Spaceship Earth at Epcot is expected to close for a lengthy refurbishment in the near future. However, according to a new report, the project itself may be changing and shrinking some in scope leading up to the closure.
Disney insider Martin Smith, who is truly a gem in the Disney community, reported on the possibility that the refurbishment may not impact the load and unload area as originally believed.
It sounds like the plans for Spaceship Earth still haven’t been finalized. That’s a bit surprising considering some of the original plans called for Spaceship Earth to close in late 2019, which obviously didn’t happen, and the more recent reports suggest it may close as soon as Test Track reopens from its refurbishment. Additional delays may be coming if Disney hasn’t fully finalized their plans.
Originally, the lengthy refurbishment was expected to include changes to the various show scenes, a full track replacement and alterations to the loading and unloading area. The changes to the load/unload area raised some questions about how guests would enter and exit the attraction, and whether a larger portion of the area beneath Spaceship Earth would need to be closed off to accommodate the changes.
Guests should still expect extensive changes to Spaceship Earth even if the load/unload portion is scrapped. The overall project was expected to close Epcot’s iconic attraction for as long as two years, though that may change if the scope of work is altered or scaled back.