Spaceship Earth Surprise Soft-Reopens at EPCOT
If you’ve been checking attraction wait times for Walt Disney World recently, you will probably have noticed that Spaceship Earth is currently marked as unavailable here at EPCOT.
Yes, as previously reported, EPCOT’s landmark attraction temporarily closed back in the summer, to undergo a “routine refurbishment” beginning August 25th.
So, when arriving through the EPCOT turnstiles and heading inside the park, you can imagine our MickeyBloggers weren’t exactly holding out much hope for a journey through time last night.
Or so we thought!
A Surprise Soft-Launch
As a matter of fact, the Spaceship Earth “Wait Time” sign was lit up when we passed by last night, with a glowing red “15” alerting us to an unexpected surprise… the attraction has actually quietly soft-opened, ahead of it’s initial refurbishment schedule!
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According to park calendars, the refurbishment work was scheduled to be completed later this month, with the ride set to reopen on October 25th – that’s next Saturday.
However, we’re pleased to confirm that the attraction is clearly ready to welcome guests now, with rides operating as usual a whole week ahead of schedule!
A Noticeable Refurbishment
So, as we ascended the ramp into the iconic glowing orb attraction last night, only one thing was on our minds.
Just how much will we notice of this “routine refurbishment”?
Well, it was quite the surprise!
As we all know by now, attraction closures are pretty commonplace here at Disney, with reopenings often wielding a wide range of results upon guest experience.
Sometimes, an attraction will reopen with a whole assortment of drastic changes noticeable to guests. Other times, an attraction may close for months, then reopen with barely any visible difference, indicating the refurbishment was more of a “behind the scenes” sort of job.
In this instance, our MickeyBlog reporters were excited to share that this finished Spaceship Earth refurbishment was highly noticeable, with the whole attraction now gleaming as if it were brand-new!
It’s just what this nostalgic attraction has been needing!
On the ride itself, the animatronics appeared more fluid in their movements, and an increase in audio enhancements was noticeable, too.
Then, in the “Project Tomorrow” area at the ride’s exit, all the props, displays and technology looked as if it had been totally refurbished to newness – and we couldn’t have been happier to see it!
Of course, this refurbishment update isn’t news of the large-scale, total overhaul project of the attraction we’ve all been umm-ing and ahh-ing about for years.
However, the work is definitely a step in the right direction for Spaceship Earth, and we’re sure guests will be as pleased as we are to see some love and Disney magic injected back into the ride!
Also, it’s such fun to be able to spot smiling faces shown across the big globe here in Project Tomorrow once more.
Two months might not be the longest time an attraction has been down for, but we sure have missed having Spaceship Earth open to ride on our EPCOT visits!
Just a Soft-Opening
Now, it’s important to note that this surprise ride last night was just an example of a soft-reopen here at Walt Disney World.
At the time of writing, the EPCOT calendars are still showing Spaceship Earth as closed until it officially reopens as scheduled on October 25th.
That being said, it may occasionally quietly reopen again over the next seven days.
So, if you’re visiting EPCOT, be sure to take a glimpse over to the ride as you’re passing, to see if that “Wait Time” sign is lit.
It’s always nice to have the opportunity to enjoy an extra attraction, and we can’t wait for you to see the fabulous updates the refurbishment has brought to Spaceship Earth!
