PHOTO REPORT: EPCOT 8/30/20 (The Land Pavilion Adds Queueing, Storms Abound, World Showcase Details, and More)

Kevin Lake

Mickey Mouse in Character Cavalcade at EPCOT

PHOTO REPORT: EPCOT 8/30/20 (The Land Pavilion Adds Queueing, Storms Abound, World Showcase Details, and More)

Hello from EPCOT on a stormy Sunday! The weather was a mixed bag today, and one of the big park attractions was down for the first few hours of the day, making for some interesting crowd flow. Regardless, we are bringing you the updates you came here to see, so let’s take a look at what’s going on in the park.

Test Track Delayed Opening 8 30 20 1

First things first, that big attraction that was down for a good chunk of the day was Test Track. While weather played a part later in the day, it’s early downtime was a “delayed opening”, which generally means technical issues.

Project Tomorrow 8 30 20

Similarly out of commission is Project Tomorrow, the exit area for Spaceship Earth. With so much of it being touch-oriented, the exhibits have been shut down since the park’s reopening.

Youth Rainbow Mickey Sketch Shirt 8 30 20

But hey, we’ve always got Mouse Gear, bringing us a handful of new merchandise in EPCOT. This fun youth tee is now available, and costs $19.99.

Choose Magic Shirt 8 30 20
Mickey Leggings 8 30 20
Castle Leggings 8 30 20 1

A few other new items to EPCOT are a colorful shirt and two pairs of leggings, the latter of which feature Mickey Mouse (a crop legging style) and Castle (which are 7/8 ankle length) patterns. The shirt will run you $36.99 while the leggings are $39.99 each.

Land Pavilion Queue 8 30 20 1
Land Pavilion Queue 8 30 20 2

Heading over to The Land Pavilion, we noticed a new development — the addition of a significant outdoor queue. Masking tape was used to to mark out spots for parties as they progressed through the line.

Land Pavilion Queue 8 30 20 3
Land Pavilion Queue 8 30 20 4

The queue continued inside the pavilion, where eventually you could stay in line for Soarin’, or break off to head to Garden Grill, Sunshine Seasons, or Living with the Land.

Imagination Jumping Fountain 8 30 20

We popped into the nearby Imagination Pavilion, and while the jumping fountains we all know and love which launch over the walkways are not active, these smaller fountains are still functioning.

Winnie the Pooh Imagination Pavilion 8 30 20 1
Winnie the Pooh Imagination Pavilion 8 30 20 2

In lieu of some fountains, we have Winnie the Pooh chasing butterflies in the grass. Joy also rotates in throughout the day in this same location.

Innoventions Plaza Construction 8 30 20 1
Innoventions Plaza Construction 8 30 20 2
Innoventions Plaza Construction 8 30 20 3
Innoventions Plaza Construction 8 30 20 4

From the Imagination Pavilion, we also got a good look at where things stand with the demolition of Innoventions Plaza. Not a lot has happened recently, though slow progress seems to be occurring — mostly on the Innoventions East side.

Spaceship Earth Storms Approaching 8 30 20

Mere minutes later, as we walked by the 9th Wonder of the World, the backside of Spaceship Earth, storms were quickly moving in.

EPCOT Storms 8 30 20

Sure enough, we barely made it to the Odyssey Pavilion, home to the EPCOT Experience and Eats at the EPCOT Experience, before the skies opened up and guests ran for shelter.

EPCOT Experience Model 8 30 20

While a couple elements have been removed from the EPCOT Experience which reference ‘coming soon’ items which are no longer coming soon, it’s still a pretty neat display to watch occasionally — especially if it’s raining.

Mexico Pavilion 8 30 20

It didn’t take long for the storms to move along, and the Mexico Pavilion made for a good destination.

Mexico Pavilion Detail 8 30 20 2
Mexico Pavilion Detail 8 30 20 1

While the interior of the pavilion boats some nice details, the outside of the structure has some impressive elements as well.

La Princesa de Cristal 8 30 20

At La Princesa de Cristal, a skilled artisan works to produce Arribas Brothers glass and crystal products. Equally, if not more, impressive as the details of the building itself.

World Showcase Storms Approaching 8 30 20

It wouldn’t be long before more storms began to move in, motivating guests to once again find shelter.

EPCOT Crowds 8 30 20

While lines were a bit longer than normal at times, such as at The Land Pavilion, Test Track being down was a big contributor. Overall, there was less foot traffic than other weekend days, with the weather playing a factor.

Mickey Mouse Character Cavalcade EPCOT 8 30 20

We only caught one Character Cavalcade throughout the day, but the one we saw included the Big Cheese himself. Naturally, the cavalcades either do not run, or run in a very limited fashion, when poor weather is afoot.

Japan Pavilion Spaceship Earth 8 30 20

After a bit more rain, the sun shone once again from the Japan Pavilion. Quite fitting as Japan is known as “The Land of the Rising Sun”.

Japan Kawaii Exhibit 8 30 20 1
Japan Kawaii Exhibit 8 30 20 2

If you do happen to be around the Japan Pavilion when rain hits, or even if the weather is beautiful, the Kawaii exhibit highlighting Japan’s “cute culture” is a great place to check out some unique items.

Les Halles 8 30 20

Over at the France Pavilion, things were relatively tame at Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie, where they now have a delicious set of special edition seasonal macarons.

Carol the Piano Lady World Showplace 8 30 20

At World Showplace, home to four festival marketplaces, we were treated to Carol “The Piano Lady” Stein performing on stage. She often has Sundays off, so this was a wonderful surprise.

Test Track Delayed Opening 8 30 20 2

In the mid-afternoon, Test Track finally opened, and to a pretty significant wait. It wasn’t long before they started announcing warnings about closing to due rain moving in, though.

Leaky Spaceship Earth 8 30 20 1
Leaky Spaceship Earth 8 30 20 2

While Spaceship Earth continues to operate perfectly well during storms, leaking from the structure continues to be an issue when the skies open up.

Monorail Beam Cleaning EPCOT 8 30 20

Finally, an entry into our continuing series tracking the cleaning of the monorail beams which run through EPCOT, we’re highlighting where the cleaning began on the outskirts of the park. Clearly, the track was due for a good scrubbing, as mold and mildew buildup over the years have created a bit of a mess.

Thanks for spending the time with us in EPCOT on this rainy Sunday. Do you have favorite go-to spots when the weather becomes a bit unfriendly? Share your favorite places to hide out in the Disney parks in the comments!