Despite having its status recently updated to “Closed for Refurbishment” on the Walt Disney World website and on My Disney Experience, it seems Spaceship Earth may make its ascent once again upon the reopening of EPCOT on July 15th. Thank the Phoenicians!
According to the UNITE HERE Local 362 union, which represents attraction workers throughout Walt Disney World, Spaceship Earth’s refurbishment has been pushed back. The information was revealed during an web conference and subsequently posted on a WDWMagic forum earlier today. The attraction is set to reopen with the rest of the park. You can find more details on the refurbishment below:
As times have changed, the Spaceship Earth attraction at EPCOT has changed with them. Opening in 1982, the ride received massive overhauls in 1986, 1994, and 2007, usually with the departure or addition of a corporate sponsor. With over a decade since the last reimagining, coupled with the 2017 departure of Siemens, Walt Disney Imagineering is ramping up for another round of changes to the park’s icon attraction.
The reimagining was set to begin on May 26th, despite a $900M decrease in CAPEX spending on the parks due to postponed or cancelled projects.
It was first announced back in October 2018 of the closure, and the closure is still expected to last about two and a half years as part of the park’s massive overhaul, which includes a new building for the exit of the attraction, and potentially a new name, as revealed during the 2019 D23 Expo: “Spaceship Earth: Our Shared Story.” As with all the changes overtaking the park, this reimagining promises to make the attraction––in newly-appointed CEO Bob Chapek’s words––“more Disney, more family, more timeless, and more relevant.”
The overhaul will be so thorough that it will require the ride to close at least until the park’s 40th anniversary in the second half of 2022, possibly leading into 2023, or even further now with the closure setbacks and further postponement. It’s also unknown whether the full set of changes will be implemented given the current theme park climate.
