World Celebration Walkway Walls Change Pathway
Watching the construction walls at EPCOT come down brought so much excitement this week to frequent visitors and first-time visitors alike. To much surprise, a new walkway debuted yesterday. For the past few years, guests entering EPCOT experienced quite the detour entering the park from the main gates. Yesterday, however, the stroll from Spaceship Earth toward World Showcase highlighted a much shorter route as well as a glimpse at World Celebration’s new upcoming eatery, Connections Cafe and Eatery.
Previously, large construction walls funneled guests from Spaceship Earth to a pathway left that walked toward World Discovery and alongside the “Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind,” a thrilling new attraction opening this summer.
In the new design, that former pathway found itself blocked off. Instead, guests now follow a path directly towards Creations Shop, the new flagship merchandise store that replaced MouseGear last fall.
Once around those first new walls, the walkway opens up to reveal the best glimpse at the new Connections Cafe and Eatery, which will also house the park’s Starbucks location upon its opening.
Walkways that Lead to Connections
According to Walt Disney Imagineer Zach Riddley, the new space hopes to offer exactly what its namesake suggests: connection. In a recent Instagram post, he specifically mentioned design goals that include “how the gardens and greenery within World Celebration will complement the interiors, allowing our guests to harmonize with nature outside; how friends and family will gather together around a meal or beverage; and how show kitchens will provide a culinary experience for our guests within. The kitchen you see represented here will actually be responsible for making a variety of baked goods, which will be available at Connections Eatery.”
With a Spring 2022 opening date on the horizon, we look forward to enjoying the shorter walkways as well as this open-air, calming space during a day enjoying all the EPCOT has to offer.