Epcot - Tired?

[canarypam]

Epcot is our favourite also. Love just wandering round the lake etc.

[Lyn]

My kids used to hate Epcot but now it's a must for them when they visit.

Could be it's because the first time they visited they were 9 and 7 respectively and this yeat the eldest will be 30[msnoo] or it could be because the park has improved[msnwink]

My daughter will be 30 in November whilst we are there and the only Disney park she wants to visit is Epcot. (The 1st time she visited she was 11)

[Laurel Oak]

Our favourite Disney Park also.

One or two attractions are looking tired such as the Journey into Imagaination but we still love it.

[sammibabe]

Talking turtle with Crush ... Dudes!!!

Oh Yeah love that, Crush talked to my husband last time

[Snapper]

I think I know what you mean Robert. The lagoon side of Epcot never really seems to change. It has grown on me more and more over the years though and in all honesty I now love it. I think my frame of mind has changed somewhat over time though. I don't think you can expect too much of the walk around the lagoon but if you take away any really high expectations and just admire it for what it is, it all comes to life. For sure it's a bit cheesy in places, and for sure that's understating the matter for a couple of the cheesiest bits; but there's some nice detail too ... and the Bier Garten has the best Weissbier in the whole of Orlando. The tea and cakes are Norway are good too.

The best comparison I've come up with is against Las Vegas. If you go to Las Vegas expecting it to be like Monte Carlo, all James Bond, dinner suits and vodka martinis, you'll be really disappointed. If you go there with no expectations whatsoever and admire it for what it is, it's a great place.

And Epcot does have the best fireworks display in Disney! IMHO!

[MTP]

... and the Bier Garten has the best Weissbier in the whole of Orlando

I was not aware of that fact!

[Andrena]

Epcot is my favourite too, if we had to choose just one park to visit then that would be it. I never get bored with it.

Andrena

[DisneyPrincess]

I have to admit Epcot is my least favourite park overall, but having said that LOVE some of the attractions - Nemo, Soarin, Test Track and Spaceship Earth are all pretty new and well worth the trip. Some of the shows around the world showcase are excellent too - especially the chinese acrobats and Japanese drummers! There's also a chair balancing act in France which was good and a Beatles tribute in England! I fell asleep on some weird dinasoar thing with Ellen Degeneres (sp?) which seemed to go on forever - wouldnt go on that again! I agree that parts of the park are a little dated compared to the others though, perhaps Disney will address this in the next few years

[Tonish]

Before you read this, just be aware that I'm a big fan of Disney, Epcot in particular and we visit more or less every year, and will continue to do so, but...

OP suggests it's tired. I would go further and say it's not only looking tired, Disney have lost a major sense of drive and purpose and it is reflected in the standard in the parks. When it opened, Epcot was stunning. The name has a meaning, and it came across. The only real noticeable upgrades since it opened are Soarin and Mission Space. That's two significant rides in 30 years - but Soarin, for example, whilst really enjoyable, is a fairly cheap ride - a big screen and some hanging gondola seats. Think of the comparative difference in imagination and thought between that and the unique concept of the Universe of Energy moving seats.

It's dirtier as well, there is less pride in the upkeep. I was going to do a post on this last year when we returned - quite a lot of litter. When we went first, you bumped into someone sweeping up specks of dust every few minutes, now you see overfull bins and rubbish on the ground. Staff are just as likely to be surly and unhelpful as greet you with a smile.

It's the same with parts of the Magic kingdom, for example. Take Tomorrowland or Fantasyland- both a bit of a joke. Ok they're upgrading Fantasyland at the minute, but after 40 years, it's about time. Again, going there in the early days there was such a sense that real thought had gone into the design of every section, but then it just got frozen in time. They have not kept up the investment or fulfilled the purpose and Robert is right, it is looking tired, but worse is the loss of imagination and purpose. Walt has been let down.

In short, my personal view is they're losing it, are trying to run their parks on the cheap and they will definitely lose out to the competition unless they get back some of their vision and refresh staff's pride in the organisation.

[sammibabe]

Will be interesting when we go next month as I have always loved the Disney parks and have often said no one can do a park like Disney, the whole ethos was clean with friendly staff and a great park experience. By comparison we have found other parks sadly lacking and Universal/IOA in particular were only visited cos the rest of the family love the rides.Overall park experience did not come close to Disney and as I don't do rides that has always been quite important.