Archive – Day 12
Wednesday, April 21, 1993
Looking Back...
Our first day at Disney World. We went to Epcot, or as it was known back then, EPCOT. For a travel journal, this thing sure is light on details on the places we travelled to. So here are a few of the things I did not write about.
- EPCOT opened in 1982, eleven years after Disney World. It was the third Disney park ever to open.
- EPCOT was originally supposed to be an actual living city, but after Walt Disney died they realized no one else would be able to build what he wanted. So they dropped the idea and went with the Disney World we have today.
- Famed imagineer Marc Davis, who built Pirates of the Carribean and the Haunted Mansion, came out of retirement to work on EPCOT. His designs were so consistent that after the World of Motion closed, they were able to put new costumes on a lot of the figures and give them new jobs as pirates.
- Since we visited in 1993, almost every single ride at Epcot has been changed or torn down. Of course, when we were there, nothing had changed since 1982. Including the disco-synth music everywhere. Gack.
- More about EPCOT here and here.
Today’s business — Epcot Center. What I expected and what I received were nearly opposites. But, considering I had few expectations, that is what should be expected.
What surprised me the most about Epcot was the crowds (or lack of). Compared to a usual Disney day the park was empty! The longest wait we had for a ride was maybe five minutes. No more. At Disneyland I would be overjoyed with a five-minute wait. But, all day was the same.
My favorite part of the park was the Journey Into Imagination, for obvious reasons. And the Image Works that followed contained exhibits which could occupy me for hours.
But it is getting late. I must away to bed.
Good night!
