EPCOT vs. AK - Or old thinking vs. new.

[space42]

I wanted to take an objective (by the numbers) look at AK and EPCOT. A few posters have claimed that they feel that EPCOT is a half day park the same as AK. I will no longer use the term half day as that is not really fair. Lets just look at the number of attractions each park had one year after opening as both parks had major additions in the first year that were not ready at opening (Asia for AK / JIYI & Horizons for EPCOT)
So, we will look at 1983 for EPCOT and 1999 for AK. I want to list just the attractions. No shops, restaurants, or extra cost items.
I do not have my guide books handy for this time period for EPCOT, so if I miss something, please feel free to add.

Ok EPCOT First and We’ll start with Future World:

1. Spaceship Earth attraction.
2. AT&T Global village interactive area (or whatever it was called in 1983)
3. Communicore East
4. Communicore West
5. Universe of Energy ride
6. Horizons
7. World of Motion (fun to be free ride)
8. Bird and Robot show in World of Motion building.
9. Living with the Land boat ride
10. Kitchen Cabaret in the land
11. I forget what the predecessor to the Circle of Life film in the land was called.
12. Journey into Imagination ride.
13. Magic Journeys 3D movie
14. Image works interactive play area

World Showcase

15. China – Wonders of China Circle vision Movie
16. The American Adventure Audio Annimatronic Show.
17. France - "Impressions de France" Movie
18. Canada – O Canada Circle vision Movie.
19. Mexico - El Rio del Tiempo

Ok, there.. I think that’s it for EPCOT circa 1983. One also has to be aware that many of the Future World attractions were 15+ minutes in length. Some took over 45 minutes (energy)
On to AK circa 1999.

1. Its Tough to be a Bug 3d movie
2. Discovery river boats – now closed
3. Festival of the Lion King show
4. Pocahontas show
5. Countdown to Extinction ride
6. The Boneyard interactive play area.
7. Dinosaur Jubilee – now closed
8. Journey into Junglebook show
9. Kilimanjaro Safaris
10. Gorilla Falls Trail
11. Conservation Station interactive area
12. Flights of Wonder Show
13. Kali River Rapids
14. Trail in Asia (sorry forget the name)
I included the shows for AK’s benefit, since many people believe these are some of the best on WDW property. If we take those out of the mix that brings the number down to 10. Again, this is mostly from memory. I may have missed one or two.

Ok, discuss away.

 

[hopemax]

Epcot also had:

Mexico - El Rio del Tiempo

 

[space42]

Originally posted by hopemax
Epcot also had:

Mexico - El Rio del Tiempo

doooah! thanks, and fixed

I'm sure there are more too.

 

[WDWHound]

Aisa did not open with Animal Kingdom (it open approx 1 year later). This removes 2 attractions from the AK list (Kali and the Asia trail).

 

[space42]

Originally posted by WDWHound
Aisa did not open with Animal Kingdom (it open approx 1 year later). This removes 2 attractions from the AK list.

Re-read the begining of my post. I used 1999 for AK to include Asia and 1983 for EPCOT to include Horizons and JII. Both parks one year after opening.

 

[WDWHound]

I stand corrected. Sorry about that.

 

[YoHo]

I realize that Gorrilla Falls and the Maharaja Jungle Trek are significantly longer and more involved walking tours, but to be fair, shouldn't you include the Hedge maze and Japanese and Chinese gardens in Epcot as attractions?

After all, the mentality required to enjoy them is fundimentally the same needed to enjoy those little attractions in WS.

Of course I don't know if those viginettes were there in 83.

 

[space42]

Originally posted by YoHo
I realize that Gorrilla Falls and the Maharaja Jungle Trek are significantly longer and more involved walking tours, but to be fair, shouldn't you include the Hedge maze and Japanese and Chinese gardens in Epcot as attractions?

After all, the mentality required to enjoy them is fundimentally the same needed to enjoy those little attractions in WS.

Of course I don't know if those viginettes were there in 83.

Yeah, I thought about these after I posted. I also didn't include the Friendship launches in EPCOT's lists. Only fair since I included the River Boat in AK.

What is another interesting compairison is to look at the number of actual RIDES in each park. 7 at EPCOT and 3 at AK (not including transportation). The fact that many of these rides were 15+ minutes in length is also interesting. The EPCOT of 1983 did indeed take an entire day to see even if you were breezing through World Showcase.

 

[DVC-Landbaron]

The EPCOT of 1983 did indeed take an entire day to see even if you were breezing through World Showcase.

Exactly!! And you were so enthralled with the experience that you just had to go back and find out what else there was to do. And almost by accident you found some really neat stuff in World Showcase or Communicore!! (a much different concept than Innoventions!!)

 

[vernon]

How many different animal exhibits does AK have? does each one count as a "full attraction" if so AK would outnumber Epcots "attractions. To try and compare "show for show" or "ride for ride" is disingenious . The parks are different and their charm appeals to different people in different ways. It would be nice if people could like both, as I do and feel they can forward the case of their own favourite without feeling the need to knock another.
I don't think either is a "half day park" for me, but I can understand people coming to that conclusion on both if their interests are not whetted by the type of thing the parks are tring to accomplish. I feel that was what the person, whose post this topic has inspired, was trying to say. It was not a disparaging comment at Epcot, just a comment that with Disney trying to offer a wide range of parks to offer different experiences that some people are not going to be as entertained with some of the offerings. That doesn't make AK a bad park any more than it makes Epcot a bad park.
I'm sorry for the people that don't enjoy AK, a massive amount of work went into the detail of the park and I think Disney did a great job on it. But in exactly the same wasy as there are people who wouldn't want to visit MK ( or any themepark) for that matter there are people that don't find AK OR Epcot to entertain them sufficiently for a whole day.

I think Disney has the right idea in trying to expand the type of experience it offers, afterall we would ALL like to see more stuff at WDW, it would be VERY boring to have several MK's around the place so the new offerings are never going to appeal to everyone in the same way. IMHO if they put in 3 new attractions and I like 2 of them I think I've done well. I see no point in complaining that the third isn't what I like, I'm gratreful the company is trying to expand the experience.

 

[BRERALEX]

jmo. Epcot was always an all day park if it wasnt that person didnt really take it all in. animal Kingdom I tried really hard me and my girlfrind to go and enjoy it as much as we could as long as we could and we were still out in half a day.

Kali river rapids is a joke of a raft ride. Its over so quick. They could have added more to it to make it more enjoyable. The Tree of Life is amazing. I remember when they were building it that i could see from the top of BB and thought it was awesome. Bugs life is a really awesome themed ride. Love the posters and all the thought put into it i guess they had none left over for Kali.

Usa is playing right now i hope they win if not im boycotting the gremany pavillion!!! j/k

I think maybe its me and not AK thats the problem i live by Great Adventures Safari and have the BRooklyn zoo only half hour away. I do the walking tours but how long can you stand there and look at the lions? 5 minutes? ten? It must be this new jersey new york thing of lets go lets go lets go lets go. i dont know.

I remember paying at a register for something and telling the cashier "things are so different down here from nj." And she tells me "yeah were really quick down here."-and i know she was being serious. i would have been hapy if they just kept that island by river country with the animals and brids and stuff that i enjoyed.

 

[YoHo]

An interesting Aside. My Star Wars chatters and I have been talking Disney today and Epcot is the Park that they most love. For various reasons although the Rollerocaster set (my term) complained about the lack of an update and it all being from the 70s.

 

[AKemel]

EPCOT is my favorite park.

I just came back from Disneyland, CA and kept on feeling that something was missing. That is a park that has so many rides, and it really was not crowded from 8 am to about 10 am, so we did rides all morning and it was fun.
But even while there, I was really looking toward my next trip to the World. The parks there have so much more to offer than rides, that being SHOWS. After a morning at DL, even not doing any Six Flags type rides I came away a little nauseous. After a couple of shows in World Showcase, I feel happy.

Maybe it is just me, but I do not think that E-ticket roller coaster attractions make a good park. They do attract people, but not the kind of people that appreciate the details, happiness and beauty of EPCOT and AK.

 

[marty3d]

Maybe it is just me, but I do not think that E-ticket roller coaster attractions make a good park. They do attract people, but not the kind of people that appreciate the details, happiness and beauty of EPCOT and AK.

I couldn't agree more! While I love e-ticket rides (ToT is my favorite Disney attraction) - they are not what keep me coming back. I could find coaster parks much closer to home (and for much less $$). What brings me and my family back is the overall experience, the beauty and the shows. I could easily spend an entire day wandering around AK without ever setting foot in one of the "rides". It is by far Disney's most beautiful park. I believe it complements the other parks at WDW perfectly.

 

[Ocean]

Originally posted by AKemel
EPCOT is my favorite park.
Maybe it is just me, but I do not think that E-ticket roller coaster attractions make a good park. They do attract people, but not the kind of people that appreciate the details, happiness and beauty of EPCOT and AK.

I have to disagree with this one. I really enjoy good roller coasters, and I wish Disney had more and better coasters. I was recently at Six Flags Astroworld, and the Mayan Mindbender attraction struck me as being an attempt at what Disney does with ride theming. One of the most important features, the story, was completely missing. Sure, they had a great pyramid and some interesting props scattered through the queue area, but it all seemed sort of thrown together. It didn't seem to have been done with the care that typifies the truly great disney attractions.

As for not appreciating the details, beauty, and happiness, Epcot is a 2.5 day park for me!

 

[mickeyminnie]

is that some of the play areas are absolutely fantastic. You adults will not get much out of them but let me tell you the little kid set has a ball. The dino area, and we were there before dinorama opened, was great, my kids dug and dug in the boneyard, they loved all the climb and slide equipment and explored every nook and cranny of that area. It doesn't have to beep, have lights or move to impress kids sometimes. It was hard to drag them away and move on to the next area. They also really enjoyed character meeting so we spent time in camp minniemickey at the meet and greet, also with the characters at the entrance gate. The kids like to look at the wild life and talk about what the gorillas are doing, they don't just walk by and check it off on their BTDT list.

We tried but has to leave ITTBAB show, we watched Tarzan Rocks which my daughter loved, we watched Lion King which both kids loved and loved. So we didn't see all the shows. We watched and danced with the street band in Africa, we watched the parade.

We went back for a second morning to see some other stuff, we never even made it to Asia and didn't do the rapids ride. We likes the safari, that was the bigest ride we did there.

I think it is a very subjective park, if you are a nature lover and animal lover then you can spend a lot of time there and really enjoy it, the atmosphere is beautiful. If that stuff doesn't do much for you then perhaps it isn't your park.

But I really think it is unfair to constantly see post about AK as an unfinished and lacking park. Perhaps those people really haven't "visited" the park.

 

[space42]

But I really think it is unfair to constantly see post about AK as an unfinished and lacking park. Perhaps those people really haven't "visited" the park.

I have visited AK about 6 times. I realy love what they have at AK (except for carnyrama). I just wish there was more of it.

Perhaps it is my fault for watching the AK special on TV a year or so before the park was finished. They showed many things that were never built. Including an animal encounter boat ride, Beastly Kingdom, etc. Perhaps its also my fault for also getting the Disney magazine that featured AK and all the things that were going to be there (many of wich never built). I suppose its also my fault for getting that Imagineering book that also shows concept art for things that were never built in AK.

Perhaps its my fault for being a WDW visitor for 30 years. In that time they have constanly raised the bar as to what to expect (for the most part). I had very HIGH expectations on my first visit to AK in 1998.

The fact is that WDI had great plans for AK (some of them were built). Many of these plans were axed due to buget cuts and it shows (hey, whats that dragon doing in the logo?)

Imagine EPCOT if they just built World Showcase...

 

[Conure]

Personally, I think that people need to distinguish the border between G-Force heart racing explosive action, and interesting, fun and enjoyable. I love both, which is why I like Disney so much.
THE VARIETY! EPCOT and Animal Kingdom can't be compared because they aren't the same thing. The reason I think AK is a .5 day park is because the humidity gets pretty bad, and the second half is usually spent at Blizzard Beach. I mean, Disney must have wanted something different, or they wouldn't have built it. I'm pretty sure it took people a while to appreciate MGM too, but now look. Plus, AK is still in a building stage. There's a lot of room for growth there.


"...I never let my schooling interfere with my education..."

-Mark Twain