Journey of Water featuring Moana coming to Epcot

[marni1971]

Those useless buildings could have been used for something more Epcot related. A Wall-E meet and greet, more stores, restaurants, snacks, etc.

Don’t talk sense in here.

 

[DCLcruiser]

Don’t talk sense in here.

Is the vast majority of the cleared space just going to be trees/paths still?

 

[TikibirdLand]

The roof decks were load bearing if thats the question?

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I think that demonstrates the structural quality of the building. There was no reason to tear it down. What's the complexity of a dark ride that could be built inside? I'd say not much if you look at the ones we currently have within WDW...

 

[monothingie]

The roof decks were load bearing if thats the question?

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My god there aren't 14 layers of fall prevention, no hard hats, no high visibility jackets, no health and safety inspectors. How did those people survive to the afternoon?

 

[UNCgolf]

My god there aren't 14 layers of fall prevention, no hard hats, no high visibility jackets, no health and safety inspectors. How did those people survive to the afternoon?

They didn't.

That's why you never saw anyone up there again.

 

[Bocabear]

One wonders if you have any idea what any or all of that would take. I am thinking not.

One wonders a lot of things...Glad you have all the answers.

 

[SaveDinosaur]

Those useless buildings could have been used for something more Epcot related. A Wall-E meet and greet, more stores, restaurants, snacks, etc.

Epcot related? M'am this is Hollywood Studios 3.0!

 

[lazyboy97o]

perhaps because the old building has a basement you probably couldt just build a dark ride inside of it without massive structural enhancements?

It depends on the actual ride system used. Simple bus bar and wire guided trackless dark rides are built in existing malls (eg. Legoland Discovery Centers) without the need for structural reinforcing.

 

[Little Green Men]

I think most of us are alright with change if it means we are getting something better. But Moana's water fountains are not an upgrade over Fountain of Nations, Club Cool, Starbucks and a Meet and Greet.

Plus now the front looks uneven, with the alterations. What would people do if they demoed the right side of Main Street U.S.A.? They'd freak out.

Club cool and starbucks are returning and there will be fountains. Just smaller and not such a big bottleneck for guest flow to WS

 

[Incomudro]

Are you meaning latterly, once they’d been stripped of anything remotely interesting? I can kind of understand that sentiment from someone who only saw them empty.

But they weren’t useless. They could have been filled with amazing stuff. As they were originally.

They were filled with amazing things decades ago, I agree with that and I loved it.
But that approach has passed.
You can't fill buildings with tech that ages out by the time it's installed.
And - unfortunately, the parks are almost always too crowded to even approach those kinds of indoor displays anymore.

 

[lazyboy97o]

They were filled with amazing things decades ago, I agree with that and I loved it.
But that approach has passed.
You can't fill buildings with tech that ages out by the time it's installed.
And - unfortunately, the parks are almost always too crowded to even approach those kinds of indoor displays anymore.

The CommuniCore buildings were flexible. The program could have changed. They could have easily been the new festival center with rooftop garden and dining.

 

[trainplane3]

The CommuniCore buildings were flexible. The program could have changed. They could have easily been the new festival center with rooftop garden and dining.

And to break it down even more, they were meant to be gutted. They were convention spaces, designed to be opened up completely every few years. Easy to upgrade and maintain.

The company chose the more expensive of the options they had (for a change). And expensive doesn't mean good.

 

[James Alucobond]

The CommuniCore buildings were flexible. The program could have changed. They could have easily been the new festival center with rooftop garden and dining.

The program they wanted was Journey of Water, and they decided they wanted it without a building. For the building itself, they wanted something taller with saleable views of Harmonious. I sincerely get disliking the direction they've gone from an aesthetic and conceptual perspective, but at a certain point, you're just mourning four walls and a roof.

 

[Incomudro]

And to break it down even more, they were meant to be gutted. They were convention spaces, designed to be opened up completely every few years. Easy to upgrade and maintain.

The company chose the more expensive of the options they had (for a change). And expensive doesn't mean good.

Well, they did gut them before they demo'd them.

 

[lazyboy97o]

The program they wanted was Journey of Water, and they decided they wanted it without a building. For the building itself, they wanted something taller with saleable views of Harmonious. I sincerely get disliking the direction they've gone from an aesthetic and conceptual perspective, but at a certain point, you're just mourning four walls and a roof.

So reduced capacity, cost, sustainability are not valid grounds for criticism? People are praising Disney for replacing nothingness that had the potential of being something with more permanent nothingness.

CommuniCore didn’t prevent Journey of Water, and actually being more clearly between The Land and Seas pavilions would align where many mistaking describe it as being placed. Wider and more views would be from the CommuniCore. By every measure of functionality, cost, capacity and sustainability the CommuniCore stay would have been the better option, but it wasn’t a grand and overly visible change that someone could say “Look what I did! I’m a visionary patron just like Mike!”

 

[James Alucobond]

So reduced capacity, cost, sustainability are not valid grounds for criticism? CommuniCore didn’t prevent Journey of Water, and actually being more clearly between The Land and Seas pavilions would align where many mistaking describe it as being placed. Wider and more views would be from the CommuniCore. By every measure of functionality, cost, capacity and sustainability the CommuniCore stay would have been the better option, but it wasn’t a grand and overly visible change that someone could say “Look what I did! I’m a visionary patron just like Mike!”

You almost certainly know better than me. I just assume there must be some sort of calculus in terms of cost and sustainability in the long term, even if it's not great in the short term. Like, obviously rehabilitating a structure is preferable to demolishing it, but I assume there's some net positive to sustainability in the long run due to not having to worry about climate control for a massive building. Similarly, though the cost of this build is higher, the result will probably require less maintenance, and the resultant attraction will be more enduring than Innoventions conceptually.

And for the record, I don't disagree with you in general. If I had my druthers, CommuniCore west would still be standing, and even if some demolition was required, I would have personally opted to maintain the symmetry of the spine somehow. But I also accept that I don't control the direction of EPCOT, and I choose to look beyond what was and find some measure of excitement in what will be. Like, the Maelstrom was my favorite ride in all the parks, but that doesn't mean I have to loudly harumph at every scene in Frozen Ever After and scowl during the attraction photo. I actually rather enjoy the ride.

 

[jt04]

So the Communicore buildings were "useless"?

Starbucks and Club Cool are the only components that have a large fan following from Communicore West that I am aware of. And they will continue to be part of the area. What has been lost anyone cares about? And I mean from 1982 until closing.

 

[jt04]

Those useless buildings could have been used for something more Epcot related. A Wall-E meet and greet, more stores, restaurants, snacks, etc.

Yes, Epcot doesn't have enough retail and dining.

and I thought character m&g's in Epcot were sacrilege.

 

[doctornick]

Starbucks and Club Cool are the only components that have a large fan following from Communicore West that I am aware of. And they will continue to be part of the area. What has been lost anyone cares about? And I mean from 1982 until closing.

Sum of All Thrills was great.

But I’m generally on board with what your saying on that we aren’t losing much of value with Communicore west gone. The same kinda stuff that was there will now be in Play (more IP oriented though)

 

[jt04]

Is the vast majority of the cleared space just going to be trees/paths still?

My guess is that some of the areas will have flexible uses. Sometimes booths for fest events, small amphitheater seating, temporary shops and displays etc., small corporate events.