Deb's Digest

Well, as you can see, I didn't quite finish the "live" updates from Walt Disney World. Things just got so hectic. Allow me now, to finish up the trip as best I can.....

4/20/07 Evening....

Dinner at California Grill was wonderful, as it always is for me. We were seating in the wine room in the back and had a great view of Epcot's Spaceship Earth as well as the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin. As I mentioned, I"ll be doing an article for the AllEars® newsletter on our California Grill experience.

4/21/07
Saturday morning we decided to have breakfast at Whispering Canyon Cafe. If you haven't been there yet, let's just say is a Wild and Crazy dining experience. Lots of whopping it up….. so be ready for noise, even early in the am! The kids all got to ride around on their stick ponies (even some "older" kids) and it was fun to watch. Our server was very into his role and sometimes he couldn't stop himself from laughing. Food was very good but huge quantities and most of us couldn't finish our breakfast!!

The four of us went over to Epcot to see the Flower and Garden Festival. It certainly had more "color" than I remembered from last year.

The Pirate ship at the entrance is just magnificent with Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, Captain Hook, the gator and Pirate "Mr. Smee" Stitch!

We rode the new Gran Fiesta Tour in Mexico. Certainly more colorful and lively that the former El Rio de Tiempo which definitely needed updating. If I didn't know the story line in advance, I would have been wondering exactly what it was. It wasn't clear to me until near the end that the Caballeros were looking for Donald. Be that as it may, it was cute and a strong "C-ticket" attraction.

There were gorgeous orchids along the path outside of Mexico and we spent a great deal of time admiring and taking photos of them.

At this point I left my friends and headed off to do some resort research at Saratoga Springs and Port Orleans French Quarter. My friends continued to enjoy the Festival.

Deb
Life -- IT too short!

Evening 4/21/2007

Tonight we dined at Jiko to celebrate our dear friends Tod and Sue's anniversary. Our dinner was simply amazing and highlighted by manager Jeremy who paired each of our courses with a special South African Wine. We actually never did have a "main course" per se... but did manage to have several courses of items from the Cooking Place and the appetizer list. Oh, and dessert.

In this photo, Jeremy is pouring the Chocolate Box red wine for Sue -- it was YUMMMY!!

Sunday, April 22, 2007
I hadn't spent much time in the World Showcase portion of Epcot so Linda and I headed there on Sunday. What a beautiful weather day... mostly blue skies, mild temps and a small breeze. We strolled from pavilion to pavilion enjoying all the beautiful flowers and topiaries.

Along the way, we had lunch at the Yakatori House in Japan. It was ok, nothing special, but decent. By mid afternoon we strolled back to the front of Epcot to try and get better photos of the entrance topiaries.

Back to Wilderness Lodge where we spent some time talking with the concierge staff. Lisa, Gerrianne, Jack and everyone was just super!

Sunday evening we dined at Il Mulino in the Swan, the new Italian place. Being such a huge fan of Palio (the former Italian restaurant), I had such high hopes. Alas, I found the place disappointing and way overpriced. Our dining companions, Steve Barrett (Mr. Hidden Mickey) and his lovely wife Vickie, made the evening very special.

Monday morning we were off to the airport at 6:30am for a flight home. A great trip with great memories!

Deb --
Life IT too short!

UPDATE: Today, the Orlando Sentinel reports that Epcot is now having some official activities on October 1st. Special items of note include an exhibit on Epcot's 25 years and a special IllumiNations finale.

The 25th anniversary of Epcot Center (October 1st) is almost here. For many months, Disney fans wondered if Walt Disney World would pay special attention to the 25th Anniversary of what was once, a dream of Walt's. Wow, 25th Anniversary.

Some of you may recall that in January I interviewed Epcot's then Vice President Brad Rex, who informed me, no special celebration would be happening. I remember sighing when he told me that and felt disappointed.

Soon two young local Disney fans, Jenn Waitt and Adam Roth, decided if Walt Disney World was not going to officially celebrate the anniversary, they would! They began conversations on the WDWMagic message boards and realized many others felt the same way they did. From there, Celebration 25 was born. "Join us as we honor Epcot’s past and prepare for its future by kicking off its next twenty five years with a bang! We hope to have you with us as we celebrate this once in a lifetime event."

The Celebration 25 event now has over 1,000 folks registered and a sold out IllumiNations Dessert Party for the evening of October 1st. Adam has garnered such attention to his celebration that he reports Epcot officials plan to have an official, but low key, ceremony to honor the anniversary.

The Celebration 25 schedule has been announced and includes the rededication ceremony, "history walks" and attraction meets.

The guest list for the Celebration 25 reads like a Who's Who of independent Walt Disney World notables. Here are just a few of the folks who plan to attend: Deb Wills and Debra Martin Koma (AllEars®) Lou Mongello (WDW Trivia), Simon and Susan (Brits Guide), John Frost (The Disney Blog), Jeff Pepper (2719 Hyperion Blog), Bryan Ripper (All about the Mouse), Lou Moulton (Beyond Mainstreet), John Corigliano (Mouse Times), of course founder Adam Roth (Dreamfinder Forever), and many more.

Speaking of Jeff, he has a great series of blogs regarding Epcot memorabilia over the years.

Also during the weekend, another Disney fan group has organized what they call, "That Epcot Thing" with events scheduled to the anniversary. Organized by Nathan Rose and Tim Devine, The Epcot Thing also has its share of notables attending including: Ron Schneider (The Original Dreamfinder), Steve Barrett (Hidden Mickey's Guide), Kendra Trahan (NFFC President and Author), Jeff Lange (Disney Historian and DVD Author), Jim Hill (MDP Guest Podcaster and Disney Insider), and Mike and Julie Neal (Complete Guide to Walt Disney World).

And for those who want to totally immerse themselves in "Disneyana" for the weekend, the NFFC - an international club for Disney Enthusiasts has the 2nd Annual NFFC Florida Disneyana Convention September 27-30, 2007 at Coronado Springs. Registration required for many events.

Pin Traders will be happy to know that Walt Disney World does plan to release special pins for the 25th Celebration.

Want to see where Celebration 25 began? Just head over to WDWMagic message boards!

Tuesday's issue (September 25, 2007) of the AllEars® (weekly newsletter) has a special feature on the original Journey Into Imagination ride (Future World, Epcot) written by Lou Mongello.

As I read the draft, I found myself reminiscing about the ride and my first visit to Epcot in the early 1990s. All of a sudden I was surrounded by my postcard collection, searching for Figment cards! You're in luck!

Here are the ones I found.. They are here as a tribute to Epcot's upcoming 25th anniversary and the original Journey Into Imagination. All scans of the front of the postcards which are all copyright Disney.

Pre-opening artist rendering postcard. "With a Spark of Inspiration ." - colorful realms of creativity will be explored when guests board ride-vehicles for a Journey Into Imagination."

"Imagination - One Little Spark in Journey into Imagination, Dreamfinder and Figment escort you aboard the 'Dream Machine', enjoy a 3-D 'Magic Journeys', and the Image Works spurs creativity with light and sound."

"Catch a Dream - The Dreamfinder and his little purple pal, Figment, fly through the universe gathering sounds, shapes and colors for a Journey into Imagination."

"You're On Figment! Can a dragon be a star? Why not? In Journey Into Imagination, Figment puts on his top hat and tails to entertain us."

If I'm missing any Imagination or Figment postcards from the 80's or 90's, please let me know! I'd love to see them. Just use the comment link below.

Lou's article is in the September 25, 2007 edition of AllEars®, available by free subscription.

AllEars® is a weekly newsletter with feature articles, news, tips and our famous MouseyMindboggler riddle!. It is sent via email to over 90,000 subscribers. Check it out!

This is the 3rd in a series of blogs on Epcot's 25th Anniversary.
Epcot Turns 25!
Journey to Imagination Postcards .

Less than a week from now, Epcot will be buzzing with all the excitement! Yes, the Food and Wine Festival begins this weekend, but also Epcot turns 25 on Monday, October 1st and there is a very special 2 day event called Celebration 25.

I had the pleasure recently to chat with Adam Roth, one of the co-founders of Celebration 25, an event designed to celebrate 25 years of Epcot. Adam is a 16 year old high school junior who lives in the Orlando area. Adam wasn't even born when Epcot opened. However, there is an Epcot connection with his family. Adam's father was a reporter who covered Epcot's opening and still has a pre-opening Epcot press kit!

Adam recalled for me one of his early visits to Horizons and also talked about the Journey Into Imagination attraction, especially how much he enjoyed the Image Works. In fact, his website (Dreamfinder Forever) started as a campaign to bring back Figment's buddy the Dreamfinder.

When asked what makes Disney special, Adam explained: "I'm a passholder for many of the local parks. When I look and try to compare...I can't honestly go to Universal or Sea World every weekend, but for some reason, I can go back to Disney every weekend! With Disney, I don't get bored. It's always something new for me - something new to find and to do"

Celebration 25 was actually the idea of Jenn Waitt who started a discussion on the WDWMagic message boards. She wanted to organize something to pay tribute to the 25th anniversary of Epcot. Adam offered space on his website, Dreamfinder Forever, and that was the start.

As more people registered, Jenn and Adam were busy adding more folks to their team. "It's amazing to think that 8 months have passed since we started this and we are over 1,000 people past what we imagined," Adam explained.

The Celebration 25 team is comprised of many folks. "Jenn - came up with the idea; Jason is in charge of the IllumiNations dessert party; John Corigliano is doing several history walks; Lou Mongello is an official sponsor and has provided name tags and lanyards in addition to lots of support; Jeff Pepper another sponsor is providing the printed schedule; and there are many partner websites too."

One would think Adam had lots of experience planning events, but this is the first time he's ever done anything like this. It's amazing especially when you consider that he is also keeping up with his high school AP classes and preparing for a school trip to France at the end of October.

"What about your folks?", I inquired, "What do they think of all this?" "They're amazed!", Adam said excitedly. "I first told them about it 8 months ago, that I was going to miss school on October 1st. After I explained they said 'that's fine'. As it started to grow, they said, 'We're not missing this!"

Initial plans for the event were very small with hopes to get 200 persons signed up. The IllumiNations dessert party was the first thing the group officially organized. That was the foot in the door at Epcot. Scott Powers wrote about Celebration 25 in the Orlando Sentinel and then things really took off.

All along, it's been very important to Adam that Epcot officials be aware of the group's activities. He didn't want any issues during the event. Working closely with Epcot cast members, space has even been provided near Epcot's Kennel Club for the Celebration 25 registration tables. All registered attendees will receive a lanyard/nametag and IllumiNations dessert party attendees will have a separate identifier.

And if this isn't enough, Adam made it clear to me how important having a charity associated with the event was to him and the team. Lou Mongello's Dream Team fundraiser for Make a Wish will be the charity associated with Celebration 25. All proceeds from the Celebration 25 DVD and Scrapbook and any extra from the IllumiNations dessert party will go to the Dream Team fundraiser. "Now we can do something for the community and not just Epcot."

Adam isn't sure if all 50 states are represented in the registered attendees, but he does know that there is a large group coming from the United Kingdom. There is also a couple getting married on October 1st and rather than head off to their honeymoon, they are coming to the Celebration 25 activities and the dessert party.

According to Adam, and most of this has also been reported in the Orlando Sentinel, Epcot will have several special displays/activities to celebrate 25 years!

The Epcot Gallery in Innoventions West opens October 1st for guests and promises to be a step back through the years of Epcot's history. While it is unclear how long the gallery will be open, it sounds like through the end of this year. There will be 2 sessions with Marty Sklar. All Celebration 25 registered IllumiNations dessert party attendees will have a ticket to one of the two sessions. Disney is also planning special 25th Anniversary merchandise including t-shirts and pins.

IllumiNations will have a special "tag" after the regular show which will be a one time only tribute that's 5 minutes long. Adam shared that there will be additional fireworks, lasers, music from Epcot's past (Tapestry of Nations) and possibly Spaceship Earth used as a canvas.

And....when it's all said and done, Adam wants "to remember this as something I had a part in. I think that everyone who has been involved and everyone who has signed up has made this event so strong... I"m proud to be involved. This is one of those times we can say to Disney; this does mean something to us! I know that our presence has reminded them in a friendly way, that we do care."

I, and many others, will be in Epcot Sunday and Monday to be part of all the excitement! See you there!

My trip Thursday night started off a little iffy. Planes were very delayed due to weather in other areas. My 7:15pm flight didn't leave until 11pm! Meaning I wasn't in my room until 2:00am. Not a great way to start off a jam packed 4 day trip.

Things quickly changed for the better and it's been an amazing time thus far.

First things first.... we were up bright and early yesterday morning and headed into Epcot. I had the pleasure of meeing Officer Dave, a security guard at Epcot's International Gateway. Dave has a great voice and sang me a couple short tunes. It certainly started my day smiling! I saw him again this morning and also this afternoon.... and requested a tune and he gladly complied. Dave told me someone put a video of him on UTube.. if I find it, I'll post a link!

I made my way over to the Wonders of Life building where the Festival Center is located this year. Unfortunatly, my arrival at 10:40am was not early enough to be seated in the first wine pairing of the day.

Once I knew for sure I was shut out of the wine seminar, I began browsing the shop. There is a fair amount of Food and Wine Festival logo merchandise.

T-Shirt for $19.95

Chef Mickey Plush for $9.95

After leaving the Festival Center at Wonders of Life I stopped in MouseGears. Folks have said there were some "retro" T-Shirts for sale and I wanted to get one.

3/4 Sleeve shirt $26.00

Yellow Retro Shirt $24.00

I inquired about the special 25th Anniversary merchandise, but Cast Members were mum. They would only say that indeed there would be special merchandise on Monday.

From here we wandered through World Showcase via Mexico. Lines were already forming and it was very early on Friday.

Our next experience was the amazing Dedication Ceremony of the American Heritage Gallery in the American Adventure. It was after the ceremony that I had my very magical moment - a photograph with Jim MacPhee and Marty Sklar!!! I was thrilled.

LindaMac has a report on the Ceremony with photos.

For those of you wondering where the rest of Friday and all of Saturday's reports are, well, I'll have to fill them in later.

Today I want to tell you about the start of Celebration 25.
If you are just tuning in here are the previous blogs:
Part 1 - Epcot Turns 25

Journey into Imagination - a look back.

Epcot Celebrates 25 Years - a Chat with Adam Roth

This morning registration tables opened bright and early near Epcot's Kennel facility. When I arrived it was 9:40am and other folks were also still checking in. It was a very orderly process and everything went smoothly.

Here are the Roth's checking in an attendee.

It was at this time I met Adam Roth and Jenn Waitt, the Celebration 25 co-founders as well as other members of this amazing team. Here is a photo of Adam and myself.

Jenn accepts an Appreciation postcard from attendee Chris.

Matt Pezzula, event videographer, interviews a couple in front of Spaceship Earth. The team is capturing attendee memories of their first visit to Epcot.

Today's events were primarily history walks hosted by John Corigliano (Mouse Times). John did an amazing job of keeping his presentations brief and concise. I think everyone attending probably learned some new things about the Future World attractions. John would talk about the original attraction and then how it has evolved into what you see today.

The first history walk began at 11:30 at Test Track. John spoke about the World of Motion pavilion.

Next we went to Mission Space where John began with a discussion about Horizons.

The final stop in the Future World East tour was at the Universe of Energy.

Adam shares some historical facts as well.

Before breaking for lunch, Jenn, Adam, John and Matt pose for a photo.

Next up.... the Future World West tour and a surprise visitor!

After our lunch break, the Celebration 25 history walks reconvenied at the Living Seas, or rather, the Seas with Nemo and Friends.

The Land... from Kitchen Kaberet to Food Rocks to Soarin'

Journey into Imagination becomes Journey into Your Imagination.

Spaceship Earth

A surprise guest appearance by Epcot Vice President, Jim MacPhee.

Linda Mac did a great job of telling you about the start of our day at Epcot, so I'll pick it up from there.

It really was a beautiful morning which was good since we spent a lot of time waiting. Even though Spaceship Earth remained closed for renovations, it made the perfect backdrop for the festivities against the blue sky.

I purchased a limited edition T-shirt and a Figment for myself which took quite a bit of time. So much time that I could not wait in any of the Limited Edition pin lines. (If anyone has any extra of the limited edition 25th Anniversary pins, please let me know.) From the shop I headed over to the rope drop area. My souvenir shopping put me much further back from the rope than I had hoped. Nonetheless, I was there in person and very excited!!!

We waited at the rededication location for well over an hour. It provided a wonderful opportunity to talk to those around and listen to the stories of what brought people to Epcot on this special day. Many knew the significance, some, "just followed the crowd."

Here is a photo from my spot, about 5 rows from the front, looking back toward World Showcase. It'll give you an idea of how many folks attended the ceremony.

AllEars® Senior Editor, Debra Martin Koma, with AllEars® Guest Columnist, Brian Martsolf.

Adam Roth (co-founder Celebration 25 one of the unofficial fan gatherings) is being interviewed for a podcast. Adam is holding an original Figment from the early 80's which belongs to Celebration 25 co-founder Jenn Waitt.

The fanfare began with Ambassador Michael taking the stage. He welcomed everyone to Epcot's 25th Rededication Ceremony...

... and introduced Tracy Wui, Rededication Ceremony Hostess.

Tracy explained that in the original dedication ceremony, one of the speakers said of Epcot, "This represents a dream come true". The original musical score played 25 years ago, We've Just Begun to Dream, was played again on this special day. And, as Tracy said, "After 25 years we can still say "we've just begun"!

As the music played, Tracy introduced Epcot Cast Members representing Future World. The processional included 2 Cast Members from each attraction, one holding a sign representing that attraction. Spaceship Earth's sign was the original icon for the attraction, followed by Innoventions, Energy, Mission Space, Test Track, Seas with Nemo and Friends, the Land and Imagination. The crowd cheered and applauded as each attraction was announced.

Next on stage came Erin Wallace, Senior Vice President Operations Walt Disney World Resorts and Jim MacPhee, Vice President Epcot.

Jim asked for applause from everyone who was here 25 years ago when Epcot opened. He then recounted his opening day story, of being an Epcot Cast Member and working in the Parking Lot! Standing center stage at the 25th Celebration for a Cast Member who began as a parking lot cast member, certainly had to have been "A Dream Come True" for Jim as well.

Erin spoke of the significance of Epcot's opening in 1982, "When Epcot was built and opened, it really signaled an era of growth on this property."

Jim: "We recognize that the heritage and tradition of our founder is woven through the fabric of everything we do here, every moment of every day.

Jim: "You can dream, create, imagine and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it requires people to make that dream a reality." He went on to say, "We have one special person, who was right next to Walt."

Erin continued: "He began his career in 1955 working with Walt on Disneyland. He is the only Disney Cast member to participate in every opening of our 11 theme parks worldwide; named a Disney Legend in 2001, Executive Vice President and Imagineering Ambassador, Marty Sklar." The crowd broke out in a loud applause.

Mickey and Minnie escorted Marty on stage to a huge applause from the audience.

Marty: "Walt's vision for Epcot really set the course for everything that has happened here at Walt Disney World in the 41 years since he announced his vision."

"The passion for excellence that Walt Disney inspired, motivated all of us, Disney Cast Members as well as the designers, engineers, architects, and film makers who joined us to dream big dreams, invent new experiences and tell new stories about the lessons of yesterday, the challenges of today, and the promise of tomorrow."

Marty then read Card Walker's dedication of Epcot 25 years ago and added his own remarks:
"25 years ago we said, the 21st century began on October 1, 1982. Today, on October 1, 2007 we rededicate Epcot, and ourselves, to a new future that begins now. "

To be continued......

Part 1 Epcot's 25th Rededication Ceremony

Marty continued to reminisce about the early days of speaking with Walt about Epcot.

He went on to say: "I'll never forget that opening day of Epcot…”

Marty: “…One of the things I remember the most was a water pouring ceremony to start the Comunicore fountain behind us. Don’t you think it would be wonderful if we could do something like that today?"

Tracy: "Today we have the incredible privilege of having our own cultural representatives right here at Epcot. It's time to meet the representatives of the countries of World Showcase."

Tracy: "The cultural representatives are carrying colorful banners representing the countries of World Showcase: Japan, Morocco, France, United Kingdom, Canada, America, Italy, Germany, China, Norway and Mexico.

Tracy: The cultural representatives are "carrying many different types of water containers, representing famous rivers or bodies of water."

For each country, the name of the container and the body of water was announced as the processional continued.

"The Pouring of the Water"

Music, fireworks and fountains filled the air.

All too soon, the rededication came to an end….

Jim MacPhee publicly thanked his team that created Epcot's 25th Anniversary events.

The Celebration 25 fan group then gathered for a photo in front of the fountains and Spaceship Earth.

Jim MacPhee and Walt Disney World Ambassadors Michael and Lowell joined the photo op!

One of the major Epcot Food and Wine Festival events that's free to all with park admission is the Eat to the Beat concert series. 16 different artists will appear this year ranging in musical genre from the Beach Boys to Chubby Checker to Starship to Jon Secada.

Three concerts are held each evening during the festival in the American Gardens outdoor theatre.

If you are a big Al Stewart fan, I suggest you read no further and just enjoy the photos.

On Friday night, September 28th, this year's Eat to the Beat concert series opened with a very indifferent British singer-songwriter Al Stewart. Quite frankly, he seemed bothered to be there.

Al sang familiar songs like Year of the Cat, Time Passages, and On the Border. Most of his "hits" that were popular in the US, he introduced by saying things like, I never cared for this song or I'm only playing this because it was a hit, or You are expecting me to play this so I am. Gee, didn't that make the audience "get into it!" Not.

Several times during the evening his remarks entered into the "political" zone. I've been attending concerts for decades and know that many concerts include the artist stating their particular political views but it is not something I expect at a Disney venue. I come to Disney to be entertained and escape "the real world", not listen to a political vent (whether I happen to agree or not).

The one very redeeming factor of the entire concert was the incredible flute/saxaphone player. He stole the show and deservedly so! I have searched online and can't find his name. If anyone reading this knows, please let me know.

Every year the Food and Wine Festival sports new logos and merchandise for you to purchase, this year is no exception.

There is plenty of merchandise to choose from, both with and without Food and Wine logos. Here are just a few of the items I found in the Festival Marketplace in the Wonders of Life pavilion.

Chef Mickey Plushes cost $9.95 plus tax.

Festival Aprons

Mugs cost $12.00 plus tax.

Trivets cost $12.00 plus tax.

Wine Store - if you see something you like, get it! They do sell out of popular wines as the Festival goes on.

Wine Store

Limited Edition pins

Festival poster is $16 unframed. Artist does signings off and on during the festival.

I was going through some old photos recently and thought I would share some with you.

25th Birthday Magic Kingdom Castle

Test Track Pre-Opening Sign

The "Original" Wand on Spaceship Earth

Tower of Terror Construction Photo #1

Tower of Terror Construction Photo #2

Tower of Terror Construction Photo #3

Sometimes it's hard to finish a trip report once home, but here is the conclusion of my late October adventure to WDW.

In case you missed the earlier posts here are the links:
Heading to Walt Disney World
Magic Kindgom Friday Part 1
Magic Kingdom Friday Part 2
Segway Saturday Part 1
Segway Saturday Part 2

Despite a very late night at the Studios for the Tower of Terror 13K race, I had an early morning meeting. I met with Brian and John from Owners Locker at Boatrights, Port Orleans Riverside. These guys offer a great service for storing your "stuff" between trips to the world. Be sure to check them out.

Epcot Cast Member Patti and I had a nice chat as I entered the park through the International Gateway.

Once inside Epcot I met my friends from Japan, Masayo and Nozomi and AllEars team member Linda Mac. We had some fun at the Canada pavilion waiting for the O Canada movie to open.

As we walked through the United Kingdom, we met All Ears fans! Always love meeting our readers!

One of the things I love best about Disney parks is the attention to detail. I never noticed that each of these have a different geometric pattern on them.

Masayo stops to sample the sushi at the Japan Food Booth.

While in Japan, we enjoyed Miyuki's show of candy art. What a wonderful time! Miyuki spent a few moments with us after her show, it was very special. She also enjoyed speaking with Masayo and Nozomi who both are from Japan.

I left Epcot via the Boardwalk. A great deal of exterior work is occurring to the Inn side of the Boardwalk.

Upon arriving back at Port Orleans Riverside, I was surprised by the package on my door. I had left the "Privacy" sign up and housekeeping left me a bag with fresh towels and soaps. Nice touch.

A dinner at Artist Point with friends Steve, Vickie and Beci rounded out the weekend. Early Monday morning I was on a plane back to Maryland. Southwest Airlines is going full steam ahead to get their boarding areas redone. Starting November 8th, including some new ticket options.

Tomorrow's child (Tomorrow’s Child)
Gathering gifts from our past.
Tomorrow's child (Tomorrow’s Child)
Shaping a world that will last...

Ah, that song brings back fond memories of Epcot's early days. I still vividly remember my first trip to Epcot in 1991.

It seemed that every attraction I entered included a song with a catchy tune that stayed with me.

I recall walking around Epcot singing tunes like:

One little spark, imagination...

The Universe of Energy.....

Tomorrow’s Child......

When I returned home and one of those tunes popped into my head, it always brought a smile to my face.

It was with great anticipation that I rode the recently reopened Spaceship Earth, signature Icon of Epcot.

This is the type of attraction that I believe allowed the Disney theme parks to rise above the rest of the "amusement parks". It is storytelling and imagineering at its best.

As I've gotten older, I'm less than thrilled when attractions such as Mission Space open, but I realize not everyone is like me. For the parks to remain alive and vibrant, attractions must reach all ages. But, if I have my druthers, I'd rather see 2008 era enhancements like the Haunted Mansion just went through.. and yes, Spaceship Earth!

I had read that Emmy®-award winning composer Bruce Broughton conducted a 63-piece orchestra and 24-voice choir for a new musical score for Spaceship Earth. I was hoping that it would include a catchy tune that I could hum when I returned home... to remind me of my magical adventure in WDW.

I also read about Dame Judi Dench doing the new narration. And while I wasn't going to miss Jeremy Irons so much, I can still hear Walter Cronkite’s words in my head. Yes, this is one of those attractions that has always held great memories and meaning for me.

The signage around the attraction is new, simple, futuristic, silver and blue.

The entrance mural is the same. I wouldn't have minded a new mural but I enjoyed seeing the space shuttle and space walker once again.

The vehicles have not been changed, but each row has had a new flat screen added to it. This screen makes up the entire last half of the ride. It's still a little tough getting in and out of them. Not so much due to the moving platform, but the small width that the "door" opens to allow you to enter and exit the actual vehicle.

Ah... as our time machine started up the incline, I began to immediately noticed changes. The scenery was cleaned up, repainted and oh my.... new things have been added. Right away I noticed subtle and not so subtle enhancements and they kept coming.... it seemed as though each scene had something new added. The new audio-animatronics are amazing, very realistic and really brought each area to life.

I must admit it was hard for me to focus on the narration because I was so involved in looking at all the new additions. Periodically I heard Dame Judi's voice, but my head was filled with thoughts of "WOW", "That's new", "How cool!", etc. Because of that, I can't really comment on the new narration.

As the time vehicle slowly ascended into the Spaceship Earth buildingI remembered thinking, I need to get right back on this so I could see everything again!!!! I was even more excited than when I saw all the wonderful enhancements at the Haunted Mansion.

Here are a few of the new scenes. (Please note these photos were taken with a Digital SLR camera and NO flash was used.)

Can you see now why I was so excited about the changes and the new scenes? Even the ones that didn't change a bit, were touched up to become more, hmm... life like!

Unfortunately, my excitement was short lived. At the height of the ride we did spend a fair amount of time looking at the star studded galaxy and the earth (always one of my favorite scenes). But the impact still isn't what it was with the powerful musical score of the Walter Cronkite narration days.

And then, our vehicles slowly rotated for the backwards descent. I had heard from many readers that the entire last portion of the ride focused around the video screen.

Indeed, the screen came on and we were asked questions about where we wanted to live, vacation preferences, etc. The photo that was taken of us near the beginning of the ride then became part of the cartoon. Our vehicle's photo was only of me, not the person riding with me, so the 2nd individual in my cartoon was just that, a cartoon face. I could see the vehicle in front of ours had 2 faces, so I guess our photo didn't turn out right.

After answering the questions, a short cartoon video plays. It was pretty funny, at least initially. I heard giggles from others around us, especially the kids.

But the more I watched the video screen, the more I started not feeling so good - I was getting queasy. I do suffer from motion sensitivity, but the slow ride backwards in Spaceship Earth never bothered me before. But now, concentrating on the screen in the vehicle, I quickly became nauseous. I tried looking up, but the row of lights tunnel we were passing through didn't help much. I just closed my eyes. Bummer, I thought to myself.

Wow, what a let down. I wasn't interested in jumping right back on. As outstanding as the first half of the ride was, the last half was equally disappointing.

I will return to enjoy all the new scenes and additions on a future trip, but I'll not be playing the computer quiz and watching the cartoon on the way down. If you have motion sensitivity issues, beware of this section of the ride. A friend who has epilepsy told me that the strands of lights in the descent tunnel were very bothersome to him.

To the imagineers who designed the first half of the ride, you did an incredible job! One I am sure Walt would be VERY proud of. In fact, you outdid yourselves. It reminded me of the first time I entered Epcot. I could see it over and over again.... and I left with the feeling of wanting to return immediately.

But whether it was a lack of money, or time, or this 50something baby boomer is just not "hip" anymore, I was disappointed in the ending. And that combined with the motion issues, will sadly remove Spaceship Earth from my "Must See Every Trip List".

Oh, and that musical score I was so anxious to hear....well sitting here a few days later, I can't remember one note of it. Quite honestly, it may have been because I was so focused on the new scenes. So to be fair, I'll pay more attention to both the music and narration on my next visit.

In the old A-E attraction ticket days, I would have rated the first half of Spaceship Earth a huge EEEEEEEE (the best). But the last half gets a generous B ticket.

Many thanks to AllEars blogger Lisa Berton for the inside photos of Spaceship Earth which appear in this blog.

Note: The Tomorrow's Child verse I started the blog with, used to be played during the ending of Spaceship Earth, as you were traveling backwards in the descent. It was several rehabs ago, so some of you may not recognize it.

To read other comments about the reopened Spaceship Earth, visit:

It's been a while since we had an All Ears meet outside of MouseFest, so I decided to have one the weekend prior to Animal Kingdom's 10th Anniversary.

Let me digress just a bit. I flew in Saturday and stayed at the Dolphin. I had a wonderful room with a small balcony and view of Epcot's IllumiNations!!

Shortly after check-in, my Owner's Lockers were delivered! What did I ever do without them?!

I had a great breakfast before the meet at Fresh, with team member Linda Mac. Fresh is a Mediterranean inspired buffet on the first floor of the Dolphin. It serves Breakfast, Lunch and Starbucks coffee!!

For me, it's one of the best kept secrets in Disney. The food is made fresh, most of it to order and it doesn't have the frantic atmosphere of a Disney Resort eatery. Hence, I ate here actually 3 times during my stay.

As LindaMac and I entered Epcot and walked toward Future World, team member Jack Spence called on the phone to meet up. Right after we found Jack, we also found Elton - a Disney Dream Team Cast Member. With his great smile, I just had to take a photograph.

One of the things I typically forget to do at meets, is take a photo of the AllEars team. So this time, I made sure we did it as soon as everyone arrived. From left to right: Jack Spence, Deb Wills, Glo from Miami, and Linda Mac. (Thanks to the Cast Member who play photog)

Soon folks began to arrive. We had new AllEars buttons to hand out as well as hats to keep the sun out of your eyes. There were AllEars T-Shirts for the person who traveled the farthest (Illinois). And, oh yes, we had stickers too for all kids and coughadultscough in the group. It was a fantastic turnout!

Larger Image of Group Photo.

Here are meet photos of people arriving and headed into the attraction.....

...Loading into the Ride Vehicles for Journey into Your Imagination...

At the conclusion of the ride, many folks continued onto the second half of the meet, lunch in the Land at Sunshine Seasons.

On behalf of LindaMac, Jack, Glo and myself...thank you everyone for spending part of your vacation with us!!!

This is another in my sporadic series of "Step Back in Time" blogs -- this one returns to Epcot and the Land Pavilion.

The Land opened in Epcot's Future World on October 1, 1982 and was sponsored by Kraft. When the initial 10 year contract was up, Nestle became the new sponsor November 1992.

When the pavilion opened, the following components were in the building:

Listen to the Land Boat Ride - take a gentle cruise through various climates and learn about the history of farming. As the ride continued, you were taken into the future to see new and innovative techniques of both land and sea farming. While the ride is basically the same today, it has gone through several rehabs where the music and narration has changed.

Harvest Theatre - Symbiosis, an 18 minute film, explored the relationship between humans and their environment. The Harvest Theatre is still part of the pavilion, but now houses the environmental focused Circle of Life - Lion King movie with Timon and Pumba.

Kitchen Kaberet - these fun animated foods taught us about healthy eating and starred Bonnie Appetit, the Kitchen Krackpots and Hamm n Eggz. This attraction closed January 3, 1994 and gave way to Food Rocks on March 26, 1994 to make it more contemporary. Then on January 3, 2004, it was closed for good. Soarin now occupies that space once held by the singing fruits and vegies.

Farmer’s Market - 8 fast food booths offering wholesome and nutritious meals and snacks. Now called Sunshine Seasons

Broccoli & Co. - the souvenir store. As always, there is a merchandise store in every area.

The Good Turn Restaurant - a 250 seat revolving full service restaurant. It's gone through several name changes (including the Land Grille Room) and today is the Garden Grill.

The Land - Discover at Epcot -- Harvest new knowledge about man's relationship with planet Earth and dig into advanced food-growing technologies.

** Hydroponics
** Symbiosis and Resource Conservation
** History and Future of Agriculture
** Nutrition
** Aquaculture

Here are some postcards from the early days ...

"LAND - Explore creative partnerships with the land. Set sail for "Tomorrow's Harvest". Sing along at a show that has the whole town cooking. And enjoy country-store fun, food and flavor."

"Listen to the Land - in the "country fair" setting of the Land pavilion, review age old agriculture techniques. Then, sail through the environments of the world and glimpse Tomorrow's Harvest."

" The Kitchen Krackpots - During your tour through The Land, you will see a wacky show which tells the story of nutrition in a very unusual way." Notice that this postcard does refer to the Kitchen Krackpots which was the name of the band that played at the Kitchen Kaberet.

"Seasoned Performers flavor some spicy numbers on good nutrition at the Kitchen Kaberet, in the Land pavilion. Acts include Fiesta Fruit, Dairy Goods, and the hit of the Breakfast Circuit, Ham n Eggz".

The following photographs are digital images of the PanaVue slides that were sold at the Magic Kingdom and Epcot in the 80s.

Here are some websites that offer photos and/or information about the early days of the Land:

All Ears Kitchen Kaberet Archives

Epcot Field Guide - The Land

Lost Epcot Features descriptions and photos from the early days of the Land.

Do you have photos from the 1980s of the Land Pavilion or any of it's attractions? I'd love to see them and possibly include them in a future blog. Please send to
allearsnet at yahoo dot com
Thanks!