Connections Cafe and Eatery

[mergatroid]

Courtesy of 4K WDW . Looks quite a bit better on video.

 

[Casper Gutman]

Y'all know it's just a coffee shop and a burger/pizza joint "at a World's Fair", right?

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Three, maybe Four of these images are more appealing to me then Connections.

We all know that Disney doesn't just replicate historical spaces, it heightens them, exaggerates them, makes them more real then the real thing. That's the entire point of World Showcase - why couldn't it be the point here, also? What about this space actually reads "World's Fair" outside of the need to find an explanation for its utter blandness?

Also, as a general note, there are more World's Fairs then the 64-65 one - much, much more significant World's Fairs. Yes, those Fairs also pulled from contemporary design philosophies. But if the goal is creating an interesting, unique space, it seems like the vast history of the Fairs could be a resource. Heck, turn the space into one that is ABOUT the Fairs - make it educational and interesting and let it actually help lend direction to a directionless park.

At the very least, some color would be nice and wouldn't even deviate too far from the "contemporary design" mandate. Each of the "neighborhoods" in FW are now color-coded, and this is the space in which they converge and "connect." It seems like that, alone, could justify some interesting uses of color. The Umbrella was dark, dingy, and felt ripped from a movie theater, but it didn't feel medicinal and antiseptic, two sensations I find really unappealing, so I still preferred it.

The bottom line is that Disney has no idea what EPCOT is, and this space is that fact made physical, generic and non-committal as possible. And maybe, if it didn't come after 20 years of ripping the themed elements out of themed spaces across the resort, it wouldn't be as vexing. But it does.

 

[yensidtlaw1969]

It's one thing to ask or hope for it; it's another to expect it or imply that center-of-park shopping and dining was ever more than this (again, not talking about CommuniCore as a whole).

I would disagree that they weren’t - but let’s consider this, NONE of them were ever subject to the level of promotion and undeserving mythologizing that Creations and Connections weirdly received.

 

[James Alucobond]

@Casper Gutman
Again, no one's saying that what you're talking about doesn't sound appealing. Sure, it'd be awesome if the space had some other educational component or was truly something "more" than an eatery. The point is that a) this is consistent with past use of this space and therefore does not in itself represent the decline in quality people seem desperate to ascribe to every aspect of this project, and b) it is ultimately in theme even if you feel you can conjure up solutions that might have been more inspiring or imaginative. I also think it's incredibly dismissive to simply handwave contemporary trends by mining for the most negative diction possible to describe them.

I would disagree that they weren’t - but let’s consider this, NONE of them were ever subject to the level of promotion and undeserving mythologizing that Creations and Connections weirdly received.

I agree that this is tiresome, but it's just how their blog/social media presence is. It's not something the typical guest ever sees.

 

[HauntedPirate]

I agree that this is tiresome, but it's just how their blog/social media presence is. It's not something the typical guest ever sees.

You're claiming that the typical guest doesn't ever see any of Disney's social media posts?

 

[James Alucobond]

You're claiming that the typical guest doesn't ever see any of Disney's social media posts?

I certainly didn't before I started actually following news about the parks in particular. I think you might overestimate the amount of involvement the typical guest has in all things Disney? Most people who ask me questions about the parks before their vacations don't even know the basics.

 

[Casper Gutman]

@Casper Gutman
Again, no one's saying that what you're talking about doesn't sound appealing. Sure, it'd be awesome if the space had some other educational component or was truly something "more" than an eatery. The point is that a) this is consistent with past use of this space and therefore does not in itself represent the decline in quality people seem desperate to ascribe to every aspect of this project, and b) it is ultimately in theme even if you feel you can conjure up solutions that might have been more inspiring or imaginative. I also think it's incredibly dismissive to simply handwave contemporary trends by mining for the most negative diction possible to describe them.


I agree that this is tiresome, but it's just how their blog/social media presence is. It's not something the typical guest ever sees.

I mean, if you are arguing that an underwhelming space remains an underwhelming space after the park's massively delayed and absurdly drawn-out "reimagining," that seems fair. But the whole of EPCOT has declined so dramatically, so tragically, over the last 25 years, that it strikes me as particularly annoying that one of the relatively few locations they focused on during the "reimagining," a location whose multi-year redesign shut down a huge section of the park, a location that was ballyhooed in absurd terms in PR, turned out no more impressive then it was. It is a profound problem if "They didn't make it worse" is a cause for celebration. Also, I question the argument that it is "in theme," since I question the argument that the front of EPCOT HAS a theme.

I also think it's utterly absurd to treat my dislike for "contemporary trends" as they manifest themselves here as some sort of egregious slight - as though I owe them something. Quite frankly, I think "medicinal and antiseptic" are entirely fair, and I wouldn't be entirely surprised if the second term or its synonyms is one that the designers themselves would use.

 

[James Alucobond]

But the whole of EPCOT has declined so dramatically, so tragically, over the last 25 years, that it strikes me as particularly annoying that one of the relatively few locations they focused on during the "reimagining," a location whose multi-year redesign shut down a huge section of the park, a location that was ballyhooed in absurd terms in PR, turned out no more impressive then it was. It is a profound problem if "They didn't make it worse" is a cause for celebration. Also, I question the argument that it is "in theme," since I question the argument that the front of EPCOT HAS a theme.

You’re mixing together a ton of disparate issues and sentiments about the state of EPCOT in general. Can you want more out of this refurbishment? Sure. Can you be disappointed with how the budget was used in EPCOT? Also sure. Does that mean this particular space is representative of a precipitous decline in quality or that it is un-EPCOT, as has been mentioned many times in this topic? I’d argue no.

 

[WDWFREAK53]

Going by what I've seen in pics and videos....this is a vast improvement over the Electric Umbrella.
Electric Umbrella isn't a place I wanted to stay in. It was dark. It felt dingy.

I don't, however, feel as if they really pushed the envelope and it feels very mailed in. There are some nice touches here and there but overall doesn't feel unique.

IMO it's still an improvement.

 

[FigmentFan82]

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Current Land, yes a bit mall-ish. Classic The Land not so much, if distinctly 80s.

But...that does look like an 80s mall

 

[mergatroid]

Going by what I've seen in pics and videos....this is a vast improvement over the Electric Umbrella.
Electric Umbrella isn't a place I wanted to stay in. It was dark. It felt dingy.

I don't, however, feel as if they really pushed the envelope and it feels very mailed in. There are some nice touches here and there but overall doesn't feel unique.

IMO it's still an improvement.

I've got to agree, went in once and never returned.

 

[Anteater]

Going by what I've seen in pics and videos....this is a vast improvement over the Electric Umbrella.
Electric Umbrella isn't a place I wanted to stay in. It was dark. It felt dingy.

I've got to agree, went in once and never returned.

Take a look at several videos online of the EU. You'll see that the CMs did a great job keeping the place in a super-clean state; nothing dingy about it. Indeed, I'd say, with the amount of traffic that place did, it was incredible how well-kept the place was. I get it. you think the 90's vibe was well past its expiration date. Others still loved it.

Good news on the new eatery; food looks to be better and they seem to be making their own break there. So, the place must smell heavenly. I think the Starbucks was given too much space. But, I know it will be super-busy.

Now, if you want to talk about dingy, let's talk about La Cava del Tequila...

 

[mergatroid]

Take a look at several videos online of the EU. You'll see that the CMs did a great job keeping the place in a super-clean state; nothing dingy about it. Indeed, I'd say, with the amount of traffic that place did, it was incredible how well-kept the place was. I get it. you think the 90's vibe was well past its expiration date. Others still loved it.

Good news on the new eatery; food looks to be better and they seem to be making their own break there. So, the place must smell heavenly. I think the Starbucks was given too much space. But, I know it will be super-busy.

Now, if you want to talk about dingy, let's talk about La Cava del Tequila...

The poster I replied to said "It Felt dingy" rather than it was, I thought similar when I visited. To me it felt sort of dark and dated but I have no problem accepting that many liked it, it's very subjective after all. I'm also sure the CMs did a great job as you say. This new place looks ok, better than before. And I agree with you about La Cava del Tequila, not a fan either.

 

[UNCgolf]

I think La Cava del Tequila is supposed to be at least somewhat dark and dingy; that kind of fits the theme.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Take a look at several videos online of the EU. You'll see that the CMs did a great job keeping the place in a super-clean state; nothing dingy about it. Indeed, I'd say, with the amount of traffic that place did, it was incredible how well-kept the place was. I get it. you think the 90's vibe was well past its expiration date. Others still loved it.

Good news on the new eatery; food looks to be better and they seem to be making their own break there. So, the place must smell heavenly. I think the Starbucks was given too much space. But, I know it will be super-busy.

Now, if you want to talk about dingy, let's talk about La Cava del Tequila...

They didn't say 'dirty,' they said 'dingy.'

While dingy can mean dirty, it can also mean:

2. Shabby, drab, or squalid.​

 

[No Name]

You're claiming that the typical guest doesn't ever see any of Disney's social media posts?

Disney’s actual social medias never posted about this, Zach Riddley did, and he’s an imagineer with a relatively small niche following so it makes sense that he’d talk about something like this. The average guest knows nothing of Connections.

Oh and yeah the typical guest never sees any of Disney’s social media posts.

 

[Centauri Space Station]

Is it? According to Imagineer Zach Riddley, it's a dining experience that "builds upon our World Celebration story by focusing on connections that generations of people make while gathering over a meal", featuring the "relationship of place, people and food from across the world – celebrating the bountiful variety of ingredients and traditions that connect culture and food to the beautiful, diverse places that we call home", with "unique design features that echo EPCOT of the past that are just stunning".


A place where "the gardens and greenery within World Celebration will complement the interiors, allowing our guests to harmonize with nature outside; how friends and family will gather together around a meal or beverage; and how show kitchens will provide a culinary experience for our guests within. The kitchen you see represented here will actually be responsible for making a variety of baked goods, which will be available at Connections Eatery".


And a hub that encourages “connecting”– by the common bond we share over food and the gathering of people across cultures. EPCOT is a park about people, and this new location within World Celebration will commemorate that with the talent and skill found within the kitchen, and those who gather together to enjoy each other’s company over a meal".


. . . That or they were BS'ing us. Shocking.


The fact that it's merely a burger joint being talked up like a meaningful addition is, like, the problem.


And not for nothing, but nowhere in any of the copy about this restaurant (and boy has there been plenty) is any reference made to the World's Fair concept at all. Insufficient though an attempt at "theming" that would be. So I think you're either giving them a freebie on that or your making things up to suit your opinion.

Once again, "there's no there there" in Connections Cafe.

None of that is inaccurate, a bit exaggerated? Yes. A lie? No.

 

[yensidtlaw1969]

None of that is inaccurate, a bit exaggerated? Yes. A lie? No.

Did I say it was a lie? Or did I say it was BS?

Overly flowery language meant to suggest a richer meaning than the space actually has. They tried to paint a picture of a restaurant with an exciting purpose - anyone with a working BS meter could sense that it was just a quickservice restaurant, but then it's silly that they kept going with the monthly press releases about this basic, generic space.

Why do so much PR to pretend it's somehow gonna help unify the new vision for Ex-Future World when it's really just a place to grab your frappucino? It's silly, and a little insulting.

 

[Rich Brownn]

Being "unlike anywhere else" is about the sum total of the park's parts and the overall experience. The World Showcase literally has scaled-down recreations of existing architectural works. Should people be upset about the price of admission because they can just go see the real Eiffel Tower elsewhere? The allure is in the cultural intersection and the ability to quickly "walk around the world". Similarly, the original selling point of Future World was that it represented an eternal world's fair, an event that many people would never get to experience otherwise and that was ephemeral even if they had.

Ironically most World's Fairs are more like World Showcase than what Future World was. FW emulated a very specific Worlds-Fair-That-Wasn't-Really-A-World's Fair: the 64/65 NY World's Fair.

 

[Casper Gutman]

Ironically most World's Fairs are more like World Showcase than what Future World was. FW emulated a very specific Worlds-Fair-That-Wasn't-Really-A-World's Fair: the 64/65 NY World's Fair.

Ehhhhhh... yes and no. The 60s NY World's Fair is the most direct influence, but the technological triumphalism and celebration of a corporate-built future was absolutely fundamental to all American Fairs, and pavilions with exhibits celebrating this were just as central as the international exhibits. After all, the most popular and culturally resonant element of the very first US Fair in Philadelphia in 1876 was the massive Corliss Centennial Engine, which powered the entire expo and in which various great literary, political, and corporate minds saw the dawning of a new age. Really, the technological and international components can't be separated - the ideological foundation of the fair was the interaction of the two.

(And if we're looking for very direct influences, NY 1939, which featured a giant ball as the centerpiece and a popular robot show gives the 60s version a run for its money.)

I do think, however, that one way forward for EPCOT might be to start looking at the Fairs more broadly, bringing in elements from expos other then the 60s NY ones. This could open up a huge range of architectural, design, and thematic possibilities while still remaining true to the founding spirit of EPCOT.