Some good news: At least Spaceship Earth won't become a cake!

[Roger]

http://www.allears.net/tp/ep/bradrex.htm

"- Brad said that although 2007 marks Epcot's 25th anniversary, there was no big celebration planned, although there would be private observances behind-the-scenes for cast members."


Horrible. EPCOT/Epcot 'XX/Epcot deserves better.

 

[Dan]

Feh... I think the automated living with the land is an atrocity, and the first time I rode it I didn't get half of the canned speech, it was just missing somehow. And I'm horrified to see no suggestion that they're planning on cutting back to one green team for Space. I'm sick and tired of having to wait through a line that's twice as long just in order to experience the full ride, while people bypassing the major intent of the entire thing get to walk straight on. Balance the ride load already! You have four centrifuges, let the orange team get three of them when the line starts stretching out of the building while green is still walking straight on with no wait whatsoever! Even Wikipedia knows that green team generally has a shorter line!

I'm sorry to be bitter about that, I'm all for allowing people who aren't comfortable with the spinning to still experience it, but dedicating fully half of the available ride machines to that stripped down version which is proving to be less popular irritates me beyond all reason. They're supposed to be smarter than this.

And yes, some degree of celebration for Epcot would be nice.. but.. ya'know, maybe this is as good as we're going to get. Maybe they'd paint Spaceship Earth some garish color.. or, yes, erect some other massive structure to cutesify it up even further.

Private observances.. that sounds like a description for a funeral.

 

[Tim]

green team for me, thanks.

 

[wdwnut4life]

we need to celebrate Epcot's b-day as Disney sure isn't

 

[mobuccellato]

I think this is a bit strange, myself. NO celebration whatsoever?

I believe Nathan Rose will be celebrating in a special way
Maybe he can get on here and post about it!

 

[Tim]

i agree here... it would be really nice if epcot was given a 25th anniversary celebration. i was really looking forward to some major announcement that apparently is not going to come so it's a bit of a disappointment so far. BUT... they are refurbing a lot of attractions and restaurants so maybe they have some extra magic up their sleeves.... ?

 

[Dan]

Well I have a suggestion for a little grassroots rebellion style celebration. Not so much rebellion, really, but..

For a while I've been thinking about various themes I could use to make a t-shirt for a Disney trip. I've had various concepts, from family trip themes to honoring a particular ride favorite.

But how about a home-made Epcot 25th anniversary t-shirt campaign?

I figure it could be done during Mousefest 2007, in an attempt to get as many participating people together as possible.

I think it'd be fun if the result looked reasonably professional, to the extent that other people might start wondering where the shirts were being sold since they hadn't seen any in the gift shops yet.

 

[jcvalenti]

Wow. 25 years ? Already ? I was there a year after it opened.

Personally, I think I enjoy Epcot the most out of all the parks. Might have something to do with the great restaurants and the prodigious amounts of beer and wine available as you stroll the park. That or Chocolate Croissants. Or maybe the ladies in Norway. Hard to choose.

 

[zackiedawg]

including the addition of Mission: Space "Green," the less-intense version of the ride that simulates a trip to Mars. "Guest response has been very positive about the Green version,"

Yep...I'm a greenie myself! I'll do all the up and down roller coaster stuff...but spinning in circles is a no-no for me! I don't even do carousels! I'm very happy they added this.

Another change to Future World that Brad is excited about is the gradual renovation that has taken place at the Seas with Nemo and Friends pavilion formerly known as The Living Seas.

I'll give that one a thumbs up too...though I always enjoyed the original version. It was time for a freshening, and if ever a tie-in opportunity existed, Nemo was it!

Brad revealed that Turtle Talk with Crush, which closed yesterday for a rehab, is moving into a larger theater -- according to him, the queue will be in one of the pods that is closed right now, and the theater used will be the one that formerly showed the Living Seas preshow movie. The new theater will retain the intimacy of the show, although there will be additional seating, and children will still be able to sit on the floor.

Good idea...the pre-show movie was being skipped by 75% of visitors the last few years anyway, and such a big space might as well serve a purpose. The only downside I've found with Living Seas in its current state is that the Turtle Talk line really crowds the lower floor something awful. So this is a thumbs up too!

Brad said that although 2007 marks Epcot's 25th anniversary, there was no big celebration planned, although there would be private observances behind-the-scenes for cast members.

BIG thumbs down! What party poopers! Epcot was such a stupendous groundbreaking idea - a theme park with an educational backbone - technology, discovery, history, and world culture all tied in to entertainment. It deserves a celebration as much as Magic Kingdom did. I will definately celebrate the anniversary every time I head up there this year (first trip: June or July...second either August or September).

Brad also said that a new Spaceship Earth postshow area sponsored by Siemens will open in the March/April timeframe. The new area will have hands-on exhibits.

Good idea. It needs something more in the exit area.

but there are still no definite plans for the Wonders of Life pavilion at this time.

Odd...you'd think they'd want to use that space for something!

As has been rumored for some time, the Mexico pavilion in World Showcase is adding The Three Caballeros to the El Rio del Tiempo ride. The walkaround characters, which have been making appearances in the pavilion for the past few months, are immensely popular

One of the rare instances where I am not plugged into something Disney-related! I never knew anything about 'three caballeros', never saw any characters at the pavilion, and had to look them up to discover that it was an old Donald cartoon that made a recent comeback. I found the old Rio Del Tiempo quaint and old-fashioned - a throwback like It's a Small World - and enjoyed that about it. But I'll also admit that I skipped it often while up there...so I guess no harm done here!

-- O Canada! in the Canada pavilion is going to be updated and the new movie will possibly debut in summer or early fall.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH! NNOOO!! Sorry...big fan of the current O Canada film - gorgeous Canada scenery and I love the song. I used to almost cry at the end of that song with the scenery they were showing! I can hope the new one will be beautiful too...but I fear they'll never quite capture the whole impact of that film and that song together. Oh well...change happens.

The change to an automated spiel on the Living with the Land ride has been met with positive feedback from guests. "Folks seem to be enjoying more of the attraction and no longer focus on the Boat Captain," Rex explained.

Crap. Junk. Bring back the real people!

And since I dug this thread up from more than a month ago, I'll add another of the latest news which is like a knife to my heart:

it looks like the original contract with Alfredo’s is coming to an end and Disney is going to transform the facility into a “new Italian dining experience.â€