Disney Dish: Epcot's Communicore History & Harmonious Survey

Disney Parks News and Updates

• 🚢 The Disney Wish cruise has been delayed by six weeks, impacting initial sailings but not the September 23rd-26th Disney Dish cruise.
• 🍽️ Disney's earnings call revealed that capacity increases are limited by restaurant staffing and live entertainment, suggesting the Disney Dining Plan won't return soon.
• 📈 Between one-third and one-half of guests are purchasing Genie Plus and/or individual Lightning Lanes, a significant uptake since their October launch.

Genie Plus and Lightning Lane Strategy

• ❓ For guests with young children, individual Lightning Lanes for rides like Remy's Ratatouille Adventure, Rise of the Resistance, and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train may be worthwhile if the cost per hour saved is under $15.
• 💡 Arriving early and heading to a priority attraction first can negate the need for individual Lightning Lanes for some rides.
• 🎢 Genie Plus might be beneficial for busier travel times, but it's recommended to try it for one or two days first to assess its value.

Epcot Nighttime Show Performance

• 📊 A Disney survey comparing Harmonious to the former Illuminations: Reflections of Earth shows Harmonious is rated better only by preschoolers and grade schoolers.
• 📉 Young adults, over 30s, and seniors significantly prefer Reflections of Earth over Harmonious, indicating a disconnect with the target demographic.
• ✨ Wishes and Happily Ever After received high ratings across all demographics, while Enchantment underperformed compared to these beloved shows.

Harmonious Overhaul and Future Plans

• 💰 Walt Disney Entertainment is seeking funds to overhaul Harmonious, with a belief that incorporating songs from the film Encanto could revitalize the show.
• 🎶 Potential changes include replacing the current finale with Encanto songs, possibly debuting as early as summer or fall 2022.
• 🚀 Future marketing campaigns will likely feature Encanto footage from Harmonious and tease the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and TRON Lightcycle Run attractions.

Epcot's Communicore: A Look Back

• 🏛️ Communicore, a massive 267,000 sq ft space in Epcot's Future World, aimed to showcase technologies people would use in the near future (5-20 years).
• 🖱️ Exhibits like the Travelport, sponsored by American Express, featured interactive elements like the World Festival Sphere, which used music and images to preview destinations.
• 💡 The Astute Computer Revue, though poorly attended, had a popular pre-show CAD design exhibit where guests could build and view virtual roller coasters.
• 🚀 The success of the CAD exhibit directly influenced the creation of DisneyQuest's Cyberspace Mountain, allowing guests to design and then ride their own roller coasters.