With all of the ongoing changes happening in Epcot, I felt it was a good time to give you a quick update. As I’m sure you know, there is a lot of construction happening throughout the park, and, if you’ll be visiting soon, it might be a good thing for you to have a heads up about the changes currently taking place.
The construction of the brand-new tram area has been completed. The new area is open and spacious, and now ends right in front of the monorail station and platform. I imagine that once construction on the east side of the loop is complete, guests will exit the tram on one side of the loop, and board the tram on the other side. For now, guests exit and enter on the same side.
The bag check location on the west side of the entrance has been relocated to the space underneath the monorail exit platform. Bag check tables have been brought in, and additional metal detectors are now available. The improvement to this area is readily apparent. The bag check tables are now more spread out, and the space will be able to accommodate large numbers of guests more easily than the original bag check area.
The former bag check area is no longer in use, and the large metal exit gates have been removed. Guests who are exiting the monorail no longer have to pass through additional security screening at Epcot. At this time, guests using the monorail only go through bag check at their monorail entrance point.
Construction just to the left as you enter the park continues on what used to be an area dedicated to half of the Leave a Legacy monoliths. Work is being done on the fountain just in front of Spaceship Earth.
The areas surrounding Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and the new PLAY! pavilion (formerly the Wonders of Life pavilion) have been completely closed off by construction walls.
Cinderblocks and what appear to be solar panels sit at the ready in the forecourt of Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. For the coffee lovers in the house: the Joffrey’s Coffee stand in this area is still open, and, with the closing of Fountain View (Starbucks), it is currently the only option for a specialty coffee in Future World.
Construction extends toward World Showcase on the south side of Innoventions East.
Demolition is in full swing in the area that includes the south side of Innoventions West and the area that formerly featured the Fountain of Nations.
It does appear that Fountain of Nations has been completely demolished. We knew this was going to happen, but it’s still a bit tough to see it come to fruition.
The areas on either side of Spaceship Earth (on the east side next to Guest Relations, and on the west side next to the Camera Center and restrooms) are in the process of being cleared out. The trees have been removed in both areas. The area to the west of Spaceship Earth is in the picture above. It looks like these spaces might be being cleared to allow guests to enter and exit from what will eventually be World Discovery and World Nature.
The new building just around the corner from Refreshment Port is getting nearer to completion. As I’ve mentioned before, I believe this will be a much-needed larger restroom location.
We’ll keep our eyes on the prize as changes continue to occur in the park in the days ahead. I’ll be sure to keep you updated as we inch closer to the reimagined Epcot.
