Uh oh..how bare will Epcot look without that wand...

[Expo_Seeker40]

Yes so I'm glad the wand is coming down, but, though I have gone through so many pre 1999 photos of spaceship earth before the wand, I never thought to photoshop some post 1999 entrance photos.

Sure, spaceship earth looks nice and um well the way it was supposed to be...but with no substantial foliage, flowers, or plants, and numerous browns, pinks, and random unused leave a legacy stones, ewww the entrance looks like a desert!

Thoughts, opinions, random "big ball wand hate" comments? :lookaroun

Awww how pretty.

Oh snap!

 

[CoffeeJedi]

That entrance plaza desperately needs more green, more water, more nature.

 

[Mansion Butler]

Wow. It does still look better, but still not quite right. Didn't realize how many trees they took out.

 

[kcnole]

It still won't be right until the legacy stones are removed and the greenery is restored. At the very least they need to plant some more trees after the wand is gone.

 

[Disney05]

Before you know it, we'll all forget what the want looked like.

 

[lilmizpixie3]

I have watched home videos from when there was no wand or leave a legacy walls, and i personally like it alot better. It looks neater and more sophisticated.

 

[utrythinkinof1]

If they just added those palm trees in front again, it would look a lot better. Why did they cut down so many trees? Most aren't even close to the wand...:veryconfu

 

[teebin]

I have watched home videos from when there was no wand or leave a legacy walls, and i personally like it alot better. It looks neater and more sophisticated.

sophisticated is a good word for what it should be once again.

 

[Dragonrider1227]

Is it just me or does the ball with the stars and no wand actually look kinda cool?

 

[teebin]

If they just added those palm trees in front again, it would look a lot better. Why did they cut down so many trees? Most aren't even close to the wand...:veryconfu

The palms were Washington Palms (ltn. Washingtonia robusta) they grow really fast and big big big ones like that are relatively cheap. I wouldn't be surprised to see them return as before.

edit added: Also, Washington Palms are soooo tall and can grow to 100ft. They set the tone that while they are big, SSE is way bigger. It will put the Epcot geodesic sphere back on its feet as a major WDW monument.

Question though... is the SSE geodesic sphere a true geodesic sphere? Meaning... the geodesic design is self-supporting?

 

[CThaddeus]

I'm guessing they didn't just hack down the trees. I would hope Disney is a little more intelligent than that. I figure since the dumb Wand and Tombstones went up around 1999, then maybe the foliage was transplanted to Animal Kingdom to try to add some stuff that looked a little more developed. Just a thought.
As for the stars being left on Spaceship Earth...uh, ick. Give me the bald and beautiful SSE.

 

[Mansion Butler]

I'm guessing they didn't just hack down the trees. I would hope Disney is a little more intelligent than that. I figure since the dumb Wand and Tombstones went up around 1999, then maybe the foliage was transplanted to Animal Kingdom to try to add some stuff that looked a little more developed. Just a thought.

I'd bet money you're correct. That's the way they usually operate.

As for the stars being left on Spaceship Earth...uh, ick. Give me the bald and beautiful SSE.

:lookaroun

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

I think they'll add more foliage to it after they finish it. What I DO hope they also take care of is the Exterior of SE you recall a year or so ago when we saw scummy dirty pictures of how SE looked.

 

[jiminy.cricket]

Is it just me or does the ball with the stars and no wand actually look kinda cool?

Just you? Er, I just don't think it looks that great with the stars. It looks too...scrapbookish? Or like sticker decorations on a teenage diary...

And yes, I've really missed the foliage; at least there's still that planter in the middle. The Leave-A-Legacy plaza just looks so desolate...although if it's torn down I feel sorry for the people who etched their memories there; maybe the plates can be transferred elsewhere...

 

[cb3k]

Wow..what a difference the landscaping makes...I am all in favor of the entry being restored to its original state. Heck we raised enough fuss over the wand and somebody took note, next will be the removal of the modern wasteland they call "leave a legacy"

 

[brkgnews]

The palms were Washington Palms (ltn. Washingtonia robusta) they grow really fast and big big big ones like that are relatively cheap. I wouldn't be surprised to see them return as before.

edit added: Also, Washington Palms are soooo tall and can grow to 100ft. They set the tone that while they are big, SSE is way bigger. It will put the Epcot geodesic sphere back on its feet as a major WDW monument.

Question though... is the SSE geodesic sphere a true geodesic sphere? Meaning... the geodesic design is self-supporting?

The geosphere is actually a 3/4 sphere sitting on a "table" and a 1/4 sphere hanging from the same "table."

 

[darthjohnny]

I will feel like something is missing after the wand is gone.

 

[jmvd20]

I sure hope they restore the landscaping and have some very good lighting effects on SSE at night. If not something will be missing after the wand is taken down.