Journey of Water featuring Moana coming to Epcot

[DisneyFanatic12]

Here I am! And it is indeed "edutainment."

All one has to do is read BlogMickey's report:

Moana Journey of Water First Impression Review

We were able to attend an early preview of Journey of Water - Inspired by Moana at EPCOT. Here's our first impression review!

blogmickey.com

Where are all the people who thought it wouldn't be educative?

Here's a sample:






Looks like fun!

Thank you! I will see this in person soon, but from everyone I’ve heard that has been through this walkthrough attraction, it is VERY strong on the edutainment front. Sure, the instagrammers might only care about the splash pad, but there IS plenty of focus on education. Best way I heard it was from one of my friends, “The attraction is Moana not even as much as the Seas is Nemo.” Sure, characters from Finding Nemo are in The Seas, but it is still an EDUCATIONAL experience.

And in addition, this might fit in PERFECTLY in the new World Celebration. All you’ll probably see is trees and maybe a little rock work from World Celebration. AND, it won’t seem out of place because World Celebration will be mostly trees!

 

[wserratore1963]

So they botched the project but we should be excited because they might do something better later?

Disney's projects cost a fortune. The budgets aren't a limiting problem.

Clearly you have never done anything creative. Fantasia was bust when it was released, the company lost a ton, The haters of the day said the magic was over. When he announced Disneyland they dubbed it Walts follies. When it opened the Concrete still wasn't dry, the wagon ride was bust, etc, etc - did the company give up? Of course not! There will always be a next, different & better. Walt saw a bigger World.

The little world laughed at Robert Fulton when he went steaming by on that steam ship in the hudson river, but the big world was gathered watching him as he made that historic journey downstream.

The little world laughed but the big world was right there at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina when the Wright Brothers made that flight in the space that changed not only the face of the globe, but changed the face of the universe. The little world laughed, but the big world was tuned in when Alexander Graham Bell make that historic phone call which changed communications forever.

The little world might laugh at you, when you start on your journey, but I can absolutely guarantee you it’s gonna be the big world who is gonna be right there at the finish cheering you across when you reach the destination which they said you could not reach, and let me remind you that what you get by reaching that destination will not be nearly so important as what you will become by reaching that destination.

Zig Ziglar

 

[JohnD]

Epcot originally built with edutainment in mind. Fans excited.
Epcot phases out edutainment for IP. Fans angry.
Epcot removes Harmonious and is installing new fireworks show that doesn't ruin water view: Fans excited.
Epcot installs new edutainment, Moana. Fans angry. Want more rides.

 

[Casper Gutman]

I’m getting really tired of rockwork.

 

[wdwmagic]

Epcot originally built with edutainment in mind. Fans excited.
Epcot phases out edutainment for IP. Fans angry.
Epcot removes Harmonious and is installing new fireworks show that doesn't ruin water view: Fans excited.
Epcot installs new edutainment, Moana. Fans angry. Want more rides.

But there is a heck of a difference between edutainment in the form of Horizons or Universe of Energy vs. a water play area with some informational signage.

 

[JohnD]

But there is a heck of a difference between edutainment in the form of Horizons or Universe of Energy vs. a water play area with some informational signage.

I admit I said "one and done". Just pointing out discrepancy in some arguments.

 

[UNCgolf]

I know I said it above, but I really can't wait for this to open because I want to see how it goes. I honestly can't figure out how it's going to work without being an operational disaster.

 

[wdwmagic]

I know I said it above, but I really can't wait for this to open because I want to see how it goes. I honestly can't figure out how it's going to work without being an operational disaster.

Yes talking to some people in ops about it. Seems like there is a lot of concern about how it will work with more than a hundred or so guests.

 

[Ayla]

Maybe not for you, but I assure you that Guardians is a huge draw.

It may be for you, but the sometimes-open-for-hours VQ says differently. Data doesn't lie.

 

[James Alucobond]

But there is a heck of a difference between edutainment in the form of Horizons or Universe of Energy vs. a water play area with some informational signage.

True, but the difference is much less pronounced compared to ImageWorks or Innoventions. Budget and damage to old infrastructure aside, I am much less bothered by this as a replacement for Innoventions West than I am by Cosmic Rewind weighed against Energy.

 

[Ayla]

Yes talking to some people in ops about it. Seems like there is a lot of concern about how it will work with more than a hundred or so guests.

That brings up another question/concern ~ is there going to be a limit/capacity on how many people they allow into this? Will there be a queue that will continue to clog up the walkway? Once it reaches capacity, will it be one out, one in, just like during covid?

 

[UNCgolf]

Yes talking to some people in ops about it. Seems like there is a lot of concern about how it will work with more than a hundred or so guests.

That's what I thought looking at the video walkthrough. There doesn't appear to be that much space in the pathways in general, and people are going to be waiting for their turn with each interactive element. It also looks like some of those elements can't be used by more than a couple of people at once. Does it have an incredibly long line to get in because of low capacity to maximize the individual experience, or are all the paths just jammed with people start to finish? Or maybe both?

It's why I said this looks like something that was designed for a science museum with like 10% (or less) of EPCOT's average daily attendance. The scale seems way off.

 

[wdwmagic]

That's what I thought looking at the video walkthrough. There doesn't appear to be that much space in the pathways in general, and people are going to be waiting for their turn with each interactive element. It also looks like some of those elements can't be used by more than a couple of people at once. Does it have an incredibly long line to get in because of low capacity to maximize the individual experience, or are all the paths just jammed with people start to finish? Or maybe both?

It's why I said this looks like something that was designed for a science museum with like 10% (or less) of EPCOT's average daily attendance. The scale seems way off.

I believe the current plan is to limit people going into the trail at under 200, and hold the others at the entrance. I don’t quite see yet how that can work in practise.

 

[UNCgolf]

I believe the current plan is to limit people going into the trail at under 200, and hold the others at the entrance. I don’t quite see yet how that can work in practise.

Me neither, unless there's a hidden underground queue to hold all the people waiting.

That might work once it's been open for a while, but when it's the brand new thing that everyone wants to see? It could have 4+ hour wait times -- or honestly even longer, considering that capacity.

That said, I'm not sure how many people would be willing to enter a queue for a walkthrough with a wait that long, even when it's brand new. It could max out at like 60 minutes because people just aren't willing to join the queue past that.

 

[Disstevefan1]

That brings up another question/concern ~ is there going to be a limit/capacity on how many people they allow into this? Will there be a queue that will continue to clog up the walkway? Once it reaches capacity, will it be one out, one in, just like during covid?

Waiting in line for JoW:

 

[mightynine]

Yes talking to some people in ops about it. Seems like there is a lot of concern about how it will work with more than a hundred or so guests.

"Sorry folks, Moana's full. Water outside shoulda told ya!"

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Yes talking to some people in ops about it. Seems like there is a lot of concern about how it will work with more than a hundred or so guests.

That definitely is one concern I have just from the reviews and video ... Like it seems to work best with a certain amount of people (like not nobody as some group work, but not flooded (pun intended) with people either)

Maybe that is what a lot of these previews are for, how best to manage the crowds and get the right flow (amount and timing) of people entering, etc

But also can see a lot of frustrated people early on if they hold people back so waits are long and then what they experience isn't an E-Ticket worthy of said wait (even if it is good for what it is, it won't be good for what it isn't)

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Me neither, unless there's a hidden underground queue to hold all the people waiting.

That might work once it's been open for a while, but when it's the brand new thing that everyone wants to see? It could have 4+ hour wait times -- or honestly even longer, considering that capacity.

That said, I'm not sure how many people would be willing to enter a queue for a walkthrough with a wait that long, even when it's brand new. It could max out at like 60 minutes because people just aren't willing to join the queue past that.

Could do a virtual queue .... And not like a 7am boarding group thing just that if the line is more than 30mins long give people a time to return at (either digitally or manually - sort of like another at a restaurant or a texting system)

Especially if the thinking is it will really only be an issue for the initial opening time

 

[TP2000]

That actually looks worse then I expected, especially the "guest controlled" fountain at the end that seems reminiscent of some of the old Imagination exhibits that never really worked the way they were supposed to. One wonders how long the components here will continue to function.

I am absolutely thrilled to find a topic you and I agree on!

This is the biggest question mark I still have about this project; how is it going to work with Disney-level crowds? That seems a bigger issue from Disney's perspective if they're not expecting it to just swallow a percentage of Epcot's existing attendance, but to in fact drive more visitors to the park.

I am baffled by that too. This already looks really underwhelming, and borderline stupid (my own honest opinion), from the TikTok video with only a dozen or so other people in there. But then pack it full of a few hundred people? How does it perform for those folks in a crowd?

In a theme park that has an average attendance of 30,000 per day, and often approaches 50,000 per day???

That's just asking for operational failure, and thus creative and artistic failure from WDI because of its badly designed operational limits.

Yes talking to some people in ops about it. Seems like there is a lot of concern about how it will work with more than a hundred or so guests.

It's very apparent now that this was approved and created by executive leaders who have no idea how a crowded Disney theme park works.

Who the heck is in charge of the Parks division? And why can't they ever get some experienced Ops people to be in charge?

 

[lazyboy97o]

Could do a virtual queue .... And not like a 7am boarding group thing just that if the line is more than 30mins long give people a time to return at (either digitally or manually - sort of like another at a restaurant or a texting system)

Especially if the thinking is it will really only be an issue for the initial opening time

That would raise expectations.