Germany

This shot that I took on our 2007 trip gives a good idea of the attention to detail that the Imagineers put into the World Showcase pavilions. The German pavilion has exquisite details that are just beautiful to look at. One of my favorites is the statue of St. George slaying the dragon which can be seen in the picture just below the shop sign and above the green awning. Make sure to notice all the great details in each country on your next visit.

Lost Wonders

It's now common knowledge that the Wonders of Life is closed and is/will be/has been gutted. I was happy to hear though recently on Lou Mongello's WDW Radio Show that the huge mural that was above the entrance to the queue for Body Wars is being saved. I'm guessing the mural will remain where it is, but if anyone knows if it's being relocated please let me know. I remember going to EPCOT Center as a kid for the first time and the long lines for this attraction. Over the years the crowds dwindled and the sponsorship of MetLife was pulled. I am glad that this beautiful piece of art is being kept in tact and will remain for some to enjoy (by some I know that the pavilion will still be used for private functions and special occasions). I hope one day that the loss of this once great pavilion will be replaced by a new pavilion. New Horizons sounds great!

Project Tomorrow

It's just about 42 days until my next trip to WDW and one of the things I'm most excited about is getting to ride Spaceship Earth for the first time since the refurb. Not only am I excited about the ride, but also the new post-show. Project Tomorrow is the new pre-show and it is sponsored by Siemens just as the attraction is. I did get a chance to see the globe that was installed however it was not in operation when we last visited. The only thing that was up at that time was the medical game which I thought was very cool.

I have heard good things from people who have already seen the post-show and this has fuelled my excitement. I hope that this is a return to the excitement of the original Earth Station, which was truly a great post-show. I plan on taking photos and coming back with not only my review of the attraction, but also the post-show.

Seabase Alpha

As my wife and friends will attest, I'm a huge science fiction fan. I think one of the seeds that was planted inside of me that caused this fascination to grow was The Living Seas at EPCOT Center. To a young adolescent boy this pavilion was right up my alley. The pavilion's appeal started off right away to me. As you approach the outside of the building, a huge rock formation with the words LIVING SEAS stood. Every few seconds a huge wave of water came crashing against this formation. I loved that "effect" of the water slapping against the rock.

Once inside the show building the queue was decorated with artifacts of the history of sea exploration and many items that looked like they came straight from one of my favorite Disney movies, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. In fact there was a film poster in the queue.

A short preshow film about the formation of the Earth's oceans (which I loved, and never understood why people chose not to view it when given the option) was followed by a trip aboard the SeaCabs. While a short ride the voyage on the SeaCabs was one that gave a small introduction of what was to come at the center of The Living Seas, Seabase Alpha.

Like everything at Disney, Seabase Alpha has a backstory. Seabase Alpha was supposed to be a sort of underwater research colony that was a real working community. I absolutely love the Seabase Alpha logo that is included in this post and am sorry to see it slowly fade away. I was a huge fan of the show SeaQuest DSV and the reason for my love of this show was probably directly thanks to my love of Seabase Alpha. If the show wasn't a Universal project I might have thought that the Disney company had used this show as an offshoot of Seabase Alpha. Even though this wasn't the case, I'm sure in some part, small or large, The Living Seas had an influence on the creators of the show. One has to do no more than look at the dolphin in the logo and then look at Darwin the talking dolphin.

While I still love the Nemo-ization of the pavilion today, the lack of that scientific (some say scientific fiction) element of the pavilion is now gone for the most part.

UK Bound

The United Kingdom in Epcot's World Showcase is one of my favorite places in the park. This shot that I took on our 2007 trip could have been taken in a small country town in England if you weren't familiar with the Epcot version of the country. Being a huge fan of English football (that's soccer to most Americans) I love the merchadise in the shops and I also love the area of the shops that has the chess boards on display as well as the family crests. There's nothing better than getting a pint and walking through the shops before ending up in the courtyard toward the rear of the pavilion to watch a British Invasion performance. The Rose and Crown is also one of my favorite restaurants in all of WDW. Whether you eat inside or outside there is plenty of great atmosphere to take in. In what might seem like heresy to many in the Disney community I actually prefer eating here over Le Cellier. I always enjoy conversing with the cast members here as well. They may see me wearing my Arsenal Football Club shirt and just strike up a conversation that really is a joy. For my next post we'll head back over to Future World for a trip to Seabase Alpha.

Good Luck to Everyone

I have to say that I'm pretty excited now. I found out yesterday that I am one of 25 contestants that have advanced to Round 2 of Lou Mongello and the WDW Radio Show's Adventureland Challenge Contest!! Now I know Round 2 involves a picture that we have to come up with some kind of caption (I think). I hope people vote for mine, but more importantly I hope that people just vote in general. Lou has put together such a great contest and Round 1 was just so much fun going through I was happy just playing without the thought that I might advance. Please show support for Lou and his contest as well as his podcast, the WDW Radio Show to show appreciation for the fact that he has put in the work to put together such a great contest and podcast for all of us, the Disney fan community. I know what you may be saying. "Don't try to butter Lou up so you can win." The good thing about this contest though is that Lou isn't picking as it will be the fans that vote.

I'll be back to Epcot postings shortly, but I just wanted to share the great news and with all the other contestants the best of luck!!