EPCOT Escalator Claims Another Victim

There are a few things to consider during your Walt Disney World vacation that could pose a threat to you as a guest.

Often, amongst the hustle and bustle of Lightning Lane reservations, ‘Drinking Around the World,’ rides, attractions, and fireworks shows, we sometimes forget that even at Walt Disney World, bad things can happen. There’s wildlife to consider, injury on rides, and, in some cases, even an escalator at EPCOT could pose serious risks, especially if you’re wearing a specific type of shoe.

Credit: Disney

EPCOT is home to many fabulous offerings, including Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, its prominent landmark, Spaceship Earth, and, of course, the World Showcase. Unlike Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios, EPCOT isn’t necessarily known for its attractions, although it is currently home to one of the more popular rides at Disney World.

The park is divided into several lands, each featuring themes that include space travel, nature, The Land, imagination, and The Seas. The World Showcase is also home to several different pavilions, each like the American Adventure, hosting a unique country as its theme, offering food, drink, merchandise, and entertainment familiar to its respective parts of the world.

However, amongst World Discovery, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, and World Nature, it’s in The Land pavillion that you’ll find an admirable foe that has claimed the life of more than one guest’s footwear.

Credit: Disney Dining

Tucked away in The Land pavilion, you’ll find a few extremely popular offerings among the Disney faithful, including Living with the Land. As The Land pavilion is home to several large-scale attractions, including Soarin’, it’s a multi-level building that is also home to Chip ‘n’ Dale’s Harvest Feast at Garden Grill Restaurant and Sunshine Seasons.

To get to each attraction housed within the land pavilion, guests must utilize escalators inside the building. Normally, this wouldn’t pose much of an issue, except if you’re wearing a popular footwear called Crocs.

Credit: Disney/ Canva

Crocs are pliable, one-piece slide-ons that have grown in popularity over the years. They come in a variety of colors and styles and can even be customized using small ornaments known as Jibbitz, which attach to the many holes you’ll find dotted around Crocs. Crocs also come Disney-themed! As you can see from the image above, Disney World has long worked with Crocs to make special versions of the popular shoe for their parks.

Admittedly, in my experience, once Crocs are broken in well, they actually make a great shoe option for trekking Orlando-based parks like EPCOT or Universal Studios. They are extremely comfortable, and as they are not made of cloth, those afternoon rain storms don’t stand a chance of ruining your day when you’re wearing them.

However, because they are flexible shoes, there have been plenty of cases in which Crocs have become stuck on the EPCOT escalator in The Land pavilion. The most recent in a rash of assaults on footwear happened just a few days ago and was captured by X user @servoisnaked.

The escalator in The Land has claimed another victim pic.twitter.com/Izrx7HCRW2

— Ivonne (@servoisnaked) January 9, 2024

This may sound like a ridiculous article, but this actually happens often. I have seen the escalators shut down in The Land pavilion at EPCOT for the same reason. As the user who posted this particular instance used the caption “The escalator in the land has claimed another victim,” a quick internet search will yield several results from other Disney fan sites that show a growing problem of Crocs becoming stuck in this particular set of moving stairs.

It’s something to keep in mind as you visit Walt Disney World with those new Crocs you likely got for Christmas this year. They’ll serve you fine while hanging with the Three Caballeros on the Gran Fiesta Tour, visiting one of the many fabulous festivals held at EPCOT, or while you try to hold in your lunch on Mission Space. Crocs will serve you well in any other ride vehicle for that matter, but be mindful while using the escalator in the land pavilion.