New Animation Experience at Rafiki’s Planet Watch in Animal Kindgom

Rafiki's Planet Watch at Disney's Animal Kingdom has re-opened with an all-new Animation Experience at Conservation Station.

The Animation Experience at Conservation Station, offers guests the opportunity to learn how live animals have inspired some of the most iconic characters.

Inside you have the chance to create a personalized piece of Disney art through an instructor-led animation class.

Each 25 minute classwill be different, and will include characters such as Simba, Zazu, Pumbaa and Timon. Worried about securing the best spot? Disney FastPass+ is available at this location, and standby is also available.

The entrance to the Animation Experience is at the side of the building across from the Affection Section.

Disney recommends boarding the Wildlife Express Train to Rafiki’s Planet Watch 40 minutes prior to the experience start time.

Even More Closures at Epcot Coming

I mentioned in my previous two blogs about some upcoming closures at Epcot in Walt Disney World.  In addition to those, a few more closures have been announced.

The Fountain of Nations will close on Sept. 8, 2019.

As part of the ongoing transformation of Epcot, Art of Disney will operate temporarily from a new location while refurbishment is underway. Heritage Manor in The American Adventure pavilion will later become the new home for Art of Disney offerings.

Colortopia and Nanooze Break in Innoventions will also be closing September 8, 2019.

These closures are all part of the massive transformation of Futureworld in the upcoming months.

Changes Coming to Epcot

As many of you may know, Epcot is undergoing a pretty HUGE transformation, and as part of that transformation, many popular locations will be closing temporarily.

One of those is the ever popular Character Spot, which will close for a time beginning September 8th, 2019. Good news though - the characters aren’t going away, they will still be meeting… just in different locations.

 

After September 8th, you’ll find Minnie Mouse at the World Showcase Gazebo where Daisy typically meets her fans, and Daisy Duck will be heading to the American Adventure Pavilion.

Mickey and Goofy are set to move to Innovations West for a bit before Mickey moves to a location in the Imagination! pavilion, and Goofy “will find a new home outside of the park.

Joy is set to meet elsewhere, but Disney hasn’t released information about a new location for Sadness or Baymax.

Another upcoming closure announced was The Electric Umbrella.

As per the statement from Disney, “As part of the exciting transformation of Epcot, Electric Umbrella is scheduled to close this winter. New dining options will be available in the future, featuring a variety of food and beverage selections.” The last day that operating hours are listed is Saturday, November 23, 2019.

And lastly, Fountain View, the coffee shop that features Starbucks products located in Future World West, will also be closing in the late fall of 2019.

Disney’s official statement reads, “As part of the ongoing transformation of Epcot, Fountain View featuring Starbucks will relocate to a temporary location in late Fall.” It appears that the last day of Fountain View’s operation in its existing location will be Saturday, November 23, 2019.

What to do in Epcot When There is no Festival?

We’ve all become accustomed to seeing the food booths in Epcot's World Showcase but what is there to do until the next festival? Well, check out the following list of things to do in Epcot when the theme park is a little less festive!

Epcot Wine Walk
If you enjoy trying wine from various countries and regions try the Epcot Wine Walk. The Wine Walk is often an overlooked activity in Epcot. When you purchase it you receive two refillable glasses and a passport that entitles you to, and tracks, your two pours at each location. You can purchase the Wine Walk in either the Germany, France, or Italy wine shops. Take your tasting passport and Wine Walk glass to the wine shops in each shop and enjoy a taste of wines from various regions in each country.

If you don’t want to complete the Wine Walk but still like the wine glass, you can buy just the wine glass for $5.00. Then you can purchase wines of your choice at each of the three locations. Plus, you’ve got a pretty cool souvenir to take home!

Behind the Seeds Tour
If you have ever wondered where some of the food comes from in the parks and resorts you’ll find out on the Living with the Land ride. To learn even more, take the Behind the Seeds tour.

The Behind the Seeds tours are led by a member of the Epcot Science Team and let you discover more than 60 crops from around the world, see some of the latest techniques used to grow and improve plants, and walk through the fish farm to see thousands of fish — and alligators. You might even get up close to some ladybugs and learn how they help keep the insect population down.

You can sign up for the tour on the day of if there is availability, or sign up in advance by calling (407) WDW-TOUR. The cost is $25 for adults and $20 for children. Be sure to ask about annual passholder, DVC, and Disney Chase Visa Cardholder discounts.

Enjoy the Entertainment
The live entertainment in Epcot is worth the price of admission alone. First, for those who love the characters, there is plenty to see in Epcot. The Character Connection in Future World is a great place to start. Follow that with various meet and greets in the countries. 

Over in World Showcase, you can spend your entire day going from country to country and with cultural experiences from around the Globe. Without festivals, the park is a little less congested, and this gives you space and time to enjoy the entertainment in the World Showcase pavilions. There are musical groups in the Canada, UK, Morocco, American Adventure, and Germany pavilions, the Serveur Amusant with their amazing climbing and balancing act in France, the Matsuriza drums in Japan, Sergio and his juggling act in Italy, the Jewel Dragon Acrobats in China, and the Mariachi Cobre as well as their retelling of the tale of Coco in Mexico.

Of course, there are the classic eat around the world or drink around the world activities as well. I wanted to take this time to point out a few of the lesser known or not as popular things to do in Epcot.