Construction continues impacting the guest experience in The Seas with Nemo and Friends Pavilion at EPCOT. According to a recent report, the work will continue into the summer, causing The Seas to close earlier than the rest of EPCOT.
The Seas With Nemo and Friends originally opened as The Living Seas in 1986. At the time, it housed the largest saltwater tank in the world, holding 5.7 million U.S. gallons of water (the Georgia Aquarium later surpassed this record). In 2007, Disney Imagineers reimagined the pavilion with a Finding Nemo (2003) theme, adding more of Disney’s intellectual property (IP) to EPCOT. Today, the pavilion houses a Finding Nemo dark ride, the Coral Reef restaurant, Turtle Talk with Crush, and various aquatic animal enclosures.
A lot has changed at The Seas in recent years. In 2024, Walt Disney World Resort announced it would permanently end its dolphin care program, relocating the dolphins to a third-party facility. Earlier this year, EPCOT also shifted its manatee program from long-term care to short-term rehabilitation. The resident manatees were relocated to different Florida facilities, and rescue manatees moved in with hopes of eventually being released back into the wild.
The changes aren’t over. A month ago, construction walls appeared inside The Seas, blocking two escalators from guest use. The pavilion began closing at 7:00 p.m. – much earlier than the rest of EPCOT. According to a recent report, there is no set end date for the work inside the building.
On Thursday, BlogMickey reported that construction has expanded inside The Seas with Nemo and Friends. Not only are construction walls blocking guests from accessing the two escalators, but new temporary walls have appeared in a tunnel leading to the second-floor aquarium viewing area.
According to the Walt Disney World Resort website, The Seas with Nemo and Friends will continue closing at 7:00 p.m. through at least June 17, 2025. Although Disney hasn’t given an official reason for the early closure, it’s thought that this schedule allows cast members to perform construction work before quieter hours are necessary for the animals.
With no end in sight for the early closures, construction in The Seas is expected to continue into the summer. Walt Disney World Resort hasn’t announced a specific date for the project’s completion, so be sure to stay tuned for updates.
Have you noticed any other construction at Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, or Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park? Share your story with Disney Dining in the comments!
