If you were hoping to spot some sea creatures in EPCOT, we have some bad news. This pavilion is a bit of a construction zone right now, and we recently spotted some important changes involving the manatees who will call this place their home.

The Seas with Nemo and Friends

On January 14th, The Seas with Nemo & Friends closed at 7 PM for maintenance. When we stopped by to see what Disney has planned, we learned that Disney plans to bring new friends to the pavilion in the near future.

During a recent visit to EPCOT, we confirmed that the manatee exhibit was blocked, and there were large construction walls nearby.

The display is blocked for now

According to a Cast Member, the manatees that once lived here were moved to another facility in Florida. We also learned that Disney Cast Members have been doing some animal rehabilitation backstage, and they hope to bring some new manatees to The Seas Pavilion soon. In fact, when the new manatees arrive, Cast Members hope to rehabilitate the animals and move away from the long-term care we’ve seen here before; manatees that need extra care will likely go to a place like SeaWorld, which is better equipped for extensive care. But first, Disney must take care of the construction and routine maintenance next to the tank.

There are a LOT of construction walls in the area

If you’ve been to The Seas Pavilion recently, you may have noticed that the escalator was not operational. Well, Disney is finally working on the escalator and has installed large construction walls around the escalators. Fingers crossed that this is fixed quickly! Once this general maintenance is complete, Cast Members hinted that Disney will be able to focus on some other closed activities, like the DiveQuest program. Disney previously stated that the experience should return this spring.

More construction walls

Back in 2024, Disney relocated its three dolphins to the Gulfarium Marine Adventure Park in Fort Walton Beach.

In the meantime, we’re always on the lookout for the latest Disney news, so stay tuned for more.

Learn more about the closures here!

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Did you ever see the manatees in EPCOT? Let us know in the comments!