EPCOT’s 42-year-old Spaceship Earth ride shut down last week.
Spaceship Earth opened alongside EPCOT on October 1, 1982. The geodesic sphere immediately became the second Central Florida Disney park’s icon, featured in countless photographs, videos, and merchandise items over the last four decades.
Inside what many guests lovingly call the “EPCOT ball,” a slow-moving dark ride takes guests on a journey from the early days of humanity through centuries of innovation that led us to where we are today. When the omnimover reverses, an interactive digital screen appears, inviting guests to build their own futures through a series of multiple-choice questions.
Like any future-focused attraction, Spaceship Earth has faced criticism for being outdated, with the most recent update in 2007. In 2019, Walt Disney Imagineering announced plans for another update as part of the Future World reimagining at EPCOT. However, the update was indefinitely postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Walt Disney World Resort did keep its promise to build an adults-only Spaceship Earth-themed lounge, GEO-82. It opened earlier this month.
Despite the lack of updates, Spaceship Earth remains one of the most popular family-friendly attractions at EPCOT. Last week, one Disney Park guest (@findingmyshine on TikTok) shared a video of their experience spending over 40 minutes stuck near the attraction’s Egyptian scene:
@findingmyshine And a free lightning lane for being stopped so long #disneyworld #spaceshipearth #epcot #disneyrides #disneypov #creatorsearchinsights #fyp
“When [you’re] stuck on Spaceship Earth for 40 minutes, you find yourself cheering this man on,” the guest joked. “This man staring into your soul, and you just want to thank the Phoenicians.”
Spaceship Earth and other omnimover attractions occasionally stop to assist guests with mobility issues with boarding or de-boarding. However, the reason for this lengthy shutdown is unknown.
Fortunately, it seems that Disney cast members didn’t have to evacuate riders, and those stuck on board were given free Lightning Lane passes for the inconvenience. The TikToker described the breakdown as a respite from the Central Florida heat.
“Inside from the heat it wasn’t bad at all,” the Disney Park guest wrote.
Walt Disney World Resort rarely issues public statements about temporary ride closures, and this instance was no different. However, Spaceship Earth eventually reopened and was operating normally at the time of this article’s publication.
Has a ride breakdown impacted your visit to Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, or Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park? Share your experience with Inside the Magic in the comments!
The post Spaceship Earth Closes After 42 Years at EPCOT appeared first on Inside the Magic.
