Wonders of Life photo post

[wdwmagic]

Wonders of Life did open back up today, I don't remember how long it's been since it was closed but it sure was good to get back inside and see the place again.
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Hi Greg :wave: Good to see you posting. Thanks for the update

 

[DizWhizKid]

Has Epcot made any effort to advertise that WOL is open (listed on guide maps, tip boards, perhaps extra signs). Most people are used to it being closed and may not realize it is now open. Then again if the the crowds are light, WOL reflects it. Crowds could probably increase if Pure and Simple was reopened. Hey, shove a character meet and greet in the old gift shop area and watch what happens to the crowds:wave:

It's listed on the tip boards, and everytime anyone gets a fastpass throughout the park, they (should) get another slip that says that WoL is open. I don't know if this actually happened yesterday or not, cuz I was stuck inside the building all day :hammer: .

Of course, who reads fastpasses and tip boards anyways?

Probe One was out of sync for part of the day, so that's probably what the OP experienced.

Wonders will be open till 7pm all this week, and then next week it, along with every attraction in Epcot, will be open till park closing every night, and will be open for the evening EMHs.

 

[PhilharMagician]

Thanks for posting the pics. It is nice seeing the place open again. WOL looks good form the pics but just soooo empty. The last time I was there and WOL was open was October 2003. Wy DD loved Cranium Command and Goofy About Health. I was hoping that when we were there over Thanksgiving it would have been open for a few days, but no luck.

 

[MKCP 1985]

Thanks for the photos, Greg. I guess we can remove Wonders of Life from the official list of Missing Persons now. Was visiting the pavilion like being in "Yesterdayland?"


Thanks again! :wave:

 

[colav10]

Everyone, get your video cameras rolling, and enter Wonders of Life!!

I have seen videos of Body Wars and Cranium Command but not of The Making of Me. So get in there and capture the great rides/shows before they are gone forever.


Thanks

 

[joel_maxwell]

i would like to see CC one more time..... but as far as the pavilion goes (as ive said before) it is tired and looks like a Richard Simmons exercise video from the 80's. it needs help.

 

[KumbaRider]

as far as the pavilion goes (as ive said before) it is tired and looks like a Richard Simmons exercise video from the 80's.

:lol:

 

[MicBat]

The new ceiling looks nice!

 

[Magicot]

I am finding alot of people saying that the Wonders of Life pavillion looks old, dated, and tired . . . but I don't really see it. There are bright colors everywhere, it looks fresh and clean, and it really doesn't completely give me the feeling that I've gone back in time. I do agree that some of the colors like the pinks and aquas are kind of retro- but it doesn't de-value the pavillion at all (in the sense that we need to get rid of these colors). I just don't see any purpose in saying that the pavillion is "tired" because- it's not. Anyone agree??

 

[joel_maxwell]

I am finding alot of people saying that the Wonders of Life pavillion looks old, dated, and tired . . . but I don't really see it. There are bright colors everywhere, it looks fresh and clean, and it really doesn't completely give me the feeling that I've gone back in time. I do agree that some of the colors like the pinks and aquas are kind of retro- but it doesn't de-value the pavillion at all (in the sense that we need to get rid of these colors). I just don't see any purpose in saying that the pavillion is "tired" because- it's not. Anyone agree??

well, it is a combo of things..... see in the design world, you can see influences throughout generations and trends (colors, shapes, layouts, etc etc) the WoL design has all of these elements of the 80's. the funny thing about it is that Disney was a little ahead of its time (go figure).

in my opinion, this is the reason it is 80's
color: like you said, bright, flouresant and loud. there isnt a lot of tones of one color (gradients), just a lot of different colors.
shapes: all the geometric shapes they use throughout were very popular in the 80's. squares, triangles, checker board. do you remember "Max Headrum" (sp?) that is 80's
design: look at all the entrances to the different sections. they all have a building block feel to them. a ball on top of a cylinder that holds a sign. the fonts are dated as well. they are round and bubbly or they are blocky and cartoonish. did i mention neon. TONS OF NEON! that is 80's. there is a diffrence between accent neon (soarin queue) and highlight neon in WoL

the diffrence 20 years later is instead of neon colors, that have inviting colors; instead of geometric shapes, they have fluent shapes so they dont feel abrasive but inviting; and design, well, fonts always change and signage and entrance ways are more complex and organic.

but there is a diffrence between 80's style and 00's style that is simplistic. sometimes simplicity is the best thing. ei: soarin logo.

 

[bucklmd]

What I'm a little confused about is how Disney maintains enough staff to open a whole pavillion 3 times a year. As an attractions cast member (i.e. Body Wars, Mission Space, etc.) are you trained for several different rides and move around? Otherwise, how could you ever been employed strictly at the WOL pavillion? I know the number of employees at Disney fluctuates based on seasons, but think how much money it would cost to go hire and train people to work at WOL again.

 

[Hurricane]

While we all wax nostalgically about WoL, it's pretty hard to argue that there's a lot to do in there anymore. Apart from BW and CC, there isn't a food location, you can't get your swing analyzed and you can't wait for a long time for an exercise bike (in case you wanted more exercise than walking around for 12 hours)

It's cheaper to rebuild a building than it is to compromise design goals and try to retrofit a new attraction into the old building. If WoL has to go (which judging by the guest levels, is a pretty safe assumption) then they should knock it down and start over. BUT they should build a multi faceted attraction. I'm sick of attractions where there is one thrill ride and then a post show. WoL is part of a dying breed of multi component attractions, to see it demolished and replaced with another Mission Space debacle would be a true tragedy

 

[Magicot]

BUT they should build a multi faceted attraction. I'm sick of attractions where there is one thrill ride and then a post show. WoL is part of a dying breed of multi component attractions, to see it demolished and replaced with another Mission Space debacle would be a true tragedy

I completely agree with this statement! Wouldn't it have been great if instead of Mission: Space and Test Track, we had balanced pavilions called i dunno- Space Horizons Pavilion and Modern Transport Pavilion (of course with M:S and TT inside them)?? Anyone??

 

[wannab@dis]

WoL is part of a dying breed of multi component attractions, to see it demolished and replaced with another Mission Space debacle would be a true tragedy

Why? Epcot FW is the only location that I know of in ANY Disney park that utilized the pavillion method of attraction grouping, so I would hardly call it a "breed." In addition, many people would not call MS a "debacle" or a "tragedy".

If Sunday's attendance level was anything close to Saturday, then the guest count in WoL (based on the pictures) is truly dismal. Saturday seemed really busy (especially at The Land and Living Seas) so it seems that WoL needs to go and something new added to bring in the crowds. It's a waste of resources to open up the pavillion that doesn't have at least a decent guest flow.

 

[joel_maxwell]

It's a waste of resources to open up the pavillion that doesn't have at least a decent guest flow.

or decent attractions (besides CC)

 

[gregwardlow]

Glad to see how many people are interested enough to post, positive or negative. It was a little busier than the pics make it seem, I waited quite a bit for traffic to clear to get shots of the goodies. It wasn't packed but it wasn't dead either - I'd say theaters a third to half full for CC and MoM, while BW was a little harder to judge. The loooong queue area made it seem almost empty, but in hindsight there were at least as many people per simulator as they get at Star Tours. But over there at MGM the longest part of the queue was where they rounded you through the Ewok village trees.

The whole park was light, the big three (TT, M:S and Soarin') had a ton of people but the waits weren't anywhere near what they were a few weeks ago. The WoL building is still on the map, but it doesn't have a number on it or a description in the legend. The only way you'd know it was open if you didn't read it on the Internet was by seeing it on the tip boards or taking the little-used path between M:S and WoL.

Bottom line, it's a people eater for the big holiday crowds so they'll give us a taste every now and then like they do with Timekeeper. It's not a test run to see if there's enough interest to reopen or anything. Enjoy it while we can, another chance to say goodbye to an old favorite and get a taste of how Epcot used to be once upon a time. It sure brought back a lot of good memories for me!

 

[CaptainMichael]

In addition, many people would not call MS a "debacle" or a "tragedy".

Nope! In fact, it is the exact opposite. Rides like Mission: Space, Test Track, and Soarin' are successes. They have taken a park that was labeled as boring and educational and turned it into a place where people of all ages and all walks of life will enjoy. I think Disney is on the right track with Epcot now. The average guest is beginning to change his/her mind about Epcot which is a good thing.

 

[dizneycrazy09]

I personally enjoyed WoL when I saw it. It didn't completely thrill me or really make me want to go back again. I am guilty of having the feeling that it is dated. However, the general idea of WoL is great, and I feel it needs to be in EPCOT. Maybe just close it down for a while, and give it new life by adding an innovative new attraction. ( for example The Land with Soarin' .) The Land's attendance is much larger with the addition of Soarin'. It also boosted attendance of less popular rides such as The Circle of Life (I always felt that Living with the Land held it's own, but that too has even gone up in attendance.) With a new ride and new look would come bigger crowds to not only the pavillion but whatever other attractions they decuded to keep. So I say, keep WoL, just give it a face lift. It's worked before, why wouldn't it again?:sohappy:

 

[MicBat]

What I'm a little confused about is how Disney maintains enough staff to open a whole pavillion 3 times a year. As an attractions cast member (i.e. Body Wars, Mission Space, etc.) are you trained for several different rides and move around? Otherwise, how could you ever been employed strictly at the WOL pavillion? I know the number of employees at Disney fluctuates based on seasons, but think how much money it would cost to go hire and train people to work at WOL again.

When Wonders is closed, the cast members go to various attractions around FW... Mostly on the East Side since Wonders is on the east. When it reopens, they are pulled from those attractions to work Wonders.

 

[packwingfn]

Nope! In fact, it is the exact opposite. Rides like Mission: Space, Test Track, and Soarin' are successes. They have taken a park that was labeled as boring and educational and turned it into a place where people of all ages and all walks of life will enjoy. I think Disney is on the right track with Epcot now. The average guest is beginning to change his/her mind about

Disney World is supposed to be a FAMILY theme park where families can
ride together.My mother refuses to go on Mission Space because shes afraid with her anxiety and stuff. Thank god I'm 20 so it doesn't affect me as much anymore.

I personally miss Horizons but I LOVE mission space and test track so I understand that WoL needs to go. They just don't need to turn into another thrill ride is what I'm trying to get across here with my point. If every ride becomes a thrill ride, then what happened to Walt's vision of Disney World?