PHOTO REPORT: Epcot 7/30/19 (Annual Passholder Perks, World Showcase Touch-Ups, Joffrey's Brownies, and More!)

Good morning Epcot! Let’s take a lap and see what’s new.

They’ve been doing some work in The Seas recently. They’re replacing the carpet, but also they’ve taken down the colored panels from inside the tank again. I suppose they were having trouble with them.

You can see the most recent progress on the Rose Walk pathway between Future World and World Showcase in our coverage here.

Test Track is down. “Bring out the hula hoops!!!”

Either this splash pad is out of order, or it’s reserved for a Frozen Dessert Party.

This sign for the Epcot Character Spot has been missing for a few months now. It popped back up today, finally…

…just in time for the Character Spot to close in six weeks.

I did notice a fun detail on the windows of the Character Spot this morning, though. Princess signatures!

V.I.Passholder Perks

In an effort to get guests to actually come to Epcot this Summer, Disney recently unveiled a number of “perks” for Annual Passholders from now until the end of August.

One of those is the “secret dessert” they have available only to passholders in Sunshine Seasons in The Land. You can read our thoughts on it here.

I do put “perks” in quotations, because most of them are rather underwhelming. Like this “special” PhotoPass opportunity.

Hoo-boy, do I feel special.

One of the other perks, among temporary discounts at Block and Hans, is priority seating to Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix Live! Supposedly you just have to enter the America Gardens Theater from this side and show your annual pass. I saw no signs referencing this as an option, but I assume a Cast Member was stationed here closer to show time.

World Showcase Maintenance

The Germany pavilion has been getting a little bit of love recently. They’ve been doing some repainting, and fixing up a few other minor areas on the facades.

You’ll see scrims like these up in various locations until the refurbishment is finished.

They’ve been repainting the fountain, as well, which is why it’s been turned off for the last few days.

Over in the United Kingdom pavilion, near the back, is the location of the former (and future) Winnie the Pooh meet and greet. The last time it was in this location, it had FastPass+ touch points.

They have recently removed those touch points. I’m not sure if that means the returning Winnie the Pooh meet a greet won’t have FastPass+, or if it just means they’re replacing the infrastructure. We’ll find out in September.

They’ve got a good selection of Winnie the Pooh stuff ready to go in the Toy Soldier already, the shop that the meet and greet will empty into.

Canada! Oh, Canada. What are we going to do with you? You’re a mess right now, with all this scrim. Hopefully when this refurbishment is done, and when the new CircleVision film premieres, you’ll be back to your old shining self again.