What’s going on at Wonders of Life?

[dcrippin15]

Wonders of Life is approximately 100,000 square feet that’s to big for a restaurant.

Also that 100,000 square feet includes the storage and offices in the rear of the building which is currently occupied by management and storage well that speaks for itself. Could be comparable in size to sci-fi seating area is roughly 9,000 sq ft. I could see the new MS themed restaurant being north of 10,000 sq ft and than add in the kitchen. I mean it doesn’t make a dent 100,000 sq footage but again this is just a rumor I’ve heard from a few people within the company

 

[BigRed98]

Also that 100,000 square feet includes the storage and offices in the rear of the building which is currently occupied by management and storage well that speaks for itself. Could be comparable in size to sci-fi seating area is roughly 9,000 sq ft. I could see the new MS themed restaurant being north of 10,000 sq ft and than add in the kitchen. I mean it doesn’t make a dent 100,000 sq footage but again this is just a rumor I’ve heard from a few people within the company

True. Maybe your right but I just don't see Disney putting the restaurant in WoL. We'll eventually find out what Disney's plans are.

 

[Phicinfan]

By all insider reports the Space Restaurant will be on the Test track side of MS. Not in Wonders of life.

 

[umichigan10]

Would be nice if they tried to make wonders of life an actual pavilion with things to do in it, even if it’s a different concept than wonders of life.

I will say it doesn’t help that the pavilions stuck in the back between energy and mission space making it kinda isolated from anything else. Of course if they put something good there people will go, but I like to think the less than ideal location didn’t help the attendance of the original wonders pavilion (that and lack of updates to the offerings there)

 

[jknezek]

Would be nice if they tried to make wonders of life an actual pavilion with things to do in it, even if it’s a different concept than wonders of life.

I will say it doesn’t help that the pavilions stuck in the back between energy and mission space making it kinda isolated from anything else. Of course if they put something good there people will go, but I like to think the less than ideal location didn’t help the attendance of the original wonders pavilion (that and lack of updates to the offerings there)

With EPCOT's only rollercoaster going in that corner, I think WoL's position in the park is significantly improved. It wouldn't surprise me if they brought that pavilion back to something. With Guardians, MS, and TT on that side, I wouldn't expect a thrill ride, but some kind of omnimover attraction in that pavilion or boat ride with a massive capacity would be a benefit to the park to continue balancing things out and spreading crowds.

 

[mcjaco]

Maybe, but not necessarily. The dome has been leaking for some time and as a result some of the dome's interior surface looked pretty bad. In addition to it being the Festival Center, special and private events take place there on a regular basis, and if it rains during an event, it's a nightmare dealing with it not to mention embarrassing. Not a good situation.

They either had to repair it ASAP in order to prevent any further interior damage or demolish the building. I guess it made more sense in the short term to repair it. Long term, who knows.

I'm hoping that the entire inside will be stripped, refurbished, including the beautiful Wonders Retreat event venue upstairs, and becomes a replacement for the World Showplace pavilion. That pavilion is really showing it's age and needs to be dealt with.

We were there during a torrential downpour right before Hurricane Matthew. I did not see any leaks back then, and we were stuck in there for over an hour. That was also the exact time I scheduled to meet up with an old high school friend that's an Imagineer based at Epcot, so we walked around that pavilion just chit chatting, and catching up. He said they'd made a ton of upgrades to the pavilion over the past couple years in order to keep using it. Pretty much the only thing left to replace was the flooring. I don't see it going anywhere.

 

[jkh36619]

An article I read last night thought it may be due to GotG to begin construction is the reason.

 

[rteetz]

An article I read last night thought it may be due to GotG to begin construction is the reason.

Construction is well underway for Guardians.

 

[jkh36619]

Construction is well underway for Guardians.

ah, but do you think that construction would be the reason for the relocation of F&G head quarters?

 

[rteetz]

ah, but do you think that construction would be the reason for the relocation of F&G head quarters?

There is no Festival Center at all this year. Construction could be part of it but they didn't even relocate the Festival Center its just gone.

 

[umichigan10]

With EPCOT's only rollercoaster going in that corner, I think WoL's position in the park is significantly improved. It wouldn't surprise me if they brought that pavilion back to something. With Guardians, MS, and TT on that side, I wouldn't expect a thrill ride, but some kind of omnimover attraction in that pavilion or boat ride with a massive capacity would be a benefit to the park to continue balancing things out and spreading crowds.

That’s a fair point. I’d be very open to something going there (an Omni mover sounds perfect honestly). Would definitely make that side of FW pretty complete and then they could focus their efforts on fixing the other side

 

[disneydreamer1980]

They should bring Cranium Command back to the Wonders of Life, with an Inside Out overlay...I miss cranium command, I loved it

 

[brewhome]

I think Innoventions would be a great space for the Festival Center for F&W, since it's closer to where the food booths start now that they've crept into Future World. It always seemed odd to me that the Festival Center was so far away from the booths. And by the way, I absolutely love the food booths in Future World... I especially love the area by the Wine and Cheese booths. It's so cute there, especially all lit up in the evening!

 

[FastPasser.]

We were there during a torrential downpour right before Hurricane Matthew. I did not see any leaks back then, and we were stuck in there for over an hour.

Up until a couple of months, I was inside the Wonders building for up to 6 hours at a time on average once a month. I can recall one particular instance when it was really bad, I thought it was after Matthew. Not only did I see the leaks, I felt them and the staff had to scramble for towels and mops to clean up the substantial puddles. The worst part was that we had to do all this as the hundreds of formally dressed guests were entering through the back entrance which was directly under the leak for what was supposed to be an upscale private party. Very embarrassing. I wondered if the client asked for a discount?

He said they'd made a ton of upgrades to the pavilion over the past couple years in order to keep using it.

Did he mention what they were? Matthew was in Sept of 2016, so the upgrades were done during the two years before that.

Did your friend take you upstairs to show you the Wonders Retreat?

 

[mcjaco]

Up until a couple of months, I was inside the Wonders building for up to 6 hours at a time on average once a month. I can recall one particular instance when it was really bad, I thought it was after Matthew. Not only did I see the leaks, I felt them and the staff had to scramble for towels and mops to clean up the substantial puddles. The worst part was that we had to do all this as the hundreds of formally dressed guests were entering through the back entrance which was directly under the leak for what was supposed to be an upscale private party. Very embarrassing. I wondered if the client asked for a discount?
Did he mention what they were? Matthew was in Sept of 2016, so the upgrades were done during the two years before that.

Did your friend take you upstairs to show you the Wonders Retreat?

He said they'd pretty much done everything, except the floor and the bathrooms.

He asked me if I wanted to peak in the back and see Cranium Command, etc, but I declined. 1) I hate being that Disney "fan" and 2) our kids were getting a little rambunctious since we were stuck in there for an hour during the downpour.

 

[tlmadden73]

Wonders of Life is approximately 100,000 square feet that’s to big for a restaurant.

But the dome area is much smaller right?
Geodesic dome size 65 ft (20 m) high and 250 ft (76 m) in diameter

Isn't a majority of the space (for the old Body Wars attraction) off the side or behind the dome?

I know rumors are saying the Mission Space restaurant is going between Mission Space and Test Track, but when I first saw the concept art of that the new Space restaurant .. it's circular shape just screamed Wonder of Life dome to me. And the two buildings are close to each other and the pavilion has been unused for a decade. Why not use it?

I mean the whole space doesn't have to be a restaurant. There can be viewing areas and such to make it an attraction in itself like how Planet Hollywood has a lot to look at and it has a lot of "open" space.

 

[FastPasser.]

and the pavilion has been unused for a decade.

It hasn't been used as an attraction, but in addition to it being the Festival Center it has been used for very large and mid size private events. The smaller Wonders Retreat venue is on the list of venues as well.

https://disneyeventgroup.com/sections/disney-park-events/epcot/wonders-retreat/#media-0

 

[tlmadden73]

It hasn't been used as an attraction, but in addition to it being the Festival Center it has been used for very large and mid size private events. The smaller Wonders Retreat venue is on the list of venues as well.

https://disneyeventgroup.com/sections/disney-park-events/epcot/wonders-retreat/#media-0

Well . .I meant being used as an attraction. They just used the space because it was there, I doubt they truly WANT to use it that way.
It's location is a large footprint. I am sure they would rather use it as a money maker. Frankly, it just feels "junky" having an abandoned attraction (and restaurant in the Odyssey) in the middle of a major theme park. Just go to your local indoor mall. No matter the quality of the stores around it, having abandoned storefronts for long periods of time (or being used for "odd" purposes (like a church or a temporary calendar store) just makes the place as a whole feel "junky" even though the quality stores are still there. Things left abandoned signify the owners just don't care and make you less likely to go there since you "feel" the quality is down.

Epcot feels the same way ... empty building after empty building and the place just feels "abandoned" even though there are plenty of things to do in the rest of the park.
It feels like they don't even try. Future World feels like an aging, half-abandoned mall.

They are obviously taking steps to change that. So either they tear it down (like they did with long-standing buildings and attractions at DHS) to replace it with a big attraction or restaurant or they REDO the space for an attraction (like they are doing with the Energy Pavilion).
I just can't see them letting it sit idle anymore.

 

[crazy4wdw]

I think Innoventions would be a great space for the Festival Center for F&W, since it's closer to where the food booths start now that they've crept into Future World. It always seemed odd to me that the Festival Center was so far away from the booths. And by the way, I absolutely love the food booths in Future World... I especially love the area by the Wine and Cheese booths. It's so cute there, especially all lit up in the evening!

In the early days of the Food & Wine Festival, the beverage seminars were held in Innoventions West, in the area now occupied by the character meat & greet.

 

[BrianL]

It seems like the Odyssey is posed to become the new Festival Center. They are going to do something with the Life pavilion since they are repairing the roof right now. I mean, they're not going to knock it down at any rate. What could go in there is anyone's guess though.