Walt Disney World Resort made a surprising change at EPCOT, removing several recently installed gates without offering any explanation to theme park guests. Just days after being spotted, the heavy metal structures disappeared.
Last week, guests entering EPCOT through the World Celebration entrance noticed new gates at several of the less-used “tap-styles.” This area, located closest to the iconic Spaceship Earth attraction, is heavily trafficked by guests arriving from the Monorail, Disney bus transportation, or EPCOT’s parking lot. The new metal gates swung closed to stop guests from entering the park without scanning their ticket and guided guests leaving EPCOT toward designated exit points.
But now, in a surprising reversal, those same gates have already been taken down. According to BlogMickey, the gates have disappeared as of Wednesday, August 20. Only the support poles remain, and ropes now hang between them in place of the gates.
Walt Disney World Resort has not issued a public statement about the installation or removal of the gates. It’s possible that some technical or structural issue caused Disney to rethink the design. Despite the gates’ disappearance, guests continue to use the same tap-style system to enter EPCOT.
Interestingly, no new gates have been installed at EPCOT’s other entry point, the International Gateway. This smaller entrance, which sits closest to the France Pavilion in World Showcase, primarily serves guests arriving via the Disney Skyliner, watercraft transportation, or the walking path from nearby Disney Resort hotels and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. It’s unclear if Walt Disney World Resort will attempt to expand the gate system to this second entrance.
EPCOT is unique among Central Florida’s Disney Parks in that it has two separate entrances. While Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park does have an alternate entrance through the Rainforest Cafe at the front of the park, it still funnels guests into the same main walkway on Discovery Island. EPCOT, on the other hand, splits its guest flow into two.
Did the main entrance changes impact your visit to EPCOT? Share your story with Disney Fanatic in the comments!
