Here at the World while attending a series of professional development seminars for teachers, so naturally I'm using my post-seminar time to hit the parks. Today, I was Epcot... and hoo boy.
- The pre-entry area (security checkpoint and ticket purchase) is largely behind construction walls. Was kind of like a labyrinth getting from the parking lot to entrance, and looked to me like everyone had to go through bag check, which is currently under a couple of pop-up canopies.
- The main area of Imagination was closed. I don't know why, just that there were two cast members out front with the entrance courtyard roped off. The Pixar Shorts show was still open.
- All of the buildings are in need of a good pressure washing. From World Showcase, Imagination looks like the glass pyramids have dark streaks around each pane. Test Track looks like a hubcap covered with road film (oddly, in its state it looks more like a garage than it did when it was an actual garage with Test Track v1.0). Spaceship Earth also looked a bit dingy (side note: they did back SSE's purple and orange evening lights. That's nice) Speaking of SSE....
- It's in desperate need of new projectors. The opening scene of the mammoth hunters that was stunning when it first premiered was so dim you could barely make it out.
- Currently the walkways from Imagination to World Showcase are blocked off. Looks like some landscaping work being done. If you want to walk from Future World to WS on the west side, you have to go through the Innoventions West breezeway.
- Living With the Land.....wow. It's always been one of my favorites, but it's declined badly. They now have pairs of boats tethered together with a metal bar. I don't know why they did this, but the effect is that if you're in the front boat and turn a corner, once the back boat turns, it kind of jerks the front. Maybe it's not noticeable for guests sitting in the front rows, but I was sitting on the very back, and every turn i felt the thing jerk because of the tethered boat following.
- The GotG Coaster show building looks FINE from the parking lot. It's barely visible, and while the majority of it is sky blue, the bottom quarter of it is forest green, blending in with the foliage. It's easy to miss.....from the parking lot.
If you're in World Showcase, it's a whole 'nother story....sticks out like a sore thumb.
I did not visit the American Adventure, so I can neither confirm nor deny the state of our WWII welder friend.
But...some positives:
- Soarin' was almost a walk-on, with only a 15 minute wait. The image looked very good, and the scent effects worked well, so I'm okay with it. Even though I do miss the orange groves.
- Test Track....I can't say for sure. Wait was only about 15 minutes for me, but I went through single rider. So, it's not really indicative of what the actual wait time was.
PS - I'm crossing my fingers that in the upcoming re-imagined Epcot, someone decides to dust off the plans to install a Peoplemover system around World Showcase.
While I'm not personally opposed to walking the distance around the lagoon, it would be a great help for people who are either unable or unwilling to make that hike once the water taxis shut down for the evening fireworks show.
- The pre-entry area (security checkpoint and ticket purchase) is largely behind construction walls. Was kind of like a labyrinth getting from the parking lot to entrance, and looked to me like everyone had to go through bag check, which is currently under a couple of pop-up canopies.
- The main area of Imagination was closed. I don't know why, just that there were two cast members out front with the entrance courtyard roped off. The Pixar Shorts show was still open.
- All of the buildings are in need of a good pressure washing. From World Showcase, Imagination looks like the glass pyramids have dark streaks around each pane. Test Track looks like a hubcap covered with road film (oddly, in its state it looks more like a garage than it did when it was an actual garage with Test Track v1.0). Spaceship Earth also looked a bit dingy (side note: they did back SSE's purple and orange evening lights. That's nice) Speaking of SSE....
- It's in desperate need of new projectors. The opening scene of the mammoth hunters that was stunning when it first premiered was so dim you could barely make it out.
- Currently the walkways from Imagination to World Showcase are blocked off. Looks like some landscaping work being done. If you want to walk from Future World to WS on the west side, you have to go through the Innoventions West breezeway.
- Living With the Land.....wow. It's always been one of my favorites, but it's declined badly. They now have pairs of boats tethered together with a metal bar. I don't know why they did this, but the effect is that if you're in the front boat and turn a corner, once the back boat turns, it kind of jerks the front. Maybe it's not noticeable for guests sitting in the front rows, but I was sitting on the very back, and every turn i felt the thing jerk because of the tethered boat following.
- The GotG Coaster show building looks FINE from the parking lot. It's barely visible, and while the majority of it is sky blue, the bottom quarter of it is forest green, blending in with the foliage. It's easy to miss.....from the parking lot.
If you're in World Showcase, it's a whole 'nother story....sticks out like a sore thumb.
I did not visit the American Adventure, so I can neither confirm nor deny the state of our WWII welder friend.
But...some positives:
- Soarin' was almost a walk-on, with only a 15 minute wait. The image looked very good, and the scent effects worked well, so I'm okay with it. Even though I do miss the orange groves.
- Test Track....I can't say for sure. Wait was only about 15 minutes for me, but I went through single rider. So, it's not really indicative of what the actual wait time was.
PS - I'm crossing my fingers that in the upcoming re-imagined Epcot, someone decides to dust off the plans to install a Peoplemover system around World Showcase.
While I'm not personally opposed to walking the distance around the lagoon, it would be a great help for people who are either unable or unwilling to make that hike once the water taxis shut down for the evening fireworks show.