EPCOT’s highly anticipated transformation was meant to breathe new life into the Central Florida Disney park, but some guests now view parts of the beloved destination as a safety hazard. Recent reports from visitors have highlighted a series of maintenance failures in the World Celebration neighborhood, raising concerns over the quality and longevity of EPCOT’s updates.
The multi-year EPCOT overhaul included redesigning Future World into three new neighborhoods—World Discovery, World Nature, and World Celebration—and introducing headline attractions like Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana. While some updates have been praised, issues in World Celebration have sparked criticism among Disney Parks fans.
Safety Hazards in World Celebration
Disney Parks fans on Reddit recently shared troubling accounts of maintenance issues in World Celebration, including broken lighting and uneven pavement.
“World Celebration is falling apart before our eyes,” wrote Redditor u/jayhero19. “Listen… I’m a diehard EPCOT fan. I’ve made many posts in the park’s defense since the walls came down earlier this year. But I am beyond stunned at how quickly this 5+ year-long refurbishment has deteriorated.”
Guests reported that newly repaired lighting fixtures around Communicore Hall and the plaza had already stopped working. “The lighting fixtures on the pavement, in the trees, and around Communicore Hall are either broken completely, or are in such abysmal shape that it would be in their best interest to break,” continued the guest.
Cracks in the pavement have also been noted, with temporary ropes marking hazardous areas. “I noticed on a recent visit to the park that there are temporary ropes around random sections of pavement,” another guest recalled. “Upon closer inspection, it appears that large cracks have formed. Large enough to trip an unsuspecting guest.”
Lighting Malfunctions Raise Eyebrows
Issues with high-profile features like the lighting displays in World Celebration and on Spaceship Earth have further fueled frustrations. One guest noted: “I spotted, and called my wife’s attention to, one LED on Spaceship Earth that was dimmer, and sometimes displayed a color that clearly was not supposed to be in the pattern.”
Another fan observed erratic lighting in the newly refurbished plaza. “Was there last week and a chunk of the lights were having a seizure,” wrote Redditor u/vette91. “Couldn’t tell if it was purposeful or something broken.”
Frustration Among EPCOT Fans
For many fans, the ongoing issues in World Celebration reflect broader dissatisfaction with EPCOT’s overhaul. “It’s such a shame that they completely disrupted the entire front half of the park for the better part of a decade only to budget cut the update into the ground and not even have what’s left functioning properly,” commented u/LadPrime.
Some fans even questioned their loyalty to Walt Disney World Resort altogether. “Don’t support any company for the companies’ sake,” wrote u/N64SmashBros. “They could not care any less about you, just your attendance and $.”
Others pointed to Universal Orlando Resort as an alternative. “I’ve been going to Universal more frequently as a local and the overhaul experience and morale over there just feels brighter,” shared u/horizons_butler83. “I wanted to be excited about Disney stuff but all they seem to do is announce closures of classics for stuff that doesn’t stack up to the old things.”
Have you noticed maintenance issues at Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, or Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park? Let Disney Dining know in the comments.
We noticed a lack of cleanliness in the parks. It use to be so clean. There are trash can every few feet, but people can’t throw their trash away. The cleaning crews would walk around with their brooms and dust pans. But they were more interested in talking with the fellow CM’s or being on their phones. Someone dropped a container of popcorn and it spilled, the cleaners walked right through it and never swept it up. (This was just one of the incidents we witnessed) trash cans over flowing.. water and soda bottles thrown on the ground and in the bushes.. it is just sad to see what used to be the cleanest theme parks are now so filthy. Even in the quick service food places. We would have to clear trash off of tables, so we could sit down and eat. I started carrying lysol wipes so I could wipe the tables. We asked at pizza farm, if they could wipe the table for us, they saw us disposing of the previous persons trash. They disappeared and never returned while we were there eating.
I don’t believe you.
You don’t have to believe it but it’s been going on for years! For people who have been going since it opened the conditions in the parks are disgusting.
Was there after Thanksgiving 2024. Saw the same things.