A BRAND-NEW land has officially opened up in EPCOT!
EPCOT’s new park map!
When EPCOT first announced its transformation, we learned that the park would be split into four neighborhoods — World Nature, World Showcase, World Discovery, and World Celebration. We’ve been able to fully explore three out of those four lands for a while, but we’ve been waiting for a large portion of World Celebration to reopen for YEARS. And if you’ve been itching to walk through the middle of the park again, we have great news!
World Celebration is the area of the park that’s essentially in the middle of EPCOT. Home to Spaceship Earth and many of the areas surrounding it, this neighborhood has been marred by miles (well, maybe that’s an exaggeration) of construction walls for years now.
Construction Walls
But as of December 5th, 2023 — many of the walls have come down! Come along with us on a tour of the NEW World Celebration gardens in EPCOT.
Here’s a quick walkthrough of the new EPCOT Celebration Gardens! It’s also been added to the Walt Disney World app’s park map. pic.twitter.com/GBJFQXdJUl
— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) December 5, 2023
To get to this newly uncovered area, you’ll need to head behind Spaceship Earth. Directly behind the park’s icon is the spot called Dreamers Point. It’s home to a new statue called Walt the Dreamer. What a perfect addition to celebrate Walt Disney’s birthday!
Dreamers Point
The statue sits on a bench where visitors can take a photo with him. He looks out over EPCOT.
Walt Disney Statue
Beyond the statue there are gardens spread throughout four quadrants. They meet in the middle at a new planter that offers a great photo spot with Spaceship Earth in the background. If you look at this with an aerial view, the ground forms the EPCOT logo.
The big planter
The first quadrant of the gardens is located near Journey of Water — Inspired by Moana. Here, there is a little bit of bench seating.
Gardens near Journey of Water
The main draw in this area is that we spotted Daisy Duck having a meet-and-greet! There wasn’t too long of a line for her this morning.
It’s Miss Daisy!
The next quadrant is located near what will become CommuniCore Plaza and CommuniCore Hall, next to the World Nature side of the park. This area is home to a LOT of seating — tables and chairs, benches, hi-tops, and several outdoor outlets for charging your phone.
There’s a lot of seating over here
This is likely going to be a popular seating area in the future, and there’s a nice bit of shade over here.
They even have outlets!
Moving across to the quadrant nearest Creations Shop, this area is a little bit more open. We spotted Pluto having a meet-and-greet back here!
Hey Pluto!
There are some benches in this area as well.
Benches
And finally, we have the quadrant nearest Connections Cafe, up by Dreamers Point and Spaceship Earth. This spot has Adirondack chairs, tables, and benches. There are more outlets over here.
Chairs
This is a great spot to come and sit after you’ve picked up your coffee at Starbucks!
Nice spot to chill
Spread throughout these gardens are lots of planters and some new lighting. The lighting in the area will coordinate with the Beacon of Magic on Spaceship Earth at night, so make sure to check out that effect when you visit!
These will light up at night!
We’ll keep you updated with more changes in EPCOT, so stay tuned to DFB for the latest.
Click Here to Check Out EPCOT’s New Park Map!
Want MORE Details About EPCOT’s MASSIVE Transformation?
NEW Festival Areas, Gardens, a Meet-and-Greet Area, and More Are Coming to EPCOT
Learn All About Journey of Water -- Inspired by Moana
Has the Mary Poppins Project at Disney World Been Canceled?
What’s Been CUT From the EPCOT Transformation?
SNEAK PEEK at the NEW Fireworks Show Coming to EPCOT
Click HERE for All the News and Details about EPCOT’s Transformation!
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What do you think of the new gardens in EPCOT? Tell us in the comments!
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So 5 years of walls for some new tables and benches? Great
Huge Letdown, Not Worth All the Price Increases
I’m a huge Disney parks fan and always want to be optimistic about the change. But boy this feels like a let down after five years of construction and the removal of an iconic fountain.
For those complaining “Is that all,” the five years it took had a pandemic in the middle, stopping work for over a year. They had to demolish what was there, add the necessary plumbing and electrical connections, then rebuild. All along the way, they were dealing with material and labor shortages with the contractors and having to wait on required inspections throughout the process. I personally think this is going to be a very popular area, with lots of seating options, shade and greenery (which will be much more interesting once it grows in), meet and greets, and places to recharge your devices and yourself.
Calling it a “land” is generous. However, I’m glad to see more seating and trees. Someday this will be a nice area to enjoy some food & wine snacks
I’m sorry; this is considered a ‘land’? Just looks like a place to charge your phone and eat a quick bite. I know there are some defending the five years it took to build this thing and how hard it must have been. All they need to do is look over to Universal – it’s had the same issues and has managed to build almost an entire theme park in the same amount of time. Disney is definitely losing its edge. Where is the Disney touch in all of this? There is none. Just like what they do with all the refurbishments to their hotels: take out as much Disney as you can and replace with generic items so we look like every other hotel chain. I don’t think Imagineers exist anymore.
I personally love it. The thing I have always liked about the Disney parks is that there are spaces to just relax and chill. I don’t always like changes, but this is nice. For those who don’t like it, there are always alternatives.