Spaceship Earth Renovations

The Walt Disney World Resort is constantly striving to maintain and improve all of their attractions to keep guests happy and coming back for regular visits to Central Florida. Whether it is coming up with different annual themes and celebrations (they are currently in the midst of the Year of a Million Dreams celebration) or just looking for ways to improve upon what they have already perfected, Disney is always thinking one step ahead. Case in point: last year, after the multitude of success of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies, Disney shut down the immensely popular ride of the same name at the Magic Kingdom Park to incorporate aspects of the movies into the attraction, including appearances from Captain Jack Sparrow himself. Now, the ride is more popular than ever, drawing in fans who have always loved the ride and even more who are drawn in to the trilogy of movies.

Disney is currently hoping that a fourth renovation of the Spaceship Earth attraction at Epcot will reap many of those same benefits as the Pirates attraction did while re-establishing itself as the true centerpiece and foundation for what Epcot (the experimental prototype community of tomorrow) stands for. Before Spaceship Earth closed on July 9, 2007, this 16 million-pound, 180-foot-tall golf ball look alike that opened right along with Epcot back in October of 1982 housed a 14-minute ride that let guests travel back through time to see how humans learned to communicate and how it has evolved over the years. Now, a new sponsorship of the attraction (Siemens) is going hand-in-hand with the current renovations, which also include the removal of the magic wand and the word “Epcot” which has been fixated to the giant sphere since the new millennium celebration began in late 1999.

In addition to the cosmetic changes being made (landscaping is also being done around the attraction to return it to its early luster), the inside and meat of the attraction is being drastically altered as well. Spaceship Earth will now feature three new scenes involving the evolution of computers, as well as new costumes, lighting and props. A brand new musical score by Bruce Broughton has also been composed, while Academy Award-winning actress Judi Dench is the new narrator of the attraction. And finally, the biggest and most impactful change resides at the end of the attraction – guests will now be able to choose their version of the future via an interactive screen in their time machine vehicle.

While Spaceship Earth does not have its official re-opening until February 19, 2008, guests are currently being treated to a soft opening at the park. If you want to be one of the first to see this major renovation, all you need are tickets to access the theme parks. For the best deals on discounted tickets to Disney, along with Universal Orlando and Sea World Orlando, DWTickets.com is your one-stop shop. To get started on your vacation planning and to purchase your discounted theme park tickets, click here now!