The Odyssey Center at Epcot

Mr. Imagineer

Mr. Imagineer

New Member
Original Poster
What is the Odyssey Center at Epcot? It's on the Epcot map, and there are some bathrooms, and there are no Baby Center, despite what the sign says. The building looks from the original Epcot, and it's still open and a good short cut from behind the Test Track Fastpass center, and it comes out to the left of the Mexico Pavilion.

What was it for? The windows are blacked out...
 
D

darthjohnny

Active Member
It was an old restaurant. They'll still use it ocassionally for special events, like a Mother's Day Brunch. They also used to use it for the Flower and Garden Festival before they did it in the old Wonders of Life Pavillion.
 
toystoryma

toystoryma

Member
hmm as far as I know they still do have the baby center there, its tucked in the far corner near the bathrooms towards mexico.

Last time I've been there was in October, but I dont think anything has changed or has it???
 
J

jiddng

Member
It used to be a cafeteria-type restaurant, along the lines of Cosmic Ray's, with a stage and characters doing a little song and dance before coming out to the main eating area for meet and greets. I loved going there and hope TPTB will eventually restore it.
 
Captain Hank

Captain Hank

Well-Known Member
Oddessy houses Epcot First Aid and the Baby Care Center (it's definitely still there). As mentioned previously, the former restaraunt is used for special events. The Illuminations Grand Gathering also uses this space. On the backstage side of things, the building houses the Epcot custodial base and one of the two Epcot Cast cafeterias (the other is in back of the American Adventure and isn't nearly as good).
 
JWG

JWG

Well-Known Member
I think this restaurant was unfairly doomed from the start with World Showcase.

That, and why give real estate to a quick serve type restaurant when they can make the same money by selling from a cart that takes up less real estate?

It's another on a growing list of "private event" attractions, especially at Epcot.
 
Captain Hank

Captain Hank

Well-Known Member
Part of the problem is that it's not in a very convenient location. Due to the hydrology of the Epcot site (read: sinkhole), Odyssey is back quite a ways from the Future World -> World Showcase promenade. It simply isn't a high-traffic area.
 
MythBuster

MythBuster

Active Member
They used the dual kitchen setup where they could share common kitchen equipment like grills, deep fat fryers, freezers, refrigerators, etc. When the cast cafeteria was run by Disney, they could use cast members in either kitchen or front counter or cashier at the guest side or the cast member side. They had similar setups in MK like for PVH and the Fantasyland Cast cafeteria, and the same with the studios with Brown Derby/Soundstage with cast cafeteria behind it. But when they contracted out the cast cafeterias to Aramark. They stopped that practice and closed the guest side of Odyssey. Also, food quality went way down and the prices went up.
 
marni1971

marni1971

Park History nut
Premium Member
Imagine how far back from the beaten path Odyssey was before Horizons; for its first year there was no bridge from Motion to it. You had to cross from Mexico or from the WorldKey Satellite under the monorail beam!

Its location was an issue for those not bothered to walk to it (menus and signage were posted on the Showcase prom and on the central spine) but even with each Communicore having a full sized eatery it was always busy from personal experience. Innoventions comes along, Sunrise Terrace closes (leaving just Stargate in its new guise) and what happens - Odyssey closes. Go figure.

A real shame. It was a lovely place to eat. Last October brought lots of memories back (thanks to the weather. And Jason. And Steph ;) )
 
K

KaliSplash

Well-Known Member
It was a nice place to eat. Yes, it was out of the way and that was a big part of the problem (and attraction). It was a choice for those who were afraid to eat anything foreign and didn't want to hike all the way to the American Adventure or back to Communicore.
 
One Lil Spark

One Lil Spark

EPCOT Center Defender
KaliSplash said:
It was a nice place to eat. Yes, it was out of the way and that was a big part of the problem (and attraction). It was a choice for those who were afraid to eat anything foreign and didn't want to hike all the way to the American Adventure or back to Communicore.
Click to expand...

Hey! I resemble that remark! :lol:

I loved the Odyssey and was sad when I could only visit it by going to the facilities.
 
V

vwayfan123

New Member
Captain Hank said:
Oddessy houses Epcot First Aid and the Baby Care Center (it's definitely still there). As mentioned previously, the former restaraunt is used for special events. The Illuminations Grand Gathering also uses this space. On the backstage side of things, the building houses the Epcot custodial base and one of the two Epcot Cast cafeterias (the other is in back of the American Adventure and isn't nearly as good).
Click to expand...

thats because the cast cafeteria at oddessy has a subway in it, and its huge!
 
coltow

coltow

Well-Known Member
The baby center is there, but you have to look for it. It took me 2 tries to find it. It's around the back (Mexico side).
 
hpyhnt 1000

hpyhnt 1000

Well-Known Member
The baby center is there. You can enter from the Test Track side (there are a pair of doors next to the bridge that goes by TT) or by the restrooms over toward Mexico (the entrance is to the right of the restroms by the bridge connecting Odyssey to Mexico).
 
Tinkerbella16

Tinkerbella16

Well-Known Member
Me and my mother were just talking about the Odyssey yesterday morning. We were wondering if they were ever going to do anything with it again. I remember when I was about 6 y/o going there for dinner and if I remember correctly, weren't all of the characters on stage doing a show while you ate at your tables? Or am I thinking of another extinct place?

Going to and from WS, we always walk through that path.
 

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