EPCOT is undergoing a massive transformation right now, and more changes might be on the way.
EPCOT
Journey of Water — Inspired by Moana (a new walk-through attraction) is expected to open in late 2023. Plus World Celebration is set to be completed in 2023 as well, which will give us a new Walt Disney statue and some festival-specific areas. But it looks like a project that had previously been announced for EPCOT might be on the chopping block.
EPCOT has a brand new park map, and it could indicate that BIG changes are on the way. The outside of the map shows a child strolling through the park with 50th Anniversary designs on the sides (remember the celebration ends in March of this year!).
Park Map
But it’s the inside where things get interesting.
EPCOT Map
Why? Well, something has gone MISSING. Can you tell what it is?
What’s Missing?
To give you a clue, here is the map we saw back in May of 2022.
Cosmic Rewind is on the map!
It’s the PLAY! Pavilion! While the yellow structure remains (bottom left-hand corner), the map previously said “Future Home of PLAY!” That designation is now gone.
Oh My!
What could it mean? Well, there are a number of possibilities. It’s possible that the PLAY! Pavilion has been totally scrapped, which would explain why the “Future Home of PLAY!” has been removed. It’s also possible that the PLAY! Pavilion has not been scrapped entirely but is going to be changed, renamed, or otherwise altered in a way that has caused Disney to want to pull that designation back.
There’s also a potential that the Pavilion is being delayed or that plans have been put on “pause” or “hold.” Disney hasn’t confirmed things one way or the other, so we’ll be on the lookout for updates.
PLAY! Pavilion
We shared an entire post analyzing whether the PLAY! Pavilion should be canceled given recent financial losses, COVID-19 considerations, the chance to use this space for other things, and more. But what exactly will happen in the future with this space remains to be seen.
For those who may not have been familiar with it, the PLAY! Pavilion was meant to be a “digital metropolis” that would feature interactive experiences, games, entertainment, hands-on activities, and Disney characters.
PLAY! Pavilion sign in Future World
We had seen some workers on the top of the pavilion in the past, but since the key stuff is located indoors, tracking progress has been difficult from the outside.
Workers on top of the Pavilion
We’ll keep an eye out for more updates and let you know what we find. For more about EPCOT’s transformation, click here.
Click here for our post about BIG changes in Disney World in 2023!
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They really need to update that area because it is an eyesore as just a vacated building with nothing to use.
Was hoping they would turn that into the PLAY pavilion or heck maybe even add another Marvel feature like Ant Man unless they can’t due to the Universal deal. If anything turn into Innovations 2.0, but it needs to become a new attraction because I used to love the Wonders of Life, and was sad to see it go away.
Epcot has been a mess throughout the 50th Anniversary celebration and it’s own 40th Anniversary. They could have opened Guardians of the Galaxy a lot sooner, everything was a work in progress, construction walls everywhere. Disney seems to slow walk everything. The Anniversary has been an embarrassment, they also could have opened Tron a lot sooner too but want people to make multiple trips.
The play pavilion sounded like it was going to be a ‘better’ version of the old inventions East and West from way back (a decade + ago) If it was going to be similar it will be a shame if it is scrapped as there were some fantastic games in the old inventions areas. my family have great memories of the old games in there… the Piggy Bank game, the fire rescue centre were always on our must dos! we were so sad when they disappeared…
It appears that any child who was alive when the Play pavilion was first announced will be too old for it if/when it is completed. No surprise, just business as usual.
Is there a way to get maps of all parks and where hotels are around them? Lake Buena Vista too? We went to WDW many years ago and can’t plan a yrip without this information
Hi Susan! If you’re looking for paper maps, sometimes your local travel agents will have them, but we also recommend reaching out to Small World Vacations for help with travel planning if you need it. I hope you have a great trip!