there’s no going back: “Oh. I guess that didn’t work either“

“Bob? What do we do now?”

 

[Haymarket2008]

I am confused...So is Dreamers Point now the entire centyral plaza? Or what looks to be elevated beds at the back of the plaza? And the Walt statue will be back there? Because someone else was saying it would be near the central (not a fountain) planter and display area... This just seems like an underwhelming mess.

Dreamer's Point is at the top of that series of flower beds. It will be elevated. Basically the back of Earth Station to where the old pin cart used to be. Just....elevated.

 

[vikescaper]

Am I the only one who doesn't care about Festivals? This design is very nice, but couldn't these events just be held at Disney Springs? EPCOT needs more rides/pavilions.

Nope, you’re not the only. I don’t mind Festival of the Arts, Flower and Garden, and the Festival of the Holidays but I utterly despise Food and Wine.

 

[DznyRktekt]

Planters and visual screening with flora should be a necessary part of a larger picture, not the whole picture.

 

[kevlightyear]

Am I the only one who doesn't care about Festivals? This design is very nice, but couldn't these events just be held at Disney Springs? EPCOT needs more rides/pavilions.

Unfortunately, according to the first sentence of the parks blog post, the festivals are now integral to Epcot.

As international festivals continue to become more of an integral part of the EPCOT experience, Disney Imagineers are creating new spaces that will bring these events into the heart of the park in the new World Celebration neighborhood.

New Details Revealed About the Transformation of EPCOT

As international festivals continue to become more of an integral part of the EPCOT experience, Disney Imagineers are creating new spaces that will bring these events into the heart of the park in the new World Celebration neighborhood. In several

disneyparks.disney.go.com

 

[wdwmagic]

I am confused...So is Dreamers Point now the entire centyral plaza? Or what looks to be elevated beds at the back of the plaza? And the Walt statue will be back there? Because someone else was saying it would be near the central (not a fountain) planter and display area... This just seems like an underwhelming mess.

Yes its in those elevated areas.

 

[HauntedPirate]

Unfortunately, according to the first sentence of the parks blog post, the festivals are now integral to Epcot.

New Details Revealed About the Transformation of EPCOT

As international festivals continue to become more of an integral part of the EPCOT experience, Disney Imagineers are creating new spaces that will bring these events into the heart of the park in the new World Celebration neighborhood. In several

disneyparks.disney.go.com

I give up.

 

[LuvtheGoof]

I give up.

Considering 3 of the 4 festivals have been around since the 90's, I'm not sure what you are upset about. It isn't like they just started them a few years ago.

The Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival​

Debut: 1994 (April 29 - June 5, 1994)

Epcot International Food & Wine Festival​

Debut: 1996 at Epcot (September 28 - October 27, 1996)

The Epcot International Festival of the Holidays (Holidays Around the World)​

Debut: 1996 (Premiered November 29, 1996)

 

[HauntedPirate]

Considering 3 of the 4 festivals have been around since the 90's, I'm not sure what you are upset about. It isn't like they just started them a few years ago.

The Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival​

Debut: 1994 (April 29 - June 5, 1994)

Epcot International Food & Wine Festival​

Debut: 1996 at Epcot (September 28 - October 27, 1996)

The Epcot International Festival of the Holidays (Holidays Around the World)​

Debut: 1996 (Premiered November 29, 1996)

How long did those three things events last when originally introduced? 3 months, give or take a week. Not a terrible amount of time to focus on those events. Now they basically encompass 9-10 months of the year, when you add in the Arts thing. They have shown zero desire to move away from them, and this cements them into the park. Which is a damn shame.

 

[Epcot82Guy]

How long did those three things events last when originally introduced? 3 months, give or take a week. Not a terrible amount of time to focus on those events. Now they basically encompass 9-10 months of the year, when you add in the Arts thing. They have shown zero desire to move away from them, and this cements them into the park. Which is a damn shame.

They also arguably enhanced the areas when they happened vs. creating the issues the expanded festivals + neglected park has caused.

And the additions don't seem to really be adding much if anything to the park (capacity-wise). So, if they spark attendance growth, it may actually make things worse.

 

[No Name]

One lesson this continues to reinforce is that Disney’s announcements should be taken with a few grains of salt. There have been parts of every attraction announced since 2015 (even Tron and Cosmic Rewind) that have been changed or downgraded or abandoned.

Really gets me excited for D23, where they’ll maybe share some new ideas that might possibly happen.

 

[LuvtheGoof]

How long did those three things events last when originally introduced? 3 months, give or take a week. Not a terrible amount of time to focus on those events. Now they basically encompass 9-10 months of the year, when you add in the Arts thing. They have shown zero desire to move away from them, and this cements them into the park. Which is a damn shame.

Except that a lot of us really like the festivals. That gives us more flexibility when determining when to visit.

 

[MisterPenguin]

In 2018, there were 243 festival days. Percentage of the year with no festival days: 33% [One third of the year!]

In 2019, there were 247 festival days. Percentage of the year with no festival days: 32%

In 2020, there were 291 festival days. Percentage of the year with no festival days: 20% [Thanks to "A Touch of F&W starting mid-July]

In 2021, there were 331 festival days. Percentage of the year with no festival days: 9% [Garden went longer, Arts started earlier]

In 2022, there will be 326 festival days. Percentage of the year with no festival days: 11% [Basically one to two weeks of no festival days when one ends and the next begins]

 

[ChrisFL]

Am I allowed to say that I think that all looks pretty good to me?

I hope so because I want to be allowed to say it too

 

[Animaniac93-98]

They tore down CommuniCore to build CommuniCore.

What visionaries...

 

[TTA94]

The center planter looks like it should be a fountain, or a new fountain of nations, that they converted to a planter before even building it lol.

 

[UNCgolf]

The center planter looks like it should be a fountain, or a new fountain of nations, that they converted to a planter before even building it lol.

I had the same thought -- I don't understand why they aren't putting a big fountain in that spot.

 

[wdwmagic]

I had the same thought -- I don't understand why they aren't putting a big fountain in that spot.

Planters are significantly cheaper to build and maintain than fountain systems. It is a matter of cost savings.

 

[DznyRktekt]

And fountains are often critiqued as being non eco friendly.