Originally Posted By MPierce Once again I start with the positive. The Park was very clean. The refurb of SSE was really done well on the first half of the ride, with the exception of I miss the chariot in the rome scene, and my wife had to explained to me why the paperboy has his back turned towards us. I still think it doesn't look right. Deep down inside I know that the paperboy is really Chucky, and he is waiting for the appropriate moment to slash some unsuspecting guest with his concealed knife. I am not a big fan of the the new spiel at all. It just doesn't work for me. The descent would have been much nicer had they left a few things such as the futuristic city, and a few other tricked out light shows. The Video seems to be a hit with the tourist as I heard a lot of open laughter. My wife insists we ride this attraction every time we enter the park which translates into everyday we are at WDW. Being able to send the video home as well as to a friend is a big plus. All the little games you can play are a big plus also. They seemed to be a big hit with everyone. The biggest complaint I have with Siemens is they didn't demand that Leave a Legacy be moved to another location. Once again the Fountain of Nations was closed for my visit. I consider this one of my favorite pieces of eye candy at Epcot. The Beverly still taste great. I can't believe folks don't like it. The Gran Fiesta Tour was a complete flop as far as I'm concerned. Give me El Rio de Tiempo anytime over what's there now. Everything seemed to be working at the Nemo ride, including the Angler fish , the exception would be the shark coming out. They must have replaced the Jelly fish because I remember them as something you would see in a 3rd grade project. They look rather nice now. There just doesn't seem to be as many fish as I remember there being in the tanks though. Living with the Land is still a nice little ride. I really don't know why I like it so much. We road Malestrom for the first time in ages. Nobody stops in the theatre now. I did find a nice sweater in the gift shop. My wife wouldn't fork over the $495 for it though. Epcot is my favorite Park. I spend every night there. I mean there's not another place in the World I would rather be until this visit. I know Mr. Jim MacPhee cares deeply about Epcot, and i just can't imagine he is happy with what is happening there. Epcot had a vibrance I could feel before. It seems tired, and worn out now. Off Kilter was there some nights as were the British invasion, Mo'Rockin, and the Chinese acrobats. Somehow the World Showcase just seemed flat to me. I really can't explain why I felt this way. Sure I was bummed out by the $8.00 beer, so my solution was not to buy it. I settled for the Seasonal Ale, and Safari Amber for a mere $6.66. I purchased very few of these. I just got the feeling I was roaming around a great big Retail Market rather than the Entertainment Theme Park that I love so much. The landscaping was beyond disppointing. I miss those great big Sycamores that use to be there. I just counldn't get excited at all this visit. That has never happened before. You talk about lack of waterfowl. Tell me how many times any of you went to Epcot, and there weren't ducks, and other water birds everywhere. The water almost looked stagnant it was so empty. I thought I would never say this, but Epcot was a let down for me. The entrance reminds me of a Gulag now. I am in such a funk over almost everthing there now I can't really give a good report. I hope this feeling goes away, and how I use to feel comes back.
Originally Posted By Spirit of 74 Interesting observations ... I don't think I need to tell anyone here that EPCOT, even in its watered down WalMarted state, is the main reason I go to WDW. MacPhee definitely cares, which is why many people at TDO have it out for him. I believe he'd be a great replacement for Erin Wallace. He's Disney through and through and hasn't sold his soul to Jay Rasulo. But I almost expect to hear Jim has taken the buyout and will be leaving ... with Dan 'I am Lee's brat, but it has nothing to do with where I am today' Cockerell taking his place.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo It is difficult, but I can empathise. Epcot is awesome in theory, but it was like that for me last time too. It felt like the soul had been taken out of future world and the entertainment in World Showcase had been cut well back. We had fun, but it was not the same. Perhaps if they put more entertainment on again, and targeted edutainment for Futureworld, the magic would come back.
Originally Posted By davewasbaloo I had fun, but I am not compelled to return as much as I used to be. Spaceship Earth, Living with the Land, the American Adventure, Illuminations and the live acts are why we go (but there used to be so much more).
Originally Posted By vbdad55 ^^^^^^^^ it's the street shows - mimes - and statues et al missing that does this....and anything live these days means a salary hence - gone. How long before we lose British Invasion or Off Kilter ?
Originally Posted By A Happy Haunt I l♥♥♥vvv shopping in EPCOT!! I have a hard time finding anything I want to buy but, I still love to shop! I saw this great top in France, it was red & had The Mona Lisa on it, I wish I'd bought it! We didn't really see to many street performers last time, just Off Kilter. Tony Orlando was performing that day (Flower Power Concert Series) just figured that was why. Disney was paying so much for him that they couldn't afford anyone else. No Mission Space MPierce? Yeah, me neither! Maybe next time, I hear the "no spin" side is easier than the Teacups!
Originally Posted By dshyates "My wife wouldn't fork over the $495 for it though." You married a smart woman. A five hundred dollar sweater? Was it made of Exxon stock certificates?
Originally Posted By MPierce >> I had fun, but I am not compelled to return as much as I used to be. Spaceship Earth, Living with the Land, the American Adventure, Illuminations and the live acts are why we go (but there used to be so much more). << I so agree.
Originally Posted By MPierce >> it's the street shows - mimes - and statues et al missing that does this....and anything live these days means a salary hence - gone. How long before we lose British Invasion or Off Kilter ? << I am really worried about that. It just seemed so dead there now.
Originally Posted By MPierce >> I l♥♥♥vvv shopping in EPCOT!! << I refuse to make any stereotypical remarks.
Originally Posted By MPierce >> You married a smart woman. A five hundred dollar sweater? Was it made of Exxon stock certificates? << They really were some nice sweaters there. The cheapest sweater on the rack was $265. I wanted to ask someone how many they sold a day.
Originally Posted By MPierce >> Interesting observations ... I don't think I need to tell anyone here that EPCOT, even in its watered down WalMarted state, is the main reason I go to WDW. MacPhee definitely cares, which is why many people at TDO have it out for him. I believe he'd be a great replacement for Erin Wallace. He's Disney through and through and hasn't sold his soul to Jay Rasulo. But I almost expect to hear Jim has taken the buyout and will be leaving ... with Dan 'I am Lee's brat, but it has nothing to do with where I am today' Cockerell taking his place. << You can't imagine how much it bothered me to post what I did. I truly love that Park.
Originally Posted By A Happy Haunt Well you beat me MPierce, the sweater I liked was only $325! Bobblee9 was admiring the crystal castle in I think the German pavilion. It was a mere $20K or so. The CM said that they had all ready sold 3 so far that year!! It was May! people are NUTS! especially the rich ones!
Originally Posted By juicer There is nothing like walking World Showcase in the evening - the lights and the area music from each country is magical - Its even more fun with a few glassed of wine in your belly
Originally Posted By MPierce >> people are NUTS! especially the rich ones! << The bummer here is that I'm nuts without the money!
Originally Posted By MPierce >> There is nothing like walking World Showcase in the evening - the lights and the area music from each country is magical - Its even more fun with a few glassed of wine in your belly << That's exactly how I use to feel. This time felt different. I still can't describe it, and I still hope that feeling goes away. Epcot was truly my refuge from the boredom of everyday life. I really missed that feeling I would get every time I went.
Originally Posted By MPierce >> But I almost expect to hear Jim has taken the buyout and will be leaving ... with Dan 'I am Lee's brat, but it has nothing to do with where I am today' Cockerell taking his place. << I hope he stays, and fights to improve the Park. I know it's the cuts in quality, and entertainment that had me so down this trip. WDW isn't a bargain at a lower price for the room, and tickets when almost every other thing has a price increase, and parts of the Parks feel so stale, and lifeless.
Originally Posted By juicer "This time felt different. I still can't describe it, and I still hope that feeling goes away. Epcot was truly my refuge from the boredom of everyday life. I really missed that feeling I would get every time I went." Did you feel really aware about how extremely expensive everything is and could not get over that to enjoy the atmosphere? Were the CM's pleasant? Did you feel taken advantage of? I'm really curious. Because World Showcase at Epcot is one of my favorite places to be.
Originally Posted By MPierce World showcase is my favorite spot of any place period, I love it. It just felt so lifeless this time. That is hard to explain really. I just felt something big was missing. The food was kind of mediocre with the exception of Tutto Italia. They seemed to raise prices on a lot of food, and beverage items to make up for the discounted room, and ticket prices. Check out what I paid for things in my dining review, and look at the menus posted on the internet. I guess you could say I felt like Mickey was goughing me this time. It's never been cheap at WDW, but I guess some things have just reached the point to where I no longer think I am truly getting the bang for my bucks. Combine some of the prices with the lower quality of horticulture, and it really put me in a funk that I can't seem to shake off. The CM's were fantastic as always. The transportation was fantastic, but I just didn't feel the Magic this time. When you love Walt Disney World as much as I do that's scarey.
