Greetings, World Travelers! Welcome to another glorious holiday-treat filled day at EPCOT! Big changes are on the horizon for this park, and we were here to see the start of something big. Let’s get started!
The first of the large floating platforms for EPCOT’s Harmonious Nighttime Spectacular was installed on the Lagoon last night, and it is quite the sight to see! This is the first of five barges that will eventually reside in the Lagoon permanently and put on both day and nighttime performances.
Three signs have been installed around World Showcase giving guests an idea of what Harmonious will be like. This sign is in the center of the fireworks viewing area at the entrance to World Showcase.
Speaking of momentous changes, Innoventions West has been almost completely removed, with only a portion of roof and steel structure left. It is now unrecognizable to what it was just a week ago, let alone what is used to be when open to guests.
Keeping with the theme of change, the Morocco Pavilion is still closed as Walt Disney World takes control of its operations and makes the changes it sees necessary before reopening some of the Pavilion next week to guests.
Painting in the seating area for Spice Road Table was still underway this morning, but had been completed when we went by later in the day.
Speaking of painting, we checked in on the hand painted wall art in the France Pavilion expansion and found some progress had been made there, but not quite what we had expected. The painting had been weathered and aged, so the colors were not as vibrant as they were the last time we saw it. The details from this distance are no longer distinguishable.
Further in the France Pavilion expansion, we found the Remy fountain with water in it and full operational. We can’t wait to see this up close!
Over at Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, the addition of wood panels to the roof has accelerated, with only a quarter of the roof left to go.
Over at the Play! Pavilion, still no change as the project itself may be in jeopardy as the challenges of 2020 take a toll on upcoming Walt Disney World projects.
In The Seas Pavilion, the cleaning of the dolphin tanks, which has been underway for a few weeks now, is finally complete, and the enclosure looks as good as new again.
We saw the dolphins come out and play for a bit, which we haven’t seen since they started working on the tank.
In another part of the salt water aquarium viewing area, one large window has been blocked off for window maintenance.
On our way around World Showcase today we spotted Alice in the tea garden watering the flowers. We love seeing characters out and about!
We found a surprise addition to the Taste of EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays today. The Waffles Booth has made an unexpected return with a new menu for this year’s festival, and it was a sure winner in our book! For our full review, check out our article here.
We found some fun new merchandise today that we thought you’d like. First, we found this multiple color cartridge pen featuring a Mickey Mouse head and 2021 design on the barrel at Pin Traders for $12.99.
Next, we found this hat featuring “The One & Only Mickey Mouse” at Mouse Gear for $27.99.
For Pandora Jewelry fans, we found this 2021 charm in a lovely ombré aqua. For more pictures and information, check out our article here.
Our favorite find of the day was this adorable new Loungefly mini backpack featuring Mickey and Minnie along with iconic park snacks. For more pictures and information, check out our article here.
While perusing Mitsukoshi in the Japan Pavilion, we found these bonsai trees all decorated for Christmas, and knew we had to share them with you. We love their tiny ornaments!
There has been another change in the location of one of the Olaf’s in Olaf’s Holiday Tradition Expedition. In addition to the Olaf in Morocco relocating due to refurbishment of the Pavilion, the Olaf in the Mexico Pavilion has been relocated as well. We are unsure of the reason for his move, but we are personally thankful that he is now in a less backlit area, which makes spotting him a bit easier.
On our way out, we saw Mickey and Minnie on their Holiday World Tour. We love how they’ve decorated the Cavalcades for the holidays!
We had a wonderful day at EPCOT, and we hope you enjoyed coming along with us. Have a magical day!