EPCOT welcomes Moana to her new meet and greet home in World Nature in October

Sep 09, 2023 in "Journey of Water Inspired by Moana"

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Moana meet and greet at EPCOT

Posted: Saturday September 9, 2023 1:03pm ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Moana will arrive in World Nature on October 16, 2023, and make her first appearance in her own dedicated space near Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana in EPCOT in Walt Disney World.

The new meet and greet space carries over a similar look to Journey of Water, and is located just across from the Coral Reef entrance.

Moana meet and greet at EPCOT

Disney has also announced that Journey of Water Inspired by Moana will also officially open on October 16, 2023.

Journey of Water Inspired by Moana overview

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Jayspency10 days ago

So they could turn it into an Apple store

DreamfinderGuy11 days ago

Ultimately they did do an early cancellation with Glidden, that was a five year contract that they ended in four. The West building I believe they did the same since all the exhibits closed at once, including the relatively new IBM Think which was presented by their longest running sponsor. That closed so abruptly because they had plans for the West building that they were going to act on imminently, which would later be canceled.

Bocabear11 days ago

I disagree. It would have been a different animal.

James Alucobond11 days ago

You were responding to a comment about Innoventions. Innoventions was a series of interactive exhibits with a variety of sponsors. Now, you have a series of interactive areas themed to Disney programming (the Moana IP) as you suggested. Whether or not water is involved in the exhibits is pretty much irrelevant, but you bring it up endlessly in an attempt to trivialize it for whatever reason. The loss of the building is a legitimate complaint, and we all know CommuniCore Hall is a bust, but your "it's so easy" idea for programming is essentially what happened minus the roof.

bpiper11 days ago

I am surprised that those contracts with the companies were that iron clad that Disney couldn't end them early, instead of waiting years for the last one to expire while the building just got more vacant as time went by. The last few years were very bad show.... But that could be said of a lot of things there now a days. They just don't care anymore on how it looks.

Bocabear11 days ago

Not really... at all. The building was razed.... They built a Water play and exploration trail. They built another building with some meet and greets that look like a bust and truck tour of Disney on Ice.... and a "flex space"...

James Alucobond11 days ago

That’s literally exactly what they did minus the indoor part.

DreamfinderGuy11 days ago

Disney wanted the space back to use for themselves

Bocabear11 days ago

they didn't try hard enough? They could have easily programmed that space themselves as a Disney attraction... It could have been an amazing indoor character Meet and Greet where the characters all had beautifully detailed settings within an indoor forest setting... Something that could have been a fantastic thematic wow... Making visiting the M&G a lot of fun instead of a long line for just a picture....That space was large enough it could have had all of those settings and a central court area with vending and refreshments....which would have been the cooler place to go in the summer or during storms...they would sell merch and F&B (snack) and would have been a much needed indoor gathering spot...But they would have had to actually design and beautiful indoor environment and not a Marriott Hotel Meeting Room...which it seems is all they are really designing these days....

bpiper11 days ago

Any idea why?

DreamfinderGuy11 days ago

Innoventions never had trouble finding sponsors lol, it died a slow death because Disney stopped accepting new ones and ran out the contracts on the old ones

Bocabear11 days ago

We would rarely ever get any of the food in the World Showcase during the food and waine festival and did the Party For The Senses instead where you could actually sit with your food...But years of cuts and changes had really ruined the PFTS...it was not longer a fun special thing, but just a bunch of Disney restaurants providing Tapas for a $150 ticket....

Chef idea Mickey`=11 days ago

It's an improvement, but for years it was like. It was funny when for Food and Wine debuted they removed some seats inside Detention Hall. 😁

MisterPenguin11 days ago

It still needs improvement, but EPCOT is getting better at non-restaurant seating/tables. Part of the empty expansion pad between Morocco and France now has picnic seating. Same with the waterfronts area in front of America down toward Germany. Morocco now has a nice hole-in-the-wall outdoor lounge into which to bring food. There's a new picnic area on the Rose walkway between Canada and Imagination. The new hub has several seating/table areas, as well as Communicore Hall having indoor seating.