Walt Disney World Epcot Discussion Thread

[cfc]

I'm looking forward to this ride.  I liked the Guardians version of Tower at DCA, too (nice change of pace).

[KBrylczyk]

^ Oh, holy crap, so I finally got to ride Guardians this past November.  I was blown away by how fantastic it was!  I was thinking it would be a lame re-skin with more screens but WOW that ride kicks all kinds of ass!

[Nrthwnd]

In the Multi-Universe (Multi-Verse?) .... All is Possible.

[tuxedomask5432]

I’m really excited about cast-member previews! This will be the first roller coaster I’ve had a chance to ride before the general public! The queue, the vehicles, and the theming all look amazing. It will be nice to have another unique attraction to WDW, not found in the other Disney parks. I am stoked for Tron too, but this is an original creation.

[Nrthwnd]

Future EPCOT Showcase "Country RUMOR": Columbia ~ with an ENCANTO attraction "at the end" of it's layout.....

Hmmm? Works for me!

[KBrylczyk]

Has anyone heard if there's going to be a "Boarding Group" style situation with Guardians this summer?  I only ask because I can get an absolutely killer price for a 5-day trip at the end of the month, opening weekend, and I'm extremely tempted to book it.  If I have to fight with everyone for a lottery to get the privilege to ride, though, I'll just wait a while until the demand dies down.

Edit - I should note that I will certainly add Genie to the tickets, but I've heard horror stories about attractions losing timeslots faster than RotR when it was doing the boarding groups.

[SharkTums]

^It has been announced that it will do boarding groups like how Rise used to.  And with Resort Guests getting priority unless you're staying on site I wouldn't count on riding it. 

[Hilltopper39]

1 hour ago, SharkTums said:

^It has been announced that it will do boarding groups like how Rise used to.  And with Resort Guests getting priority unless you're staying on site I wouldn't count on riding it. 

Yeah I get this move for a new ride but it's still frustrating. Although it does feel like the previews for Guardians is much more extensive than anything I can remember Disney doing in the past so maybe that will help with the crowds early on after opening. 

[coasterbill]

4 hours ago, KBrylczyk said:

Has anyone heard if there's going to be a "Boarding Group" style situation with Guardians this summer?  I only ask because I can get an absolutely killer price for a 5-day trip at the end of the month, opening weekend, and I'm extremely tempted to book it.  If I have to fight with everyone for a lottery to get the privilege to ride, though, I'll just wait a while until the demand dies down.

Edit - I should note that I will certainly add Genie to the tickets, but I've heard horror stories about attractions losing timeslots faster than RotR when it was doing the boarding groups.

Yeah, there's absolutely no chance of this thing being readily available on Genie+ by park opening. If you refresh it enough I'd imagine you can get it but it's far from a sure thing.

[thrillseeker4552]

It's a little surprising to see no posts in this thread since Guardians opened almost 2 months ago. I'm looking for some advice from the Disney experts out there (which I am most definitely *not*).

I do not have an annual pass, however I am looking at purchasing a single day (possibly park hopper) for EPCOT so I can experience Guardians (I am looking at going on a Saturday or Sunday in mid-September). Does anyone know how difficult/easy it has been lately to get a boarding group for the ride? And they are still doing the boarding groups, correct? I would be going to the park alone, so I don't know if being a single rider has any benefits when trying to get on the attraction.

Any advice would be appreciated, or any info regarding the current operations of the coaster. It looks awesome. I am just hesitant to purchase a ticket for a day at the park and have a very low chance of actually getting on the ride. Thanks in advance!

[jimmiemac02]

5 hours ago, thrillseeker4552 said:

It's a little surprising to see no posts in this thread since Guardians opened almost 2 months ago. I'm looking for some advice from the Disney experts out there (which I am most definitely *not*).

I do not have an annual pass, however I am looking at purchasing a single day (possibly park hopper) for EPCOT so I can experience Guardians (I am looking at going on a Saturday or Sunday in mid-September). Does anyone know how difficult/easy it has been lately to get a boarding group for the ride? And they are still doing the boarding groups, correct? I would be going to the park alone, so I don't know if being a single rider has any benefits when trying to get on the attraction.

Any advice would be appreciated, or any info regarding the current operations of the coaster. It looks awesome. I am just hesitant to purchase a ticket for a day at the park and have a very low chance of actually getting on the ride. Thanks in advance!

Guardians is such an awesome ride! This website may be of interest to you as far as boarding groups and lightning lane are concerned: https://www.thrill-data.com/waits/attraction/epcot/guardiansofthegalaxycosmicrewind/

Boarding groups (at least in the afternoon) have been lasting several hours, so it's certainly not hard to get a boarding group. The ride has also been very reliable.

On another note, mid-September is a couple months away and the virtual queue may be gone by then, but seeing as the indoor queue only holds 30 minutes or so of people, it may still be in effect.

[SharkTums]

I wouldn't worry about getting on it.  That's one of the reasons there aren't pages of info.  It's not like Rise of hte Resistance, most people can get on it with minimal hassle. 

[jarmor]

So about this coaster. . .

I am trying to avoid POV's but like it was mention a post up, no one is talking about it.  Is it because it's basically RNRC2.0?  Is there anything special about it?

[SharkTums]

^It's a good solid Disney coaster, but we all know Disney isn't going to build the type of roller coasters that are going to get enthusiasts talking. It's a wonderful addition to Epcot and I like it a little more every time I ride it.  Much better than Rock n Roller Coaster...it's a lot like Space Fantasy at Universal Japan. 

[michaellynn4]

My brother rode it a few weeks ago. He's a big MCU fan (and I mean BIG), and he loved it so much that he was fighting back tears at the end of it. So yea, I imagine it depends on what you're looking to get out of it. 

[Midgetman82]

Was at the resort last week and got to experience Cosmic Rewind finally. There's a ton I could unpack about it, but overall yeah, I can see this being a lot of people's favorite roller coaster in all of Walt Disney World! Quite thrilling, and surprisingly longer than I expected! Loved it! Not my favorite overall attraction at Disney (RotR is still king), and personally not my #1 coaster at Disney (I'm a sucker for Everest), but dang is it a top contender!

I rode it twice, first time with virtual queue, and also had a Lightning Lane callback to get back in line later in the evening, and boy am I glad I did. I could ride that almost all day! I can't wait until they drop Virtual Queue, because it's very, very efficient with capacity too.

I'm gonna try to still not spoil anything for anyone who's avoiding those (you should probably stop reading now if you're that person), but...

There's one one thing I think I could critique with it, and it's that the story pacing during the actual coaster section itself is so fast that you miss a ton of what's actually happening. Now, no one needs to know what's happening, it's still just suuuuper fun to sit back and enjoy the ride! But if you're trying to follow along the full story as well, you'll miss a LOT on that first ride-thru. With regards to spinning: My dad is NOT into spinning rides and was worried it would make him too sick for the rest of the day. He was assured by many others he might like it and to give it a try anyway. Him and I rode together for our first ride. He said he did enjoy it, but it was very borderline for his limits and still made him a lil disoriented for a good portion of the day after, but he felt fine by the evening. I rode alone on my second lap . (Maybe spoiler for ride layout ahead) The coaster doesn't free-spin like a wild mouse, but there's a ton of sudden fast helixes throughout the ride that might still throw off those with weaker stomachs.

[Nrthwnd]

^ About that last paragraph....

Disney was quoted (some time long ago, I remember) that the Original Pirates ride was an "action attraction", and as such, the public would make repeat visits to it, because there was "so much going on at once", one ride through was not enough. And after his passing, the original Haunted Mansion was essentially the same in design, with lots to see, again and again. I still can't remember all of what happens in that graveyard, heh.

And .... they did make tons of repeat visits to both attractions, lol. And I expect that this will happen with Rewind. People will miss stuff and want to ride it all again.

[Haymaker]

Rode Cosmic Rewind twice this trip... very smooth and a lot of fun. I get motion sick on Ratatouille and a little less so on Flight of Passage and had no problem with this ride. The "spins" are gradual and tend to flow along with the elements. Great addition and a must do at Epcot!

[Haymaker]

Oh and the "Holiday Overlay" is really just a remixed Christmas song with no other additions. 

[teacherkim]

On 12/15/2022 at 8:49 PM, Haymaker said:

Rode Cosmic Rewind twice this trip... very smooth and a lot of fun. I get motion sick on Ratatouille and a little less so on Flight of Passage and had no problem with this ride. The "spins" are gradual and tend to flow along with the elements. Great addition and a must do at Epcot!

Hmmmm, interesting. We rode it for the first time last Friday. Got two rides in with two different songs and I had just the opposite experience, fine on Ratatouille and F of P but bothered a bit both times by Cosmic Rewind. Frankly we were a bit underwhelmed but that may have been just due to it being overhyped. I like Guardians of the Galaxy and it was well themed but as far as the story I enjoyed Misssion Breakout at DCA much much more.

[A.J.]

We have news out of Destination D23 for all sorts of new stuff coming to EPCOT!

https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2023/09/opening-dates-revealed-for-new-epcot-fireworks-show-figment-moana-and-more/

A new nighttime spectacular called “Luminous The Symphony of Us” will debut at EPCOT on Dec. 5, 2023! 

“Luminous The Symphony of Us” will feature fireworks, fountains, lasers, lighting effects and music and continue Disney’s long tradition of amazing nighttime entertainment at the park.

 

Fan-favorite Figment will begin greeting guests at EPCOT on Sept. 10!

Beginning tomorrow, the iconic purple dragon will be at the Imagination Pavilion at EPCOT sparking your creativity and helping your imagination soar. Check out our new five fun Figment facts story featuring some new must-have fashion items.

 

The World Celebration neighborhood at EPCOT will begin welcoming guests this December! 

World Celebration will unite the front of the park, tying together the other two new EPCOT neighborhoods, World Discovery and World Nature.  The completion of the last of the park’s three neighborhoods is the latest major milestone in EPCOT’s multi-year transformation.

 

Also, the popular Test Track attraction at EPCOT is being reimagined!

Imagineers along with teams from corporate alliance partner Chevrolet are reaching back into history for inspiration – from the original World of Motion – and bringing that spirit of optimism to the next iteration of Test Track!  More to come in the future.

 

And Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana will open on Oct. 16, 2023! 

Journey of Water is a new walk-through experience located within World Nature – the EPCOT neighborhood dedicated to understanding and preserving the beauty and balance of the natural world.  

Also on Oct. 16 – Moana will arrive in World Nature and make her first appearance in her own dedicated space near Journey of Water. 

 

[bert425]

Test Track version 3 ?

 

hmmmmm

[tinaalsgirl]

I remember when Test Track got its current overlay. It was only a couple years after Tron Legacy came out, so at the time, it seemed a lot like they were trying to make a Tron ride without actually making a Tron ride.

Now that they have an actual Tron ride at WDW, I guess they feel they can rework Test Track again. And it sounds like they're going nostalgic with the references to World of Motion in the press release, so that's exciting!

[thepoint4life23]

My Guess is that Test track will push hardcore on going green and will be based around ev's

[bert425]

With the successful re-theme in Norway to incorporate Frozen really bringing in so many more people to that pavilion (I'm assuming the Frozen ride would be considered a "success" by Disney).

I wonder if the imagineers have floated the idea of re-doing the Three Caballeros ride in Mexico pavilion to incorporate "Coco" ?

While I personally would be sad to see Donald and friends go from one ride he's really tied to. . . I'd thing the more modern crowd would be much more pulled towards a Coco themed attraction?

and it wouldn't need much more than a lay-over rather than a full redesign of the ride.

just a thought.