Hello from a windy and crowded EPCOT! There’s a lot in store for us today, including some long lines, a new piece of World Showcase merchandise (and some new merchandise discounts), some modified meet & greet locations, and plenty of construction. Let’s head on in and see what’s new.

In the entrance plaza, work continues on the fountain remodeling project which is the final piece of the revamped lead-in to Spaceship Earth and the rest of the park. Scaffolding is still erected as a bridge over the fountain while the latter-stage details are added.

Another ongoing refurbishment of an existing structure is the work on Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. The attraction will be Disney’s first reverse-launch roller coaster, adding some additional thrills alongside Mission: SPACE and Test Track.

Speaking of Mission: SPACE, the adjacent Space 220 restaurant had its sign partially revealed, compliments of the aforementioned windy conditions.

The neighboring Play! Pavilion is still blocked by walls as interior set work presses on, but most of the triangular roof panels have been replaced over the last few months as part of the pavilion’s overhaul.

Rounding out the East side of Future World, Test Track had a massive line around 11:00am which equated to a 90 minute wait. The attraction has been opening far earlier than the published park opening, up to 45 minutes earlier on some days.

In the heart of the park, Innoventions Plaza continues to be slowly gutted. The former Electric Umbrella location has received a majority of the attention as of late.

The portion of Innoventions East not housing Mouse Gear, Guest Relations, and the former Electric Umbrella site have been torn apart for quite some time, and little more than a shell remains of those areas.

On the West side, a Test Track-esque line would be found waiting to enter The Land Pavilion. This morning, the line stretched nearly to the entrance of The Seas with Nemo & Friends.

The line for Journey Into Imagination wasn’t nearly as long, however most of the extended outdoor queue went unused, resulting in a line which became disorganized and blocked other walkways.

Heading over to World Showcase, we started in Canada today and were rewarded with a new Mickey Mouse shirtdress in the outdoor merchandise stand. The shirt features a silhouette of the boss mouse with a flannel pattern and maple leaf overlay.

Inside World Showplace, Carol the Piano Lady could be found entertaining guests inside — one of the more enjoyable elements of the otherwise basic structure.

Today, though, World Showplace had a surprise – 30% off on lots of Food & Wine Festival merchandise. The sale does have some exclusions, however, so be sure to read our full post for all the details.

The sale isn’t limited merely to World Showplace, though, and applies to all of the Festival Marketplace stands as well.

In the U.K. Pavilion, some testing of a new photo op location for Alice was going on, moving her out of the gazebo and to a sidewalk which is closer to the main walkway through the pavilion. Unfortunately, this wasn’t a positive change as it forced guests into narrow walkways which often had opposing traffic in order to have a decent opportunity for photos.

Within the France Pavilion, yet another long line would be found for Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along, stretching nearly to the festival booth.

Eventually, the France Pavilion expansion will offer some needed relief to the existing portion of the France Pavilion.

While the area seems to be nearing completion with many small details and final touches being added, it doesn’t appear that Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure will be opening this year.

Despite the lack of a push to open the France Pavilion expansion this year, other small projects are getting attention. This small area of the America Gardens Theater has been walled off for work.

Similarly, this portion of the Italy Pavilion bordering the American Adventure Pavilion has been walled off for a few weeks as ground work takes place.

As we rounded World Showcase Lagoon heading for Norway, a healthy dose of cloud cover moved in, carrying with it some sporadic showers. Thankfully, the rain was infrequent today.

Perhaps a bit more rain would have broken up this 100 minute wait for Frozen Ever After, but without Fastpass+ there is really no option but to wait in these prolonged queues for attractions.

At The Fjording, shoppers would be treated to a new Helly Hansen Mickey Mouse women’s jacket. This new release was already in short supply in the early afternoon — and that was before the rain moved in.

Another nice treat was this physically distanced photo op with Anna. Unlike the one found in the U.K. with Alice, this one was much more conducive to interaction and guest flow.

We rounded out our day back at the entrance fountain and Lucite pylons, where the wind was keeping the flag at attention for most of the day.

We’re hoping the entrance plaza project gets wrapped up soon, allowing for a clear view of the fountain, pylons, and Spaceship Earth for guests braving the park around the holidays.

Thanks for taking this trip around the EPCOT world with us today! To be among the first to know about new stories from the parks, and news about The Walt Disney Company as a whole, be sure to download WDWNT: The App 2.0 on your mobile device.

Kevin Lake